MavMail

- Student early morning DROP OFF is in the BACK of the School. See Parking and Traffic Flow Presentation (updated last year; no new changes) for additional information.

- Students will not be able to enter the front doors of the school BEFORE 9 AM.

- Students who arrive at school after 9 AM will enter through the Main Office.

- Students MUST present their McNeil Student ID (at all times) when entering the Front Office and they MUST sign-in if arriving at 9:00 or later. These students will then be given a blue hall pass, which will indicate their late arrival time. Students must have a pass to class if arriving at 9:00 or later.

- ALL Students in the hallway MUST have a PASS from their teachers (if not during a “passing period”).

- Students must present their McNeil Student IDs to conduct Cafeteria transactions. Students are able to print replacement IDs in the Library before school, during flex, and during lunch. Replacement IDs are $5.

Upcoming Dates

Monday, November 11th - 10th Grade Parent Meeting, 6:00 – 8:00PM McNeil Cafeteria - The counselors will provide academic, college & career, and other pertinent information.There will also be an ACC and IB presentation, if your student is interested in dual credit or IB.

Tuesday, November 12th - McNeil Feeder Vertical concert, 5:30PM - Raymond E. Hartfield PAC

Tuesday, Nov. 19 - Day 1: Annual 8th Grade Day at McNeil (Deerpark MS and Cedar Valley MS)

Wednesday, Nov. 20 - Day 2: Annual 8th Grade Day at McNeil (Person Ranch MS)

Friday, Nov. 22 - @WeAreBlood and McNeil Diversity Club Blood Drive (see flyer below)

Friday, Nov. 22 - Monday Dec. 2 - Homework Free Weekend McNeil High School HOMEWORK-FREE WEEKEND Dates, 2024-2025

Monday, Nov. 25 - Friday, Nov. 29 - Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL for students and staff

Tuesday, Dec. 3 - Friday, Dec. 6 - STAAR EOC Retesting Eligible Students and Families have been notified by email from McNeil_Testing@RoundRockISD.org. If you have any questions, please look in your student’s email then email McNeil Testing if you still have questions. You can also find additional testing information by visiting MHSTesting. Thank you!

Each week we will send out this newsletter to CELEBRATE OUR Mavericks and share important information about upcoming events. If you see something missing from a MavMail, reach out to the sponsor of the team, club, or event and ask them to have it added.

Are you looking for MORE ways to stay informed of ALL the aMAVzing news from McNeil High School?

Follow YOUR MHS Student Council!

Read the OFFICIAL Student Newspaper: The Trailblazer, and visit this site to read our daily student announcements.

Does your student need a VOE? The VOE Request Form and MANY MORE are available on our MAV Campus Website A-Z Index. Click HERE for additional information and resources.

WE invite the McNeil Community to click HERE to get to know your 2024 - 2025 McNeil Maverick Staff! All Maverick Staff were able to create a slide about themselves to be featured in MavMail. Some staff will be updating their slides at a later date. It is OUR pleasure to serve the McNeil Students and Community… check back to get to know YOUR MAVulous Maverick Staff!

Don’t forget:

At McNeil… YOU are aMAVzing!

YOU can ALWAYS make YOUR day MAVtastic!

The Horse IS With You, ALWAYS!

At McNeil High School #WE>me AND… GO MAVS!! 💙💚🐎

YOUR McNeil Varsity Golf Teams had MAVulous results this past weekend in tournament play!

With fine coaching by Coach Vazquez, YOUR Varsity Boys Team captured 2nd Place in the Alamo Heights Match Play Championship! The Mavs were led by Senior Aarav Sahasrabudhe, who finished in 2nd Place individually in the tournament! Seniors Zeke Mieskoski and Luke Patti, and Juniors JY Lee and Mark Lee also played well to help the Mavs bring home the SILVER MEDALS.

With a 4th Place Finish, the Varsity Girls team had another MAVtastic top-5 result at the San Antonio Clark Invitational. Senior Abby Whittenburg had an excellent tournament, finishing in 5th place individually against top players from San Antonio, Houston, and West Texas. Seniors Emma Sofia Arrigucci and Kate Won, and Sophomores Lainey Mican and Emma Wood all contributed to the great weekend for the Mavs. WAY TO GO MAVS!

