Parents: we need your feedback! Take the LTISD climate survey
Transcription
Parents: we need your feedback! Take the LTISD climate survey
April, 2015 Lake Travis Independent School District School Matters LT PAID AD LASER TAG ARCADE SKY TRAIL PARTIES CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY AT BLAZER TAG 512-462-0202 BLAZERTAG.COM 1701 W. BEN WHITE BLVD. Parents: we need your feedback! Take the LTISD climate survey CLICK HERE QUICK LINKS IN THIS ISSUE: 3 3 4 Bee Cave Elementary Lake Pointe Elementary Become a Girl Scout! Lake Travis Elementary Lakeway Elementary Ray Benson performance at The Cypress Club Serene Hills Elementary Lake Travis ISD Climate Survey of Parents/Guardians West Cypress Hills Elementary 5 District to host annual FitSmart event 6 Community Corner 7 Substance Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee 8 Campus News Hudson Bend Middle Lake Travis Middle Lake Travis High 13 Annoucments and Upcoming Events 24 Featured Fundraiser CALENDAR Apr. 12-18 April 22 National Library Week Earth Day April 22 Apr. 20-24 Administrative Professionals Day Public School Volunteer Week Become a Girl Scout! Spring Recruitment Event – Sunday, April 19, 2015, 5:30 to 6:30pm at the Old Bee Cave School House, 13333 W. Hwy 71, in Bee Cave. Make new friends and have new adventures. Click here to start today! RayTravis Benson The Cypress Lake ISD performance earns place on at College Board AP® Club District Honor Roll for second consecutive year Annie Nagel (right), President of the Lake Travis High School FFA Chapter, displays the Rising Star Award presented by the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce during its 28th Annual Outstanding Achievement Awards Celebration held Feb. 18 at the Lakeway Resort & Spa. The Rising Star PAID AD LTISD partners The Spicewood Arts Society and The Reserve at Lake Travis are hosting Ray Benson and MilkDrive on Friday, April 24th at 6pm at The Cypress Club in The Reserve. Join them for dinner and a great night of music as they support the LTISD community. Learn more here. 3 3 Lake Travis ISD Climate Survey of Parents/Guardians Dear Parent/Guardian, Every parent has a voice in Lake Travis Independent School District’s ongoing pursuit of educational excellence. I am asking for your feedback about the individual school your child attends, focusing on critical school issues such as academic preparation, student support, parent engagement, diversity, school operations and accessibility of school leaders. Please answer this survey for one child. If you have children attending more than one school, you will have an opportunity to complete the survey again. (Please see the survey link included in the Thank You message once you have completed the survey). This survey will take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. All responses are strictly confidential, with your feedback anonymous to Lake Travis ISD staff. After the survey closes, we will report the findings publicly sharing what we have learned and what specific changes you may anticipate as a result of your feedback. The results of this survey will be made available to the community in May 2015. Thank you for your time and prompt attention. Engaging in an ongoing two-way dialogue is critical as we work together to provide our students with the best possible education. Take the Survey Now Sincerely, Brad Lancaster, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools 4 4 District to host annual FitSmart event From twisting and turning inside a giant hamster ball to building your own healthy snacks, children and families alike will once again have an opportunity to experience a unique offering of health and fitness activities during the Lake Travis Independent School District’s 6th Annual FitSmart Expo. Hosted by LTISD, the free, rain or shine event will include a one-mile run/walk and 5K at 10:00 a.m. along with a health expo tent. Nutrition, wellness, and sports activities will begin at 10:30 a.m. and run through 2:00 p.m., Sunday, May 3, 2015 at the Lake Travis High School campus. “The FitSmart Expo will highlight the programs within the District that promote health education, nutrition, fitness, and healthy lifestyles,” Traci Miller said, LTISD Food and Nutrition Services Director. “We had an incredible outpouring of community support at last year’s event, and we are very excited to do it all over again. This year, we have improved the 5K route to include less pavement and more of an ‘off road’ path. FitSmart is also ‘going green’ by providing water-filling stations and encouraging attendees to bring fillable water bottles. Also, thanks in large part to our Office of Development and Corporate Relations, we are pleased to announce the addition of a community health expo