Good day, Cheetah Families! 💛

I’m excited to share some important updates as we enter the final stretch of our fall semester. We’re all looking forward to a much-deserved Winter Break, but before we get there, let’s finish strong and meet our end-of-semester goals!

📈 MAP Growth Testing
This week, students will be taking their Spanish Reading and Math MAP Growth assessments to measure how much they’ve grown since the beginning of the year. Every student is setting personal goals and tracking their progress!

Classes are also working together to earn growth points toward fun incentives such as:

🧩 Extra recess or game board day for class goals met

🍿 Movie & popcorn party or 🥤 Coke float party for the top three classes with the most growth points schoolwide!

We’re proud to see our students engaging in goal-setting and building self-awareness — essential habits for lifelong learning!

☕ Principal Coffee – Thursday, 12/11 at 7:45 a.m. (In Person)
Join me for our next Principal Coffee as we discuss MAP Growth incentives and receive updates on our campus consolidation transition plan. I should have clarity on the selected principal by then and look forward to sharing more information with you.

🏫 CAC Meeting – Thursday, 12/11 at 3:30 p.m.
That same afternoon, we’ll host our Campus Advisory Council (CAC) meeting. The agenda will be shared soon. All families are welcome to attend to stay informed on school updates and initiatives.

🎉 Teacher Holiday Party – Friday, 12/12
Our amazing teachers will celebrate the season at our annual Holiday Party! We’re collecting small giveaway items — such as gift cards, candles, or stocking stuffers — to make the evening extra special. If you’d like to contribute, please drop off donations in the front office labeled “Holiday Party.” Thank you in advance for spreading cheer!

🔬 Science Fair Kickoff!
We’re thrilled to announce that our Science Fair has officially begun! Project proposal forms have been sent home, and all proposals are due for teacher approval by December 12th. Students will work on their projects throughout the break and after we return. Teachers will provide timelines and step-by-step guides to support all participants.

If you’d like to help with the Science Fair logistics or judging, please reach out to Saray.Maldonado@austinisd.org— we’d love your support!

Thank you, Cheetah Families, for your partnership and continued encouragement. Together, we’ll close out this semester with pride, purpose, and plenty of Cheetah spirit! 🐆💫

Warmly,
Elaine Navarro

🏫 Family Office Hours – December 17

The district will host Family Office Hours at Sunset Valley Elementary on Tuesday, December 17, from 3:30–5:30 p.m.

Families are invited to stop by and meet with members of the Enrollment, Dual Language, and Special Education teams to ask questions and receive 1:1 support in navigating school options for next year before the January enrollment window opens.

This will be an informal, come-and-go event — no presentations, just personalized support. Each family can plan to spend about 10 minutes, but we’ll stay as long as needed to serve everyone.

We hope to see you there as we work together to support our families through this transition.

What’s Next

The district has developed a transition plan overview to guide the work needed this spring and leading into the first day of school next year. Staff will also receive a staff-centered transition timeline, beginning with staffing surveys that went out today.

Upcoming Transition Milestones

- Week of Dec. 8: Superintendent Matias Segura will appoint principals to campuses in alignment with state-mandated turnaround requirements.

- Dec. 17: Enrollment and Dual Language Office Hours (3:30–5:30 p.m.)

- Members of the enrollment and dual language team will be on campus to provide individualized family support ahead of the January enrollment window.

- Questions before the event? Email DLtransition@austinisd.org

- December: Mental health services available for students and families navigating this transition.

- January: Round 1 of enrollment opens (magnet, academy, admissions-based, and dual language programs).

While this work unfolds, the district will also be partnering with trustees to continue long-term planning for balanced enrollment, boundary considerations, and future consolidations.

 

The City of Sunset Valley invites all families to a brand-new community holiday event — Jingle Bell Trails — on Saturday, December 13th from 5:30–9:00 p.m. along the Savanna Trail behind Doc’s Backyard/Homestead Shopping Center.

