Talon Talk

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

Happy January Summitt Community,

Happy New Year Summitt Families! I can't believe how quickly the first semester has flown by. I continue to be so thankful to lead this amazing community. I have loved every bit of watching our students learn and grow socially, academically, and emotionally. I have been so impressed with the tenacity and growth that students have exhibited.

Although cold temperatures are not expected in the next week or two, we want families to be prepared for possible winter weather in January and February. Here is a link to our AISD weather guidelines. Please ensure your student layers and dresses appropriately for cold temperatures. Make sure coats and jackets are labeled with your child's name. We don't want to see our lost and found pile back up. If your child is in need of a warm jacket please reach out to our counselors for support.

The upcoming Summitt Science Fair is the perfect goal for that at-home experimentation. Participation in the Summitt Science Fair is optional. Projects must be experiments, engineering designs, or exhibits. Students from PK to 5th grade are encouraged to join, with family assistance allowed. Groups of up to three students are permitted. Projects are due Tuesday, Jan. 20.

Thank you for ALL that you do as parents and caretakers of our precious EAGLES. Your partnership is imperative as we continue to soar to excellence. I look forward to a wonderful second semester ahead!

If you are new to Summitt and joining our Summitt family for the first time, we are thrilled to meet you and welcome you to our vibrant community. This is the Talon Talk, a monthly newsletter sent to the campus and community, sharing upcoming events and happenings for the month ahead. Here are the previous Talon Talks from this school year:

December Talon Talk

November Talon Talk

October Talon Talk

September Talon Talk

August Talon Talk

Back-to-School Edition

I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year, and I look forward to celebrating our Lunar New Year next month!

With respect,

Kim Placker

Summitt Interim Principal

Monday, January 5th

• Staff Development/NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, January 6th

• Students return from Winter Break

Monday, January 19th

• Student/Staff Holiday - MLK Jr. Day

Friday, January 23th

• 2nd 9 weeks Report Cards

Saturday, January 24th

• University Interscholastic League (UIL) Event @ Highland Park

Monday, January 26th

• Campus Advisory Council Meeting @ 3:30 pm

Friday, January 30th

• Teacher Talent Show supporting the Koblenz Exchange 6:00-9:00 pm

Monday, February 2nd

• PTA Meeting on Zoom @ 6:00 pm

Wednesday, February 11th

• STEM/CATCH Night @ 5:30 pm

Monday, February 16th

• Presidents' Day - No School/Student Holiday

Tuesday, February 17th

• Parent Conference Day - No School/Student Holiday

Monday, February 23rd

• Campus Advisory Council Meeting @ 3:30 pm

Friday, February 27th

• TET Community Performance @ 5:30 pm

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Absences and tardiness impact the whole classroom. Please make sure your child is at school by the time the tardy bell rings at 7:40 am. We sometimes have a large number of students arriving after the tardy bell each morning. Please set alarm clocks earlier if needed to get to school on time. It helps everyone to have a smooth start to the school day.

Thanks also for ensuring that your child is present at 9:45 am daily unless they are sick. Historically, January has the lowest ADA (average daily attendance) across our district, so let's change this trend for Summitt. Thank you for partnering with us to help get our students to school!

Salute is Austin ISD’s annual celebration to recognize some of the district’s outstanding team members for their continued dedication to student excellence and achievement in our schools. Salute Nominations: Nominations are now open and can be submitted by all Austin ISD staff, students, families, and community members! Please submit nominations using this form. Nominations close on January 16, 2026.

All Austin ISD staff, students, family, and community members are invited to nominate Austin ISD staff members in the following categories:

• Campus Clerical/Office Support Staff of the Year
• Teaching Assistant of the Year
• Custodial/Facilities Maintenance Staff of the Year
• Transportation Staff of the Year
• Food Service/Warehouse Staff of the Year
• Campus Safety and Security Staff of the Year
• Librarian of the Year
• Counselor of the Year
• Assistant Principal of the Year (Includes Academy Directors & Academic Deans)
• Principal

Austin ISD has set a goal to reregister all 64,000+ students by April 10th! Summitt will be hosting several in person events this semester, with dates forthcoming. See the document below for a registration timeline from AISD.