where guests can interact with local health, fitness and nutrition community partners.” Click here to learn more. PAID AD 5 COMMUNITY CORNER School board election cancelled Due to a lack of opposition for Lake Travis Inde- pendent School District Trustee Places 1 and 2, the school board voted unanimously on March 24 to cancel the election scheduled for May 9. Place 1 incumbent Guy Clayton and Place 2 incumbent Lisa Johnson were certified as running unopposed, and therefore, declared the official winners. Both Mr. Clayton and Ms. Johnson will be administered The Oath of Office and Statement of Elected Official at the May 19 school board meeting. Cancellation of the election represents a savings of approximately $55,000. The LTISD Board of Trustees consists of seven board members elected to serve, without compensation, overlapping terms of three years each. Trustees are elected for rotating three-year terms and elections are held annually in May. Community to host LTHSBoard exhibit Lake Travis ISDLibrary earns place on College AP® District Honor Roll for second consecutive year Annie Nagel (right), President of the Lake Travis High School FFA Chapter, displays the Rising Star Award presented by the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce during its 28th Annual Outstanding Achievement Awards Celebration held Feb. 18 at the Lakeway Resort & Spa. The Rising Star The Lake Travis Community Library will host a Lake Travis High School art exhibit throughout the month of April. Specifically, the library will showcase artwork created by students as part of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards regional competition. The exhibit will feature 3D art in the window display near the library entrance. Additionally, an artists’ reception will be held at 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 29 and is open to the public. 6 6 Lake Travis Independent School District Substance Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee The Lake Travis ISD Substance Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee is proposing the enhancement and expansion of the District’s substance abuse prevention program to include offering a volunteer drug testing program for middle and high school students. The public is invited to learn more about the proposal and share comments with members of the committee. Substance Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee Public Information Night* Thursday April 23, 2015 6:30 p.m. Lake Travis High School - Black Box Theater 3324 Ranch Road 620 South Austin, TX 78738 *The event will be video recorded and posted online at a later date. The Substance Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee consists of parent, teacher, principal, and student representation. The committee appreciates public comment that will be used in the development of final recommendations presented to the LTISD Board of Trustees on May 19, 2015. For more information, contact the LTISD Office of the Deputy Superintendent at 512-533-6020. CAMPUS NEWS Cavs make connection in Costa Rica Yellow Belt Campeaã~ o Students from Lake Travis High School take a well-deserved break from their hard work during a trip to Costa Rica during the recent spring break. For six hours, the students helped build a sidewalk extending approximately 60 yards so that the children of Zapotal, a small town in mountains of Los Santos, would no longer have to walk in the mud. Pictured are (left to right), back row: Mahin Sheikh, Michelle Thomas, Annie Luo, Charlotte Phillips, Clarissa Buru, Devina Parihar, Kiara Dietze, and Arianna Gannon; front row: Katherine Pananides, Alyssa Nguyen and Siena Werner. Lake Travis High School teachers Travis Rendon and Jessica Carroll (not pictured) led the student trip and project. Lake Travis Elementary fifth-grade student Donovan Peterson (center) won 1st Place at the 2015 Texas State Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling Championship Tournament held March 7 in Dallas. Donovan competed in the Yellow Belt/12 year/109 lb. division. LTHS’ Sturdevant named KLRU American Graduate Champion Major league lessons Lake Travis High School student-athletes (left to right) Tanner Looney, Daniel Lindahl and Kyle Langston listen intently to Lake Travis Fire Rescue Engineer Bryan Etheredge describe the proper techniques for operating an automated external defibrillator, or AED, during a health and social programs fair held April 1 at Lake Travis High School. House Bill 897, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2013, requires school districts to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instruction to students in grades 7 through 12 at least once before graduation. The fair provided hands-on lessons and unique experiences for