2020-2021 UPCOMING EVENTS
(For upcoming school events that are non-PTA-related, view Kealing's school calendar...
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JANUARY 14 | THURSDAY | 4:30-5:30PM | MONTHLY PTA MEETING (PLEASE NOTE DATE AND TIME CHANGE FOR JANUARY ONLY)


Our January PTA Meeting will take place Thursday, January 14th from 4:30-5:30pm. Please check back for Zoom link.

All future PTA Zoom meetings will take place on the 1st Thursday of every month at 4pm:
  • February 4
  • March 4
  • April 1
  • May 6

PTA NEWS

KEALING PTA MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY OF SERVICE

MLK Day of Service - Join us Safely Outdoors to help spruce up Kealing's Gardens & Grounds

We are excited to announce that we have secured approval from AISD to have an outdoor day of service to honor Martin Luther King Jr's legacy of service and bring our Kealing community together safely to spruce up our gardens and grounds. This service day will be the first step toward establishing more outdoor learning spaces that our teachers, neighbors, and community can use flexibly during covid, but also for years to come. 

We hope you will join us for this first service day of 2020-21 and come learn about the opportunity to get involved monthly if you end up loving your experience! 

In addition to leading the reimagining of the design and usage of our outdoor space, Science and Gardening Teacher Catherine Bergman will be conducting some mini nature talks/walks to share information about the various ecosystems around our school and how we are exploring enhancing them. The service day will be on Saturday, January 16th, 2021 from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm (Rainout day will be MLK day, Monday, January 18th, 2021). 

  • Signup is required to ensure we have enough supplies and space to work safely. 
  • Sign up by Thursday, January 14th here: https://signup.com/go/XJuJRWj 

Covid Protocols: 
Four requirements: 
  1. Masks will be worn at all times - they will be provided for anyone who forgets to bring one 
  2. Temperatures will be checked and Covid screening questions asked upon check-in 
  3. An AISD Covid waiver will be signed for every student participating - these will be provided and signed at check-in on the 16th so we can track forms 
  4. Groups must stay within their assigned garden/work area to ensure adequate social distancing at all times (areas assigned based on interests upon arrival) 

Additional safety precautions: 
  • There will be four 1.5-hour shifts with 30 minutes to clean tools between shifts - 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm. You may sign up for one shift or multiple! 
  • There will be hand sanitizer stationed in various locations as well as hand soap at the outdoor sink. 
  • Work gloves will be provided and NOT reused. 
  • Please bring your own work gloves and any LABELED shovels, rakes, or garden tools you may have to help reduce any transmission risk. 
  • *** There must be at least 1 adult per 5 students under 16 years of age. High School students who can drive are allowed to come on their own or with younger siblings *** 
Catch up on some healthy exercise, safe friendship building, and plenty of Vitamin D as you pitch in and help. Whether you want to dig holes for trees, spread mulch, weed, plant, or pick up trash around campus, there is a way for you to help!! 

Questions can be directed to chair Angie Bealko at mlkdayofservice@kealingpta.org or 512-652-8255.

BOOK DRIVE & PTA SERVICE PROJECT

Do you have gently used books at home that you don't want any longer? As a community, we are looking to collect as many books as possible to eventually distribute to our feeder schools, Kealing students and elsewhere.

We will collect books starting in mid-January but want you to start creating a book giveaway pile at home NOW! 🙂

Types of books: ALL books, levels Pre-K to 12th grade. Books written in all languages will be accepted.

Collection sites: Kealing will be a collection site but we need more sites! We would like collection sites all over the city. If your family is willing to host a collection site, please contact Ms. Fernandez at kiersten.fernandez@austinisd.org to submit your address as a potential contactless, drop-off location. Thank you! 

