MMS PTA Announcements for May 31 - June 3, 2009:
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ONLY THREE MORE DAYS OF CLASSES!
Textbook and library obligations
In order to attend end of year team parties, celebrations or trips, students must be clear of all textbook or library obligations.The following letter was given to all students last week. Please take the opportunity to review locker cleanouts, no backpacks or large purses the last three days and release schedule for the last day. We appreciate parental support to ensure a safe end of the school year.
May 26, 2009
Dear Parents and Students:
This has been a very successful and enjoyable academic year. Our goal is to have a safe and orderly closing of the school year. The end-of-year is always an active time with the potential for unsafe behavior. Please follow the guidelines below.
- Effective Monday, June 1, 2009, please do not bring the following items on campus:
- Backpacks
- Large purses or bags (must be smaller than 8" X 11" size of a piece of notebook paper)
- Any other unnecessary items that would cause a disruption to the school environment.
- Effective Friday, May 29, 2009, all lockers will be closed for the remainder of the year.
Please insure that all items are removed prior to this date. All items left in lockers after
May 29th will be discarded.
- We will have a staggered release of students on Wednesday, June 3rd.
- Walkers - Released at 3:20 p.m.
- Bus Riders - Released at 3:30 p.m.
- Students Being Picked Up By Parents - 3:45 p.m. (7th and 8th graders released to the bus loop on North Hills; 6th Graders - released to the bus loop in front of the Band Hall on Hart Lane.) Please have your student ride the bus, if at all possible, to reduce the traffic in the pick-up areas. If you would like to pick up your student early and avoid the traffic, please pick up by 3:00.
Kimiko Cartwright
Principal
7th Grade End of Year Awards Ceremony
Monday, June 1, 20098:30 - 10:00 a.m. in Large Gym
Parents, if you received a letter in the mail telling you that your child will be receiving an award tomorrow, please remind them to go to the gym at 8:30. Thanks!
8th Grade Yearbook Signing Party/Slideshow
Monday, June 1, 20092:40 - 3:30 p.m. in the Large Gym
Secret Pals, REVEAL YOURSELVES!
If you have been serving as a Secret Pal to a staff member this year, now is the time to let that person know who you are! If you can send one last gift, disclosing your name to the Murchison employee, your job will be done! Thanks so much for doing this for our very deserving staff. They are so appreciative of your thoughtfulness.Huddie Murray
Secret Pals Committee Chair
Watering help for the summer needed
Henrike Belz, our buildings and grounds chair is looking for help watering areas that are not on the sprinkler system. Especially people and/or students who live close to the school or drive by on a regular basis might consider taking over part of this job. This can be a nice way to start the school year with some community service hours on your record already! Please get back to Henrike by e-mail: hd2austin@earthlink.net or call her at 527-9898. please indicate your time of availability; even a few weeks will help. Thanks!State Board of Education Informational Forums
Saturday, June 6, 11:45am -1:15 pm
"Why You Should Care about the State Board of Education"
Speakers: Dr. Ronald Wetherington, SMU Anthopology Professor and one of six special science
advisors to the State Board of Education as the Science TEKS were being considered; Alana Morris,
25-year educator and work-group specialist for the most recent revisions of the English Language
Arts and Reading TEKS; and Julie Cowan, public school advocate and volunteer who has served on
numerous Austin ISD committees and three terms as PTA president at her children's schools.
Saturday, August 1, 11:45 am - 1:15 pm
"What You Should Know about the State Board of Education"
Speakers: Laura Ewing, former candidate for SBOE District 7 in Beaumont, former Social Studies
teacher, and regular attendee at SBOE meetings who updates the citizens of the district on the
workings of the SBOE; and Pat Hardy, current SBOE member from District 11 near Fort Worth, former
Social Studies teacher, and previous advisor on geography to the Texas Education Agency.
Forums are at the Yarborough Public Library, 2200 Hancock Dr. , Austin , TX 78756 , on the first
Saturday of each month from February-November, 2009, except July and September when the library
is closed for holidays. Forums are always from 11:45am - 1:15pm. All forums are free, and open
to the public.
For more information, contact John Keohane keohane@prodigy.net (512) 371-3853
Facts about the Texas State Board of Education
15 elected members are elected from separate districts.- Partisan elections.