students in grades 9-12 in other areas including water safety, social norms/risky behaviors, anti-bullying awareness, and financial literacy. Congratulations to Lake Travis High School associate principal Wendy Sturdevant who was named KLRU’s American Graduate Champion for March 23, 2015. Through its daily blog (www.klru.org/blog), KLRU shares the stories of people that are making our community a success. Learn more. 8 8 Can schools you dig it? Austin’s LTISD among Top 40 Hudson Bend Middle School teen leadership students not the ‘Average Joes’ Have you heard the news? Austin Monthly magazine has ranked Lake Travis High School among the best public high schools in the Austin area. Also making the grade among the 40 best middle schools in greater Austin are Hudson Bend and Lake Travis middle schools, while three LTISD elementary schools—Lakeway, Lake Pointe and Serene Hills—are among the 40 best elementary schools in the Austin area. If a photo is worth a thousand words, then the student art display built by students at Hudson Bend Middle School has quite a message. In Mo O’Brien’s Teen Leadership classes, students created a photography wall that captured poses representing friendship and unity. The community art wall is on display at Trader Joe’s in Westlake. “The students loved getting to make their mark in such a personal way,” Ms. O’Brien said. “It’s not every day that you can look behind the registers when grocery shopping and see posters of you and your friend giving a thumbs up.” To compile its rankings, Austin Monthly partnered with Children at Risk, a statewide nonprofit that specializes in strategic research, public policy analysis, education, collaboration and advocacy to improve the quality of life for children. The group publishes ‘Best Schools’ lists every year, looking at a number of indicators in three areas: The Achievement Index which evaluates raw performance on standardized tests and graduation rates, The Performance Index which adjusts achievement scores to reduce bias toward campuses with low percentages of economically disadvantaged students, and The Growth Index which measures improvement over time in test scores. Jessica Day, an eighth grader in the Teen Leadership program at Hudson Bend Middle School, shared, “I loved this project because it taught me that beautiful can describe more to us than just our face. My classmates and I are really proud of the collage.” “My students are amazing, and it’s a privilege to teach them each day,” Ms. O’Brien continued. “My classes love their community, and these students wanted to share an uplifting message. We thought the art space at Trader Joe’s was the perfect opportunity.” For complete rankings in all three grade levels, click here. The photos were taken courtesy of Kristen Roedner with Faux-Toes photography. The Hudson Bend Middle School Teen Leadership art will be on display throughout April. Photo ID (left to right): Serena Godwin, Zoe Gonzalez, Gracie Herrera and Ryan Bormann. Vicki Jones [email protected] www.vjonestx.myrandf.com Enter to win a sample of Acute Care by entering your email address after completing my Solutions Tool. Click here to Enter. Drawing to be held April 15th. 9 9 PAID AD Can you dig it? Lakeway Shaolin-Do Kung Fu & Tai Chi Enter at the Welcome Center. Ends 4/30/15. Learn more >> That's a lotta pasta! The great debate Students at Lake Travis Middle School recently raised $12,368.46 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through the student council-sponsored ‘Pasta for Pennies’ drive. Out of more than 3,200 participating schools in 89 counties across Texas, LTMS was the top school in the competition. Pictured displaying the ceremonial check (far left), from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, are Campaign Manager Carissa Hocevar and Director Dante Small. Also pictured holding the ceremonial check from LTMS are 8th grade student Zoe Arora (center) and 6th grade student Max Villarreal (right). Student council president is 8th grader Jessica Gillman (holding microphone at far right). Ginger Meeks is 8th grade team leader and student council sponsor (not pictured). Lake Travis High School students Gage Krause (left) and Morgan McMaster (right) placed among the top 16 teams out of 64 at the University Interscholastic League Cross Examination—or CX—Debate State Tournament held March 20-21 at the University of Texas. Also pictured is LTHS Speech and Debate sponsor Marilyn Myrick. Not in the top 7%? Shots Before School Annoucement Make a plan for getting your child into college now! 10 10 5 LTHS orchestra duo claims top honors in national competition Lake Travis High School orchestra members Yalin (Gary) Liu and John (Lukas) Facile, and Joonhee (John) Cho from Westwood High School—better known