Hello Hornet Families,
This past week was an exciting one for our staff. At the end of the day Friday, we recognized our Kealing Middle School Teacher of Promise, Mr. Hague. As a first year teacher he has greatly improved the learning experience for a number of our English Language Learners. He contributes by offering in-class support and mentoring, and he even took on the soccer coaching job this year. Our students are lucky to have him. We also recognized Ms. Alyssa Barrera, who is our Staff Salute award winner. Her teamwork, customer service, problem-solving ability, and never ending positive outlook are appreciated every day. She helps the Program Office run smoothly. Please offer your congratulations to these two members of the Kealing Family. The Kealing Teacher of the Year announcement is coming in the next two weeks!
When your students arrive tomorrow, I hope they notice the newly planted flowers in front of the school. This along with the trimmed bushes, weeded garden, and absence of trash are all a function of the hard work that was done this weekend as our community came together to participate in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Here are a few photos of the crew at work.
The weather could not have been better and there was a way for everyone to pitch in. Thanks Laura DiCarlo, Theresa Spicer, Dusty Harshman, and Kara Kockleman, for their work in coordinating with Huston-Tillotson University and Blackshear Elementary to prepare for this event. Dr. King's final book was titled Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community. I believe we answered his question this weekend through unity, positivity, and work to strengthen our community.
I ended my weekend by viewing the final performance of Guys and Dolls. Wow - what a show! Sometimes I take the incredible talent of our students for granted. Ms. Pena-Brooks and Ms. Waggoner did yeoman's work preparing the cast and crew and the students ultimately put on a show that will be remembered. The set, the costumes, the casting, the acting, the vocals - they left no stone unturned. You can see a bit of their work in the picture to the left. The students smiled and hugged as the curtain closed and every bit of the celebration that followed was deserved.
Now it's time to gear up for the week. As a reminder, Monday through Thursday this week we will start the day with benchmark testing. Student rosters are posted in the hallways and we will help all students get to the correct testing locations.
Have an energizing and productive week!
Best Regards,
Kenisha Coburn
IN THIS EDITION
Check the website calendar for the most up to date information. January 23-26 Altered Bell Schedule - Benchmark Testing January 23 Geography Bee @ 3:00 pm January 26 Boys Basketball vs. Fulmore (7th @ Home) January 27 Kealing Academy Science Fair January 28 Girls Soccer vs. Fulmore (@ McCallum) February 1 Boys Basketball B @ Garcia KBTV NEWS Kealing Broadcast Television is a student developed news program that airs every Tuesday through Advisory. Take a look at the videos to keep up with what's newsworthy at Kealing. Check out the broadcasts. They will post weekly in the Student Life section of the Kealing website. Thanks to our growing list of Kealing PTA Business Supporters! PRINCIPAL’S LIST ($1000-1999) Texas Art Portraits HONOR ROLL ($500-999) Austin Boxing Babes Charm School Vintage GasPedal Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects Mueller Olive Garden Snarf’s Sandwiches SCHOLAR ($250-499) Code Studio Coco Paloma Desserts FOLIO Communications Group Human Financial Slavonk & Hortus Terraria Click here to find out more about the Kealing Business Supporters Program! | Six Flags Read To Succeed for 6th Graders - Participate and earn a Free Six Flags Ticket Starts on Monday, 1/23 after school. Any students, any grades can come Monday after school to Room 213 and dramatically, theatrically PLAY with robots.  Lacrosse Registration - Now OpenRegistration for both girls' and boys' Lacrosse is now open! Please go to www.bit.ly/laxregistration to sign up or visit the Kealing Lacrosse website for more information, including practice days/times and necessary equipment. There are also printed fliers available outside of room 218 on campus. The sport is open to all grade levels and no prior experience is necessary. There are scholarships available to cover cost to play. Email Kelly Morledge (kelly.morledge@austinisd.org) with any questions! Work Based Learning Summer Youth Employment - Presented by Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department and Givens Recreation Center. Students must be currently enrolled and attending school in the city of Austin or Travis County. They must be 14- 18 years of age by March 31, 2017 and must complete 15 hours of Job Readiness training. The trainings will be held on:
