St. Austin Catholic School
e - Newsletter
August 28, 2008
August Dates
NO SCHOOL
Monday, September 1
Labor Day
 
NOON Dismissal
Wednesday, September 3
All students will be dismissed at noon for teacher inservice.
 
Eagle's Nest is available for those who pre-register
 
Parents' Club Meeting
* childcare & dinner provided *
Tuesday, September 9 
 
 

Good Information for Catholics
As faithful Catholics it is important for us to be informed about the culture around us, especially at this time building up to the election.  Take a few moments and check out these links to helpful information.
 
Faithful Citizenship
 
 
 
 

We have lots 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!  
Website Links
St. Austin School
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade
Seventh Grade
Eighth Grade
Art
Music
P.E.
Spanish
Library
St. Austin Parish
Required Volunteer Training
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 complete above steps.  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.

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.
 
From the Principal's Desk 

I hope you all enjoyed our Back to School Nights.  We had a tremendous turnout, over 95% of our parents were in attendance!  THANK YOU for taking the time to come and learn about what your child will be learning.  The collaboration between parents and teachers is essential for a successful year and our first step was great!
 
At Back to School Night you should have received a parent / student handbook through your youngest child.  Please return the acknowledgement form (back page) to school by Wednesday, September 10 through your child's Tuesday Folder or by dropping it off in the office. 
 
Last year Traci Cerna worked hard each week to make sure that our school news was submitted to the bulletin editor at the parish in a timely manner.  I much appreciated her help!  Unfortunately she is having to step down from this role as she is taking on new volunteer roles here at St. Austin.  I am looking for someone who might be willing to take this on.  Traci has done a great job of making a to do list for the new volunteer.  If you are interested, please let me know. 
 
Please join us on Saturday, September 6, in Hecker Hall, following the 5 p.m. Mass, for a reception in your honor and in gratitude to all of our parish volunteers and ministry participants. Fr. Jim and the parish staff wish to thank you for your dedication and service as you respond to your baptismal call to further the mission of Christ as his modern-day disciples.
 
A long standing tradition at St. Austin is placing flowers before our Blessed Mother Mary.  We have a beautiful statue on the second floor and families are invited to take turn providing flowers to place at her feet.  If you are interested, please click here to sign up.
 
In Spirit & Peace,


Mrs. Donna Woodard
Principal

First Wed. - NOON Dismissal
Our First Wednesday NOON dismissal is just around the corner on September 3rd. 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.  Students staying for Eagle's Nest will need to bring a sack lunch.
 
No-Cost Fundraising News
Summer Clipping Contest Entries Due
Please turn in your summer collection of Box Tops and Campbells Labels for Education by Tuesday, September 2nd.  Please separate Box Tops from Campbell's Labels and take the holiday weekend and be sure that all are stapled or taped ten per piece of paper or use the Box Top Buck found on our school website. Remember that the winning family wins a great Movie Night prize!
 
Lands' End Offers Us 3% Back on Everything, not just Uniforms!
Lands' End has a great promotion running through September 5th!  Everything, not just uniform items, qualifies for 3% back to St. Austin.  Remember to use our school code of 900041633.
 
Craig O's Night
Mark your calendars for our first Craig 's night of the year on September 16th.  Craig O's very generously donates 10% of all sales from both locations after 5:00 pm to our school.  It's a great night out of the kitchen and you're likely to see some friends there too.  Over the past year, Craig O's has donated nearly $1000 to our school so please continue to patronize their wonderful business!
 
Westbank Dry Cleaning
Just a reminder that Westbank Dry Cleaning will write a check for 3% of pre-tax purchases each quarter! Simply tear off your receipt, write St. Austin's on the corner and drop it in Project School Bell Display. It's that
easy!
 
Our Eagle Spirit SOARS!
If you need a back-up t-shirt for PE, now is the time to order them from the Booster Club.  These shirts are also great for parents to wear to the games.  This year we have a red tote bag that will be great for carrying PE clothes.  Please complete the order form and return to the office.  Show your Eagle spirit!
 
Late Lunch Orders
Our 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 - 29 can 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 ASAP 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. 

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.  
 
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. 
 
 
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!