Enjoy a festive evening filled with holiday lights, decorated booths, treats, music, and community cheer! It’s a wonderful way to celebrate the season with family and friends.

We hope to see many SVE Cheetah families there spreading holiday joy! 🎁💫

(See the attached flyer for more details!)

We’re so proud to celebrate our amazing Assistant Principal, Ms. Braynin, who has officially published her first bilingual book! 🌟 Her heartfelt story beautifully captures the experiences and cultural identity of growing up as a Mexican American in the United States, and it’s already inspiring readers everywhere.

📖 Ms. Braynin will have the special opportunity to read her book to our students in January, sharing her message of belonging, pride, and resilience.

You may purchase her book at Barnes & Noble 👉 here and stop by the front office anytime to collect her autograph! ✍️

Please join us in congratulating Ms. Braynin on this incredible milestone — what an inspiration to our students and community! 🎊🇲🇽❤️

🎄 Spread Some Holiday Cheer — Send a RAVE! ✨

As we head into Winter Break, let’s take a moment to celebrate our amazing teachers and staff! They’ve been working tirelessly to meet deadlines, assess every student, and ensure learning stays meaningful through the end of the semester.

💌 Send a RAVE to show your appreciation — a quick note of gratitude goes a long way in making their season bright!

🎁 Click HERE to submit a RAVE 🏆

Let’s fill this holiday season with cheer, gratitude, and Cheetah pride! 🐆❤️💚

PTA News!

The PTA meeting on Thursday was productive, with 40 attendees. We reported on Cheetah Dash results and broke out into small groups to discuss what we wanted to focus on in the transition to Odom and our other new schools next year. PTA members can read the agenda and minutes (check back if the minutes are not uploaded yet). Thanks to all for your participation. We’ve now got 283 PTA members, which is a 5-year high. Join us!

The major action coming out of the discussion is that PTA is creating a transition committee to start planning for the move—there’s lots to do from planning a commemorative event to supporting the teachers and staff, so email our Advocacy chair if you’d like to join the committee. 

Speaking of supporting our staff through this very stressful transition period, here’s two things you can do…

Gift wrapping service for teachers:

Sign up to be a volunteer elf for our 2nd annual "Wrapped in Love" event next week from Tuesday to Friday, December 16-19. You’ll wrap any presents brought in by SVE staff to help alleviate the burden of an extra chore at this time. This is a no-pressure event—pop in for as little or as long as you have time. It was enjoyable last year to just sit with other parents and casually wrap, and the staff was grateful. And it’s a good way to get rid of any old wrapping paper you have. Questions? Text Monica- 979-215-3392

Contribute to the SVE Staff Holiday Appreciation Lunch:

The PTA is hosting a potluck for our staff on Tuesday, December 16. Sign up to bring food or volunteer for our staff as we wish them a happy holiday season! All items need to be dropped off by 10:00am. There will be a wagon to drop your items off by the door before school, or you are welcome to leave labeled items on the table set up outside the office.

PTA needs a fundraising chair:

Our Fundraising chair, Angela De Hoyos Hart , has had to step down after also serving as president and programs chair over the last two years. 🫡 So the PTA board has an open position—read what the position entails (it’s not too hard; we’ll help you get up to speed) and email the President if you’re interested or have more questions. Spotlight the open fundraising chair position?

Food assistance

Ms. Pleasant, our counselor, is thrilled that the community has taken all the tags from the giving tree — please remember to have wrapped gifts returned by this Friday, December 12.
She’s still taking HEB gift card donations and new or gently used coats in bins in the foyer.

SVE Holiday Mini Cheer Camp:

Come join your SVE Cheer team for a morning of holiday fun at our holiday mini cheer camp this Saturday, December 13 from 9:30am-noon! All SVE students PK-3 to 5th grade are welcome. You can watch the campers perform what they learn at our holiday mini cheer camp with the SVE Cheer Team at SVE's morning assembly on Friday, December 19. Details and registration.

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