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From the Principal's Desk
Through the rain and traffic, they came.... to the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!
What a wonderful start we have had to the year! It has been a delight to see all of the smiling faces and eager students filling the halls and classrooms. We are a blessed communityand thankful that you are here as a part of our school!
I hope to see you all at the Back to Shool Social on Friday night! This is a great opportunity to gather together while we make new friends and catch up with those we have not seen all summer. Plan to attend - it is a St. A tradition!
In Spirit & Peace,
Mrs. Donna Woodard
Principal
Back to School Social - hosted by Parents' Club
Please join the St. Austin's Catholic School community as we kick off the new school year! Parents, students and siblings are invited to continueour favorite back to school tradition. Snowcones will be provided by the St. Austin's Parent's Club.
Event: Back to School Social
Date: Friday, August 22, 2008
Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: Zilker Park Pavillion, by the playscape (Map weblink)
Caution: All students/siblings will be asked to stay within the pavillion and playscape areas. All students/siblings will be discouraged from walking down to the Barton Springs water spill area. This is a safety issue that will require everyone's cooperation to keep kids out of non-supervised areas and allow us to continue to meet at Zilker Park.
We look forward to seeing everyone on Friday August 22, 2008.
Signing in for Lunch Visits
Parents are always welcome for lunch! You may sign in at the school or the parish office as a visitor. Please be sure to get a name tag so that all staff can identify our visitors. We have worked out an arrangement with the parish office to save you some running on campus. Thank you for your cooperation.
First Wed. - NOON Dismissal
Our First Wednesday NOON dismissal is just around the corner. We WILL have Eagle's Nest this day. For those who are registered full time, it is included in your fees and you do NOT need to RSVP. However, if you wil be needing care on that day and are not a full time student of Eagle's Nest, please email our director, Alice Puccio to sign up. You will be billed $10 for the day.
Lunch Orders - Due Mon. 8/25Our lunch program is going great! The food is excellent and we can report lots of empty plates! If you would still like to order for this upcoming week, it's NOT too late! Contact Ms. Turner to place an order!
It is time to order for the first two weeks of September. The menu and order form for August 19 - 29can be found on the school website on the Lunch Program page. Click here to go directly to that page. No money is to be turned in at this time. Please turn these in by Monday, August 25th to assist us in accurate ordering. The form is posted in word this time so that you can fill it out and email it in if you so desire.
Back to School Curriculum Nights
Our teachers will be hosting curriculum nights the last week of August. This evening will be for the teachers to spend time going over the curriculum and classroom expectations. Please plan to attend as you will learn a lot about the expectations for your child. Room parent presentations will most likely take place at our first Parent's Club meeting in September so that the teachers can focus on academics this night.
Kindergarten - 2nd Grade August 26 6pm to 7pm
3rd - 5th Grade August 26 7pm to 8pm
Middle School August 27 6pm to 7:30pm
Volunteers Needed
Mom, Dad, Grandparents.... are you interested in helping out at school? Once a week? Once a month? We need volunteers to help us out on a regular basis in a couple of areas. All volunteers will need to complete the EIM training course. For these positions siblings are welcome to come, too. Please email Mrs. Woodard if you are interested in...
Art Class Assistant gr. K-2 - Ms. Lyczak needs your help in assisting students in Art class. Lunch Order Coordinator - Comes into the school when orders are due and tallies them up and creates class reports of orders.
Lunch Room Monitors - We need volunteers to help faculty supervise students in the dining hall - opening lunch items, getting through line, heating items in the microwave, escorting to the bathroom, etc. There are three lunch times to choose from. Once a week, once a month - any time will help.
Recess Monitors - Volunteers are needed to help faculty supervise our three lunch recesses. Monitors watch for student safety on the big toy and the blacktop.
Green Team - We need assistance in mowing the South and West sides of the building, cleaning out flowerbeds and sweeping sidewalks. Volunteers are needed at least one day per month. The school does have a mower on campus.
Office / Clerical - Help filing, organizing, preparing mailings, making copies, organizing binders and other various tasks.
We have lost of WISHES ...
As you know, we cannot forward our mission without your support. Some of our wishes are small items (glue sticks) and some of them are large (sound system). Please consider fulfilling the wish of one of our teachers by donating an item from our wishlist. We appeciate any way you can help!
