Parents: we need your feedback! Take the LTISD climate survey

April, 2015
Lake Travis Independent School District
School Matters
LT
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Parents:
we need your
feedback!
Take the LTISD
climate survey
CLICK HERE
QUICK LINKS
IN THIS ISSUE:
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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
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Community Corner
7
Substance Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee
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Campus News
Hudson Bend Middle
Lake Travis Middle
Lake Travis High
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Annoucments and Upcoming Events
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
vjonestx@me.com
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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS
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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
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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!
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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
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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!
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LTISD 2015 Summer Camp Catalog
ENROLLMENT BEGINS MARCH 12TH
TM
Se habla Español 512-533-6011
click here for more information
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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
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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
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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.
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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 alvaradom@ltisdschools.org, or at 512-533-6046.
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