as the Lake West Trio—earned first place in the junior division of the 2015 Austin Chamber Music Center (ACMC) National Coltman Competition held March 27-28 at Concordia University. According to the ACMC website, the competition provides performance experience and expert commentary to advanced chamber ensembles along with cash prizes, live radio broadcast, scholarships and performance opportunities. The trio won $1,000, as well as the opportunity to perform during the ACMC Summer Festival or Season Concert and will also receive a full scholarship to the ACMC Summer Workshop. The group will also be featured on KMFA classical radio in Austin. Cellist Lukas, pianist Gary and violinist John met at Luzerne Music Camp in upstate New York last August. Because of their love for chamber music, the trio continued to play together back home in Austin. The group got its name from the fact that two of its members attend Lake Travis High School while one attends Westwood High School. Lukas studies with Amy Levine-Tsang, Gary with Rick Rowley, and John with Sandy Yamamoto. The Lake West Trio is part of the Chamber Music in Public Schools—or CHAMPS—program sponsored by Salon Concerts. Salon Concerts was founded by violinist Robert Rudié in 1990 to foster appreciation and enjoyment of chamber music in the Austin area. According to its website, Salon Concerts and CHAMPS bring free chamber music to the public and into the public schools by sponsoring concerts, paying instructors, organizing master classes and providing services that bring professional and amateur musicians together with audiences who love music. 11 11 LTHS Annex nears completion Members of the Lake Travis ISD school board and the administration recently toured the Lake Travis High School Annex, the final project in the district’s $158.5 million bond approved by voters in 2011. While the site will house mostly freshman core classes, a number of electives and extracurricular programs for upperclassmen will be offered at the annex. Overall, the project will increase capacity from 900 students to 1,000 students. Project highlights include the addition of an enclosed, air-conditioned connection between the annex and the main high school campus; expansion and renovation of science labs; construction of a new library/media center; expansion and renovation of the dance room; renovation of locker rooms at both gyms; re-purposing the former band hall into a new orchestra room; upgrade of sound systems in both gyms, cafeteria and auditorium; addition of new fire sprinkler system throughout the building; replacement of carpet and window blinds in all classrooms; repainting interior and exterior walls throughout the building; and upgrading the existing roof. The $18.6 million project was designed by Huckabee Architects and is being built by Bartlett Cocke General Contractors. The Lake Travis High School Annex is approximately 89 percent complete and will officially open its doors on the first day of the 2015-2016 school year, Monday, August 24. 12 5 12 ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS 13 6 TH GRADERS Are you ready for 7th grade? Got Shots?? FREE IMMUNIZATIONS Tuesday April 14, 2015 4:30-6:30pm Lake Travis Middle School 4932 Bee Creek Road Spicewood, TX 78669 Please contact your school nurse for more information or call (512) 217-1220 Vaccines are provided by Texas Vaccines for Children (TVFC) and these are the eligibility guidelines of the program: Medicaid No Insurance Underinsured Care Van is a Registered Mark of the Caring for Children Foundation of Texas, Inc 14 15 Fashion Meets Fundraising! 10am—1pm Antebellum Oaks, Lakeway Presented by Buy your tickets today! Support LTEF, our schools and enjoy an amazing morning of fashion, fun and fundraising! 16 Teacher AppreciaƟon Week begins May 4th Say thank you this year with a giŌ to the Lake Travis EducaƟon FoundaƟon! Make a $15 donaƟon to LTEF and we will deliver your personal message to any LTISD teacher along with this! You will be saying thank you to a great teacher and at the same �me helping to fund the programs and projects LTEF support Click here to honor a teacher right now! Deadline for dona�on is April 27th 17 LT SPORTS MEDICINE PRESENTS... LAKE TRAVIS ISD SPORTS PHYSICALS Saturday, May 16th 8 a.m.-12 p.m. LT High School CAC 3324 RR 620 Austin, TX 78738 It’s that time of year for student athletes to update their preparticipation physicals. *How much? $20 Physicals & $10 Echocardiogram and Peak flow testing *What time? -In an effort to cut down waiting time we will be conducting physicals with time slots: 8:00 a.m.— 9:00 a.m. Grade 6 & 9 9:00 a.m.—10:00 a.m. Grade 7 &10 10:00 a.m.