Letter from the Principal

I hope everyone is enjoying the taste of fall weather and that extra bit of sunlight in the mornings.  At the end of October, Clifton held our annual Fall Fest, which is an opportunity for students to engage and build relationships across programs.  We also hosted a class pumpkin painting contest.  Congratulations to Mrs. Estrada's A Day PM class for taking first place with their ventilator pumpkin, Mr. Killingsworth's B Day PM class for tying in second place with their Coraline pumpkin, and Ms. Farque's B Day PM class for tying in second place with their three-scoop ice banana split.

Over the past several weeks, Clifton has started implementing our attendance celebrations.  Students receive a raffle ticket for every week of perfect attendance at Clifton (perfect attendance means at Clifton for the full period); each week is a new chance to enter the raffle.  At the end of the 9 Weeks, we will pull one winner in each section for a gift card or large prize.  In addition, we are recognizing students with improved attendance every three weeks and students with 90+% attendance every nine weeks.

At the same time, we are also meeting with students who are at risk of losing credit for the semester due to attendance (this is any students with 4 or more absences).  We encourage students to start making up hours now!  Please email eliseo.reyna@austinisd.org with any questions.

Looking Ahead

• November 19 & 20: A+ Federal Credit Union "Mad Money" Financial Simulation
• November 24-28: Fall Break
• December 10-15: Clifton Final Exams
• December 16-19: No Clifton Classes
  • During the Final Exam days at home campuses, high schools have early dismissal.  Unfortunately, our Clifton buses are unable to run during an early-dismissal schedule, so our students will take their exams a few days earlier.  Students should ask their home campus counselor or administrator about expectations during their usual Clifton block.
• December 22 - January 5: Winter Break

Our Career Tech Programs

Agricultural Technology (Welding)

First-year students completed their skills test for oxy-fuel torch.  They wrapped up the unit with a round of "Torch Wars," which included a bracket-style tournament for speed cuts and a team relay race.  Next up: shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), sometimes known as stick (just don't let Mr. Duncum hear you say that).  Approximately 70% of our second-year students have earned an Industry-Based Certification (IBC), and we continue to have students pass every day.  Some students are even pushing themselves to earn two certifications.  Third-year students are improving their metal inert gas (MIG) skills and tackling some small projects.

Culinary Arts

First-year students are in their baking era, with a particular focus on reading recipes and proper measurement.  In addition to their small batch recipes in class, students made hundreds of apple cider doughnuts to recognize our Austin ISD transportation team during Transportation Appreciation Week and hundreds more sugar cookies for our Clifton Fall Fest.  Second-year students have completed their practice runs for the Travis County Youth Show and are diving into community projects.  These include collaborations with the Austin Humane Society to support nutritious meals and treats for animals in shelter and ATX Free Fridge to promote food accessibility in local neighborhoods. 

Diagnostic & Therapeutic Services (Health Science)

First-year students are wrapping up their career exploration unit with individual research and presentations.  They are also practicing medical math and starting conversations around medical ethics.  Second and third-year students are continuing to learn content in preparation of their Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam while also taking time to refresh and improve their hands-on skills.  Students practiced donning and doffing full personal protective equipment (PPE) in the correct order, put their patient transport skills to the test with wheelchair navigation, and worked on their bandaging and first aid.

Career Preparation

Students in Career Preparation are continuing their job searches and building skills at internship.  As students get a clearer idea of what they're interested in after graduation, we are scheduling individual tours and job shadowing opportunities.  Over the past few weeks, students have visited a cosmetology school, a physical therapy clinic, an art studio, and more.  Students are also completing their applications for college and other postsecondary programs, and we have taken two students to receive their Texas IDs in the past week.  It's great to see students making tangible progress towards their goals!

Bond Construction Update

Our last two bond updates were essentially the same, so we're excited to share that the construction team has officially begun building our new & improved spaces.

Over the past few weeks

• Framing has been completed in the downstairs space to separate our new teaching kitchen, cafe, and cosmetology lab.  Drywall materials are also here, and that process should start soon.
• Electrical and plumbing "roughing" is in progress so that our future spaces have all the connections they need.
• The outside back area has been graded/leveled and seeded with grass.
• Roofing material has been delivered.  We're waiting on insulation, but once that is delivered the construction team will begin replacing our roof.