Hello Kealing Families,
I am sure your children are chanting "three more days!" as we enter the last week of the 2016-2017 school year. This year seems to have flown by and it's hard to believe it's coming to a close. This stellar year has been marked by the advent of KBTV news, creative Homecoming floats, Kealing's designation as an AVID Site of Distinction, girls soccer triumphs and Fine Arts successes including State Honor Orchestra performances. We've seen the fidget spinner takeover and sulked while watching students use the new laser cutter to create their own. The academic risks that our students took and rigorous learning opportunities they experienced are too many to name. Altogether, we've had a year of succeeding and failing forward. Our students have experience winning and learning through struggle, laughter, and tears, exactly as they should in middle school.
You have served as volunteers, October and February slump pep-talkers, and taxicab drivers. This year, in addition to the academic expectations that you helped your students manage, Kealing filled your schedule with concerts, field trips, and athletic events too. You have partnered with us and contributed to our parent organizations, continuing to make Kealing better for all of our students. Thank you for your support in our work to create lasting memories for our Hornets. Wrapping up this year, I am even more proud to serve the Kealing community and can truly say that there is no better place. Thank you for your part in this unique, awe-inspiring reality.
Though this will be the last Hornet Herald until August 3, keep an eye on our website for up to date information on transition camp and other back to school events. If you need anything throughout the summer, feel free to email or call. We will be closed during the week of July 4 and on most Fridays but will otherwise be around preparing for another remarkable year for our students.
On behalf of all of the staff at Kealing Middle School, I wish you all a summer of fun and time with family and friends, wherever these months may take you. Eighth grade parents, I hope to see you Thursday for the promotion ceremony at the Delco Center. For those who will be returning to Kealing next year, recharge and we'll see you on August 21, 2017!
With warm regards,
Kenisha Coburn
Principal
IN THIS EDITION
Check the website calendar for the most up to date information. May 29 - June 1 Last Week of School (No Backpacks!) May 30 8th Grade Field Trip to Shady Springs June 1 Last Day of School 8th Grade Promotion @ 6:15 pm - DELCO 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! These businesses have given at least $250 to support Kealing this year! Junior Achievement Spider House Ballroom UT College of Natural Sciences HONOR ROLL ($500-999) Austin Boxing Babes Charm School Vintage Disneyland Park and Disney California Double Dave’s Arbor Trail GasPedal Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects Katherine Hart Photography Mueller Olive Garden Primizie Snacks Robin Jackson Photography Snarf’s Sandwiches Texas Art Portraits SCHOLAR ($250-499) ACT Running Amity Worrell & Co. Interior Design Austin Panic Room BBBrown Fitness Code Studio Coco Paloma Desserts FOLIO Communications Group Human Financial Mathnasium of Northwest and Westlake Oak Hill Drum Pilates on Kerbey Sail & Ski Center Slavonk & Hortus Terraria ZACH Theatre Click here to find out more about the Kealing Business Supporters Program! | Last Week of School Reminders No late buses or Think Tank Leave Backpacks at home End of Year AISD Orchestra Honors! Congratulations to the several dozen Kealing Orchestra students who participated at AISD's 2017 Solo/Ensemble Event at McCallum High School! Many students received the highest "1" grade, and two Kealing students received "Best of Class" awards for their respective instruments and class: 8th grader Miguel Liu-Schiaffini (cello) and 7th grader Braden Rosen (violin). Those two students returned to McCallum High School last week to have their performances taped for AISD Channel 22. Thanks to Mr. Jarrott and Ms. Berecek for their unwavering support for beautiful music! Six Flags Read to Succeed Congratulations to our 46 6th graders who completed the Six Flags Read to Succeed program this year. For their participation, they are receiving a ticket to Six Flags Fiesta Texas to be used this summer between July 10 and August 27. Tickets will be delivered to the students' Language Arts teachers this week. Lady Hornet Volleyball Camp July 31- Aug. 3rd 8:30 am - 12:30 pm $60 (before June 1st) includes camp tshirt $65 after June 1st You can drop registration form off at school, Attention: Coach Brynie or register on the 1st day of camp. Contact jaime.brynie@austinisd.org with questions.
