Message from Principal Standish
Dear Parents/Guardian, there are many special days in February – Groundhog Day, Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, Conference Day and President’s Day, along with the fifth grade Science Expo, field trips and Middle of the Year (MOY) assessment.
February is also Heart Month and e-Wellness, in coordination with AISD’s PE/Health Department, Summitt staff and students are encouraged to Wear Red on Friday, February 5th to promote heart health for women.
February is also the month for surveys – Parent Survey, Student Survey and 2016-2017 Commitment Form. Please complete and return each form. Your information is important for the development of Summitt’s next successful school year.
It is also important for your student to arrive on time for their academic learning. Remember at those times when you are running a bit late to come in the front door to obtain a yellow tardy slip. Please do not drop off your student at another door. Summitt is a locked campus and it is not safe for your student to not be able to get into the building. Thank you to those who exhibit kindness to one another and Summitt staff during drop off and pick up which is during a short, very busy time. And thank you for parking in the appropriate areas and not waiting in not assigned areas. It takes a village to demonstrate good behaviors for our students learn and follow.
Thank you for working together to develop positive, successful citizens.
Sincerely – Dedra Standish, Principal
Fifth Grade Science Expo
Join us for a hands-on night of science demonstrations on Tuesday, February 9th in the Summitt cafeteria from 6-8 pm. The fifth graders will be hosting this FREE interactive event. Bring your kids! All are welcome!
Lunar New Year/Tet Show
Are you coming to the Tet show? Come help our students celebrate the Year of the Monkey on Friday February 12, at 7pm, in the Summitt cafeteria. Tickets will be sold February 5 – 12, 7:30 am and 2:30pm in the Great Hall. The tickets will also be sold the night of the show at 6pm. The first five rows are $10 per seat, next ten rows are $5. The rest of the tickets are $3 each. Food is $5 per plate. Food, drinks, pizzas and concession items will be available for purchase starting at 6pm. Our Tet show benefits the AISD Vietnamese Dual Language Program. See you at the show!
Our Lion/Dragon Dance Team and Taiko drummers will perform at the Tet show. They will also be performing at various locations this month. A full schedule of their performances is on http://www.summittliondance.com/. Come out and support our team!
Girls on the Run registration
Sign up for the spring season of Girls on the Run if your daughter is in 3rd-5th grade and wants to train for a 5k! We meet on Mondays and Wednesdays after school until 4:15 p.m. The first meeting is this MONDAY, Feb. 8! Enrollment will be capped at 20 students so enroll now. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 512/799-7994. Register at http://gotraustin.org/locations/register/
Spring Fling information
Mark your calendars and book your babysitters for this year’s Spring Fling, April 30th at Abel’s North. Spring Fling is our annual fundraiser to raise the salary for our fantastic technology teacher, Mrs. Barbara Neill. We will have delicious food, drinks, a silent and live auction, and hours of uninterrupted fun with fellow Summitt parents.
Spring Fling is looking for business partners and families to sponsor our event. Sponsorships can be made at the online school store at https://summitteagles.org/store/ or by dropping off a check in the office. (Please include Spring Fling Sponsorship on the memo line.) Sponsorships of any amount are greatly appreciated and special recognitions will be given for the following donations:
Terabyte Level Sponsor: Donation of $500 or more
Gigabyte Level Sponsor: Donation of $250 or more
Megabyte Level Sponsor: Donation of $100 or more
To thank you for your donation, we’ll recognize you as a sponsor on all of our event publicity that will be distributed to all Summitt parents. Also, we’ll list you as a business/corporate sponsor on our school website, www.summitteagles.org, and each week we’ll list new sponsors in our weekly Newsletter that goes out to Summitt families.
The Spring Fling committee still needs volunteers to make this year’s event a success. Currently we are looking for volunteers to request donations for our silent auction. You will be assigned businesses to contact and many of the requests can be made online or via email. The more help we can get, the better our auction will be. If you are interested in joining the Spring Fling team, email us at [email protected].
Update on Goodwill truck
We want to say a big THANK YOU! to everyone who donated items for our fill-the-truck event in January. Not only did we fill the truck, but we filled a second truck 3/4 of the way full. We earned $1750 for our school! Our next Summitt PTA event is Catfish Parlour on Feb. 24.
Lost and Found
The lost and found of jackets, coats, clothing and shoes were all donated to Goodwill on January 23, and we have now accumulated at least 20 more items! Please check to see if your child may have left items on the playground, in the gym or in other places where they may have been picked up and placed in the lost and found area. It’s easier to return coats/jackets/lunch boxes if there is a name on it.
Upcoming testing dates
Here are dates for Benchmarks and STAAR tests. Please make sure your child gets plenty of sleep the night before tests. Also please try not to schedule appointments (doctor, dentists, etc.) during these dates.
