Talon Talk

At Summitt ES, we ensure high levels of learning for each student, engaging both heart & mind.

Happy November!

I hope you all had a wonderful October and are enjoying the arrival of the beautiful fall weather!

October was an exciting and productive month as we wrapped up our first nine weeks of the school year, recognized our first House Winners, hosted Parent/Teacher Conferences, and celebrated a meaningful and engaging Love Your Brain Week—among many other highlights.

As we move into November, we look forward to a month filled with exciting campus activities, community events, and opportunities to continue learning and growing together.

Here are some items included in this month's Talon Talk:

• Save the Dates
• Counselor Corner - including food pantry information and how to donate
• Track and Field Days
• Veterans Day Assembly
• Book Fair Week
• Grandparents Lunch

For those of you new to Summitt, this is the Talon Talk, a monthly newsletter that is sent out to the campus and community, sharing happenings for the upcoming month. Here are the previous Talon Talks from this school year:

October Talon Talk

September Talon Talk

August Talon Talk

Back-to-School Edition

Thank you for your involvement and support. And thank you for sharing your amazing students with us!

Respectfully

Kim Placker

Summitt Interim Principal

Tuesday, November 4th - Election Day - Student Holiday/Staff Development

Thurs. & Fri. November 6th & 7th -

Kinder-2nd on Thursday, Nov. 6th

3rd-5th on Friday, Nov. 7th

November 12th - 14th - House Meetings after morning assembly

Tuesday, November 11th - Veterans Day Assembly @ 7:40 am

Thursday, November 13th - Parent Coffee Chat @ 8:15 am - "Why Mental Health Matters in Elementary School"

November 17-21 - PTA Sponsored Book Fair

Tuesday, November 18th - PJ Night from 5-7 pm @ the Book Fair (wear PJs during the day too)

Wednesday, November 19th - Grandparents Lunch

November 24th-28th - Fall Break

Friday, December 5th - Koblenz Holiday Market @ 6 pm

Wednesday, December 17th - 1st Annual Summitt Trail of Lights Fun Run @ 6 pm

December 22nd-January 5th - Winter Break (Students Return on January 6th)

The counselors constantly update information in the Counselor Corner. In addition, here are Community Resources that include legal information, counseling options, food and housing resources, and more.

Food Pantry Information can be found in this link. The 3 food pantries that are closest to our school can be found in: Summitt Food Pantry Options.

To donate to one of the Food Pantries, please see this information:

St. Stephens Missionary Baptist Church

Donations are accepted on Fridays 9am- 5pm

12300 Amherst Dr.

Austin, TX 78727

Monetary donations accepted online here.

(Must select Food Pantry “Funds”)

Or text “SSMBC” to 73256

St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store

901 W Braker Lane Austin, TX 78758

Monetary donations only- click here.

512-836-0020

Covenant United Methodist Church

4410 Duval Rd #6808, Austin, TX 78727

Non-perishable Food Donation Drop Box at Church

(512) 346-3124

If you have a 5th grade student, the following is a great link to bookmark to keep up to date about all Middle School Transition information. This is constantly updated as new information is shared from the different middle schools and transition activities throughout Austin ISD.

This year, Kinder, 1st, and 2nd grades will have their field day on Thursday, Nov. 6th, and 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades will have theirs on Friday, the 7th. For the younger grades, we do stations in the morning followed by a popsicle/bubble/dance party on the blacktop in the afternoon. We have found that a full day of stations is really not the best for the younger students. The stations on Thursday will be run by 5th grade volunteers who have shown excellent leadership qualities so far this school year. We will also have 5th grade pals accompany the classes they support. 5th graders who get to support on Thursday will need both teacher and parent permission to miss class.

3rd, 4th, and 5th grades will have a full day of field day on the 7th. We will need some parent volunteers to help run the stations. That sign up will be coming out in the next couple of weeks.

Items needed for Field Day- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F4DA8AD2EA3FE3-59571092-field

Our annual Veterans Day Assembly will take place on Tuesday, November 11. We invite any Veterans in our community to join us on stage so we can honor you. Please sign in at the front office and be seated on stage by 7:30 am. The program will begin promptly at 7:40 am.

You may attend in your service uniform, fatigues, or a t-shirt that depicts your branch of service. ***Use this link to RSVP and provide information about your Veteran!***

Thank you for your service! We look forward to honoring you!