CONGRATULATIONS to Maverick Women’s Soccer Player, Senior Allison Weir who signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer at Stephen F. Austin University next season last Thursday. WAY TO GO Alli! We are SO PROUD of YOU and can’t wait to see all you accomplish for the Lumberjacks! GO MAVS!

On Thursday, LD Williams visited the McNeil Football team to present the Austin Area Offensive Lineman of the Week award! For the second season in a row, one of YOUR MAVERICK Lineman won the award! Congratulations to Maverick Senior, Kash Rocha!!

Congratulations to the McNeil Football team on an aMAVzing season! Click HERE for a short video from YOUR McNeil Publications (Video by Caroline Truong). THANK YOUR to the McNeil Band, Cheer, Majestics, Student Athletic Trainers, Players, Coaches, Parents, Maverick Staff and Fans for ALL your MAVnificent support throughout this season! YOUR MAVS made the playoffs for the second consecutive year! We are SO PROUD of OUR MAVERICKS! WAY TO GO MAVS!

Last weekend, the McNeil Band competed in their final competition of the season at the ultra-competitive Bands of America San Antonio Super Regional. This is easily the toughest contest in America every year, with 70 of the best bands from Texas competing.

The Mav Band had a monumental prelims performance on Friday, blowing away an audience of thousands and the judges! In what seems like a fad this year, our students made history by advancing to Finals!!! I cannot express enough how big of a deal this is, and they KILLED IT in Finals! We tied for 14th in prelims and Finals, narrowly losing the final tiebreaker.

The importance of this accomplishment cannot be overstated, and it has solidified our band program on the national scene. Our students finished ahead of SEVERAL national programs who had their eyes on a Finals performance. People from all over the country are reaching out to us congratulating the band, and even wanting to design for us in the future. The greatest minds in our industry are thoroughly impressed with our band.

This has been a season for the ages, and we are excited to see where this takes us in the future. Here is a recap of their competitive success:

BOA Central Texas FINALIST - 3rd place (Outstanding Music award)

Vista Ridge Marching Festival FINALIST - Grand Champion (Outstanding Music award)

Texas Marching Classic FINALIST - 8th place

UIL Marching - First Division rating (the usual)

BOA St. Louis Super Regional FINALIST - 4th place (3rd in class)

UIL Area Contest FINALIST - 6th place (State alternate, highest ever finish)

BOA San Antonio Super Regional FINALIST - 15th place

CONGRATULATIONS to YOUR McNeil Drumline for WINNING 4th Place at the Lone Star Drumline Competition in Dallas this weekend!

A massive congratulations to the 7 talented musicians from YOUR McNeil Orchestra who made it to the @tmeaorg All-State Orchestra! This is THE MOST McNeil has ever had!

The students had TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association) Area and All-State Orchestra auditions on Saturday, November 9, and Sunday, November 10, 2024. The Maverick Orchestra sent 10 students to the area round, and 7 won seats in the TMEA All-State Orchestras! WAY TO GO MAVS!

This is the most students to TMEA All-State in school history, and we also had two students make it on viola for the first time!

The following students made the TMEA All-State Orchestras:

- Allyson Chu (Violin)

- Austin Eun (Cello)

- Nicole Kim (Violin)

- Carson Kellams (First Violists in School History)

- Samuel Lee (Cello)

- Jenny Thomas (Violin)

- Ellie Washecka (First Violists in School History)

YOUR MAVS Orchestra students will be traveling to San Antonio, Texas in February to perform with all of Texas's best high school musicians! If you see these students, give them a huge congratulations! Making All-State in Texas is a huge feat, and these students have put in the work to prove they are some of the best musicians in the state! CONGRATULATIONS MAVS!

YOUR McNeil Choir was so excited to host our yearly Vertical Concert last week!

