Austin International School
May 14, 2014
 

It's a big week here at AIS! Our 5th graders have landed in France for their two-week stay with their sister school. Our end of the year performance happens this Saturday morning. We're registering for summer camp, back-to-school camp, planning parties, raising money and more great things. We know you'll find something to add to your calendar when you read on. Thank you!
Announcements
Yearbook Payments Coming Due
A note for all parents who ordered a yearbook, please be sure to turn in your payment of $37 (cash or check) soon. We won't be able to distribute your copy to you unless we have the payment. They are due to arrive May 27 - Exciting! 

Seeking Room Parents
Are you looking to be more involved in your child's classroom? We're still looking for Room Parents for next year, particularly for MS, CE1 and CM2 classes. Please contact Tracey Manuel (jtcmanuel@gmail.com) if you can help out in this very important role.

BookSpring Donations
Thanks to your support, AIS Girl Scouts from Troop 2204 raised over 1000 books to donate to BookSpring. Because of these efforts, more children in the Austin community will have a book of their own to read over the summer. For more information, check out BookSpring's website. 

End-of-School Year Housekeeping/Accounting
Parents must clear any outstanding balances on their students' accounts no later than May 31, 2014. Final grade reports will be held up should outstanding balances remain past May 31. Please contact Janet Shotwell for any balance or contract inquiries.

After School Activities
Study hall has ended

Make-up classes: (same time as usual)
Abrakadoodle: May 14
Fiesta: May 15
Piano I & II, Science CM2, Science in Spanish, Yoga I & II: May 16 and 23
Soccer and Sportball: May 20
Test for Martial Arts I and II belts: In the foyer, Wednesday, May 14, at 3:45 p.m.
Piano recital: In the foyer, Friday, May 23, at 4:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.

Seasonal Camp - Ready, Set, Partez!
August 11-15 | 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

We are pleased to announce that the registration for our "Ready, Set, Partez!" camp is open. "Ready, Set, Partez!" is a week of fun yet intensive morning classes to refresh students' French and Spanish language skills before classes get started again in the fall.

Classes in Spanish are open to students going into grade CP (1st grade). Classes in French are open to students going into grades CP (1st) and CE1 (2nd). Limit to 10 students per class. All the details on our website, of course.

 

Les Explorers Summer Camp
We are so popular that we added one class for the summer camp! Now two classes of 3 and 4 years old, one class of 5-6 years old, and one class of 7 and + years old! 
MORE space and everyone is welcome! Registration information online.

05-14-2014 15:57:17 PM

Ms. Monica's 1st graders welcome the spring time flowers, snails, and ladybugs. Listen to their proud poem and smile!...»





05-14-2014 13:59:01 PM

It's a global culinary tour with Charlotte Allow us to present Charlotte Favrin, our guide to the Global Kitchen at this year's Les Explorers Summer Camp. She has been with us as a Kindergarten teacher for 5 years, and has been... Read More...»


05-12-2014 18:04:50 PM

What do Henry IV, Jacques Cousteau, and the famous Eleanor all have in common? They're all from the same region of France as our 5th graders are visiting on their school trip for the next two weeks - Aquitane! We... Read More...»


05-12-2014 17:11:42 PM

August 11 to August 15, 2014 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Cost: $185 We are pleased to announce that the registration for our "Ready, Set, Partez!" camp is open. "Ready, Set, Partez!" is a week of fun yet intensive morning classes to refresh students' French... Read More...»




Contribute and Make a Difference!
Make a promise to make a donation before purchasing those delicious baguettes and croissants on Friday (we'll be sure not to keep you waiting!) by visiting Kyle's annual fund information and donation table on Friday, May 17, at pick up time.

We're almost there! Just 2 more weeks and 20 new donations and we'll reach our goal. Every donation is important, no matter the amount, and each donation helps us get closer to our goal. If you haven't made your fully tax-deductible gift to the Annual Fund yet, and have just five minutes to give five dollars, you can help us reach 100% participation from our community. 
Contribute today and helps us see the bigger picture!

Why is 100% participation so important? Not only does it show a sense of solidarity and a strong foundation of support from our community, but it is also something that most outside funders ask to see when considering awarding grants to the school. Read more about the importance of the Annual Fund and how you can be a part of it here. 





Library Founding Donors Fund

Many of you have already seen the renderings and peeked through the doors of the foyer to see the incredible progress being made on the new wing of the school. Our fabulous new library and media center is set to open its doors by this July!

 

We are offering our families the chance to be a unique part of this development by inviting anyone who feels passionately about the library to be a "founding member" of the new construction. Those who make a donation of $50.00 or more to this specific fund will be included on a special recognition wall by the library, highlighting parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren, friends and family who care deeply about the importance of the library in our school.