Drop Off Sites for the Book Drive and Service Project 
  • Address (Part of Town)
  • 5310 Musket Ridge 78759 (183/360/MoPac- Great Hills) 
  • 2410 Bridle Path, Austin, TX 78703 (Central) 
  • 1516 West 29th Street 78703 (Central/Mopac) 
  • 1702 Linscomb Ave, 78704 (Central/Zilker) 
  • 11617 Georgian Oaks Drive, 78739 (Circle C) 
  • 1607 Pennsylvania Ave (EAST) 
  • 4518 Sidereal Drive, Austin, TX 78727 (Milwood/Mo Pac and Parmer) 
  • 3102 Rexford Dr., 78723 (Mueller/Windsor Park) 
  • 5200 Magdelena Dr/78735. (Southwest) 
  • 3818 Arrow Dr., Austin TX 78749 (Southwest) 
  • 7304 Journeyville Drive, 78735 (Southwest/ Lantana/Oak Hill)

WE AREN’T JUST MAKING A YEARBOOK, WE’RE MAKING HISTORY...

The 2021 Kealing yearbook staff is hard at work producing a book for our school community to commemorate this one-of-a-kind school year. It’s going well, but we need your help.

  1. SUBMIT PHOTOS - we’re currently looking for photos from summer travel or summer camps, online school/clubs, extracurricular sports or fine arts, Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, election & activism, kindness, art, etc! We’ll take just about anything! Use this form to submit: https://forms.gle/1iaymHHDj6EPGdwf7 
  2. YEARBOOK COMMUNITY BLEND - stay tuned to the yearbook community Blend page for surveys, interview requests, and submitting school pics. Not a member of this class yet? Email Ms. Scott for an invitation: kristen.scott@austinisd.org
  3. PURCHASE YOUR YEARBOOK TODAY - Yearbooks are on sale now for $35, the lowest price of the year. Order here.

Important note: PLEASE don’t wait to order your book. If we order fewer books, we will sell out and you will miss your chance to own this very special publication!

KEALING DIRECTORY

We are thrilled to produce a school directory to make available to our students and families. If you are not interested in your family's contact information being included in the Kealing Directory, please fill out this opt-out form.

If you would like your family's information included in the directory, there is nothing additional you are required to complete.

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

The following position is available:
  • VP, Academy
Anyone who is interested in the position listed above should email president@kealingpta.org. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the responsibilities of this position, please don’t hesitate to reach out to president@kealingpta.org.

JOIN THE PTA

#EveryMemberCounts

ALL Kealing parents, guardians, teachers, staff, and community members are encouraged to join the Kealing PTA 

$10 Individual (one membership) 
$19 Family (two memberships) 
Membership scholarships available



To pay with check, please complete the correct form above and submit a printed copy with your payment. Submit your forms to the Kealing Office (not the one at the front door) or give to your child to hand in during Advisory or mail to the address shown below.

Kealing Middle School PTA (Texas PTA Congress #0722) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Dues and donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Kealing Middle School PTA
3575 Far West Blvd #27672
Austin, TX 78731-9888

Federal Tax ID #74-2611635

Breakdown of fees for each membership:
$5.50 of each membership is used for student programs at Kealing Middle School and the purchase of classroom items benefiting our students.

$4.50 is used by the National PTA and Texas PTA to help our students have a visible presence in Washington, DC and Austin, Texas, advocating for public education, administrators, educators and the health, safety and welfare of children.

everychild.onevoice 


KEALING SPIRIT STORE

Cozy sweatshirt weather is here! Don't forget to order your spirit wear before Wednesday for pick up Thursday and Friday, November 5th and 6th, at Kealing. Also, if you placed an order last month and missed the pick up, your order is still at Kealing, so please go grab it! Just stop by during school hours this Thursday or Friday and ring the bell.
 
Thanks for supporting Kealing PTA!

black tshirt fringe pillow red hoodie
black hoodie baseball shirt trucker hat

GET INVOLVED
There are many ways to get involved at Kealing and we hope you will consider joining our team of volunteers. Please view our volunteer opportunities and let us know how you would like to get involved. 
Thank you for your interest. We look forward to working together!

MESSAGE FROM PTA PRESIDENT

WARNING PHISHING SCAM - DO NOT FALL FOR THIS

In the past view months, emails from PTA Board members on various campuses around AISD have been asking parents in a direct email to go out and buy gift cards and then to take the picture of the codes on the back and email them back. During the teacher appreciation holiday party in December, we may ask for physical gift cards to donate. We will never describe a big need scenario and then ask you gift card codes! Be on the lookout!