
Pony Express
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER OF O. HENRY MIDDLE SCHOOL
Week of May 15-21, 2023
In this Edition
- NEW- Establishing a Strong Community- Engagement and Feedback Session
- Quick News and School Calendar
- Academic and Counseling Center Corner-Final Exam Schedule
- Athletics-Physicas for 23-24 School Year
- Grade Level News-This Week in ACES
- Fine Arts News-Art in Action, Dance Team Tryouts
- Campus Advisory Counsel-Meeting Minutes, Principal Report, Next Meeting Tuesday, May 23rd.
- PTA- New 2023-2024 Board
- Registration for 2023-2024 school year
Establishing a Strong Community- Wednesday, May 17th
We hope you will be able to join us for our first session of Establishing a Strong Community. Our goal is to continue to improve our school culture by creating an environment where all students feel accepted and welcomed.
Through collaboration, family feedbac, and participation, our systems will strengthen respect and inclusivity amoung students, teachers and staff and promote kindness.
Please join us on at O. Henry Middle School as Frankie Mendoza, Coordinator of Retorative Practices, and Statia Paschel, Director of SEL and Cultural Proficiency and Inclusiveness guide us our work on these campus goals.
QUICK NEWS
Save the Date
Jewish American Heritage Month
Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
Save the Date
5/22 : Athletics Awards-8:30 AM
5/24 End of the Year Field Trips 8:30-3:30
5/25 Mustang Day and 8th Grade Promotion at 9:00
CHROMEBOOK TURN IN FOR THE SUMMER
NEW---TECH TURN IN
All students will be turning in their Chromebooks for the summer. We will be collecting devices on Thursday, May 18th
Week of May 15-21-- FINAL EXAMS THIS WEEK FOR HS CREDIT CLASSES
Monday, 5/15- "A" Day
Final Exams- Algebra, French, Spanish
4:00-HW Club
Tuesday, 5/16 "B" Day
Final Exams- Algebra, French, Spanish
7:00 Tennis Party
Field Trip- Girls Outside at Camacho Ranch
Wednesday, 5/17 "A" Day
Final Exams- Algebra 2, Geometry, Principals of Businesss, Principals of IT
4:00 HW Club, GSA Club, Strengthening Club
Thursday,5/18 "B" Day
**Students turn in their Chromebooks for the summer
Final Exams- Algebra 2, Geometry, Principals of Businesss, Principals of IT
4:00 HW Club
Friday, 5/19 "C" Day
HS Credit Projects Due: Art, DM, Dig Com, Engr, Health, P-AV, P-Bus, PLTW
8:30-- PTA Let's Get Connected Coffee
Austin High Students on Campus- Teach for the Day
ACADEMICS AND COUNSELOR CORNER
ATHLETICS
Athletic Forms for 23-24 School Year
2023-2024 AISD Physicals
Parent Release Form - AISD Physical Day
Important notes:
- All current physicals will expire on June 15th 2023
- If you plan to attend AISD conditioning camps and workouts over the summer, you will need to bring a new physical before you can participate.
- All coaches encourage athletes to submit their physicals before the end of THIS school year, by May 25th 2023.
- In order for physicals to be valid for the entire 23-24 school year, they need to be completed after April 15th, 2023.
- Austin High School’s Sports Medicine program will be hosting an AHS Physical Day again this year, open to all AISD students. UT Medical doctors will be performing the exams. This is a fundraiser for the AHS program and an easy way to get your physical.
- May 9th starting at 6pm in the AHS main gym
- $20 for per student, $30 per sibling pair (siblings do not need to attend AHS)
- Cash or check made payable to "Austin High Sports Medicine"
- Must complete the Parent Release form and Pre-Participation form (medical history) and submit them the day of
FINE ARTS NEWS
Art in Action
Dance Team Tryouts
"There are short cuts to happiness and dance is one of them!"
Please be there on time ready to warm up with the current dance team. Auditions should last from 4:30-5:45pm
Grade Level News
This Week in ACES
- NO ACES on Monday due to STAAR
- The Ultimate Relay Races
- Mustang Day Final Vote
- Thank you notes to our Teachers
- Mustang News, Study Hall, Back-Pack Clean Out
- Outside Time
O. HENRY CAMPUS ADVISORY COUNCIL (CAC)-- MUSTANG COUNCIL
CAC Meeting Minutes and May Meeting
Please find our CAC Meeting minutes on our campus web page linked here.
Speaking at a CAC Meeting
Our next CAC meeting will be May 23rd from 4:00-5:15.
If you are interested in speaking to our CAC using our citizen communication time, please email our CAC Co-chairs Paula Cook (paula.cook@austinisd.org) or Suzzane Perez (suzannep@gmail.com)
Citizen Communications is the first item on the agenda and is time set aside for non-members to make comments to the CAC. The co-chairs may limit the time given to individual speakers and will ensure that the districts "Citizens Communication and Visitor Guidelines" are applied. Under these guidelines, except for requests for clarification, dialogue shall not occur between the speaker and the members. If the CAC is interested in hearing more from a speaker, the speaker may be invited to a future meeting and be placed on the agenda. The CAC may also call a special meeting specifically for the purpose of open-dialogue with non-members but it must be posted for discussion on specific topics.
PTA NEWS
2023-2024 PTA EXECUTIVE BOARD
2023-2024 SLATE OF PTA OFFICERS
President - Christy Merritt
President-Elect (First VP) - Alison Darnell
Secretary - Jill Rhoden
Treasurer - Lauren Sicarelli
Treasurer-Elect - Lindsay Hadlock
VP Fundraising / Ways and Means (Second VP) - Lissa Anderson
VP Support / Services (Third VP) - Jennifer Skloss
VP Communications (Fourth VP) - Kathleen Loughlin
OTHER AISD SCHOOL NEWS
REGISTRATION 2023
Registration for 2023-2024 School Year
Hello, Mustang Parents!
I hope this message finds you and your family well.
This is a reminder to register your student to O. Henry for the upcoming school year, 2023-24. If your student plans to attend O. Henry next year, you must register him/her online as soon as possible.
Your student registration is also critical to helping us determine how many students we will have in each class, and how many teachers we will need.
Please keep in mind that student registration must be repeated each year, even if yours is a returning student. Filling out the class choice sheet does not mean your student has already registered.
Follow the link according to what applies to you (new or returning). If there are any documents that you're unable to upload, you are welcome to email them to me
(lizbeth.rodriguez-loza@austinisd.org). Please be sure to include your student's name in any emailed communications.
Also, if you run into any technical problems with the website or your login, please call our Parent Support Line at 512.414.9187.
AHS Water Polo
We will go over the basic rules, do a few drills, and then some scrimmaging. Any interested girls or boys come give it a try! Please email Coach Calver @ drew.calver@austinisd.org for more details.