Eagle's Nest Registration
If you will be utilizing Eagle's Nest, our After School Care Program, this coming year please email Ms. Turner . She will need to know if you will be registering FULL TIME and be billed $150 per month September - May or DROP IN at $10 per day. All payments will be made through our monthly secondary bill through FACTS.
By the way, have you met our director???
Hello! My name is Alice Puccio and I will be the new Eagle's Nest Director. I am a senior at St. Edward's University studying History. I am very excited about the year and working at St. Austin School. I have a great staff to work with and I hope you will all come meet us! We have a lot of great ideas for the year, but please don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or concerns. We are looking forward to working with all of the kids in such a great place!
Friday Dismissal
This year we are back to a staggered dismissal for Middle School. The Middle School will dismiss at 3:30pm Monday - Friday. Thank you for your cooperation.
School Zone
This year we began the year with a NEW SCHOOL ZONE on San Antonio Street. So please remember to slow down to 20 as you drive by the school. Thank you for watching out for the safety of our children.
Attendance & Appointments
Regular attendance at school is important for student learning. Every effort should be made for appointments not to be scheduled during school hours. It is very disruptive for teachers, students and classes for students to come and go during the day. In Middle School excessive absences, excused or unexcused, may result in a student not earning credit for the class missed. Thank you for your support of a succesful learning envirnoment for all!
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What's cooking in the Kitchen? In preparation for the new school & ministry year the Newman Hall kitchen is getting a much needed makeover. The parish recently replaced our commercial refrigerator, which had reached the end of its lifespan, and bringing in professionals for a deep cleaning and to refinish the floor. We are also exploring the cost of repairing or replacing the gas stove.
Now we desperately need to replace the stainless steel worktables which are the heart of the kitchen. We would like to purchase three or four new 30" x 60" tables with adjustable feet from Mission Restaurant Supply for $258.95 each. If you'd like to support our parish ministries and St. Austin School by providing financial assistance for the purchase of new worktables, please contact Jennifer Anderson at 512-477-9471 ext. 303 or janderson@staustin.org. |
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Summer Clipping Contest Remember that our summer Box Tops/Campbells Labels for Education Family Clipping Contest is going on this summer. Please staple your labels 10 per sheet to a blank piece of paper or use the "Box Top Buck" which can be printed from the school website: http://www.staustinschool.org/documents/bucks.pdf
The family with the most entries wins a great movie night prize package! |
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Required Volunteer Training On January 1, 2002, the Austin Diocese instated new policies on Ethics and Integrity in Ministry for all those who work in the church, whether in paid or volunteer positions. Anyone-volunteers, paid staff or clergy-who works with minors or vulnerable adults in a parish or diocesan setting is required to complete a Secure Online Application, agree to a criminal record check, sign the Diocese of Austin Code of Ethics, and attend a Protecting God's Children workshop.
If you plan to volunteer for the school, be a room parent, event coordinator, or field trip chaperon for St. Austin Catholic School, you must be in compliance with these policies in order to participate. All parents are encouraged to take advantage of this educational opportunities regardless of your level of volunteerism.
Any questions about the Ethics and Integrity in Ministry program can be directed to the parish office.
Protecting God's Children
Protecting God's Children teaches the Catholic understanding that each individual must be respected and honored. The schedule of upcoming Protecting God's Children workshops is available via the diocese Ethics & Integrity in Ministry web page. Please register for workshops ahead of time by calling the phone numbers listed. You may attend any workshop in the Diocese. Workshops typically last 2.5 to 3 hours and are given by a trainer who has been approved and trained themselves by the Diocese of Austin.
At the workshop you will be given a signed beige certificate. Please give a copy of this certificate to the parish office to be filed. The Code of Ethics ("blue form") you sign at the workshop will be mailed to the parish and kept on file as well.
Protecting God's Children workshops at St. Austin
Saturday, August 23, 2008
9 a.m. - noon
Hecker Hall
Please RSVP by August 18, 2008 so that enough materials will be available.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
9 a.m. - noon
Hecker Hall
Please RSVP by September 22, 2008 so that enough materials will be available.
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