 

We have already received nearly $19,000 in committed donations for the library - thanks to our amazing grandparents and two very special leading gifts above the "Muse" level made in honor of several of our students. We are so incredibly grateful for your generosity and for your commitment to your children and grandchildren's education. Join us in this grand project by filling out the attached donation card today! Please direct inquiries to Kyle Carroll, Director of Development.


Dates to Know

Did you know our full school calendar is available online?  

 

Drivers, please don't speed in our parking lot! We are 10 m.p.h. on campus. Keep our children and staff safe by driving slowly and using the proper entry and exit. Thanks!

 

This Saturday, May 17 | 9 - 11:10 a.m.



Yearbooks arrive!

CM2 Graduation Ceremony
Save the date for our CM2 graduation ceremony, to be held in the foyer. We look forward to celebrating our fifth graders' successes and sending them off to a new educational journey!

6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Volunteer Appreciation Party
If you've volunteered throughout this school year, big or small, we're celebrating YOU at our volunteer appreciation party. Let us thank our helping hands with drinks, refreshments and good company before we head out to a well-deserved summer break. Please reply to your Punchbowl invitation to help us plan. (If you didn't get an invitation but think you should have, let us know!)
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. The PTO email is ais-pto@austininternationalschool.org.
 

Last PTO Meeting of the Year! Come and elect new Officers!

Please be sure and join us for elections and if that isn't enough, come and join us for a beer or glass of wine! We're pulling out all the stops to get you there! It will also be your first chance to cash in your uniform tickets or just pick ups some uniforms for next year on the cheap. Please come help us celebrate the new batch of volunteers who have stepped up to keep this organization going next year.

 

 

 

Thank you Campus Cleanup Volunteers!

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you that showed up on Saturday for our Campus Cleanup! We replaced retaining wall bricks, removed about a TON of rocks from the front playground, shoveled and swept up the mud in the parking lot, picked up buckets of trash from the playgrounds and around campus, and swept mulch. It was a great group of people that showed up to help and I hope that your kids slept as well as mine did that afternoon! Thank you thank you THANK YOU! for showing up and pitching in and bringing your kids to help!

 

Help for New Teachers

We've had a great response to our request for your household items donations to help our new teachers furnish their new homes. If you've contacted us with items, it's been added to a resource list and shared with the new teachers. The PTO will be in touch with you soon to let you known when you can drop off your transportable items here at the school (likely the last week of school!) and if you have items that need a pickup, we'll be in touch to schedule that, too. If you offered a ride from the airport, that has also been added to the list and we'll be in contact about that soon, too. Thank you for your generosity. If you have items to donate, there is still time. Please just email the PTO and let us know if you need it picked up if it's a large item. Thank you!

 
Splash Day and End of Year Picnic
Splash Day and End of Year Picnic will be held right after the End of Year Performances on Saturday, May 17th from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on the school's big playground.  Please mark your calendars and join your AIS families, teachers and staff in celebrating another wonderful school year.
 
Splash Day Participation for your Children. We will have 2 water slides and there will be snow cones!  

1.  Please complete the Waiver form which is online; please click here to complete. Please submit them online no later than end of day Wednesday, May 14. Waiver Forms must be submitted for your children to participate, siblings are welcome.

 

2.  Items to Bring. Please bring a bathing suit, water shoes, towels and sunscreen for your children.

 

End of Year Picnic is a time for everyone to enjoy each other's company, celebrate the school year and enjoy the time with their children. To allow as many parents as possible to have this time to enjoy with families, we will be making this a casual affair again this year and limit parent volunteers needed.

  • Bring Your Own Picnic. Please bring a picnic for your family - food, drinks and snacks.
  • Trash Pick Up. Please keep track of all the trash you and your children generate, pick them up and put them in the trash receptacles before you leave. If you see trash on the ground, please help the school by picking it up and putting it in the bins. The playground is our childrens' play area, please help us keep it SAFE and CLEAN for them.
  • Just a friendly reminder:
    • The school has a no nut and no candy policy. Please adhere to these guidelines
    • Please do not bring glass containers or glass items. 

Childcare: There will be no childcare at this event since this is a family event. Supervision for waterslide safety will be provided and these counselors will be focused on monitoring for safety.

 

Volunteers Needed: We will still need a few volunteers for a minimum amount of time, so parents can spend as much as mingle with friends and family as possible.

  •     2 volunteers to help with Splash Day activities right before the Splash Day activities start to hand out wrist bands to students participating. May need 2 groups depending on the end of year performance schedule.

     2 volunteers to close down foyer after performance and tape plastic down

  •     3-4 volunteers at the end of the picnic, supervise cleanup. (No more than 30 mins)
    •     6-8 to bring coolers and 3-4 bags of ice

 

Please contact David Houston (lbjaggie@yahoo.com) if you can volunteer. If you have any questions, please let us know.

 

Thank you!

AIS PTO Volunteers: David Houston and Kirsten Shepard