Wednesday eFolder – January 22nd, 2020

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

HAPPY WEDNESDAY THUNDERBIRDS!

REMINDER — DUAL LANGUAGE + TRANSFER APPLICATIONS ARE DUE!
Applications must be received by January 31, 2020. You can find complete instructions HERE about submitting your applications. 

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS
Benchmark assessments are administered at key points in the year and are designed to assess student mastery of curriculum from 3rd through 5th grade. The data collected helps teachers drive instruction and scaffold students learning. Various forms of district-level assessments are conducted throughout the school year, each serving a different purpose and providing different kinds of information about student performance. Please help our students by getting a good night’s rest and being on time to school everyday. Please avoid scheduling any appointments on those days.

Remaining Benchmark Test Schedule:
1/22: 4th Grade Math & 3rd & 5th Grade Reading
1/23: 4th Grade Reading & 5th Grade Science

COMMUNITY POTLUCK — tonight!
January 22, 5-7pm
All parents are invited to bring a food item to share with the THES Community. Do you have a special recipe your family enjoys? This potluck is an opportunity for all families to get together and learn more about each other and meet other folks from the neighborhood. There will be a movie playing for the children which will give parents a chance to mingle and meet new friends. Please contact the Ms. Dianna Perez  with any questions.

REFUGEE AWARENESS EVENT – tonight!
Wednesday, January 22, 4-8pm at the Thinkery Museum
The AISD Refugee Family Support Office will be partnering with Thinkery Museum to host a Community Night Spotlight that celebrates Refugee Awareness. The goal is to shine a light on the refugee communities in Austin and create a space for communities to come together to celebrate each other. Wednesdays are their FREE night, which includes museum exhibits, story time, educational activities facilitated by staff and special community presenters. AISD will be providing transportation for refugee families. The shuttle will start at 5:30pm with shuttle service running every 30 minutes. The return time from the Thinkery will be 7:45 pm. See below a list of locations for pick-up and drop-off:

1. Webb Middle School – 601 E St Johns Ave, Austin, TX 78752
2. Navarro High School – 1201 Payton Gin Road, Austin, TX 78758
3. Travis Heights Elementary – 2010 Alameda Drive, Austin, TX 78704

Families can sign up with the link below:
https://forms.gle/eg3amxLunRifHDGv6

For event details see the Thinkery Community Program website:https://thinkeryaustin.org/community-programs/

CLASS PICTURES
Tuesday, January 28
Dress to impress and bring your smile!  Class pictures are right around the corner.
Order forms will be sent home 01/22. Pictures are $10.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED–THUNDERBIRD CURBSIDE BAG FILLING
Wednesday, January 29
We need your help! Please join us in the cafeteria as we fill orders for our new reward program, Thunderbird Curbside! (This is the new ROCK store.) We will be putting small toys in bags for students who placed orders using ClassDojo points. Meet in the cafeteria at 7:45am 

NEW LIBRARY CARDS
ALL of our students will receive their *new & improved* Austin Public Library cards this week!
Some special features will include:

• language learning tools
• books and e-books
• videos and music
• research materials and homework help
• no overdue fines on children’s items

In addition to our fantastic Thunderbird library at THES, we are encouraging our kids to take advantage of all that Austin Public Library has to offer them, especially during holidays like summer break!

Happy reading Thunderbirds!
Mrs. Underwood

CALL FOR STEAM 2020 VOLUNTEERS AND PARTICIPANTS!
Our STEAM planning team is gearing up for our annual Travis Heights Elementary STEAM Day on April 21. STEAM Day is an annual THES event when professionals from across the science, technology, engineering, arts and math fields facilitate hands on workshops for students (3rd-5th grades). Some past workshops have included coding, veterinarian science, working with drones, civil engineering, fabric art, ceramics, songwriting, and mask making for theatre… to name just a very few! For our Pre-K to 2nd grade students, we organize a science or art demonstration so they get a preview of what’s to come in the upper grades.

Who are we looking for…

Volunteers to shadow / help us organize this year’s event.
Our team of three co-chairs will be “graduating” from THES this year, so to keep STEAM alive after 2020, we need new volunteers to learn how STEAM Day works.

Workshop Participants
If you are in a science, engineering, technology, math or arts related field and would like to facilitate a workshop to the upper grade students, we need you!

How can I learn more?
Come to our next meeting on January 24 at 7:45am in the cafeteria or
Email Bob O’Dair (bobodair@gmail.com), Soo Lee Spaw (sooleespaw@outlook.com) or Renée Pinchero (pinchero.renee@gmail.com) for more information.

MONTHLY PARENT COFFEE CHAT
Friday, January 31
We will focus on “Helpful Hints for Empowering vs. Enabling.” Most of us are skilled at using enabling responses with our children but unskilled in using empowering responses to ensure that our children are navigating through difficult and sometimes life changing decisions. Please join our counselors for an in-depth look at ways to empower our children and minimize enabling those habits which may be affecting how your family deals with household situations or time management.

5th GRADE SPINAL SCREENINGS
Friday,  January 31
5th grade girls will have a spinal screenings. State law states that schools must screen students for spinal problems because early detection can make treatment much easier.  Notices went home January 16th. This is an optional screening for students. Parents wishing to opt out will need to submit an exemption to the school by January 30th. 

FUN WAYS TO SUPPORT THES

THES SPIRIT NIGHT AT Torchy’s on South Congress
Thursday, January 30, 4-8pm
Our neighborhood Torchy’s Tacos is hosting a Spirit Night supporting Travis Heights Elementary School. Join THES family and friends from 4-8pm and 15% of the evening’s sales will be donated to our school You must show this flyer so we get credit. Please share it with neighbors, friends, and family. The more people that dine in spirit of THES, the more support our school receives! 

Pizza Profit Share at Homeslice Pizza
Monday, February 10
February 10-14 is the annual I ♡ THES no-hassle fundraiser and Homeslice is helping us kick it off by generously donating 10% of sales all day to our school! Dine in or take out. 

Buy Mañana sugar cookies!
The THES holiday cookie fundraiser was such a success ($250 raised) that South Congress Hotel’s coffee and bakeshop, Mañana, wants to continue their donation through 2020! They will donate $1 from every purchase of the monthly sugar cookie (created uniquely for THES). Be sure to let the staff know you came for the cookie and thank them for their partnership! If you are interested in purchasing cookies by the dozen, the kitchen needs a 72 hours notice. Please email Sophia Stout: sophia.stout@mananaaustin.com

Save the dates for I ♡ THES on February 10-14. More details soon!

CALLING LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS
For our upcoming annual “no hassle” fundraiser I  THES February 10-14, we are looking for families interested in promoting their business among our Travis Heights community to consider:

1. Providing some quantity of small giveaways to incentivize parents to give during each day of the drive (Ex. First 50 people to donate get XX from <Local Business>)
2. Matching a day’s donations — Thanks to Juke Auto we have the first day covered!
3. Hosting an event that gives back to THES (Ex. Home Slice kicks the week off every year by donating 10% of all sales Monday, February 10th.)

Email fundraising@travisheightselementary.com for more info.

DAY OF INNOVATION – NO SCHOOL
Friday, February 14
AISD is a District of Innovation (DOI) which gives all AISD schools some of the benefits that charter schools enjoy, such as setting aside days for additional teacher training, what we call DOI PD Days (you can read more about it here: www.austinisd.org/districtofinnovation).

THES teachers will spend the day adding to their skills with professional development, a discussion about best practices, analyzing student data, Project Based Learning and planning. We look forward to using this learning in the classroom!

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Thank you!