Austin ISD 2026-2027 School Year Enrollment/Registration Dates and Deadlines

Report Cards will be available to be viewed and accessed on January 23rd through the parent portal. You will receive an email on 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

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

The next Principal Chat with be January 7th and will focus on information from Murchison Middle School.

Dear Summitt Community,

This is a report from the REAL Committee promoting Respect, Empathy, Action, and Leadership

for Summitt Elementary. This committee planned and organized the food drive. We just wanted to let you know that the canned food drive has come to a very successful end. We appreciate all the support and hard work. All the food went to the St.Stephen’s food pantry and was handed out on Monday, Dec 15 to help people who live in our Summit community.

Here are the results and the number of points that each house earned:

Collaboration brought 38 items and earned 9 points for their house

Kindness brought 89 items and earned 18 points for their house

Tenacity brought 104 items and earned 21 points for their house

Innovation brought 107 items and earned 24 points for their house

Courage brought 153 items and earned 31 points for their house

And the total number of donations were 503 items. Thanks for supporting us so we could help our community!!

Sincerely,

Adler Kelly-Casey and Aspen Holloman

Thank you again to all the volunteers that helped make our Summitt Holiday Light Fun Run so successful! Thank you for your time and for the lending of lights, extension cords, and blow ups that helped make the night so fun and magical.

As we start the month of January, we will be reviewing student expectations and procedures while continuing to focus on building muscular strength. Our overall goal this year was to focus on becoming stronger, and we will revisit that goal along with the student's individual goals and evaluate what progress has been made.

Coming up, students are going to be assessed on identifying the bones they have been learning about along with the overall purpose behind why we have bones in our bodies. We will also be starting our gymnastics unit which tends to be a really fun one for students. Students will work on balance, flexibility, rolling, and transferring weight to different parts of their bodies.

Kindergarten through 3rd grade did texture rubbings and then painted over them. They used these paintings for the background of their penguin collages. Students started working with clay in art. Kindergarten made clay doughnuts and sprinkled them with glitter. First grade through 3rd used air dried clay to create beautiful sculptures. Fourth and fifth graders used clay to make snowmen or melted snowmen. Once they are fired they will be painting them.

Summitt Music Class at a Glance

Kinder, 1st, & 2nd Grade: Kinder-2nd grade will begin concepts including high and low, adding notes to the major scale, and learning new rhythms through songs. These grades will also continue exploring musical concepts through instrument play. Kindergarten in particular will have their first opportunity to play instruments like the xylophone and glockenspiel.

3rd, 4th & 5th Grade: A small group of 3rd-5th grade will have the opportunity to represent Summitt Elementary at the annual Music Memory Contest. This event allows students to display their knowledge of the Music Memory songs while working in a team. This event is optional and more information will be sent home closer to the contest date.

Just a few quick reminders about packed lunches for students. Please do not send glass containers in your child's lunch box. We have had several break over the last few weeks and this causes an obvious safety hazard. In addition, please refrain from including a knife in your child's lunch box. Foods should be pre-cut when possible, but cafeteria staff are also able to assist if students require it.

Arrival Procedures

• School hours are from 7:40 am-3:10 pm.

• Front doors open at 7:15 am.

• Students will enter through the yellow arrival doors of the campus if they are a walker, bike rider or parent drop off

• Breakfast is available in the cafeteria from 7:15-7:45 am

• Morning Assembly begins at 7:30 am.

• Any student arriving after the yellow doors close at 7:40 am will be considered tardy and will need to be signed in by an adult in the front office at the main entrance.

Dismissal Procedures

• Dismissal will begin at 3:10 pm
• Your child will either be classified as a parent walk-up (PK-2nd), an independent walker (3rd-5th), bike rider, bus rider, After School Care, or Car Rider (Please review attachment for locations)

Your Family will receive a Family Number. Family Numbers may have changed since the last school year. You must have this Family Number visible on a sign provided by your child's teacher for Parent Walk Up or Parent Pick Up/Car Rider. Please do not add your child's name to the template for safety.

