Have website or newsletter technical questions? Send an email to webmaster@ohepta.org
School Supplies?
Looking for the OHE School Supply List? It's on our website. Click here to see it!
New to OHE?
Check out the School Info Menu on the OHE PTA Website for new parent information!
What are we missing?
If there is something you can't find or don't know the answer to, please let us know at feedback@ohepta.org. We'll find the answer and publish it here in future Eagle Eyes!
FREE MONEY!!!
Did you know that our school gets money for EVERY search (internet search) performed using Goodsearch.com (make sure Oak Hill Elementary PTA is selected as the charity of choice!)? We also get money from your shopping online endeavors and it costs you NOTHING. Just go to goodshop.com and make sure Oak Hill Elementary PTA, Austin, TX is selected and then shop away at all the popular places... amazon.com, eddie bauer.com, etc. Check it out and start making money for our school! Click below for direct links!
Back-to-school Night Kinder, 1st, 2nd grades, Sept. 15th 6-7pm
Back-to-school Night 3rd, 4th, 5th grades, Sept. 17th, 6-7pm
*please see our website calendar for the most up-to-date dates
Welcome to a new school year!
by Deena Perkins, PTA President
Welcome back to school! When you hear those words, do your palms start
to sweat, your heart beat a little faster, and do you have trouble
getting to sleep the night before? I know that I always anticipate the
beginning of the school year as much if not more than my children, both
with excitement and a little trepidation. Excitement to know who will
guide my child for the year, anticipation of all the exciting things
they will learn and a little bit (just a little bit) of dread at the
knowledge that my schedule is about to get really crazy. Rest assured if
you feel the same - you are not alone and we, the PTA, are here to help.
We have made a lot of changes over the summer that we hope will make
your life easier, get you excited about your child's experience at Oak
Hill, and rescue the economy. Well, we may not be able to
single-handedly rescue the economy, but we have planned activities such
as a family movie night and an ice cream social which will be sure to at
least make you smile on a Friday night! That's right, we will be having
family fun nights on Friday nights throughout the school year. Please
read the rest of our fabulous enewsletter for more information and
dates. We are also going to be having incredibly fun, informative
Executive Board meetings once a month that everyone is invited to
regardless of whether you are actually on the PTA Executive Board. You
can even find out exactly what a PTA Executive Board does at these
meetings. Our first meeting will be this Tuesday, August 25th at 6 p.m.
in the Oak Hill Library. At this meeting we will reveal all of the
wonderful changes that we have been keeping secret this summer. Please
join us if you are able.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you make this a
fantastic year. I welcome suggestions, comments and especially
compliments that will make our PTA work for you. Also, please be sure
and thank your teacher for everything they do. I know the school year
just started, but it is never too early to thank a teacher. Enjoy your
first week.
Did you know that Mrs. Whistler, our beloved Principal writes a blog every week? Check it out and subscribe to it so that you don't miss any updates (subscribe at her blog): http://principalblog.ohepta.org/
Did you know that most of the Faculty's biographies are on our website? The newest faculty will be updated sometime in the near future. www.ohepta.org and click on the faculty menu
Have you seen the new Texas PTA website? It's been revamped: www.txpta.org
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What time does school start and end?
A: 7:45am and 2:45pm
Q: Where do I find out information about the bus routes?
A: Use the Bus Stop Finder on the AISD website or call 414-0238
Q: Who can I contact if I have questions about the school?
A: The boo-hoo breakfast is for kindergarten parents on Monday, Aug. 24th at 7:45. See below for more info.
Q: Can anyone go to a PTA executive board meeting?
A: Yes, everyone is invited to the PTA exec. board meetings as well as the general meetings. Come help make our school a better place for all of our children.
Partners In Reading Volunteers Needed!
We are working with Austin Partners in Education to implement their Partners in Reading Program in some of our 2nd grade classrooms this year. This program benefits all students in the class no matter their reading level. We are looking for English speaking and bilingual volunteers to spend 45 minutes per week (exact time of day TBD) in the classroom working with a small group of kids. Training will be provided in September and the program will kick off in October. You don't need to be the parent of a 2nd grader to volunteer. We would love to have anyone from the community who is interested. If you or your spouse work nearby and would like to include your work community we would love to explore that possibility with you. If you are interested in this extremely rewarding volunteer opportunity, please contact DeeDee Eastwood at 892-8765 or at meastwood@austin.rr.com.
Principal's Fundraiser needs help!