Summer Reading Opportunities Want your student to avoid the summer reading slide and not have to worry about traveling with books or getting them returned to a library on time? Be sure your Hornets make the most of thousands of digital books available to AISD students. With MackinVIA, students can ‘check-out’ up to 2 books at a time on their account. Books will automatically return to MackinVIA after 2 weeks unless your child renews them, so there’s no worry about due dates or late fees. MackinVIA can be accessed through an app of the same name or via the website at www.mackinvia.com. The username and password are your child’s AISD student ID number (without the ‘S’). MyON is another choice with thousands of books available to students. Log in at www.myON.com with the username being the student ID number (with the ‘S’) and password: aisd. AISD is kicking off a new summer reading program that you can learn more about at www.5bookdive.org. Students can read 5 self-selected books over the summer, fill out the bookmark available on the website, and take it to BookPeople for a $5 gift certificate. The website has some book suggestions but any books can be selected for participation in the 5 Book Dive. Kealing Community Feedback Needed! Please click here by May 31 to take a brief survey and help us plan for next year. The survey asks questions about our new online learning/teacher website system that will be used next year, exemptions available through district of innovation, and Kealing clubs and organizations. We'll be discussing the District of Innovation exemptions immediately after the May 25 meeting so please join us for that conversation. 8th Grade Celebration All 8th grade students and families are welcome to join us as Kealing Middle School Celebrates each of our 8th grade students! The celebration will be held at the Delco Center (4601 Pecan Brook Dr Austin, Texas 78724) on Thursday, June 1, 2017 at 6:15 PM. Please go to kmsguidance.weebly.com to register for the event! Just click on the 8th grade celebration tab that takes you to the Google Form. Questions? Visit the FAQ on the website or call: 512-414 2444 *Please give extra time for travel due to construction around the Delco Center. Need transportation? Call and reserve a seat on the bus by May 25th. Call: 512-841-6500 Think Tank and Late Buses Below are the changes for Think Tank and late buses for the rest of the year.
Please plan accordingly! All Parents - Register Online for the 2017-2018 School Year! You can register now through the Austin ISD Parent Cloud at my.austinisd.org. Currently about 50% of our families are registered for the 2017-2018 school year. Register now to help us plan for next year and ensure appropriate staffing. Our goal is to be at 70% be the end of May! For more information, click here to access the Austin ISD registration guide. Kealing 2017-2018 Summer Transition Summer scheduling and transition dates are on the Kealing website. Click here to take a look and mark your calendar for next year. District-Wide Book Drive Kealing advisories are collecting books for a city-wide book drive to benefit AISD schools. Many campuses do not have enough "choice" books for students to read in classrooms or before and after school. Others hope to send books home with students for the summer. We are looking for books from all reading levels, Pre-K through 12th grade. Please have your child bring them to advisory. The Austin Council of PTAs will collect and distribute them. Together, we can share the love of reading with ALL kids in AISD! | PTA ANNOUNCEMENTS Thank You, Kealing CommunityThank you, Kealing community, for donating so much of your time, talents, and financial resources to support the Kealing PTA and school this year. Click here to see a summary of the PTA's accomplishments for the year. As you can see, it has been quite a year! All of these outcomes were a direct result of our volunteers' hard work and the Kealing community's generosity. A special shout out to the following volunteers who stepped up to lead a Kealing committee or project this year: Join the June 3rd Parent Party! All funds go to KMS. Please join our END OF YEAR CELEBRATION for PARENTS! Enjoy a delicious dinner, with wine, dessert, and beverages, at the lovely Henderson home, near Mt. Bonnell, on Saturday, June 3, from 6:30 pm onward, with 50 other Hornet parents. All ticket sales go to KMS PTA, for next year’s spending on Kealing classes. Visit https://form.jotform.us/7127346021114 to find this item. See you there! (Please contact Kara K at kkockelm@mail.utexas.edu if you'd like more info.) PTA Mentors Needed If you have ever volunteered with a PTA, you have a wealth of knowledge, earned by working with other parents and schools. The Austin Council of PTAs is looking for people like you to share that knowledge with PTAs that are just getting started, or PTAs that are working to expand what they do. Please consider sharing your experience and skills to help another school grow stronger! If you think you might be interested, please complete a short online interest form at https://tinyurl.com/ACPTAmentor to let us know more about what you have to share and how you would like to share it. Thank you! If you'd like to help set up, serve, and clean up refreshments at the 8th grade ceremony at the Delco 6/1 click here: http://signup.com/go/OvIilOq KMAG ANNOUNCEMENTS Calling All Parents Interested in KMAG!!!!Just as key, KMAG is looking for volunteers to CHAIR many of lead committees, including a Fundraising Chair. These jobs are CRITICAL but also LIMITED in terms of time commitment - a great balance. Thanks to the efforts of previous Chairs much of the workflow has been scripted, and so there's great support in place. Please consider joining the KMAG team and making your child's experience at Kealing the best it can be! OPPORTUNITIES ON OTHER CAMPUSES If you are an 8th grader who will be attending McCallum in the fall, you need to sign up for transition camp. The camp will be held June 6 or 7th. Please visit the McCallum website or the Kealing Counselling website where we will provide the flyer and registration information. Visit kmsguidance.weebly.com. A few printed flyers will be available with Ms. Rivera in the counseling office. |