Mark Your Calendar!
Picture Day is Coming up–Friday, May 7th
Send no money. A proof or packet will be sent home from the school with information on how to order (Allow 3-4 weeks).
PTA General Meeting — Thursday, 5/13 at 6 p.m.
On Thursday May 13th at 6pm, THES PTA will be holding our last General PTA Meeting of the school year via Zoom (Zoom info will be sent via Class Dojo next week). Join us as we review and (hopefully) approve the 21-22 PTA Budget and elect the PTA Board for the 21-22 School Year. This is a great chance to learn about your PTA and what we are doing to support Travis Heights Elementary and to learn what you can do to help be a part of your child’s education experience.
Teacher Appreciation Week May 3rd-7th.
Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week at THES. PTA will be doing some special things for teachers each day, but please be sure to take a minute and send a personal “Thank You” to your kids teachers. A small gesture, such as a coffee gift card, token of appreciation, or even a note goes a long way to this super valuable part of your child’s life. And don’t forget all their “other” teachers, such as Art, Music, PE, Library, and any other educator that supports you special Thunderbird! EVERYONE on the THES staff helps to make our school the very special place it is and these folks really deserve some special recognition. These Thunderbirds TOTALLY ROCK!
School Lunch Hero Day
Friday, May 7, is recognized nationally as School Lunch Hero Day. Celebrated annually since 2013, School Lunch Hero Day was designated by the School Nutrition Association and Jarrett Krosoczka, author of the “Lunch Lady” graphic novel series.
While we view our cafe teams as heroes, throughout the past year, their work on the frontlines has shown not only their continued commitment to our students but also the importance of school meals.
We encourage our campus to recognize the hard work and dedication displayed each day from our cafe team and honor them with words of appreciation from students, staff, parents, and the community.
School Lunch Hero Day Resources:
- Activity Sheets
- Printable Thank You Cards – English / Spanish
Food Service will also be introducing a monthly spotlight, allowing cafe staff to nominate their peers for recognition. Each month, a cafe manager and food production specialist will be selected and celebrated. Each honoree will receive a swag bag and be highlighted on the AISD Food Service social media platforms @AustinISDFood on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
THES Virtual Book Fair
Our book fair is ending. Get those orders made soon.
Use the promo code SHARE10 for 10% off every order, applied at checkout! Remember, every purchase means 25% in rewards back to your school.**
Link will be active until May 2nd.
Principal Update & Coffee Chat April 30
Our next schedule Principal Update & Coffee Chat is Friday, Apr 30, 10-11am. The Coffee Chat theme is:
How to get Children to Help with Chores is the topic for our next coffee. We will share tips on ways to have our kids do chores around the house as a way to contribute to the family household.
- April 30 at 10:00am
- https://zoom.us/j/96476232276?pwd=d2xsYlhGb3U0NVVXR2hsdXVlWllMQT09
- Meeting ID: 964 7623 2276
- Passcode: joinus
Student Chromebook Device Swaps
- Do you have a DELL P22T or a Silver Toshiba Chromebook?
- Please swap those devices out for a new one through the office.
- These devices are end of life and no longer receive updates. They will not work properly going forward.
- This only applies to these two brands/ models.
The Thunderboard Needs New Parent Representatives for Fall!
Interested in being “in-the-know” with all things THES and providing your input as a parent?
The Thunderboard serves as the primary governance and decision-making body for campus-based programming at Travis Heights Elementary. Parents that serve on the Thunderboard help shape the current programming and the future of THES.
ALL parents and guardians that live in the AISD district and have a child at THES are welcome and encouraged to apply for one of these positions. Time commitment is approximately one 90-minute meeting each month over a 2-year term.
Download and fill out the Standard Membership Application here and return it to the THES office by Wednesday April 28th. Don’t worry…you don’t need any specific experience or skills!
If you have any questions, or are interested and would like some help with the application due to language or technology issues, please speak with Mrs. Navarro or email Karyn Couvillion, Parent Co-Chair of Thunderboard at thunderboard@travisheightselementary.com.
Prime Time Summer Program
The summer program is free for AISD students in kindergarten through fourth grade. Program features include:
- Virtual field trips
- Engaging activities: arts, technology, sports, science and more
- Live, Interactive sessions and fun video sessions
- More Information:
- Contact Info :
- primetime@austinisd.org
- 512-414-0154
New and Returning Student Registration for 2021-2022 School Year
Online Registration for the 2021-2022 school year is open! Parents will need to access the online registration through the Parent Portal. You can find specific registration directions HERE. If you need assistance please call the AISD Parent Support Line at 512-414-9187.
Student Registration Plans
Student Registration Plans for School Year 2021-2022 survey will be deployed through the parent portal on Monday, March 8, 2021. The invitation emails will be sent to parents’ primary email addresses. The survey is set to close on Friday, April 30, 2021.
STAAR Testing Dates @ THES
2nd Administration – Window opens Tuesday, May 11th and closes Friday, May 14th
- 3-5 Grade Math – Tuesday, May 11th
- 3-5 Grade Reading – Wednesday, May 12th
- 5 Grade Science – Thursday, May 13th
Student Survey
We recognize that this has been an extremely difficult year for our AISD community, especially for our students and campus-based staff. As such, the AISD Student Climate Survey deadline has been extended to April 30, 2021. The original deadline was March 12, 2021.
Please connect with your child’s teacher to ensure students in grades 3-11 have an opportunity to take the survey. As a reminder, parents/caregivers have the choice to opt-out students from taking the survey. Please contact your campus contact, Ms. Cano, for information regarding the opt-out process.
Bike to School Training
Join Bike to School Day on May 5. AISD’s transportation and sustainability teams have partnered with Ghisallo Cycling Initiative for students to learn about biking, engage in physical activity and celebrate sustainable transportation in Austin.
Schools can participate by using the Bicycle Skills Challenge at Home program, a guided lesson plan for students to learn and practice bicycle safety and riding skills. The program is a modified version of the advanced bike rodeo clinic that the Ghisallo Cycling Initiative provides through AISD physical education programs. The dual-language, 30-minute program in English and Spanish can support both synchronous and asynchronous instruction.
Mental Health Resources and Strategies
We are excited to announce that our third 2-sided flyer with mental health resources/strategies will be distributed to parents/families during Austin ISD food distributions next week. We plan to create a new Mental Wellness flyer/Smore every two weeks. We have provided you with a link to the 3 Mental Wellness for Families Smores ( Smore 1 , Smore 2 , Smore 3 ) if you would like to include them in your principal newsletters and emails. These resources are part of a collaboration between Child Study Systems, Social and Emotional Learning, Health Services, Family and Community Engagement, and Austin ISD Communications.
Resources
The most recent update from Family Engagement & Student Support: https://www.smore.com/1wtv7-special-bulletin
AISD health guidelines: https://www.travisheightselementary.com/blog/2021/04/07/health-guidelines/
THES Parent Resource Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/TravisHeightsES/