Benchmarks
Wednesday, February 3, 5th Grade Reading
Thursday, February 4, 4th Grade Writing and 5th Grade Math
Monday, February 22, 3rd and 4th Grades Math
Tuesday, February 23, 5th Grade Science
Wednesday, February 24, 3rd and 4th Grades Reading
STAAR
Tuesday, March 29, 4th Grade Writing and 5th Grade Math
Wednesday, March 30, 5th Grade Reading
Monday, May 9, 3rd-5th Grades Math
Tuesday, May 10, 3rd-5th Grades Reading
Wednesday, May 11, 5th Grade Science
Counselor Appreciation Week this week
Please remember our counselors, Courtney Cardosa and Sandy Cumming, and all of the hard work they do for us by saying thank you to them in commemoration of Counselor Appreciation Week, February 1-5, 2016!
Daughter’s Night Out at Urban Air
Mark your calendars for Friday, February 26th from 6-8 pm for Summitt’s first ever Daughters’ Night Out at Urban Air. Round up your dad, favorite relative or other great guy for a fun night at Austin’s best trampoline park!
Urban Air has a special area for younger kids, plus warrior course and dodge ball areas for those who like more adventure. Special Summitt pricing for students is $17 for full park access PLUS pizza and bottled water. Adult special is $13 for full access plus pizza and water.
Adults can also accompany for free, but dinner will need to be ordered on your own.
Have a preschooler or older child that wants to join in? Bring them along! They are eligible for the $17 special. Prices at the door are $25 and do not include dinner, so be sure to buy your tickets directly from Summitt! Flyers will be going home closer to the event.
If you’re IN, sign the waiver here–a waiver is good for a full year: https://www.smartwaiver.com/w/559afef65932b/kiosk/
Questions? Ask Jennie Leon: [email protected] or 512-633-7766.
Library News
Book Spring Read-A-Thon 2016
The 2016 Batty About Books Book Spring Read-A-Thon ends this Friday so keep reading and collecting your donations. This literacy organization helps put “forever” books into the hands of young children who otherwise have very few or none of their own. To learn more, visit http://readathon.bookspring.org/bsrsweet/about.asp
Need donations for crafts
We are in need of odds and ends for Makespace type activities. Please bring toilet paper rolls, clean plastic butter or yogurt tubs, oatmeal canisters, old CDs or jewel cases — anything clean that can be used to craft and create with. Please send it to the library.
Counselors’ Chronicle
We are continuing to see classes for guidance. Here are a few of the many things we have been focusing on during guidance:
– Ms. Cardosa is providing guidance lessons with 3rd and 4th grades on careers and bullying.
– Ms. Cardosa is also providing guidance to the 5th graders on choice sheets and middle school information.
– Ms. Cumming has been providing Kindergarten guidance with “I care cat” including lessons focused on bully prevention, communication, personal safety, and personal space.
– Ms. Cumming has also been providing guidance to 1st grade with a frog puppet called “Kelso”. They have been focusing on problem solving using 9 different ways to solve small problems. They have also worked on communication, anti-bullying, personal safety, and personal space.
– Second grade has been working with Ms. Cumming on listening, problem solving, personal interests, positive communication, anti-bullying strategies, and personal space.
– Pre-Kindergarten will begin their guidance lessons in another week. Ms. Cumming will be working with them.
PTA News
It is already time to start planning for the PTA Board for the 2016-2017 school year. We will have several positions that will be open without a possible replacement at this time. If you are interested in any of the following positions, please email [email protected]. Board members usually serve for a 2 year term and you may not serve in any one position for more than 2 consecutive years. These positions will become active after the end of this current school year. The PTA board meets once a month for about 1 hour. These positions can be filled by parents who are at home or work during the day. Many of our board members have jobs during the day and this is their way of contributing to Summitt.
Treasurer – Creates the budget, presents a report at the beginning of each board meeting with the current finances, handles cash flow in and out of the account, signs and writes checks, audits the books, handles any tax filing forms, etc.. This position is very important and is best served by someone with some accounting experience.
Secretary – Needs to be present at all board and general meetings to take notes, copies and distributes notes at the beginning of each meeting from the previous meeting, updates and corrects notes, sends reminders of upcoming meetings.
Vice President 2 – is in charge of coordinating Meet The Teacher event (with lots of helpers), organizes family nights with partner businesses and creates and distributes any advertising, organizes Skate Night, attends board meetings.
AISD and Community Events
AISD PARENT SURVEYS 2015-2016
Parents will receive a parent letter and survey scan form in the Monday, February 8, folder. Please note that the hard copy scan forms are due no later than Monday, February 29, 2016.
If parents do not wish to complete the scan form survey, the online version of the Parent Survey is now available. Parents can reach the survey by going to AISD’s main page (http://www.austinisd.org/) and clicking on the survey announcement below the rotating banner. This will take them to the Parent Survey page where they can choose to take the survey in English, Spanish, or Vietnamese.
PLEASE NOTE: THE SURVEY SHOULD ONLY BE COMPLETED IN ONE FORM: SCAN FORM OR ON-LINE, BUT NOT BOTH!
Parent Education program
Anderson’s Parent Education program has produced some information for our vertical team.
Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter: Oh My!
