Austin International School
April 2, 2014
 

April is another month of hard work before we head in to summer camp time. (Shameless plug: Les Explorers is AWESOME! Did you see our mention in the recent Austin Chronicle?) We have several fun things coming up, including Field Day and a (short) April Break. If you still need to sign up for care during the break, be sure to email Laurence with your information. We had a great time at last week's Family Science Night and Grandparents' Day; photos are below. 

Have a wonderful first week of April!
Les Explorers Summer Camp 
Registration is open!
While technically the first day of summer this year is June 21, Les Explorers is going to be in full swing by then! Let us do the entertaining, the stimulating, the engaging work of learning with your child during the summer. We're throwing a language immersion party like you've never seen! 
 
This summer AIS offers a variety of camps for children ages 7 to 12, and an awesome cultural experience with hands-on activities for children ages 3 to 6! On the slate this summer is Mini Mashup, Global Kitchen, Creative Geniuses: Bilingual Arts and Science, and Languages of the Stage. We also have sibling discounts. Full details and forms available online. Contact Laurence Raud with inquiries.
Dates to Know

Did you know our full school calendar is available online? 

 

April 10 | 9 a.m.

Next Information Session for Prospective Parents

We'll be hosting our next information session for prospective parents next month. This morning session during the school day is a great opportunity to meet with the admissions team, see the classrooms in action and ask, and have answered, all of your questions about how AIS expands minds and broadens perspectives. Please help spread the word to your friends and co-workers. Share our event easily on Facebook.

 

April 18

Field Day

We'll be hosting our first Field Day. We'll be having races, outdoor games, fun competitions and physical games while enjoying the fresh air and sunshine, on campus. More details coming as we get closer to the date. 

 

April 24 and 25

Childcare during (shortened) April Break
During the two days of April Break, we will be offering childcare for Thursday and Friday. Register with Laurence Raud by email and let her know that you would like to register your child and for how many days, and leave payment with the receptionist. The cost is $65 per day. Hours are 9:00 am to 3:15 pm. Early drop off begins at 7:30 a.m. and is available at no charge, and late pick-up until 6 p.m. is available for $13 per day. Payment is required at time of registration.
4th Annual Grandparents' Day
March 28
Thanks so much to our wonderful grandparents - and a few parents, too - for coming to our fourth annual Grandparent's Day. We welcomed close to 85 guests into all of our classrooms. Grandparents took their own learning journey with students, who showed off their classwork and notebooks, and shared their friends and teachers with their families. Even for children who share their school work with grandparents everyday, this special time inside the classroom had all the students excited and proud. We also gave our guests an informative tour of the construction site and lots of information about our developments there. We had a great time and hope all our guests enjoyed themselves. Thanks to our parents volunteers who helped out that morning, as well as all the parents who encouraged their parents to come visit us last Friday. 


Family Science Night
March 27
Thanks to everyone who came and joined our students for a super popular, first-ever successful Family Science Night last Thursday. We did some pretty interesting challenges, figuring out if things would sink or float, playing with properties of light and the elements, and much more. Thanks to all our parents for supporting this event.
PTO News 
 
The AIS Facebook Group is the unofficial hub of PTO chatter, and it's bustling! Join up and get in on the conversation.
 
Bakery Sale on Friday
The PTO will be out again on Friday after school with our usually yummy selection of baguettes, pains au chocolat and croissants for $3.00 each.  
 
Park Cleanup with Keep Austin Beautiful 
On April 12, AIS-PTO will be participating in Keep Austin Beautiful's Clean Sweep again. Amelia Despre is organizing this event for us. We'll be picking up trash in Balcones District Park just down the road from the school at the intersection of Amherst and Duval. Clean up will take place from 9 to 11 am with the opportunity to attend the volunteer party hosted by KAB at Fiesta Gardens from11 to 1:30 that day.  We hope to see you there! 
 
PTO OFFICER ELECTIONS ON THE HORIZON!
We have only TWO more PTO meetings before the end of the year.  The next meeting is on April 9.  If you are interested in having more of a say in PTO activities, considered volunteering as a member of the PTO Board.  Hanifa Smine will be taking over as President next year, but on May 14 elections will be held for Vice President (President Elect), Treasurer and Secretary.  If you haven't been to many (or any!) meetings this year but you think you may want to get more involved next year, come on April 9 and learn more about these important positions and come and vote for your PTO Officers on May 14.  
 
Box Tops
Please keep bringing your Box Tops to school early and often. Mark your collection sheet, envelope or baggie with your class name and leave them in the YELLOW Box Tops folder among the reception-area PTO mail folders. (And please watch out for those Expiration Dates - approximately 300 Box Tops and Bonus Box Tops certificates received this year were beyond their expiration dates and couldn't be counted.) With just about 6 weeks left to go in the class competition, we are well on the way toward this year's goal of 7,500 Box Tops!