Coffee with Principal Standish
Please join me, Lynne Unruh and Elena Rodriguez in the library Wednesday, January 27th 7:45 – 8:30 am for coffee and muffins to learn more about Summitt’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program. Come join to listen and ask questions; meet other parents and have a muffin with me.
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!
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 is next 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
Monday, January 25, will mark the beginning of the 2016 Batty About Books Book Spring Read-A-Thon. This will be our 3rd year to participate in the program, and I am hoping even more students will take up the cause to help launch children into a world of reading.
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.
Important Dates for Transition to Murchison Middle School
- February 2, 2016 – Murchison Choice Sheet Night from 5:30-7 pm. There will be stations set up to provide information about the different elective choices.
- February 4, 2016 – Choice sheets due back to your child’s teacher by this day. If we do not have a choice sheet back by this day, we will have to create one for them. Even if you might be moving or transferring, please fill one out just in case.
If your student will not be attending Murchison, please contact Courtney Cardosa @512- 414-4248 or [email protected]. You may also contact me with questions or concerns.
Here is a description that MMS provided about the two new course offerings on the 6th grade choice sheet:
Flight & Space / Energy & the Environment (two semester course)
Students in Flight and Space will be introduced to the history of flight through hands-on activities and research. They will also design an aircraft or spacecraft as they discover the science of flying, design and test propulsion. They will complete activities while learning about the history and principles of space travel. Students explore the science behind aeronautics and use their knowledge to design, build and test an airfoil. Projects include, building a hot air balloon, building different types of rockets and designing and building a glider.
Energy and the Environment will investigate types and forms of energy and energy sources. Students will learn about using energy efficiently, energy conservation, and will measure energy using student created windmill generators. Students will design and create solar cars, conduct a water audit and research the effects of composting, reducing, reusing, and recycling our waste products.
IB Foundations (Technology Course) Opt Out Test
There will still be an opportunity in the spring (likely April or May) for students to test out of the IB Foundations course so that they can take 2 fine arts courses. If your student plans on doing this, please have them still select one of the choices in the technology section. If they pass the technology test, they will use the rankings in the Fine Arts section to replace that course with the student’s second choice fine arts selection.
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
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.
Balcones Youth Sports – Baseball and Softball
Come be a part of a fantastic league where we create champions on and off the fields! Make amazing friends & memories at the ballpark! The registration period for the 2016 Spring Ball Season is now open – discounted registration through this Saturday!!
The Spring Season will begin mid-February and end in mid-May. Depending on the number of teams, there will be one to two games per week and two practices per week too. There are no games or practices scheduled during Spring Break, Easter, and Mother’s Day. Visit our website for more info – www.balcones.net
BYS Little League Baseball participates in the District 11 Post Season Tournament which takes place in early June. We also participate in the State All-Stars tournament for Little League which begins in July.
We offer:
Little League Baseball for 4-12 yrs. of age
PONY Fastpitch Softball for 4-14 yrs. of age
PONY Baseball for 13-18 yrs. of age
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
AISD Salute nominations
Open nominations for Principal of the Year, Assistant Principal of the Year, Counselor of the Year, Librarian of the Year and Classified Staff – Non Campus Based and Classified Staff – Campus Based of the Year began Jan. 5 and close Jan. 31.We invite staff, students, parents and community members to nominate a candidate for these awards. www.aisdsalute.org