At the Vertical Concert, YOUR high school MAVS sung with future generations of McNeil students - those who sing in choirs at our feeder elementary and middle schools! YOUR Chamber Choir students spent a day with the FUTURE MAVS! Chambers rehearsed with them, shared music, and even got some free time to play some fun outdoor games with them!

A huge thank you to all the schools that participated - YOU are what bring the magic of this concert.

CONGRATULATIONS to YOUR McNeil Choir team! Everyone had a MAVtacular time competing at NHS’ Trivia Night! The McNeil Choir Team, dressed up as Scooby Doo characters, WON first place with 72 points!! If you missed it, there is a second Trivia Night in the Spring. Thank you to @mcneilnhs for an awesome night!

YOUR McNeil Showman won 12 of the 16 overall Market and Showmanship awards at the RRISD Ag Show last weekend. All breed/ weight division winners in the lamb, goat, and steer show, and 4 of the 8 students pulled for swine were McNeil showmen! CONGRATULATIONS MAVS! See the MAVulous results below!

Steers: Travis Cykala - Grand Champion Market, Reserve Champion Showman, and Division Winner: British Steer

Emylee Copeland - Reserve Champion Market, Grand Champion Showman, Division Winner: American Steer, and Division Winner: Exotic Steer

Lambs: Lily Jackson - Grand Champion Market, Grand Champion Showman, and Division Winner: Medium Wool

Haley Goebel - Reserve Champion Market, Division Winner: Finewool, and Division Winner: Finewool Cross

Julia Paddenburg - Division Winner: Southdown

Khloe Walters - 3rd Place Southdown

Goats: Lily Jackson - Grand Champion Market, Reserve Champion Showman, and Division Winner: Light Weight

Sophia Sousa - Reserve Champion Market, Grand Champion Showman, Division Winner: Class 1 and Reserve Division: Class 2

Ashlyn Eschberger - Reserve Division: Class 2

Cailyn Miles - 4th Place Class 2

Julia Paddenburg - 3rd Place Class 2

Kate Venton - 5th Place Class 2

Corbin Edwards - 3rd Place Class 1

Swine: Emylee Copeland - Reserve Champion Market, Division Winner: Light OPB

Ashlyn Eschberger - Reserve Division: Dark OPB, 2nd Place Cross - Class 3

Kaylie Escobar - Division Winner: Duroc, Reserve Division: Duroc , 2nd Place Cross - Class 1

Connor Kuntz - 2nd Place Dark OPB - Class 2

Cash Anderson - 3rd Place Duroc

Tripp Parker - 4th Place Cross

McKenzie Becke - 4th Place Duroc

Travis Cykala - 4th Place Hamp

Makaylah Fuller-Nehring - 4th Place Dark OPB - Class 1

Joey Saccone - 3rd Place Cross - Class 3

Aubrey Kara - 2nd Place Cross - Class 2

Matilda Edison - 2nd Dark OPB - Class 1

Audrey Melnar - 3rd Place Dark OPB - Class 2

Ciara Escobar - 4th Place Cross - Class 2

20 McNeil FFA members competed at the Brushy Creek District Leadership Development Events at Academy High School. We have 2 teams advancing to the Area 12 LDEs on November 23rd. Way to GO MAVS!

Job Interview - 2nd *Area Advancing (Ashlyn Eschberger)

Greenhand Quiz - 2nd * Area Advancing (Sadie Reid, Nathaniel Hall, Connor Kuntz, Tripp Parker)

Senior Quiz - 3rd (Kate Venton, Matilda Edison, Audrey Melnar, Cailyn Miles)

Senior Skills - 4th (Emylee Copeland, Ashlyn Eschberger, Haley Goebel, Kaylie Escobar, Julia Paddenburg)

Public Relations - 5th (Connor Kuntz, Sophia Sousa, Makaylah Fuller Nehring, Khloe Walters)

Greenhand Creed - 4th (Corbin Edwards)

Senior Creed - 10th (Cailyn Miles)

Radio - 7th (Travis Cykala, Zara Ayala, Lily Jackson)

Last weekend eight newspaper students traveled to Philadelphia to compete against students from across the entire nation in Writing and Whole Publication Submissions.

