Wednesday Folder – November 7, 2018

Happy Wednesday Thunderbirds!

It’s hard to believe that November is here and the holidays are upon us. Please make note that Prime Time ends Friday, November 16th and there is no school during the week of Thanksgiving (November 19–23). We are so thankful for our amazing Thunderbird community!

Lower-Grade Assembly (K-2)

Friday, November 9

Our assemblies are a fun way for our students to celebrate Thunderbird pride. Parents are welcome to join. Meet in the gym at 7:35 rockin’ your Thunderbird shirt!

Prospective Parent Tour

Friday, November 9

This Friday will be the first of four Prospective Parent Tours. Recruitment is key for keeping our school at capacity and thriving! Please be a THES advocate and help spread the word about how wonderful the Thunderbird Community is by telling your friends, neighbors, and co-workers about our Prospective Parent Tours. Also, if you would like to share your THES experience by leading one of these tours, please contact PTA President, Gretchen Otto at gretchenotto7@gmail.com

• November 9: assembly at 7:40 am in the gym and tour at 8 am
• December 7: assembly at 7:40 am in the gym and tour at 8 am
• January 18: assembly at 7:40 am in the gym and tour at 8 am
• January 29: tour only at 8 am

Thunderbird Cocktail Party—do you have your ticket yet?

Saturday, November 10, 6:30–9:30pm

Please join Travis Heights Elementary friends, alumni, and neighbors for a cocktail party to benefit PBL at THES! Adults only, delish food + drinks. Tickets are $50/person and a Thunderbird Friend’s Sponsorship is $250 (includes four tickets and a special gift). Tickets/Sponsorships have been extended to November 8th!

Buy Online Now! 

or email fundraising@travisheightselementary.com for more info.

PTA Meeting + 2nd and 3rd Grade Performances

Thursday, November 15

Please join us for a very important PTA meeting to discuss school safety, upcoming events, and other very important topics. The meeting will be followed with wonderful musical performances by our 2nd and 3rd graders! Kids should report to the cafeteria at 5:45 and parents can head to the gym for the 6pm meeting.

Thunderbird Thanksgiving Lunch

Thursday, November 15

We invite you to join your student for a Thanksgiving lunch at school! Tickets sales to eat the school lunch are closed, but you can still join your student during their lunchtime. Lunchtimes will be slightly different on November 15, so please check with your child’s teacher for their revised time. Please arrive early to find parking and check in at the office for a visitor’s badge (you MUST bring your ID if you’ve never checked in before).

Family Fun & Fitness (3rd-5th grade)

Friday, November 16

Please join us for a morning full of fun physical activities and healthy eating! As part of the event, we are asking families to donate healthy foods for our Snack Station.

• 3rd–5th graders are asked to please send the following items to school on November 16:
• 3rd grade: Pickles
• 4th grade: Bananas
• 5th grade: Oranges

Volunteers are needed!  If you would like to volunteer, please contact Ms. Collins (512.414.3399 or linda.l.collins@austinisd.org) or sign up online.

Operation Thunderjoy

Apply by November 16

For the third year in a row, Operation Thunderjoy is on a mission to provide a joyful holiday season to our neediest Thunderbird families. Inspired by organizations like Blue Santa and the Angel Tree, Project Thunderjoy is the brainchild of one of our students who wanted to make sure her classmates had a holiday season as happy as her own. Thanks to the generosity of our village, we’ve been able to help at least 30 families annually. This year, we plan to help 50 families and we need YOU to help make it happen!

We need families and community members to “adopt” a family in need and provide gifts of toys, clothing, and food. If you are interested in sponsoring a family, please contact Lauren Davis (lauren.davis@gmail.com).

Families in need are encouraged to apply with our PSS, Dianna Perez (512.841.0855 or adrianna.perez@austinisd.org). The deadline to apply is November 16.

Tamalada (12/5) & Cultural Festival (12/8)

Plans are underway for Tamalada and Cultural Festival! These fun annual traditions celebrate the diversity in our school with tamale making, performances, cultural tables, and a Mercado with items for sale. We really need a few extra volunteers to help with planning this year’s events. Would you enjoy doing any of these roles?

Tamalada Co-Chair: assist the current chair in collecting donations & recruiting volunteers.

Cultural Tables Chair: help with recruiting families to host a table & organize table locations.

Performers Chair: assist with recruiting performers & setting the time slots for entertainment.

El Mercado Chair: assist with recruiting vendors & collecting booth rental funds.

If you have questions or can help, please contact Jennifer Barrera (361.774.28778 or jenthespy91@ yahoo.com) or Colin Clark (512.367.0309 or sprinklerintherain@gmail.com).

Meet Your Future — Kids Career Fair

Saturday, November 10, 10am–1pm at Mueller Lake Park

Meet an astronaut, an engineer, a chemist, or a veterinarian! This FREE event helps your child discover where a college degree could take them. Learn how your child could receive a giveaway of $1000 tuition units by visiting The Texas Tuition Promise Fund booth. For more info visit: facebook.com/txcomptroller/events

Kealing Middle School Magnet School Showcase

November 8, 2018 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

1607 Pennsylvania Ave.
Austin, TX 78702

The Kealing Middle School Magnet Showcase is an opportunity for prospective students and parents to meet magnet teachers and meet with current students and parents and check out the school. This open house runs from 5:20 -7:30 tomorrow (Thursday) night.

http://www.kealingmiddleschool.org/magnet/showcase

Fulmore Middle School Info Session

Tuesday, November 13

Attend this informative session to see if Fulmore Middle School is right for you and your child. The Fulmore Humanities and Law Magnet for International Studies is a free, advanced academic program within AISD that is part of a 132-year tradition. This informative session will be held in the FMS cafeteria at 201 E. Mary St. Austin, TX 78704. For more info visit: fulmore.austinschools.org.

Say hello to our new Parent Support Specialist, Ms. Dianna Perez!

Ms. Perez is a native Austinite and will be a strong resource for our THES families. She will be on campus every day and is located at the front entrance of the school. AISD PSS are charged to identify, develop, and engage parents in their child’s education by:

• Providing Parent and Family Support
• Conduct communications and Outreach
• Create Parent Leadership Opportunities/PTA

Ms. Perez is currently seeking a gently used love seat or overstuffed chair, plants, curtains, small area rug, plastic hangers for clothes, gently used clothes for the clothes closet and anything else you may want to contribute to make the PSS office a comfy space for all to enjoy! She can be contacted at 512.841.0855.

If you would like to opt out of paper fliers, please be sure to check the box on the front of our child’s Wednesday folder. Please help us reduce waste and save money!

Do you have information or an event to submit to THES’s Wednesday Folder? Please visit our Folder FAQ page for submission requirements and guidelines.

To subscribe to Wednesday eFolders and have the eFolder delivered to your inbox, please use the subscribe form in the footer of the website.

While our goal is to move most communications to digital methods some documents need to be delivered in hard copies so please continue to check your paper Wednesday Folder every week, sign, and return it on Thursday.

Thank you!