Art With Mrs. Thora
The art room has been positively haunted with creativity this month! Mummies, skeletons, ghosts, and haunted houses have all crept out from the shadows, oh my! Spooky season has officially taken over, and our 3rd and 4th graders have outdone themselves crafting incredible 3D haunted houses that are frightfully fun to behold. Their spooky masterpieces will soon get a holiday twist , think “The Nightmare Before Christmas” as we transition from pumpkins to peppermint!

Mark your calendars: our talented artists will host a Mini Art Show on Friday, December 12 after school (more details coming soon!).

Meanwhile, our 5th graders have been getting inspired by the colorful, whimsical world of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama; their dot-tastic projects are sure to dazzle!

Mrs. Thora’s Art Room Requests:
We’re brewing up even more art magic and need your help gathering supplies! Please send in:

• Toilet paper rolls
• Cereal boxes
• Bottle tops (plastic and metal LOTS!)

Thank you for helping keep our art room monstrously creative!

Report Cards will be available to be viewed and accessed on November 5th through the parent portal. You will receive an email with directions on how to access your child's report card.

Here is a link to the AISD website and Parent Portal directions: https://www.austinisd.org/technology/parent-portal/parent-self-serve

January 23

April 8

June 18

Please join us for our Fall Principal Chats on the various topics:

Thursday, November 13 @ 8:15 am- Topics: Why Mental Health Matters at the Elementary Level

Tuesday, December 2 @ 12:10 pm - NetSmart Parent Webinar

Google Meet joining info:

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/wkn-kjic-dxk

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 252-584-0152‬ PIN: ‪222 979 784‬#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/wkn-kjic-dxk?pin=6303578591583

Wednesday, January 7th - Murchison Middle School Information Session @ 8 am.

Murchison staff will meet with 5th-grade students immediately following the parent meeting.

Thank you to the parents who attended our Attendance Matters Parent Coffee on October 14th! The presentation from our meeting is linked here.

Thanks also to all of you for making sure that your child attended school on Friday, which was the snapshot day for the district and state. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Absences and tardiness impact the whole classroom, as well as school funding. Parents, thank you for making sure your student is in school and on time every day. It is a state law.

Finally, in the first quarter of the 2024-2025 school year, Summitt lost $79,544 due to student absence. This year, that number fell to $54,290. That is more than $25,000 in additional funding that our district will be able to receive based on students being in school. Thank you so much to our families for working hard to get kids to school! We are so appreciative.

Book Fair Week! Monday-Friday, November 17-21
Get excited to celebrate the joy of reading at our Literati Book Fair! This week will be a time for sparking imaginations, strengthening literacy skills, and bringing excitement to our Eagle readers.

Students can wear their pajamas on Tuesday, November 18th, leading up to our PJ Bookfair Night!

Calling all grandparents! Come join your little ones for lunch on Grandparents Day on Wednesday, November 19, during all lunches (see schedule here). After lunch, take a stroll through our book fair in the library. Please be sure to RSVP for this event before November 10. You also need to pre-pay using this link to pay for any lunches that will be purchased from the cafeteria.

Important reminders for our Grandparents' lunch:

• All grandparent visitors should arrive 15 minutes before lunchtime (see schedule here) and bring a valid driver’s license or passport to check in.

• If you’ve been on campus before and are already registered in our system, preregistering will help you skip the long lines and make check-in quick and easy. It will also help us plan for seating.

• If you’ve never been on campus, you can stop by the front office anytime before the event to have your ID scanned in advance — you download this app and enter your information BEFORE coming to campus on the 19th to make the visitor check-in faster.

• Cafeteria lunches cost $5.25 and will be CASH ONLY on the day of the event - please bring exact change. Credit/debit cards are accepted in advance using this link to pre-pay with a minimal service charge.

• Grandparents Day participants will be seated outside at the picnic tables, weather permitting. Inside accommodations will be made for those unable to sit outside.
• Please note that all regular visitation and dismissal procedures apply. Please contact the office with any questions.

We can’t wait to celebrate our amazing grandparents with a wonderful lunch together!

To help keep our students safe and ensure smooth traffic flow, please follow all parking and drop-off guidelines during arrival and dismissal times. The staff parking lot and bus drop-off zone off Mosley Lane are reserved for staff and buses only before 7:40 a.m. If you arrive before 7:40, please use the designated drop-off lane. After 7:40, families may also use the front office drop-off lane.

On the Brigadoon Lane side of the building, families may either park in the visitor lot and walk students to the door or use the drop-off lane for quick drop-offs. Please drive slowly, remain alert for pedestrians in crosswalks, and follow the established traffic flow. Stopping in the middle of the street or making U-turns creates unsafe conditions for students and is not permitted. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community safe.

