The holidays can be such a hectic time for so many of us. We are rushing around trying to make sure we have all the presents, the holiday decorations, cleaning and scurrying around planning for family and friends to come over. I think it is easy to forget the importance of this time. Each year it seems the days go faster and faster.
I look forward to the end of the year with the holidays and the cold weather so much that when it finally gets here I worry I will miss something. I worry I will not stop rushing around long enough to cherish the small moments. I promise myself not to but I am never able to slow down completely.
Many years ago (1990) when I first started working for the Center for Battered Women, I worked in the children’s program – one my favorite events was coming to Oak Hill Elementary School to do the holiday giving program. I would get to wear my favorite holiday sweater and earrings; I would get the van full of gas, and make the drive to Oak Hill. It was the highlight of my job. It always brought tears to my eyes to see how young people could be so generous, and how many new toys we would be able to give to the children living in our shelter.
Well….. this year I have the great honor to be the parent of one of these amazing young people.
The holiday giving program this year at Oak Hill was such a treat, the songs were sung with such pride, the children were so excited – all of them, and my staff were thrilled to be a part of this amazing event. It is so nice to see the spirit of the season in the eyes of the Oak Hill students.
I could not help but think how lucky I was to be a part of such a beautiful event. I also could not help but look into the eyes of my sweet boy in the audience who was so proud that his school was helping his Mommy’s work.
If you have never been to this assembly I strongly recommend it, I was so proud of all our students. I know the children at the shelter and the families served by the rural community center will have a nice Christmas.
And….I slowed down so that I could cherish every single moment – tears and all!!! AISD to Implement “Parent Connection” Program in January, 2009
Promoting higher student achievement by enhancing communication between our teachers and the families of our students is a top priority in the Austin Independent School District. Therefore, we will soon implement a new web-based program called ParentConnection at every one of our campuses, which will enable parents with students in Kindergarten through Grade 2 to view their child’s attendance and report cards from any computer that has Internet access. Parents with students in Grades 3-12 will be able to use this system to view their child’s assignments, current grades, and attendance. In addition, ParentConnection will provide all parents the opportunity to be notified by email regarding attendance issues and when there are significant changes in their child’s grades.
An official notification letter containing a PIN (personal identification number) for each student and helpful information on how to set up a ParentConnection account will be mailed to you on Friday, January 9, 2009.
Parent involvement is a key component to student success in school. It is our hope that through ParentConnection, you will be more informed and engaged in supporting your children’s education in order to help them achieve greater academic success. 5th Grade Reindeer Sing The Night Away! By Susan Malachowski
The 5th grade program was performed in the school auditorium on Thursday, December 11th. It was scheduled three separate times during the day, two in the morning and one at night. The play, titled North Pole Star, was complete with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and all of the eight reindeer. Set up a lot like American Idol, three judges were asked to give their opinion as each of the eight reindeer performed a song. The "Star Singers" (back-up singers) were set up all around the stage to help each reindeer sing his/her song. The stage was full of red and green, and some very creative holiday hats. After the "votes" were cast, a winner was named. The 5th graders did a great job and kept us all entertained for a nice 30 minutes. Thanks 5th Graders! Great Deals for PTA Members - from the Texas PTA Texas PTA partners with organizations in order to provide discounts on services and products that PTA members might be interested in, especially during the holiday season. Happy Holidays!
For a PDF version of this Member Benefits Information, click here.
T-Mobile: Texas PTA members receive a 14% monthly discount on rate plans. Sign up today and receive a new FREE Blackberry Pearl II phone! Call-in offer only. 1-866-464-8662 (select option 3). Mention promo code 9397TMOFAV and the main Texas PTA number (512-476-6769) or your member ID for verification. The new G1 Google phone is discounted as well. Offer is NOT valid in stores. Members who sign up in stores will NOT receive the phone or rate plan discounts. No activation fees, no setup fees and no shipping charges. Rate plan discounts are for both new and existing customers/members. Existing customers wanting the rate plan discount should e-mail bj.durham@t-mobile.com for information on how to receive the discount.
Sharp Electronics: The PTA/Sharp Electronics member store is now available to offer you valuable member discounts on Sharp AQUOS Liquid Crystal Televisions and some other home electronics products! Click above to learn more about this benefit on the site of National PTA. You will need to re-enter your username and password, which are username: families and password: involved.
Nationwide: Call the Fowler agency at (888-549-4922) or speak with your local agent. An Auto Insurance Benefit for Texas PTA Members.
Schlitterbahn: Corporate Code: uphillcoaster Members receive 15% off regular admission when purchasing tickets online. Note: For the system to recognize your discount code, you must use the link here: http://www.schlitterbahn.com/corp/partners/
Sea World: Members receive 15% off regular admission when purchasing tickets online. Please follow this link http://www.txpta.org/members/Discounts/seaworlddiscount.html?code=TexasPTA and click on "Worlds of Discovery." This will take you to Sea World's page where you can purchase your discounted tickets.
Fiesta Texas: Members receive 15% off regular adult admission when purchasing tickets online.