Every year, the principal has a fundraiser at the start of the year - Magazine sales. This fundraiser helps pay for the salary of our school IT person. This fundraiser is in dire need of help this year - persons are needed to help with the distribution of forms, collecting, counting, sorting of orders, etc. If you are interested in helping out, please contact volunteer@ohepta.org. This fundraiser kicks off the first week of school. Thanks so much for your consideration in helping Mrs. Whistler with this fundraiser!
New BOO HOO Breakfast for Kindergarten Parents
If your child is starting kindergarten this year, please join the Oak Hill Elementary PTA Welcoming Committee for the new Boo Hoo Breakfast after you drop your child off on the first day of school. The event will take place from 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on Monday, August 24, on the Kindergarten Annex Front Porch. Light refreshments and Kleenex will be provided. Contact Casie Wenmohs at 891-6962 or ckw@austin.rr.com for more information.
OHE School Beautification Committee?
by Pam Calabrese, OHE 1st grade teacher
When you take a stroll through the halls of Oak Hill this year, you will notice a splash of color here and there peeking out of formerly solid white, aging walls. Teachers have been getting out the ladders, paint cans and brushes, and putting some new life into our building. You might also notice a comfortable chair, a pretty rug, a lovely plant, and other small comforts that bring a touch of welcoming warmth to the classsroom. We have always known that Oak Hill is filled with wonderful students and their families, and dedicated and caring teachers. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have that "ah, this is a beautiful environment" feeling throughout our building? I would love to get a group together who would be willing to give a little time, effort and talent to beautify the inside of our school. Interested folks can email me at pacalabr@austinisd.org, and we can get started!
Cub Scout Roundup
Pack 446 invites you and your entire family to join us for our Cub Scout Roundup and Information session on Tuesday, September 1 at 6:30pm at the Oak Hill Elementary Cafeteria. We will have games and ice cream for the kids, and information for the adults. Please feel free to contact Dave Read, Cubmaster, at dave@daveread.com with any questions.
Volunteers Needed!!!
Interested in helping out? Want to learn more about your child's school? Want to meet some cool people while making a difference in your child's life? Contact Jodi Picardat for more information on volunteering at our school. There are several committee positions open and many committees just need volunteers to get the job done!
Teacher Appreciation News
The Teacher Appreciation committee hosted a Back To School Luncheon for all our wonderful staff at Oak Hill Elementary on Thursday, August 20th. Everyone enjoyed a variety of pizza's from Craig O's, salad, fresh fruit, iced tea and desserts.
It was a nice break for the teachers and staff at Oak Hill Elementary from the hectic schedule of getting everyone geared up for a great year. We sure
do appreciate all their hard work in making Oak Hill such a great school to attend.
If you would like to volunteer to help lavish our teachers with appreciation throughout the year, please contact us at teacherappreciation@ohepta.org and we will get in touch with you to help us out. Thanks!
Meet the teacher
by Deena Perkins, OHE PTA President
I know this is going to be a fantastic year because it has already
gotten off to a rousing start. Friday afternoon hundreds of parents and
children braved the 100 degree + heat to come and meet their teacher for
the 2009-2010 school year. No tardies were handed out as almost everyone
arrived promptly at 3 p.m. and the children had smiling faces as they
left their classrooms. The teachers were all smiles as well and still
looked refreshed and ready to start a new year with the enthusiasm that
is well known at Oak Hill. There were many appreciative parents and
students as the PTA supplied water for the masses in an attempted to
introduce ourselves and list all of the wonderful and important
activities we do in a span of about an hour. Seriously though, the PTA
had an information fair from 2-3 and aside from needing industrial fans
next year, the fair seemed to be quite successful. If you were unable to
fully enjoy the posters, which were so artfully put together by our
volunteer coordinator Jodi Picardat and OHE Historian Jill Ivie, they will be displayed elsewhere
throughout the year at various meetings so that you may get to know your
PTA.
There are so many people to thank for the Information Fair and Meet the
Teacher including Casie Wenmoths, Geeta Suggs, Jodi Picardat, Liddy
Zierer, Ileana Abounader, Valarie Spake, Heather Sendera, Annemarie
Read, Luci Latimer, Cathy Cox, Annemarie Reed, Jill Ivie, Lisa Moe, Mike Hemmer, Terry Whistler, all of our fabulous Oak Hill teachers, our
fantastic custodial staff, and all of the other volunteers who have
worked so hard over the summer to ensure that these events were a
success. We have a fantastic PTA and we are looking forward to a
fantastic year. Don't forget about our upcoming events such as the Boo
Hoo Breakfast for parents of kindergartners, and of course the first
Executive Board meeting Tuesday, August 25th. Let's all have a great Oak
Hill year.