Please note-If you are a Parent Walk Up (parking. your car, walking up to the school to pick up your child) and have multiple Eagles to pick up, you may want to designate your oldest Eagle as a walker and have your child meet you and your youngest Eagle at the younger Eagle's Parent Walk Up Location.

***IF you have an Eagle in PK-2nd grade and would like to be a parent walk up, and get to campus prior to 3:05 please wait at the front of the campus. You can go to your designated pick up location at 3:05pm for a 3:10pm. Due to the safety of our students and staff, visitors need to stay at the front of the building at all times.

Also, cell phones are NOT permitted in a school zone. Please do not be on your cell phone while in the car pick up line.

• Students will not automatically receive free breakfast and lunch.

• Students may be determined eligible for free or reduced-price meals through a variety of ways.

• Free Meal Eligibility:

  Students at your school may receive free meals by meeting one of the following criteria:

• Directly certified through state-funded benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

• Directly certified through foster care; migrant, homeless, or runaway programs; Head Start, or state-sponsored pre-K programs.

• Determined eligible by completing a free or reduced-price meal benefits application.

• School Cafe: https://www.schoolcafe.com/

• Students may add funds to their account by bringing cash to the cafeteria or caregivers may make online payments through their SchoolCafé account. Online payments are subject to a processing fee.

• If students exhaust their meal accounts, they may charge meals at any meal service as follows:

• Students in elementary and middle school may charge up to three meals.




Meal Prices


• Breakfast:

  • Elementary School - Paid: $1.90
  • Middle & High School - Paid: $2.15
  • All Levels - Reduced-Price: FREE
  • Adult/Guest: $3.50

  Lunch:

  • Elementary School - Paid: $3.40
  • Middle & High School - Paid: $3.65
  • All Levels - Reduced-Price: FREE
  • Adult/Guest: $5.25




Food Allergies and Special Diets

Our cafeteria can accommodate food allergies and special dietary needs with a completed Request for Dietary Accommodation Form. Food Service also offers reasonable accommodations within federal guidelines for dietary preference, i.e. milk alternatives, gluten free bread, and vegan accommodations. Caregivers may submit dietary preference requests in writing to our cafeteria manager, in advance, to allow time to review and order any alternative products.




Help Your Family and Your School with SNAP

Need help buying food for your family? Apply today for the state-funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at www.yourtexasbenefits.com. SNAP not only helps your family, but it also benefits your school. The more students who receive SNAP benefits, the more funds available to schools for education, meal programs, and more.

Use this Protecting Immigrant Families guide, “What Should I Know When Enrolling My Children in Public Benefits?” to help answer commonly asked questions about how to make good decisions for your family and their health.




School Meal Resources

• SchoolCafé - One app for all your school meal needs.

• View daily breakfast and lunch menus for our school.

• View nutritional information, ingredients, and allergens for each menu item.

• Make prepayments for additional servings of food or healthy a la carte snacks.

• Set a la carte restrictions.

• Apply for free or reduced-price meals.

• AISD Meal Programs

• AISD Food Service Initiatives

• Request for Dietary Accommodation Form

• AISD Wellness Policy FFA (Local) (Regulation)

• Includes District guidelines surrounding food in the classroom, celebrations involving food, food fundraisers, and rewarding with food.

• AISD Wellness Policy Overview & Celebrations, Rewards, Fundraising Alternatives: ENGLISH / SPANISH

• AISD Food Service Employment Opportunities

• Connect with Austin ISD Food Service on Social Media:

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Twitter




Questions? Contact AISD Food Service through Let’s Talk by sending a text to 512-229-9110 or submitting a message online.

Keeping a sick child home protects other children, school staff, and visiting community members from catching an illness that can be spread from person to person.

A student with any of the following symptoms should not attend school:

• Temperature of 100 degrees or higher
• Nausea, Vomiting, or Diarrhea
• Eye redness and/or drainage
• Undetermined rash and/or scaly patches over any part of the body or scalp
• Intense itching with signs and symptoms of secondary infection
• Open, draining lesions

A child with any of these symptoms must stay home until they are symptom-free for 24 hours and without the use of medication before returning to school. For more information please see "Health Reasons to Keep Your Student Home" (English/Spanish).

