December 2011

AISD Board of Trustees Approve In-District Charter Program with IDEA Public Schools

Austin, TX—Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to establish a college preparatory, in-district charter program with IDEA Public Schools. The proposal is one of six Annual Academic and Facilities Recommendations, five of which the board approved last week on Dec. 12.

The in-district charter program will create a well-articulated kindergarten through 12th grade vertical team in East Austin, so students have access to the same strong academic programming available to students in other parts of Austin.

Students Attend Annual Performance of The Nutcracker

Nearly 7,000 third grade students from 71 Austin ISD elementary schools attended Ballet Austin’s performance of The Nutcracker at the Long Center, Dec. 6-8. Each student paid a small fee to attend. This annual event requires coordination of buses, drivers and students by the AISD Transportation Department.

Every year, Ballet Austin invites a leader in the community to play Mother Ginger in the second act. This year, Chief Academic Officer Ramona Trevino performed as Mother Ginger for the Jan. 6 morning performance.

Pickle Penguins Collect Canned Foods for Brown Santa Program

The 2011-12 Pickle Elementary Penguin Spirit Squad organized a week-long canned food drive to help ring in the holidays and give back to the community.

The cheerful squad asked the entire school to collect can foods to benefit the Brown Santa Program, a community service program of the Travis County Sheriff's Office. By working together, students collected 1 1/2 barrels of food.

Congratulations to the entire squad and their sponsors Thelma Ramirez and Julie Leyva!

Board Votes in Favor of Recommendation for In-District Charter with IDEA Public Schools

On Dec. 20, Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to establish a college preparatory, in-district charter program with IDEA Public Schools. The Board voted in favor of the recommendation by a vote of 6 to 3. The proposal is one of six Annual Academic and Facilities Recommendations, five of which the board approved Dec. 12.

The in-district charter program will:

Zavala Student Wins National Hispanic Heritage Safety Poster Contest

Last week Zavala Elementary held an assembly in honor of fifth grade student, Sofía Valadez who won the national Hispanic Heritage Safety Poster Contest, put on by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The contest is held annually during Hispanic Heritage Month to teach elementary school children in Hispanic communities about safety.

Single-Sex Community Meeting

A second community meeting to discuss single-sex schools in Northeast Austin will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, in the cafeteria of Reagan High School, 7104 Berkman Drive.

AISD is considering combining the attendance zones of Pearce and Garcia middle schools in Northeast Austin. Male students would attend one campus and female students would attend the other campus. Parents who did not want their children in a single-sex school would have transfer options.