Hello Hornet Families,
Thanks for patience. I am sure you were waiting for the day late Monday Hornet Herald. We had some important information to squeeze in - this was what I have coined "A Week of Wins."
- On Jan 23, 2017, students that previously scored a perfect 7 out of 7 on the preliminary competition gathered to participate in the school-wide Kealing Geographic Bee. 7th grader Tushar Bhagawatula (who was the runner-up for last year’s Kealing Geographic Bee) outlasted all other participants and was crowned the Kealing Geographic Bee winner. After taking a placement test, he hopes to advance and participate in the Texas State Geographic Bee on March 31. Congratulations Tushar!
- Kealing Science Olympiad teams were placed 2nd and 3rd at the Brazoswood Tournament this past weekend in a competition involving 30 other teams. Congrats Kealing Sci O!
- The first Kealing Academy Science Fair took place last week and was a huge success. I do not yet have final standings but I will announce them as soon as they are passed my way.
- The Kealing Quiz Bowl Team took 1st place at the Cougar Clash this past Saturday. A 1st place win means this team has earned a spot at State (in Houston in April) and at Nationals (in Dallas in May)!
- Ronan Spelman won 1st place going undefeated in the K-12 U800 division at the Casis Chess Tournament. The Kealing crew won the 2nd place team trophy in a close contest with Canyon Vista.
- The Kealing Girls' Soccer Teams have also had outstanding wins to kick off the season. Please come out and support them this Saturday morning as they take on Fulmore Middle School.
This week will be calmer than the last and next week we'll be off to the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Convention. The Kealing Orchestra will be featured as the Middle School Honor Orchestra, which is one of the highest honors possible for a middle school. I look forward to seeing what they have been working on! Also, Ms. Parks and the Kealing Advanced Mixed Choir have been selected to participate as a demonstration choir at TMEA to showcase the best of choir instruction.
Regards,
Kenisha Coburn
IN THIS EDITION
Check the website calendar for the most up to date information. February 1 Boys Basketball B @ Garcia February 2 PTA Meeting - 7:30 am February 4 Girls Soccer at McCallum February 9 KMAG Meeting - 7:30 am CAC Meeting @ 4:00 pm (Budget and Staffing) February 9-11 TMEA in San Antonio 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! | 8th Grade Parents - Mark Your Calendars!
HIGH SCHOOL CHOICE SHEETS/4 YEAR PLANS Every 8th grader is required, by the district, to complete a choice sheet/four year plan/endorsement selection with their zoned high school. Each school will send counselors who will explain and assist students in completing their choice sheet/four year plan online. The students will also complete a hard copy version which they are required to get signed by a parent/guardian and return to Ms. Lopez, the 8th grade counselor. Please try to ensure that your student is present to meet with their zoned school. Schools who are already scheduled are listed below. If a student is accepted into a specialized program at a high school, like LASA, they will complete the four year plan at a date determined by the program; but they are still encouraged to complete the zoned school’s four year plan. If your school is not scheduled yet, there will be communication sent out when their date is confirmed.
HIGH SCHOOL EVENING EXPOS Anderson – February 1st @ 5:30-7:30pm McCallum- February 28th@ 6:30-9:30pm Please visit the Kealing Guidance Website at kmsguidance.weebly.com for continued updates.
 Geographic BeeCongrats to the Top 10 Geographic Bee Finalists: 1. Tushar Bhagawatula 2. Calvin Auby 3. Lena Birkholz 3. Evan Scariano 5. Darren Tea 5. Hays Turner 5. Ishan Ladhani 5. Alex Pham 9. Henry Edgington 9. Rishi Chidambara Gifted and Talented Nomination The window for GT parent and teacher nominations is now open. AISD screens students for the GT program using a multi-criteria approach to selection. GT identification is based upon data collected from academic tests, parent and teacher observation surveys, student surveys, and student portfolio work samples. If you would like to nominate your child for GT screening, please complete the parent nomination form and return it to the Program Office by February 10. Nomination forms can be found outside the Main Office. For digital nomination forms or additional information, please contact Lyra Swinney via email at lyra.swinney@austinisd.org or by phone at (512) 841-7746. 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.  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. MLK Day of Service Thanks Thanks to AVID for an amazing job this past Saturday about the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at our peace though pie social and then their help with planting flowers, mulching and picking up trash during our day of service. Special thanks to Ms Touchstone for her African Americans inventors quiz, to Ms Denmon for her leadership, as well as to Mrs Gonzales, Ms Bolen, Mr McCormink, Ms. Henderson, Ms, Jones, Mr Rost and Principal Coburn for their participation and supervision. Also, thank you to the 25 National Junior Honor Society students who helped out during the Martin Luther King Day of service. We appreciate your hard work and help in keeping Dr. King's ideals alive.
Glee Do you like to sing and dance. If so, consider joining Glee, Kealing's show choir. First Rehearsal: Wednesday, Feb 1st 3-4:30 Choir Room First rehearsal is an audtion, but you do not need to prepare. Just be willing to sing and dance in a small goupr. If you are selected, be prepared to attend rehearsal every Wednesday from 3- 4:30. Stop by the choir room (Rm 230) if you have any questions.
Rainbow Connection Club
| PTA ANNOUNCEMENTS PTA Meeting Join us in the library this Thursday, Feb 2nd from 7:30-9am for our February PTA Membership Meeting and Principal's Coffee. Principal Coburn will lead a discussion on TEA's accountability scores and what they mean for Kealing. The PTA is starting the process for electing a new executive board for the 2017-18 school year. The first step in that process is to appoint a nominations committee to help recruit and identify nominees for the board. Please email kealingmspta@gmail.org if you would be willing to serve on the nominations committee, are interested in serving on the board, or would like more information. Kealing Men Career Path Discussion Kealing Men will be hosting its 3rd annual Kealing Men Career Path Discussion roundtable at Kealing Middle school in the Cafeteria on February 11, 2017 from 10:00 -12:00 Kealing Men will provide the lunch for this occasion as we share with the young men and women of Kealing and the community the different career choices they can make as they look into the future. All Kealing children are welcome and encouraged to attend.March for Education Austin Council of PTAs advocates for bills that help YOUR CHILD access better programs and help YOUR SCHOOL attract high quality teachers. The more the merrier, so join us:
Spirit Wear Sales Spirit Wear Sales! PTA will be selling spirit wear to students on Thursday, February 2 and Friday, February 3, in the cafeteria during all lunches. PTA will accept cash or check. You can check out the new styles and also order and pay online at www.kealingpta.org/store. Zip Hoodies $25 T-shirts $15 Baseball shirts $20 Kealing stickers/magnets $3 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:
Shadow Wranglers Needed
Shadowing starts next week and we still need a few more volunteers. Please consider helping out if you can. Slots are about 45 minutes long and your help is greatly needed. Thank you to those who have already signed up. In case you haven't, here's the information again.. 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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