Mark your calendars! This Thursday, Sept 17th is the general PTO meeting. We have something for everyone, starting with a social/networking time beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the gym. The science, athletics and fine arts departments will be our guests at this social period, so come meet the teachers.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. with a discussion of PTO business, then we will have two separate sessions available. The gym will host a discussion with freshman teachers who will outline expectations and answer any questions from the crowd.

The second location (in either the theatre or library) will host a discussion with Bill Monroe from the Honors College at the University of Houston. He'll bring some CVHS alumni to discuss their decision to choose UH. There will be no need to make two trips to school, as your students are free to stay after school as a classroom will be available for them to study. The senior class will be selling food and drinks, so we even have dinner under control!   

We are gathering info from the survey we sent out (here) and plan to address questions and suggestions from parents. Stay tuned for articles in future newsletters addressing these topics.

Our generous family base has started donations to teh 2015-2016 Friends & Family Campaign. We have surpassed $11,000 and need your help to reach our goal of $40,000. We have several big projects slated for this year, including a new pavilion in the courtyard. We need your help! Go to vanguardian.org to donate online or simply drop a check in the mail or to the front desk made out to CVHS PTO.

The school year has been off to a smooth start which is just the way we all like it! So don't forget to stay in touch by visiting all the various information sources: vanguardian.org, carnegievanguard.com, College Board, Naviance and of course the PTO newsletter!

Let's Keep Calm and Rhino On!

Joan Khosla
president@cvhspto.org

Our Student Directory is one of the best ways to stay in the know.  Please be sure that you have provided your student and family information at the student directory site.  Don't miss out on your chance to have your family included. The deadline to be listed in the print version is September 21.

New families, families who have not signed up before, and returning families who have ONLY a new student enrolled this year should sign up here.

Families with a returning student and who had information listed last year should have received a confirmation email with instructions to confirm your listing for the current school year. 

If you have any questions, please email Susan Moreno at directory@cvhspto.org.

The CVHS National Honor Society will host it's first of several Blood Drives on Friday, Sept. 18.  If you would like to donate, please contact Ms. Alcoriza at aalcoriz@houstonisd.org to set up an appointment time. 

 

For all of those planning to volunteer this year (and we hope that means all of you), please note that the rules have changed. You must re-up your official HISD VIPS (Volunteers in Public Schools) registration yearly if you are going to be volunteering on campus.

Please help advance the compliance of the CVHS campus by keeping your registration current. Even if you have registered before, and even if you have visited campus before, you still need to provide your license to Ms. Alvarenga at the front desk for purposes of the license check part of VIPS registration. HISD requires this check to be done yearly, even if you were registered before.

If you were registered last year, only this license step is required. If you were not registered last year (completely, including the license step), then you will need to first enter personal data online before you provide your license for the VIPS license check at the VIPS website at http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/90800.

For more information on volunteering, visit the PTO volunteering page here or e-mail Sarah Bittner, 3rd VP - Volunteers and Special Events, at volunteers@cvhspto.org.

Come help the facilities support committee and Ms. Ellis maintain the grounds of Carnegie. As many of you may know, Ms. Ellis likes to work on the courtyard during lunch. Let's not put all the work in her hands. Please pitch in, no experience necessary, this Saturday, Sept. 19, from 8:30-10:30 a.m., alongside Ms. Ellis and parent volunteers.

We will be fertilizing trees and the lawn, weeding and applying weed control to the lawn, and trimming a couple of trees. Come for the whole morning or any part, no need to pick a time slot. Although not required, bringing your own gloves will help.

If you would like to help, click the Garden Day Volunteer link here to sign up or for more information.

 

Rhinos who missed picture day on Monday can still be immortalized in the 2015-16 yearbook. 

Re-takes have been scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26. See Ms. Paget in the library if you have any questions.

 

A Badminton Club has recently formed at Carnegie, and they need a little help to get going.  

 

They're asking for donations of racquets, shuttlecocks/birdies and/or nets. They do not have to be new as long as they're in fit condition.

 

If you can help, contact Ms. Alcoriza at aalcoriz@houstonisd.org.

 

 

Ms. Scott is leading an EF tour to Costa Rica in June 2016. Tour highlights include stops in San José, Tortuguero, the Sarapiqi Region, Arenal Region, and Guanacaste.

Among the highlights are sea turtle nesting grounds, lakes, a powerful waterfall, hot springs and a looming volcano. This tour includes a canopy zipline, kayaking and snorkeling options.

An informational meeting will be held in Ms. Scott's Room (215) on at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17. For tour details or to enroll, visit www.eftours.com/tour-website/1657249JW.

 

The schedule for Carnegie Magnet Tours has changed. Weekly tours will now be held at 1 p.m. each Thursday, starting Oct. 8 and continuing through Dec. 10.

Tours will include a presentation in the CVHS Theater in the Fine Arts Building followed by student-led tours. Parent volunteers are needed to accompany and assist with these weekly tours. Magnet tours are an excellent opportunity for potential students and their parents to get better acquainted with Carnegie's magnet program and our wonderful CVHS community. The parent perspective is an important one and multiple volunteers will be needed each Thursday during the 10 weeks that the tours will take place.