Social Media is inevitable in your student’s world. Watch the first installment of Anderson PTSA’s Parent Education Mini-Video series to find out what you can do to encourage your student to stay safe and use social media in a positive way. Click on the link below to watch the video mini: http://www.andersononline.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?type=d&uREC_ID=219568&pREC_ID=893727
“The Science of High Risk Behavior”
Dr. Crystal Collier, PhD, LPC-S
Tuesday, February 23rd at 7-8pm
(Anderson HS Performing Arts Center)
Dr. Collier is an expert in the areas of addiction prevention and recovery, parent coaching, and adolescent brain development.
Join us to learn how high-risk behaviors such as substance use and even excessive gaming can affect the developing teenage brain. Dr. Collier goes beyond basic facts to discuss ways in which these behaviors actually change brain chemistry and function, affecting a child’s future in ways you may not be aware of. She possesses a knack for making hard to understand science easy to learn and apply! Click on the link below to learn more:
https://d3jc3ahdjad7x7.cloudfront.net/fgzZsZKjZqCJQBl5FxeutmfhF0WW7mtKIeG8nBD2FBTrGYrf.pdf
Free English classes
Those wishing to learn English can attend free classes at the Old Quarry Library. Classes begin on Feb. 3. It is from 12:30—3:30PM at the Old Quarry Library, 7051 Village Center Dr., Austin, Texas 7873. For more information, visit www.AustinLearningAcademy.org or click here for the dates of the classes.
Murchison Book Fair
Keep Austin Batty about Books! Visit the Murchison Book Fair on February 1-5. The library is open daily 8 a.m.-4p.m.
Murchison band concert
Come to Anderson High School Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7 pm. You will hear the UIL concerts from our Murchison Middle School Concert and Symphonic Bands.
The evening will conclude with the Wind Ensemble’s Indianapolis program for the Music for All National Festival. Remember, we’re one of 5 in the country selected to perform at this prestigious event in March!
Murchison 6th grade Theater Production program
Murchison’s 6th grade Advanced Theatre Production class is a year-long elective in which student’s class time is devoted to preparing and presenting one-act plays, affording them the opportunity to learn the art of acting and design through practical experience. Students will have two major play performances – one in the fall and one in the spring semester. The spring semester focuses on Shakespeare. Applications are available at www.murchisonmatadors.org/owens and are due March 1st. All students who love Theatre are encouraged to apply.
AHS Band Winter Dance Guard fundraiser
Anderson High School’s first ever Winter Dance Guard is holding a fundraiser to help with start-up costs. They will be collecting household items and Easter Seals will pay for the Dance Guard to collect it. It will be on Saturday, Feb. 6 and Saturday, March 5 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Anderson High south parking lot near the band trailer. They can take clothing, fashion accessories, handbags, shoes, linen, TV, VCR, DVD players, toys, kitchen items, books, magazines, etc. Click here for more information and a list of things you should not bring.
STAAR information for dyslexic students
AISD will present STAAR-A and the Dyslexic student. It includes information concerning STAAR Standardized Oral Administration. It will be on Tuesday, February 23 from 6:30-7:30pm at the AISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd. Austin, TX 78723. More information is here.
Girls Kickball registration
2016 NWA Kickball registration is OPEN! Don’t miss out sign up today! Go to www.NWAKickball.com to register!
Registration is open until February 4th for Junior, Senior and Teenage players. PeeWee and Rookie divisions will remain open thru February 20th.
New this year at NWA…
- Seniors and Teenagers who bring a friend who is new to kickball can play on the same team together! Seniors can designate 1 new player friend and Teenage players can designate 2 new player friends. New player friends cannot have played at NWA in the past 3 years.
- First year Junior players (born on or before 8/31/2007) and first year Senior players (born on or before 8/31/2004) can be drafted on to the same team, even if they are both returning NWA kickball players (i.e. there is not a requirement that one of them be a new player friend). Both players must be first year players in either the Junior or the Senior division and provided neither or only one has ever played All Stars.
- Contact NWA Player Agent, Merry Ann Southwell ([email protected]) if you have questions.
Austin ISD Calendar for 2016-2017
The school calendar for next year is out. You can view it here. Note that there will be no school the entire week of Thanksgiving.
Girl Day at UT
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day and the Girl Day STEM Festival will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2016 from noon to 4 p.m. at the University of Texas at Austin. Over 5,000 elementary and middle school students are expected to participate with over 900 volunteers and over 100 student organizations, community organizations and companies volunteering. Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (Girl Day) is an international event celebrated during Engineers Week each year. Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is presented by Halliburton & the Girl Day STEM Festival is presented by Google.
Mathworks Summer Camp
Texas State University will host math camps this summer for students going into grades 4- high school. They will have:
- Day camp – Junior Summer Math Camp for 4th – 8th grade students
- Residential Junior Summer Math Camp for 6th – 8th grade students
- Honors Summer Math Camp for high school students
We are currently accepting applications online here,
http://www.txstate.edu/mathworks/camps/applications.html. Need-based
scholarships are available to students, and we highly encourage students of
all mathematical backgrounds to apply! Our programs provide unique
mathematical learning opportunities, with fun hands-on activities, guided
discovery learning, and a proven curriculum. You can also read a lot more
about each program here, http://www.txstate.edu/mathworks/camps.html