Austin International School
September 18, 2013
Greetings!

Please take a quick moment to inform yourself on our newest announcements. If you have an item to submit, please email Suzanne Krause by Tuesday for publication the following Wednesday.
2013-2014 Annual Fund
Thank you to all of our families who have already made a gift or pledged to this year's Annual Fund! We had a great turn out during our Thanks a Latte coffee morning last Friday. We are excited to be kicking off the drive with so much enthusiasm and support. Kyle is always available to chat with you anytime, and is easy to find this week outside during pick up and drop off. You will find our easy donation form online, or pick up a brochure at reception.

Want to give but not quite ready? You can make a pledge now to fulfill before the school year is over; simply send us this form. And tomorrow, take a moment to drop by our lemonade stand and find out how giving every year makes a difference every day at AIS!
2012-2013 Annual Report
Find out more about last year's giving, school life and accomplishments by reading our Annual Report. It is filled with financial information, and community and school highlights from the past year, with a vision toward our future! Please take a moment to view it online, or contact Kyle Carroll for a printed copy.
 
Dates to Know

 

September 16

Registration begins for October Break Camp; details below.

 

October 14 - 18

Classes are dismissed during October Break; camp is available - details below.

 

November 16 | 10 a.m.

Information Session for Prospective Parents

We're hosting our first information session of the school year on Saturday, November 16, at 10 a.m. Please spread the word to family, friends and coworkers who may be interested in learning more about our unique program. It's easy to share our event via Facebook. We welcome everyone to get to know us by coming to meet our teachers, ask questions and tour the campus.

Announcements 
 
Extracurricular Activities
October Camp, October 14-18
Celebrating Fall season, in French, Spanish and English! 
Registration runs now through Friday, October 4. Based on first come, first served, and we can accommodate a minimum of 12 children and a maximum of 20. Price is $65 per day or $275 per week. Activities in Spanish, French and English, all about Autumn!
 
After School Activities
We put badges in each parent's folder to retrieve and attach to their child's backpack. The badges will keep everyone informed of each students' after class activities, including Study Hall. Students who do not have any activity will not have a badge.  

  

Vision / Hearing / Scoliosis
All parents need to have turned in their vision/hearing/scoliosis forms to Hilary Routon. If you have yet to, please do so immediately. If you had the tests performed by your own doctor, please turn in those test results immediately to Hilary as well. All forms may be placed in Hilary's folder at the mailbox in the reception window.
 
Green Committee for Students
Teacher Kendra Cupps is leading the Green initiative at AIS. The goal is to educate and heighten awareness our students about the "Green" concept, recycling and reusing. Children will help their classrooms with picking up recycled paper from the bins located in the classrooms every Friday. We also would like to encourage each student to keep our playgrounds clean, so when they see an adult picking up trash from the playground, they can help too! We will have a visit from Keep Austin Beautiful in the classrooms, at the end of this month and the beginning of October, to inform the students about recycling. Read our blog post on our Green Committee online and keep returning for regular updates. 

Thank you to our Volunteers
We greatly benefitted from our parent volunteers who helped our during our individual student photos today and yesterday. Thank you to the AIS-PTO for procuring our volunteers. Staff and students appreciate your being there.

Communications
Check out our peeks into school life on our YouTube playlist. And, if you are on Twitter, please follow us. We're sharing quick updates and school news there as well! . 
 
Excited about the school year ahead? Share your thoughts on your favorite school at greatschools.org. Every three new reviews enters a chance to win $5,000 for AIS.
PTO News 
 
The PTO is looking for ways to make to make a contribution to the school this year that ideally would combine a monetary donation with a project in which everyone can be involved. If you have an idea, we'd like to hear it (contact us here)! The suggestions we receive will be published in the weekly e-Xplorer newsletter on October 2 and we'll be voting on any suggestions at the October 9 meeting.    
 
Following the October 9 PTO meeting, Linda Connor will be holding a brief Pizza Friday information session for volunteers. She will be discussing the new Pizza Friday procedures since there have been some changes since last year. If you volunteer for Pizza Friday, especially if you are NEW volunteer, please plan to attend. The session will start at about 6:30 and should take only about 15 minutes.
 
We have heard from several parents that you haven't been getting emails the PTO sends out. The last email sent was on September 8, look for another later this week. Please check your junk mail folder in your email program to be sure they are not being sent there. Emails come from the PTO email address:  
ais-pto@austininternationalschool.org. Please add us to your safe list!  
 
Did you know that the PTO sells re-usable bags? The bags fold into a small pocket and are perfect for grocery shopping and just keeping in your car. Bags sell for $8 with proceeds sponsoring PTO activities. Contact us if you would like one!
 
Box Tops for Education 
AIS is once again participating in the Box Tops for Education program as an additional, easy way to raise money for school supplies and equipment. Each Box Top you clip from participating products (General Mills cereals, Progresso soups, Motts applesauce, Pillsbury and Betty Crocker products, Avery paper products, and many more) or earn on the Box Tops for Education web site online marketplace portal is worth 10 cents for the school. That really adds up quick! See www.boxtops4education.com for more details and use the AIS School Code 956890 to earn more Box Tops there. Look for more details on this year's year-long Class Competition, collection tips and submission instructions in a special message coming your way in the next few days.   

Reminder:  For those who earned Bonus Box Tops in Randall's recent in-store promotion, please be sure to enter your Bonus Code at www.2ways2earn.com by the September 25, 2013 deadline. Use the search feature on the site to find our school to ensure it gets credit. Thank you for your support!