- The districts are large, with over 1.3 million people in each per the 2000 census
- The districts are redrawn every 10 years, after each U. S. census.
- The members generally serve 4 year terms, which are staggered, so 8 will be elected one year, and 7 two years later.
- Exceptions to staggered 4-year terms operate in years ending in "0" and "2"
In years ending in "0" members are elected to 2-year terms.
In years ending in "2", all members run. Drawing straws provides 8 with 4-year terms, and seven with 2-year terms.
Meetings
Meetings are for 2-3 business days, about 6-7 times a year. These are usually Wednesday through
Friday, or Thursday and Friday. Almost all meetings take place in Austin.
Compensation
- Members serve without pay
- They are provided with hotels, meals, and transportation.
- The SBOE is charged in the Texas Constitution with management of the Permanent School Fund, which funds the purchase of K-12 textbooks.
- By statute, the SBOE determines Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for each subject and each grade level, K-12. These TEKS define what teachers are to teach, and what students are to learn. They result in standards for textbooks, for teacher training, and for student testing.
Girls & Boys Robotics Summer Day Camp at Anderson High School
July 20th-24th 9am-5pmJuly 27th-31st 9am-5pm
$200
3-5th grade FLL lego robotics
6th-8th grade VEX robotics
9th-10th grade FRC robotics
40 hours of robotics fun, design, build, program, drive and compete robots. 3rd-5th graders take classes using Lego NXT 'G' Mindstorm robots. 6th-8th graders work with VEX robots and Easy - programming. 9th-10th graders work with Labview programming, Solid Works computer drawing. Students will research a topic relevent to robotics, participate in team building games, program their team robot, drive a VEX or FRC robot and prepare for the Friday evening competition.
Classes are taught by FIRST robot team #2158 & #2881 members, teachers and booster club parents. A robotics t-shirt, 2 snacks and Friday pizza are included in the fee. A head to head robot competition concludes the camp. Family & friends are invited to come watch the robots compete.
contact: Susie Rich, Robotics Booster Club or 512-343-0058
John Sperry, teacher/sponsor john.w.sperry@austinisd.org
2009 Summer Cheer Camp by the Anderson HS Cheerleaders
The Anderson High School Cheerleaders are hosting their 2009 Summer Cheer Camp for boys and girls ages 7-15. We will be learning exciting chants, cheers, as well as a number of jumps and some stunting. All cheer campers will be making a special t-shirt as part of an arts and crafts project, and have their picture taken with the Anderson Mascot.Application deadline: June 10, 2009
Camp dates: June 17 - June 19, 2009
Time: 9 am -12 pm daily in AHS small Gymnasium
Early Registration before June 10 ($75)
After June 10 ($90)
Space Available Registration at the door ($100)
Contact: Janna Hansford 512/656-7285 OR ahansford@aol.com
Registration form available at http://www.murchisonpta.org/flyers/AHS2009CheerCampBrochure.pdf
ANDERSON TROJAN SOFTBALL CAMP: June 15-18, 9:00 a.m. - noon
The Anderson High School Softball Coaching Staff will conduct a softball camp for girls 8 years old to incoming freshmen from June 15-18, 9:00am - 12:00pm. Additional information and registration forms are available at anladies/files/AHS%20Softball%20Camp%2009.pdf.The Anderson HS Little Theatre Company is holding a Summer Drama Camp for Kids, Ages 7-14
June 22-26, 2009Morning Session - 8:00 AM - 12:00 Noon (only $50)
Full Day Session - 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (only $100)
Registration forms can be downloaded at www.andersontheater.org
If you have any questions, please call 841-1580, or email eric.porter@austinisd.org
Creative Writing Summer Camp
A creative writing camp is being hosted by Badgerdog Literary Publishing this summer.
For more information, visit www.badgerdog.org.
Participants will work with professional writers, write poetry and prose, and participate in
public readings and book signings.
- 1 7th Grade Awards, 8:30-10:00 a.m., Large Gym
- 1 8th Grade Yearbook Signing Party, 2:40-3:30 p.m., Large Gym
- 2 8th Grade Six Flags Trip
- 3 Last Day of Classes