 We Want Your Print Dictionaries!!In the age of the online and electronic dictionary, we still find that we can never have too many print dictionaries and thesauruses in schools. If you have a print dictionary or thesaurus that is in good condition that you would like to part with, please drop it off in the Kealing Program Office. Book Spring Read-A-Thon Any Kealing students who are interested are invited to participate in the annual BookSpring Read-A-Thon held between Jan. 23 – Feb. 05. Students ask for pledges from friends, neighbors, and family and money they collect from the time they spend reading helps get books in the hands of children in Austin. A $3 donation can provide a child with a book to take home. Registration and information can be found at http://readathon.bookspring.org or students can stop by and see Ms. Williams in the Library.Kealing Ultimate Frisbee The Kealing Ultimate Frisbee team will be holding an informational meeting on Thursday, January 26th, 3:00-3:30pm in the library. The team is open to all programs, all grade levels, boys and girls, and the meeting will address everything you need to know for the Spring 2017 Ultimate season! Questions? Contact any of the club sponsors:
Mexican and Spanish Culture Club MEXICAN SPANISH CULTURE CLUB MEETING Wed, in Mr Sanchez's Rm 511. Are you interested in learning more about Mexican and Spanish Culture, including improving your Spanish Language Skills?'Science Fair Volunteers Needed Attention Science Lovers! The Kealing Academy is in need of volunteer judges for our Science fair on Friday, January 27th. Volunteers are needed for the following time slots: 9:15-10:50 11:30-1:00 1:10 - 2:40Judges will given simple instructions on how to judge projects prior to January 27th. If you are interested in giving your time please email Lucinda Pogue at lucinda.pogue@austinisd.org AISD Future As we continue to plan, shape and build our #AISDFuture, we need your input.Join us at the next series of community engagement conversations to share your feedback about the Facility Master Plan update and the options the committee would like the public to consider. The meetings dates are below. Information will be discussed by cluster, so Kealing Middle School is first up on January 24. * Jan. 24 – 6 to 8 p.m. at McCallum High School * Jan. 25 – 6 to 8 p.m. at Crockett High School * Jan. 26 – 6 to 8 p.m. at Gus Garcia Young Men’s Leadership Academy * Jan. 31 – 6 to 8 p.m. at Martin Middle School * Feb. 1 – 6 to 8 p.m. at Burnet Middle School * Feb. 2 – 6 to 8 p.m. at Gorzycki Middle School Food and refreshments will be provided. Interpretation services will be available upon request. To request modifications or interpretation services, please call 512-414-9595 or email future@austinisd.org. | PTA ANNOUNCEMENTS Upcoming PTA Meetings The PTA has posted an updated list of Membership Meetings, Principal Coffees, and other events scheduled for the spring. Go to www.kealingpta.org for the full schedule. The next meeting is scheduled for February 2, 7:30am. Join us in the library then for a presentation and discussion with Principal Coburn on new TEA Accountability and Rating System.Kealing Center Stage Mark your calendars for the evening of April 8th for Kealing Center Stage, the Kealing PTA’s largest fundraiser of the year. Kealing Center Stage is a fun-packed evening for parents, teachers, and staff, with food, live music, a silent auction, and more. Planning is under way now for this big event, and tickets will go on sale in February. This event depends on the generous support of parents, local businesses, and friends of the school. There are several ways you can help support this important event today:
The organizers are looking for entrepreneurs, firefighters, lawyers, teachers, professionals, computer scientists, and more to come and share their career path experiences. For more information and to volunteer, email Richard Barner at Richard_Barner@dell.com Thanks! Spring Membership Drive It's not too late to join the Kealing PTA for the 2016-17 school year. Help support the education and success of all children at Kealing. A fantastic value at $10/person or $19 per family, and we also offer scholarships. Help us reach our goal of 100% parent membership this year! Sign up at www.kealingpta.org. Shadow Wranglers Needed From 1/30/17 - 2/28/17 prospective Kealing students will shadow current students to learn about the magnet program. Parents are needed in the mornings from 6:55 - 7:45 and afternoons from 2:15 - 3:00 to help greet, check in and check out shadowing students. You can sign up once or several times to do this quick and easy, but important job.
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