—11:00 p.m. Grade 8 & 11 11:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m. Open *Rank One Online Forms—Lake Travis ISD Athletic Web Page Physical Form– Lake Travis ISD Athletic Web Page (please print) MEDICAL HISTORY FORM MUST BE FILLED OUT COMPLETELY! 18 LTISD 2015 Summer Camp Catalog ENROLLMENT BEGINS MARCH 12TH TM Se habla Español 512-533-6011 click here for more information 19 20 Texas Dept. of State Health Services requires Returning students be current with all required immunizations prior to the first day of school, Monday, August 24, 2015 Students whose immunization records are incomplete—or do not have a current immunization exemption certificate on file by the first day of school—will not be admitted to class To verify that your child’s immunizations records are current, please contact your child’s physician or school nurse today additional info regarding school immunizations, including a complete listing of required immunizations, exemptions, and free or low-cost immunization clinics, is available online www.ltisdschools.org/healthmatters 21 2015-2016 Immunization Requirements Grades 7-12) What immunizations does my child need? NUMBER OF DOSES GRADE LEVEL 1 Tdap/Td booster in last 5 years Grade 7 1 Tdap/Td booster in last 10 years Grade 8-12 Meningococcal 1 dose Grade 7 Varicella 2 doses Grade 7 VACCINE REQUIRED Tetanus-diptheria (Td) or Tetanus-diptheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) *Dosage/type of vaccine must be clearly documented. For a full schedule of required immunizations or information regarding exemptions, visit: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/immunize/school/default.shtm Where can I GET immunizations for my child? Bring current vaccine record to your appointment to ensure all immunization requirements have been met. • YourPediatricianorFamilyPractice Doctor • Walgreens(LTISDpartner) 2401 Ranch Road 620 South Lakeway, TX 78738 (512) 263-7887 • • LakewayRegionalMedicalCenter (LTISDpartner) 100 Medical Parkway Lakeway, TX 78738 (512) 571-5000 CareVan Free vaccines for uninsured children http://www.carevan.org/ or for local dates at LTISD www.ltisd schools.org/Page/328 • CVS 2306 Ranch Road 620 South Lakeway, TX 78734 (512) 263-6000 • VIKMedical 2303 Ranch Road 620 South Lakeway, TX 78734 (512) 524-2290 • ShotsforTots Free vaccines for uninsured children http://www.austintexas.gov/immuniza tions For more information, contact your child’s school nurse or the LTISD Health and Social Programs Coordinator at 512-533-6041 22 Important Note Regarding Bad Weather Make-up Day April 6, 2015 Dear Lake Travis ISD Parents and Guardians, Due to the bad weather school district closure which occurred Thursday, March 5, 2015, the last day of the school year will now be Friday, June 5, 2015. It will be observed as a districtwide Early Release Day for all students. Please note, the change does not affect the Lake Travis High School Graduation Ceremony which remains scheduled for Thursday, June 4 at Cavalier Stadium. Our 2014-2015 Academic Calendar has been adjusted to reflect these changes as indicated below: For questions regarding specific class schedules and activities for June 5, please contact your campus principal. 23 FEATURED FUNDRAISER Tickets are $15 (on the day) and $12 (pre-sale) and go on sale 24 March. Tickets include all entertainment and attractions! Watch your Tuesday Folders & the PTA website to purchase! There will also be food, games, prizes, silent auction and much more! Please support our generous Sponsors! 1800SolarUSA * Artemis Solutions Inc. (Friends of LTE Natalie & Maclain Brown) * Assassin Pest Control Becker Wright Consultants * Cho Sushi Japanese Fusion * Gracie Barra * The Healthy Home Company Lone Star Pediatric Dental * Luxe Salon * Nitro Swimming * Rapid Runway Repair Inc. * Primrose School of Bee Cave The Little Sunshine Playhouse & Preschool * Partners in Building * Champion Martial Arts * Kid-E-Shack Upcoming Fundraisers* : • • • • LPE PTO / Box Tops for Education / Sept. 2014 - June 2015 LTHS PTO / District Directory Sale / July 2014 - Dec. 2015 LTHS NHS / Handmade bracelets sale (benefitting the International Justice Mission) / Dec. 2014 - May 2015 LTMS Interact Club / Sole Hope Blue Jean Drive / March 25 - April 29 * Please note list does not include all approved fundraisers; please contact the LTISD office of community programs for more information. School Matters is an electronic magazine produced during the school year by the LTISD Office of Communications. Content includes news and updates on district-wide programs, services, events, and student achievement. Please encourage your friends and neighbors to subscribe to our E-News service on the home page of the District Website. For questions or comments regarding School Matters, please contact the LTISD Office of Communications at [email protected], or at 512-533-6046. 24