Lately, our playground has experienced some challenges with vandalism and excess trash being left behind. This not only makes the area unsafe for our students and custodians, but it also leads to costly repairs and extra maintenance. We want to keep our playground open and welcoming for everyone, but according to AISD board policy, continued misuse may result in a temporary two-week closure for community access. Please help us care for our shared space by keeping it clean and reporting any suspicious activity to campus police. Together, we can ensure our playground remains a safe and fun place for all.

Yearbooks for the 2025-2026 school year are available for purchase now through Josten's. Yearbooks will be delivered in the spring to Summitt. We highly encourage you to pre-order a yearbook, as they often sell out!
Order here

This is just a reminder that you are welcome to come eat lunch with your child on each Wednesday and Thursday. PLEASE be sure that you know the beginning and ending time of your child's lunch so they get back to the cafeteria in time to join their class.

More reminders:

PLEASE do the following:

• Bring your driver's license and sign in at the front office.
• Wait for your child in the hallway outside the office.
• Go with your child to the blue picnic tables towards our Blacktop/Playground and eat at "Eagle's Landing" under the trees. If it is raining, then tables will be set up in the main hallway near the counselor's offices.
• Ensure your child is in the cafeteria with their classmates by the end of their lunch period.

• DO NOT walk your child back to class.
• Don't forget to sign out of the office at the end of your child's lunch time.

Thank you!

Austin ISD is excited to share that a new section has been added to the Discipline Standards and Accountability page on the District website, highlighting Gaggle student safety device monitoring. This resource, which includes an FAQ for families and staff, is designed to help you better understand how Gaggle supports student safety.

The page explains what Gaggle is, how it works, and how it helps protect students while using District technology platforms. Thanks for taking the time to review this important information.

It is time for health screenings to begin at Summitt! The following screenings will be conducted:

Vision and Hearing:

Pre K, Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 5th

Spinal Screenings:

5th grade girls only

Acanthosis Nigricans (AN):

1st, 3rd, 5th

AN is a light brown to black velvety, rough, or thickened area on the surface of the skin, usually found around the neck. AN can signal high insulin levels which can lead to insulin resistance and then to Type 2 Diabetes. The Texas Risk Assessment for Type 2 Diabetes in Children is a legislatively mandated program developed, coordinated, and administered by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Border Health Office. The program assesses children who may be at risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes.

If you wish to decline any of the state-mandated health screenings, a letter is required stating that you are declining school-based screening and that the required screening will be performed by a qualified professional outside the school. The screening results must be provided to the school nurse, Amy Owen, RN. Further information may be found on the AISD website under Health Screenings.

Please call the health room at 512-414-4246 if you have any questions or concerns.

Summitt Health Team

SMART PHONES/SMART WATCHES

If a student brings a cell phone or a smart watch/device to school, it must remain in the student’s backpack and be turned off from 7:40 am - 3:10 pm. This campus, district, and state policy includes smart watches and any device that can send and receive a signal. If devices are seen by staff during this time frame, they will be confiscated, and parents will be notified. If a student needs to make a personal phone call home or contact a guardian, students can use the school phone upon request.

Thank you for helping your student understand and follow this requirement.

Each morning our school day will begins at 7:30 am with a school wide Morning Assembly in the cafeteria and gym. Our campus leadership team, counselors, librarian, teacher and student leaders take turns facilitating Morning Assembly each day.

Students will sit by grade level during Morning Assembly. Every Assembly includes a morning message, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Texas Pledge, a Moment of Silence, and our Eagle Pledge. On Friday's we sing our school song. We'd love your Eagle to join us each morning!

Ways for you to get involved and support our staff:

• Join our Summitt PTA! Visit https://summitteagles.org/ for more information! (serve on committees, write grants, volunteer in the work room, support campus fundraisers, etc.)

• Summitt WATCH DOGS Attention all Fathers/Father-figures of Summitt students: Are you interested in spending a day at school, interacting with the students, being a positive role model, and providing an extra set of eyes & ears on campus? Sign up with the Watch D.O.G.S. Program & be your student’s “Hallway Hero” for the day! Contact: summittwatchdogs@gmail.com for more information
• Donate gift cards in $10 increments for the campus using this link to use as prizes and incentives during teacher meetings and events throughout the year. You can also donate snacks for the lounge for staff to use as a pick-me-up throughout the school day.

• Become a Room Parent

• Parent Advisory Council with our counselors