December 2, 2024
Dear Davis Families,
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed the extended break! It sure flew by and now here we are back at school with three very full weeks before we enter winter break. This week, we celebrate Inclusive Schools Week and Special Education Staff Appreciation Week. Also this week, the library has been transformed for Book Fair, which will include book shopping visits for all students and Family Night on Tuesday. I’m excited to be a guest reader for Book Fair Family Night and hope to see many of you there! Wednesday morning we will welcome Murchison Middle School Principal Chara Harris for a special Principal Coffee. Thursday and Friday will bring special guest engineers to campus to lead Hour of Code lessons in all of our 4th and 5th grade classrooms. On Friday, we’ll welcome many, many grandparents for an annual tradition we all treasure, Grandparents Luncheon. What an exciting week ahead we have to look forward to!
INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS WEEK
Inclusive Schools Week is a time for us to recognize and celebrate all of our students and the many diverse gifts they bring to our school community. Inclusive Schools Week is also a call to action to keep inclusive learning environments at the forefront of what we do-This year’s theme, “Every Voice Matters,” echoes the fundamental belief that every individual has a unique perspective and contributes to the rich tapestry of our school communities. Creating more inclusive learning environments, dismantling barriers to participation, and promoting equity and understanding among all members of the school community is crucial (inclusiveschoolsnetwork.org). These are values that we prioritize at Davis and commit to continuing the work in these areas.
SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK
Did you know that Davis offers a full continuum of special education services for students who qualify? This includes Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE), Resource, Social Communication Resources and Services (SCORES), Social Behavior Skills (SBS), and Life Skills. Special education related services include speech therapy, occupational therapy, music therapy, and physical therapy. Did you also know that Davis has the very best special education staff in town? We are so fortunate and proud to have such a dedicated team of 31 special education teachers, teaching assistants, and related service providers at Davis supporting more than 170 students who receive special education services. We are looking forward to showing our appreciation to them this week!
HUMAN SEXUALITY & RESPONSIBILITY (HSR) LESSONS AND PERMISSION FORMS
The HSR lessons will be taught the week of December 16-20 to students in K-5th grade. Every parent must complete an HSR Permission Form to indicate if they would like their child to opt in or opt out of the lessons. I’ve included links below to the HSR information slides that I reviewed at the last Principal Coffee and a link to the AISD HSR curriculum information, which includes all of the HSR detailed lesson plans. I will send the permission form links in a Dojo message later today.
HSR Lessons Information Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/13uCeMBqqPg0y0OO-2_q7C7AJhDZKvI70EZhzis6VR88/edit?usp=sharing
AISD HSR Curriculum
https://www.austinisd.org/pe-health/health-education/hsr
PRINCIPAL COFFEE THIS WEDNESDAY WITH MMS PRINCIPAL CHARA HARRIS
Topic: Murchison Middle School Info Session with Principal Chara Harris
Wednesday, December 4, 7:45-8:45am, Davis Cafeteria
Murchison MS Principal Chara Harris will join us to share information about the comprehensive programming at Murchison, with an emphasis on what to expect for students as they transition to 6th grade at Murchison. Attendance at this session is highly recommended for current 5th grade parents. All Davis parents are welcome to attend.
AUSTIN ISD BUDGET COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS
Austin ISD is hosting a series of community conversations to gather input on the district’s 3-year Budget Reduction Plan. Austin ISD invites families, staff and community members to a virtual conversation about the district’s plan to reduce the $92 million deficit over the next three years. Find out how we’re considering reducing costs and share your input on the proposed plan. District leaders are committed to creating a sustainable budget plan while also being cautiously optimistic about the possibility of additional funding coming out of the next legislative session. With a three-year cascading budget plan, the hardest cuts would be pushed to future years for possible implementation. Conversations will be in English and Spanish.
- 6–7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9 Join via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/91660312617#success
- 11 a.m.–noon, Saturday, Dec. 14 Join via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/99713298474#success
GRATITUDE NOTES TO DAVIS TEACHERS & STAFF
We really appreciate all the gratitude notes sent to Davis staff! I’m going to continue to include this link each week for anyone who would like to send a note of gratitude to a Davis staff member.
Upcoming Events
12/2-12/6: Book Fair Week
12/3, 5-7pm: Book Fair Family Night
12/4, 7:45-8:45am: Principal Coffee with MMS Principal
12/4, 9:15am-12:00pm: Laguna Gloria Field Trip-3rd Grade (Alexander/Hutchison)
12/4, 11:15am-2:00pm: Laguna Gloria Field Trip-3rd Grade (Plamondon, Parker, Stelmach)
12/6, 10:55am-12:45pm: Grandparents Luncheon, Cafeteria & Gym
12/9, 11:00am-1:45pm: Paramount Theater Field Trip (2nd)
12/10-12/12: MAP Growth Reading & Math (K-5th)
12/12: CANCELLED- CAC Meeting
Thank you for being a part of Davis!
Jenny Daniels
Principal, Davis Elementary