You may sign up for as few or as many dates as your schedule allows. If you would like to help, click the Magnet Tour Volunteer link here to sign up or for more information.

 

The CVHS PTO is from Texas, after all, and thus, what better way to fundraise than with BBQ prepared by none other than our own Officer Lonnie Fyles.

We will host a BBQ dinner at Karbach Brewing Co. Thursday, Nov. 12. The price will be $25/head which buys you a 9-oz. souvenir glass, four beers, and Officer Fyles' EXCELLENT BBQ and fixings. If you've never eatned Officer' Fyles' BBQ, you're in for a treat.

Although you must be 21 to attend, you don't need to be a CVHS parent, so invite your friends, neighbors, Uncle Bob, etc. This will be our first social of the year and a great opportunity to mingle with parents and friends.

Get your reservation in by dropping a check at the front desk (noting BBQ dinner) or paying online at vanguardian.org.

Our college counselors, Ms. Chapman and Mr. Frau, have scheduled lots of college visits in the coming weeks.  These sessions are intended for juniors and seniors, who must sign up for the visits in Naviance, and must have permission from their class teachers to attend. Details about time and location can also be found in the Naviance system.  This list is updated frequently, so be sure to check for additional visits. 

College	Date	Time
Mount Holyoke College	Sept. 15	8:30 a.m.
Louisiana State University	Sept. 16	12:30 p.m.
Wellesley College	Sept. 17	1:30 p.m.
Vanderbilt University	Sept. 18	9:15 a.m.
Agnes Scott College	Sept. 18	9:15 a.m.
Franklin and Marshall College	Sept. 18	12:30 p.m.
Babson College	Sept. 21	8:30 a.m.
Southern Methodist University	Sept. 21	8:30 a.m.
Bowdoin College	Sept. 21	9:15 a.m.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	Sept. 21	9:15 a.m.
University of Oklahoma	Sept. 21	10:00 a.m.
University of Rochester	Sept 21	11:00 a.m.
Amherst College	Sept. 22	8:30 a.m.
University of Michigan	Sept. 22	8:30 a.m.
Emory University	Sept. 22	7:00 p.m.
Trinity University	Sept. 24	10:00 a.m.
Colgate University	Sept. 25	8:30 a.m.
College of Charleston	Sept. 25	12:30 p.m.
St. John's University-Queens Campus	Sept. 28	12:30
Georgia Institute of Technology	Sept. 29	8:30 a.m.
Emerson College	Sept. 27	12:30 p.m.
Williams College	Sept. 30	12:30 p.m.
New York University	Oct. 1	8:30 a.m.
Millsaps College	Oct. 1	12:30 p.m.
Hendrix College	Oct. 1	2:15 p.m.
Whittier College	Oct. 1	2:15 p.m.
Austin College	Oct. 2	8:30 a.m.
Hofstra University	Oct. 2	8:30 a.m.
Washington  University St. Louis	Oct. 4	2:00 p.m.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology	Oct. 5	8:30 a.m.
Tulane University	Oct. 5	8:30 a.m.
Carlton College	Oct. 5	9:15 a.m.
Oberlin College	Oct. 6	9:15 a.m.
Goucher College	Oct. 5	10 a.m.
Earlham College	Oct. 5	1:30 p.m.
Indiana University at Bloomington	Oct. 5	7 p.m.
Middlebury College	Oct. 6	8:30 a.m.
Purdue University	Oct. 6	8:30 a.m.
Rhodes College	Oct. 6	8:30 a.m.
Michigan State University	Oct. 6	11 a.m.
Haverford College	Oct. 6	1:30 p.m.
Lafayette College	Oct. 6	2:15 p.m.
Baylor University	Oct. 7	12:30 p.m.
Sewanee	Oct. 7	12:30 p.m.
Villanova University	Oct. 7	12:30
Grinnell College	Oct. 7	3:30 p.m.
Sarah Lawrence College	Oct. 8	8:30 a.m.
Davidson College	Oct. 8	12:30 p.m.
Duke University	Oct. 9	8:30 a.m.
Lewis & Clark College	Oct. 9	9:15 a.m.
St. Edward's University	Oct. 9	9:15 a.m.
George Washington University	Oct. 9	10 a.m.
Scripps College	Oct. 9	10 a.m.
University of Notre Dame	Oct. 9	11 a.m.
American University	Oct. 9	12:30 p.m.
Elon University	Oct. 12	8:30 a.m.
Macalester College	Oct. 12	2:15 p.m.
Northwestern  University	Oct. 16	8:30 a.m.
The Cooper Union	Oct. 16	9:15 a.m.
The University of Richmond	Oct. 19	12:30 p.m.
Georgetown University	Oct. 20	12:30 p.m.
Case Western Reserve University	Oct. 22	8:30 a.m.
University of Southern California	Oct. 22	9:15 a.m.
Clark University	Oct. 22	11 a.m.
Colorado College	Oct. 22	1:30 p.m.
Reed College	Oct. 22	2:15 p.m.
Hampshire College	Oct. 23	10 a.m.
The College of Wooster	Oct. 26	10 a.m.
Bennington College	Nov. 3	8:30 a.m.