Wednesday eFolder – February 5, 2020

HAPPY WEDNESDAY THUNDERBIRDS!
Can you believe this Friday is our 100th day of school? Check in with your child’s teacher to see how they will be celebrating. There will be a lower grade assembly (PK-1st) on Friday at 7:35. ALSO, Mark your calendar to eat at Home Slice this Monday (2/10)—they will be donating 10% of sales to our school (dine in or take out). Juke Auto will also be matching I ♡ THES donations on 2/10! What a great way to kick off  I ♡ THES! Stay tuned for a preview of our new school merch during our annual fundraiser 🙂 

I ♡ THES
February 10-14

Instead of asking our students to sell things or you to attend another event, it’s our annual No Hassle Fundraiser! The PTA helps fund many things the district doesn’t cover—from school supplies to books for the library to tutoring and more! This year’s focus is Technology: Chromebook replacements, software licenses, video equipment…to name a few. Travis Heights Elementary has been a leader in technology and media-rich instruction, ensuring that our students become digital natives who are prepared to use technology as a tool for improving the world and themselves. 

WAYS TO GIVE
1. Online: travisheightselementary.com/donate/ — Consider setting up a monthly recurring payment!
2. Facebook: facebook.com/TravisHeightsElem/ — Find and follow us then hit the Donate button!
3. School: Look for PTA volunteers during the week of Feb 10-14 to swipe your credit card, write a check or donate cash! 

Questions? Interested in donating on behalf of a business in exchange for promotion? Email fundraising@travisheightselementary.com or visit the Business Partners page for details. 

AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
February is African American Heritage month! We will recognize and celebrate the important people and events that have contributed to the African history through classroom instruction, campus activities, and participating in the 20th Annual Central Texas African American Family Support Conference. The 20th Annual Central Texas African American Family Support Conference will be on February 11 – 12, 2020 at Palmer Events Center (900 Barton Springs Road). Join faith leaders, health professionals, advocates, people living with mental health issues, substance use disorder, intellectual and developmental disabilities, friends, and families to learn, connect and grow healthier and stronger. – Interactive Workshops – Inspirational Keynote Speakers – Community Exhibitors – Continuing Education. Please contact Diana Perez our Parent Support Specialist for information at (512) 414-4495.

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!

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Monday, February 17
No school for students this day, but parents are expected for the second Parent Teacher Conferences of the year. If you have not signed up with your child’s teacher yet, please do so! Translators will be available to support during parent conferences. Please let your teacher know if you would like one present. 

CELEBRATING THE 24TH YEAR OF YOUNG WRITERS WORKSHOP!
Tuesday, February 25
Students in every grade will enjoy a special morning focused on the many cool, creative ways writing is important in our lives, our work, and our world. PreK-2nd grades will attend a fun and inspiring assembly on music by Neal Kassanoff of Groundwork Music Project, a previous favorite of Young Writers’ Workshop.3rd-5th graders will each attend two 50-minute writing workshops! Authors, musicians, poets, businesspeople and more volunteer their time to lead these workshops and give Thunderbirds a glimpse into careers and creative pursuits that involve writing.

 Here is a glimpse of the writers who are so generously presenting this year:
KWAMENA “SHA” ALHEEM, musician and author
ANDRIANNA CUEVAS, middle-grade novelist
ANDREA CARROLL AND JAMIE BAHR, Girls Rock Austin educators and musicians
JENA KIRKPATRICK, poet
SUSAN MORRISON, author, professor
SHELDON PACOTTI, writer of fiction, nonfiction, and video games
NEAL POLLACK, fiction writer, journalist
RUPERT REYES, playwright, artistic director of Teatro Vivo
SIMEL BEY, author and doctor of Eastern medicine
NETTIE REYNOLDS, essayist, speaker, storyteller
CEDRIC GOLDEN, sports reporter

BIG THANKS in advance to these writers for volunteering, as well as to the parents, PTA, teachers, staff, donors, and THES community members who support Young Writers Workshop. For more event information email Rev. Erin Walter, erin.walter@austinymca.org, or to volunteer send an email to volunteers@travisheightselementary.com

THUNDERBIRD THRIFT–SAVE THE DATE AND SAVE YOUR STUFF
Saturday, February 29, 8am-12pm
Save the date and save your stuff! The 2nd Annual Thunderbird Thrift will take place on the gym. This fun event was created last year to present a great way for our community to shop second hand and also help raise money for our school. Stay tuned for details on donating—and start cleaning out those closets! 

THES BUSINESS PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: HOME SLICE PIZZA

In addition to being long-time supporters of the school through in-kind donations and fundraising events, Home Slice is donating 10% of ALL SALES at their South Congress dine-in and take-out locations on Monday, February 10th to kick off our upcoming I Heart THES fundraising drive!

Home Slice Pizza was created by three great friends — married couple Jen and Joseph Strickland and partner Terri Hannifin Buis — with a passion for food and hospitality and a vision for an Austin institution based on the original, unfailing goodness of authentic NY-style pizza. The dine-in side of Home Slice was opened in 2005 and followed in 2010 with More Home Slice, the takeout and slice operation. The third location in Austin, on North Loop & Duval, opened in 2017. Home Slice Pizza is committed to the local Austin community. Through partnerships with local schools, non-profits, and other local businesses, they continue to uphold a company-wide core value to always be neighborly.

To learn more about how you or your local business can support Travis Heights Elementary, visit our Business Partners page or email fundraising@travisheightselementary.com.

CENSUS 2020
Did you know that this is the year of the US Census? Once every ten years, the constitution required the government to count every person in the US. This data is used for many important funding decisions by the government, such as housing, highways, education, healthcare, etc. We want every THES family to participate so that we can get federal funding for our school! Please see this flier for more information, or visit Census.gov. We will also send out more information over the next couple of months.
ENGLISH Census Flyer
Spanish Census Flyer

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Thank you!