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News for the Nest

August 29, 2025

News forthe NestAugust 29, 2025

A newsletter for Clayton families from school leadership and the PTA A newsletter for Clayton families from school leadership and the PTA

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Upcoming Events Upcoming Events

Event Details

Monday, Sep 1 😎NO SCHOOL for LABOR DAY😎

Tuesday, Sept 2

Wednesday, Sep 3 πŸŽ‚Happy Birthday to Teachers Ellie Herrmann & Marianna CantuπŸŽ‚

Thursday, Sep 4 πŸŽ‚Happy Birthday to Megan Lanier (Counselor)πŸŽ‚

Friday, Sept 5 Wear your favorite Clayton Spirit shirt


COMING UP

Sep 8 - Room Parent Meeting in cafe at 7:45. Room parents will get an email from Room Parent Coordinators this weekend.

Sep 9 - First Day of choir (4th & 5th graders only, optional). They will meet every Tuesday through Dec 9. Details on how to sign up are coming from music teachers soon.

Sep 11 - Picture Day (details below)

Sep 15 - 8 am Parent Coffee with Counselors - all about school counseling (see below)


⭐Back to School Night - Thursday, September 11

3:45-4:30 PreK, 4th grade, 5th grade

4:30-5:15 Kinder, 3rd grade

5:15-6:00 1st grade, 2nd grade

Principal's Session offered at each time slot in the Cafeteria.

This is time to sit in the classroom while the teacher shares information in a presentation-style format. Each teacher offers 1 session. Teachers will share their classroom routines, learning topics, and how teachers and caregivers can partner to have a great year.

Principal/Asst Principals offer 3 sessions, all have the same content, including how to get involved at school, important school policies, topics of interest, and more.

This event is geared towards parents and caregivers. We hope you can attend this annual event. We appreciate your participation!

New from AISD New from AISD

Student Success Guide for 25-26

Invitation to join our Campus Advisory Council Invitation to join our Campus Advisory Council

Campus Advisory Council (CAC) is an important committee on our campus. The CAC brings together parents, teachers, community members, and staff to help shape the future of our schools. CACs provide valuable input on important topics like campus programs, school performance, budgets, and improvement plans. Interested in making a difference? Join our committee.

We meet 8 times per academic year, from 3:30-4:30 pm. Our meetings occur on Mondays and the first meeting is September 8.

It’s easy to get involved! Fill out an application here.

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Our School's Personal Device Policy for Students Our School's Personal Device Policy for Students

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In order to improve learning conditions at Clayton and reduce distractions for students and staff, Nan Clayton Elementary will have a new policy for device use. The policy went into effect Monday, September 23, 2024.


Our policy is that should a student bring a personal device to school, including a cell phone or smart watch, the device will need to be powered off upon entering the school building each day. Devices will need to be stored in the child’s backpack during the school day. Students may access devices when exiting the building at the end of the school day.


Reasons for our new device policy:

  • Reduce distractions for children, such as alerts, games, sounds, and messages

  • Reduce distractions for others, such as pings from a neighbor’s device

  • Reduce distractions for teachers, who are trying to teach your child


Caregivers may be wondering:


What if I need to change how my child is going home and the child doesn’t know about the change?

We have a process to take care of this need. Parents/guardians call the front office to notify our staff of the change. Our front office staff notifies your child’s teacher, who lets your child know.


What if my child is sick during the school day and I need to be notified?

We have a process to take care of this need. Children let their teacher know if they are not feeling well. Sick children see our nurse, who will assess your child’s symptoms.


What if there is an emergency at school?

Safety is our #1 priority at Clayton. Our staff is trained to handle emergencies and follow required protocols set by the State of Texas and Austin ISD. In case of an emergency, a device making noise would actually make our school less safe. In the case of an emergency affecting Clayton, school and/or district leadership send out information to families as soon as possible to let everyone know what is going on.


Thank you for your support and help in keeping our school better focus on students’ learning.

AISD's policy for student personal devices at school
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Picture Day is coming! Our students and staff will be taking individual portraits (these are the pictures that will be in the yearbook).


  • Order Pictures at www.lifetouch.com Event ID: EVTSHPWVZ
  • Make Ups are Thursday, Nov. 6
  • I'd love some help on picture day! If you'd like to help out, please fill out this form & indicate "Picture Day Helper" (and anything else you're interested in, of course). Shifts are typically 1.5 hrs long starting at 7:40am and ending by 11:30am.


Thanks!

Ms Jenny (front office)

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Clayton hosts a large variety of after school programs. One (or more) might be just right for your student/s! Even if a program has started, you can reach out to them and your student can be added.

Click to see After School Program details

Special Education Family EMPOWER HOURS Special Education Family EMPOWER HOURS

πŸ“… Wednesday, Sept. 3

Family Empower Hour: The ABCs of IEPs
Presented by Amy Cox & Lisa Vasquez-Saldana
This session welcomes new families to special education and introduces key parts of a student’s program, including performance levels, goals, and services. You’ll also learn about your role as a parent and how to work with the IEP team. Sessions repeat throughout the year. Open to families and caregivers of students with disabilities.

