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Pony Express
Week of August 14-20, 2023
Welcome Back Mustangs--2023-2024
Our newsletter this week is full of first day proceduures and reminders for the start of the school year. We will continue to send it out every Sunday evening.
We are excited to open our doors and welcome everyone back to the 2023-2024 school year on Monday, August 14th. Everyone at O. Henry has been working hard to ensure our campus is safe and ready. Our first week will focus on everyone feeling welcomed, appreciated, and valued. Students will also learn about our campus culture, routines, and expections.
Let's make it a Great Year to be an O. Henry Mustang,
Marlo Malott, Principal
Happening This Week - Begin in A.C.E.S.
In each class, teachers will be introducing students to each other and their course, as well as leading mini-lessons about necessary topics for all students to have a successful year, including
- Code of Conduct reminders and updates
- Dress Code
- Anti-bullying lessons, and more.
The principals will also lead an assembly to commence our year.
Transportation and Traffic
Car Riders: To keep traffic flowing, follow the arrows on the map below. Be patient, student safety is our most important priority. To keep our Mustangs safe, do not drop off in back bus lot. If pickup is altered due to bad weather, a Schoolmessenger alert will go out from the Principal.
Bus Riders: Bus riders may only ride their assigned bus. Use the Bus Finder page to check which route you are assigned. Buses leave promptly at 3:57 PM each day - information about late buses will be available in coming weeks. Buses drop off and pick up on the east side of campus. For additional questions about transportation see AISD's website here.
Walkers/Bike Riders: If walking or biking to school please be safe and use crosswalks to get across streets. Bike racks are available for student use.
GENERAL SCHOOL SUPPLIES 2023-2024
O. Henry Middle School
General School Supply List
2023-2024
Get a Leg up on Basic Back to School Supplies to Start School: These supplies will be used throughout the school day in your core and elective classes. Replenish as needed, students will learn of additional needs mid August
- Athletics and PE Uniform Shirt--$5; students may wear any black shorts, leggings, track pants, skorts and a pair of rubber soled shoes.
- Lock for Physical Education/Athletics locker
- Pencils - No. 2
- Hand-held pencil sharpener
- Erasers (NO stretchy/kneaded rubber erasers please)
- Pack of colored pencils
- Pens
- Highlighters
- Pack of markers - variety of colors
- Pair of Scissors
- Glue sticks and/or small tape dispenser
- Optional: small container/bag to store these items
- Notebook paper (loose leaf/filler paper - college or wide ruled)
- Composition Books (100 pages) - Spiral bound notebook is acceptable, but not recommended
- 2 COLLEGE RULED Composition notebooks - one for each class - Science & Social Studies
- 2 WIDE RULED Composition notebooks- one for each class - Math & English Language Art
Bell Schedule 2023-2024
If you are in Athletics-- Read the Athletics News
Attendance Matters
Compulsory Attendance Law
State law (Texas Education Code Section 25.085) requires that all students at least 6 years of age and not yet 19 attend school each day. Compulsory attendance also applies to students who are younger than six who have been voluntarily enrolled in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten.
90% Rule
Students earn course credits by meeting the course requirements AND attending classes 90% of the time, whether the absences are excused or unexcused. Your student may not earn course credit nor be promoted to the next grade level if they are not meeting the 90% rule. In order to receive credit for a final grade for a class, the student must go through the Attendance Recovery Process at your campus.
Submission of the attendance appeal must occur within 30 school days of the end of the semester in which the credit was denied. The campus attendance committee then meets and renders a decision based on the circumstances as presented by the student and parent within 30 school days of the end of the semester in which the credit was denied. See Austin ISD Board Policies FEC (LEGAL) and FEC (LOCAL).
Here are a few tips to consider:
Have your student arrive at school on time and attend every class period, especially the OAT—official attendance-taking period (10:30 AM middle schools and high schools; and, homeroom for elementary).
A student who is tardy to class will be subject to the consequences established at each campus in accordance with the possible consequences in the AISD Student Code of Conduct.
What happens if your student needs to see a doctor/dentist/therapist? If possible, we encourage you to schedule appointments outside of school hours. Obtain and submit a medical note for documentation to provide to your student’s campus Attendance Specialist. Documentation is needed so the absence will be coded correctly.
When you receive an absence notification, please follow up with your student and the campus attendance specialist. If you have documentation for your student’s absence, please submit as early as possible (it is recommended to submit within 48 hours). If you believe a teacher has marked a student incorrectly, please have your student reach out to the teacher of the marked period.
****NEED TO REPORT AN ABSENCE, PLEASE DO SO WITHIN 2 DAYS BY CLICKING ON THE QR CODE***
BREAKFAST & LUNCH PROCEDURES
- There are 2 breakfast options - 1 hot and 1 grab & go quick option.
- Students may bring money for snacks during lunch.
- There is an allergy-free designated space available in our cafeteria. Please encourage your student to communicate with the adults supervising lunchtimes.
- View breakfast, lunch, and after-school menus, as well as allergens and nutritional information at www.SchoolCafe.com/AustinISD, or download the SchoolCafé mobile app on Apple or Android devices.
- AISD menus are subject to change due to nationwide supply chain issues and food service worker shortages.
For additional information contact AISD Dietitian Rachel Dunn at Rachel.Dunn@austinisd.org or at 512-414-0250.
Food Deliveries During School Day
We are not able to accommodate food delivery for students. Please do not send Favor, DoorDash, or pizza deliveries to campus. All food deliveries will be turned away. Students are not permitted to leave campus and cannot meet delivery drivers to receive food. The cafeteria has limited capacity to heat up meals. The outlets in the cafeteria will not allow for multiple microwaves running at the same time. While we do have one microwave in the cafeteria, it is best for students to bring a lunch that does not require a microwave or eat the hot school lunch provided in the school cafeteria.
Library Media Center- Beginning of the Year
Chromebooks
We will begin a plan to distribute every student a district-issued Chromebook in the coming weeks through their Science Classes! We are beginning a Digital Citizenship learning series through weekly Advisory lesson and encourage you to discuss responsible technology conversations with your Student. For ideas and support, please visit Common Sense Media website (External).
Stay tuned for more information on rollout and timeframe.
Q. Can my student use their own laptop?
A. No. All OHMS students will use an AISD-issued Chromebook. District testing will not work on personal laptops, the wear and tear of a students attending 8 classes a day high, and laptops often have trouble connecting to district wifi.
Finally, the district's child-protection software does not work on personal devices. Districts are required by the Children's Internet Protection Act to filter harmful or obscene material.
Books!
You are welcome to check out books. We have a lot of new ones!!
Happy Reading!
Robbi Horvath, O. Henrry Librarian
Cleaning out the house-- here are some things we are looking for
Mustangs-
Will you be doing any end of the summer cleaning? Headed to the thrift stores or even know someone who might want to donate items to our school? Here are some things we are looking for to enrich our rainy day and outside time during ACES.
PTA Updates
Back to school to-dos! Join the O.Henry PTA!
The biggest factors in student success are active and engaged families, educators, and a supportive community. Your membership in the PTA helps support the many valuable programs and activities that occur throughout the year at O.Henry Middle School. We are committed to nurturing every student’s well-being and providing opportunities to show our appreciation for our hard-working staff.
Please help support our efforts and click here to join today!
SAVE THE DATE for Open House 2023
Wednesday, Aug 30, 2023, 05:30 PM
2610 West 10th Street, Austin, TX, USA
O. Henry Middle School
Website: https://ohenry.austinschools.org/
Location: 2610 West 10th Street, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-414-3229
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohenryms
Twitter: @Ohenryms