This is also a reminder of the medication policy that AISD has implemented. Prescriptions AND over-the-counter medications will require BOTH a written parent authorization form AND a written order from a U.S./Texas Licensed practitioner (a doctor).

The order must include:

• The patient name
• medication name
• strength
• dose
• delivery route
• frequency
• date from June 2025 or later
• signature by practitioner

The only medications students may carry and self treat are for anaphylaxis, asthma or diabetes-and these all require the full packet from the physician and be provided to the health room as well.

We will not be able to accept any medications on campus until all required paperwork is received. We apologize for the late notice, but this policy was recently finalized and shared with us this week. Please call the health room at 512-414-4246 if you have any questions or concerns.

In addition, please be sure your student has a change of clothes in their backpack. Even older students can get muddy/wet on the playground or spill something on themselves at lunch. A nice, fresh, set of clothes can help make it easier to get through the school day. Thank you for your support.

If you have not already done so, please fill out the Health Room Consent form located below. This allows our Health Room staff to treat your student if they are ill or injured. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Health Room Consent Form

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.

Our school day begins daily @ 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.

Every assembly includes a morning message, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Texas Pledge, a Moment of Silence, and our Summitt Eagle Pledge. On Friday's we sing our school song. Please have your child join us daily.

For the safety of our students and our entire campus community, please do not bring dogs onto campus grounds—especially during arrival and dismissal times. The only exception is for individuals who require the assistance of a trained service dog. If this applies to you, please ensure the dog is wearing its service vest, is on a leash, and remains in close proximity to you at all times. Thank you for your cooperation.

Morning Brigadoon Crosswalk

We need volunteers to help us with this crosswalk on Brigadoon directly across from the campus. We do not have an assigned crossing guard for this location, and we do not have staff available until 7:30 am to help in this area. Please sign up here to volunteer to cross students/families from 7:10-7:40 am

Please do NOT drop off your child(ren) at the crosswalk area on Brigadoon Lane. This causes traffic delays and creates unsafe conditions for students and drivers. For everyone’s safety, please wait for Mr. T, Coach Woodward, or a crossing guard to allow you to safely cross. When exiting, remember to yield to oncoming traffic, as they have the right of way.

Thank you for helping us keep our students and Summitt community safe!

• Donate gift cards in $10 increments for the campus (using this link or purchase your own) for us to use as prizes and incentives during teacher meetings and events throughout the year. You can also help us by donating snacks for the lounge for all staff to use as a pick-me-up throughout the school day. Staff members appreciate this more than you know!
• 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

• CAC (Campus Advisory Council)-meets the last Monday of each month at 3:30 pm

Summitt Houses were created for all students and staff to feel a sense of connection, collaboration and care.

CONNECTION: At Summitt Elementary we have five houses. All students in grades Pre-K through 5th grade, are vertically assigned to a house at the beginning of the school year. Each school year begins with students learning the qualities and characteristics of each house’s trait which then leads to a school wide house reveal.

COLLABORATION: Each Tuesday students participate in a House Meeting with their fellow house members. Students get to collaborate by participating in various activities and energizers. Students recite their motto and build connections during this time. Your child is encouraged to wear their house color on Tuesdays.

CARING: A house system helps to build a caring, supportive environment. Each student will be a valued member of a smaller group within the whole school. The purpose is to create an enjoyable atmosphere in which deep learning and effective teaching can flourish; a school with rigor and relevance.

Summitt Houses:

The House of Kindness (red, heart)

The House of Courageous (gold, lion)

The House of Collaboration (blue, wolf)

The House of Innovation (purple, racoon)

The House of Tenacity (green, turtle)

Summitt House System allows for:

• Inclusive community of staff and students

• Buddy class pairings

• Reading buddies

• Multi age grouping opportunities

• Vertical teaming and alignment

• Student leadership/ownership

Left to right: Ms. Seiber, counselor; Ms. Cantrell, assistant principal; Ms. Placker, interim principal; Mr. Bradley, assistant principal; Ms. Adams, counselor