πŸ•› 12 p.m. & 6 p.m. | Zoom: bit.ly/SPEDsessions


πŸ“… Wednesday, Sept. 10

Family Empower Hour: Child Find
Presented by Amanda Reyes
Learn about Child Find, the process that ensures all children who may need special education services are identified and supported. This session will help you understand your rights, the school’s responsibilities, and how to get the help your child needs. Open to all families and caregivers of students.

πŸ•› 12 p.m. & 6 p.m. | Zoom: bit.ly/SPEDsession


πŸ“… Wednesday, Sept. 17

Family Empower Hour: Austin ISD 18+ Info Session
Presented by Courtney Gregori and Jillian Ross
Ready for what’s next after high school? Join AISD’s Transition Team for a virtual informational session all about 18+ services, including GO Project, TLC, Greenleaf, and Project SEARCH. Discover which program best fits your student’s needs and get your questions answered by our experts. Open to families and caregivers of students with disabilities.

πŸ•› 12 p.m. & 6 p.m. | Zoom: bit.ly/SPEDsessions


πŸ“… Wednesday, Sept. 24

Family Empower Hour: Let’s Get Organized!
Progress Reports for Parents, Organization and Communication, Family Binder, Frontline
Join us for an interactive session to learn essential tools for staying organized and engaged as a special education family. We’ll walk you through the AISD Parent Portal, the collaboration portal in Frontline, and instructions on how to create a Family Binder to keep all your important documents in one place. Open to families and caregivers of students with disabilities.

πŸ•› 12 p.m. & 6 p.m. | Zoom: bit.ly/SPEDsessions

Gifted and Talented Referral Window is Open! Gifted and Talented Referral Window is Open!

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Refer Your Child Here

Contribute to our Clayton Family Tree! Contribute to our Clayton Family Tree!

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Send in your family photos!

We would love to see all our families represented on our Clayton Family Tree. Please send a family photo with your child to place in our basket in the foyer, outside the counseling office. We would love to see the diversity of our community reflected in our main hallway display. We are collecting photos through the months of August and September. Thank you!

Social Emotional Learning at Clayton: Character Strong Social Emotional Learning at Clayton: Character Strong

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This Month's Theme: Respect!

Respect: Seeing value in all people and things and treating them with care.

Pre-K

Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

Counseling Corner Counseling Corner

Counseling Core for Pre-K through Second Grade Starting This Week!

This week in counseling students will:


  • Learn about the role of the school counselor
  • Learn about the counseling classroom expectations
  • Participate in team building activities
  • Complete an "All About Me" activity
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News from PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION! News from PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION!

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The Spirit Wear Committee is still taking orders for 2025-2026 school shirts, WILD ABOUT CLAYTON!

Email spiritwear@nanclaytonpta.org with the child size you want ($20) and the Spirit Wear team can coordinate a delivery!

Only taking orders for kid sizes (small, medium, large and XL) (no XS) for one more week!


Payment options are by Venmo cash or check. Made on delivery/receipt (no prepayments please).

The design will be on bonfire in a week, and we’ll have multiple styles including long sleeve and sweatshirts available!

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https://www.bonfire.com/store/cardinal-spirit-shop/

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Click HERE to fill out our HEADBAND PRE-ORDER FORM!
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claytoncultural@gmail.com

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SPONSOR COMMITMENT FORM HERE
SPONSOR COLLATERAL SUBMISSION FORM HERE

USE POGO PASS WITH CODE: Clayton

You give back $5 to Clayton with every purchase!!

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Click HERE to Join! (select "Nan Clayton Elementary")
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Help our Clayton community thrive through supporting various programs and events throughout the year!

Complete the form below to indicate interest in volunteer opportunities you want to be in contact about further!

Click HERE to complete volunteer interest form!

Below is also a link to a list of volunteer opportunities at Clayton this year!

Click HERE for the 2025-2026 Clayton Volunteer Opportunities Directory!
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This is about heart, creativity, and having FUN!

Deadline to submit is October 27, 2025

Questions? Email acpta1@nanclaytonpta.org

Let’s get creative!

Click HERE for submission form!
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Email Erika Fletcher at staffappreciation@nanclaytonpta.org if you are interested!

Partnerships will include providing goodies, snacks, etc. to teachers and staff during our monthly appreciation events! All partnerships will be shared on social media outlets, printed for teachers to see, and in the News for the Nest!

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PTA Website

PTA Facebook

PTA Instagram

Cardinal Corner: Clayton Elementary Parents Page Facebook Group

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Click HERE for Spirit Shop!
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Click HERE to fill out our PTA Communications Google Form!
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NEW! Clayton Family Handbook
Clayton website
Sync your calendar to Clayton's calendar (iCal, iCloud, Google, Outlook)
My School Central - webstore
Lunch Menus & School Cafe Accout
Absence Reporting - AISD online form
How to set up AISD Parent Portal (grades, attendance alerts, etc)
Nan Clayton Elementary & PTA
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