Southwest Vacations: (1-800 423-5683) Promotion Code: PTATRAVEL Southwest Vacations, in partnership with Southwest Airlines, is offering PTA members a 5% discount on vacation packages of two nights or longer to any Southwest destination. Note: Official National PTA travel still will be booked through Omega Travel by following the directions issued by the national meetings department.
La Quinta: Up to 35% off, guaranteed rate of $85.00 or less, no up-charge for king size beds, no up-charge for as many as 4 additional occupants, free up-grade to gold level in the La Quinta guest stay program, Returns, 15% off rack rate outside of Texas. Ask for the Texas PTA rate when booking by phone at 800-642-4271 or when calling the La Quinta location of your choice directly. Click on this link http://www.lq.com/lq/reservations/cobrand/index.jsp?cobrand=TXPTA to book online with your discount, or use discount code "TXPTA" when making your reservations at www.laquinta.com. To upgrade your La Quinta Returns status to Gold level, please contact: Sandy Clinton.
Aflac: Aflac's Accident Insurance policy is made available to members at a competitive rate. To apply for a policy, click here: For questions, please contact Aflac Agent Trish McMinn.
BarnesandNoble.com: National PTA and Barnesandnoble.com have developed a discounted online bookstore for PTA members featuring over one million titles of books, textbooks, audio books, music, DVD's, and videos. Members will save 5% off all purchases ordered from this site in addition to any normal site discounts of up to 40%. Click here to learn more about this discount on the site of National PTA. You will need to re-enter your username and password, which are username: families and password: involved.
Enterprise: Enterprise Rent-A-Car is pleased to extend a discount to all Texas PTA members on all rentals across the nation. To make your reservation and get your discount automatically, please click here. If you have any questions, please contact your Enterprise Representative Sunny Howard at 512-912-5332.
How are we doing? We've added a Guestbook feature to make it easy for you to leave us a comment or send an email to feedback@ohepta.org THANKS! We'd love to hear what you think!
Have website or newsletter technical questions? Send an email to webmaster@ohepta.org FREE MONEY FOR OUR SCHOOL!!! By shopping online now with your favorite stores (like Amazon.com, ebay.com, walmart.com, target.com, toyrus.com, gap.com, zappos.com, llbean.com, macys.com, etc. the list goes on and on), our school gets money. You don't have to do anything but go to those websites you shop through the goodshop.com LINK for OHE!!! We can make LOTS of money by doing something we already do... SHOP! This holiday season PLEASE go through this link to your favorite stores and let's get some money back for our school! The money comes from the purchases you make to the store. The store gives a percentage back to our school... on average 3% but up to 30%!!!! Do it today! We can make a difference!
Need a Gift Idea? Don't forget that you can order magazines online for any last minute holiday gifts! Go to www.QSP.com and use our account #425009988. A portion of all subscriptions goes directly to Oak Hill Elementary to help fund technology at our school! OHE T-shirts and Jackets If you missed ordering a t-shirt or jacket, we still a few for sale. Please contact Valarie Spake at 899-2417 or valbeth@sbcglobal.net if you are interested in purchasing an item. (Sorry, we are sold out of jackets in sizes Youth Large, Adult Small and Adult Large.) THANK YOU!
A big thanks goes out to Oak Hill parents, students and faculty for a SUPERB BOOK FAIR SAFARI! With your support we reached our goal while adding more books to our collection and giving opportunities for reading to our students. We will also be able to continue to support the extra help from a part time clerk that I need in the library, especially since our population has reached over 950 students now! We would not have made it without your support! It was well worth the time and effort! Hope you enjoyed it as well! Happy holidays and READ ON.... Ms. Underwood, Oak Hill Librarian Winter Break Schedule
Thefinal day of classes before Austin students begin Winter Break is Thursday, December 18. All District staff will work throughFriday, December 19. Campus and administrative staff will return to work on Monday,January 5, 2009. Classes will resume for all students on Tuesday, January 6. Silent Auction Donations? Volunteers are needed to solicit businesses for donations for Silent Auction for the School Carnival. Please contact Susan White for more information on how you can help. Are you baking this Holiday Season? Our
Spring Carnival sells LOTS of confetti eggs! While baking for the
holidays please remember to crack your eggs leaving approximately 2/3
of the eggshell intact. The eggshell should then be washed thoroughly
and returned to their original container. All eggshells can be turned
in to your child’s classroom. For anyone not familiar with the process,
these clean, dry eggshells will then be filled with confetti and the
hole in the top covered with tissue paper...hand them to a child and
use your imagination…they are VERY popular with the kids! We need 100’s
of eggs so any donation is appreciated. If you do not bake or do not
wish to save your shells, you are more than welcome to donate pre-made
Cascarones!
Thank you in advance for your participation and assistance. Mark your calendars for Friday, March 6. It should be a fantastic carnival! Teacher's Favorite Things by Geeta Suggs We asked our OHE Faculty and Staff to answer some questions about their favorite things. As we enter the season of gift giving or anytime during the year, take a moment to appreciate your child's teacher, for the job they do is not an easy one and certainly not one that everyone can do! The compiled list of favorites is located on the OHE PTA website under forms and it has also been sent out to all of the head room parents. There will be a book in the Main Building that will have all of this information in printed out format.