Mavericks Niko Russell, Julianna Lindo, Olivia West, Daniela Corral, Scout Bradley, Cooper Seaver, Hannah Bland, and Harper Poore represented McNeil High School Publications.

Individual awards from the Journalism Educators Association (JEA):

Nikolas Russell - Honorable Mention in Feature Writing

Julianna Lindo - Excellence in News Writing

Olivia West - Honorable Mention in Student Life Caption Writing

Best of show recognition from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA):

Print Newspaper (1800 students or more) - Eighth Place Best of Show

Yearbook (256-300 pages) - Second Place Best of Show

CONGRATULATIONS and WAY TO GO MAVS!

Out of 31 different teams and over 800 athletes competing, McNeil surely took our opportunity to stand up and be noticed.

Here are but a few of the highlights from Saturday's competition at the Texas A&M Swim Center:

• Our 30 athletes had 65 different high school best performances!!!

• Our girls team finished 11th out of 31 teams!

• Our boys team finished 8th out of 31 teams!

• Addison Crail, Kristen Burke, Camila Mota, and Thaisa Friedman were ranked in the top 100 female athletes on Saturday!

• Parker Childs, George Hudson, Reese Tolfa, and Wynne Trevino were ranked in the top 100 male athletes on Saturday!

• The following individuals advanced out of 800+ athletes to compete in Finals Saturday night:

• Kristen Burke - 200 Freestyle AND 100 Freestyle

• George Hudson - 200 Freestyle AND 100 Breaststroke

• Parker Childs - 200 IM AND 500 Freestyle

• Addison Crail - 50 Freestyle AND 100 Butterfly

• Reese Tolfa - 50 Freestyle

• Nash Lofland - 50 Freestyle AND 100 Freestyle

• Camila Mota - 100 Freestyle

• Thaisa Friedman - 100 Freestyle

• Wynne Trevino - 100 Freestyle

• NEW TEAM RECORD!!! - Parker Childs in the 500 Freestyle!!! (4:42.11) - Parker took this record from Olympic Trials Maverick Thomas Shomper who now swims at Texas A&M who happened to come by the pool to wish the Mighty Mavericks luck just before Finals began. It worked!!! Our day started at 6:30 am and finished right around midnight. A long day of amazing competitive greatness. Your Swim Team represented MAV Nation well last weekend!! Next up for YOUR Swim and Dive Mavs will travel to West Houston for the TISCA Meet on Thursday, November 21 through Saturday, November 23 at the Cy Fair Natatorium. Good luck and LET’s GO MAVS!!!

It's that time of the year again. YOUR McNeil PTSA is hosting the ANNUAL Pie Day for OUR Mav Staff on November 21st. EVERY Maverick Staff member will get a WHOLE PIE (or other goodies), and YOUR PTSA NEED LOTS OF ITEMS to make it all happen and show YOUR staff how thankful we are for them! This is always a favorite event for YOUR Maverick staff and the number and diversity of pies are spectacular! Go the PTSA Volunteer Page to sign up and let us know what you can bring. Then, drop your pies off at the front of the school at the new entrance from 8:15-9:15 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21st. If you don't have time to shop and drop, NO WORRIES, sign up for a monetary donation through the PTSA online store and we'll do the shopping for you.

StuCo has hidden QR codes throughout the hallway!

Find the QR code, scan it, and complete the Google form as your checkpoint.

There are 7 food items (QR codes) in total!

At the end of the scavenger hunt, you will finish your Thanksgiving dinner table, earning 2 points and a small prize. Good luck, MAVS! Thank you MHS Student Council (@mcneilstuco)

***Students who are scheduled to test have been emailed.***

Tuesday, Dec 3rd - English I & US History

Wednesday, Dec 4th - Algebra I & US History

Thursday, Dec 5th - English II, US History, & Biology

Friday, Dec 6th - US History, Biology, & Makeup Testing

Students need to be in their testing room at 9:00am on their testing day. If they are not in the room, hall monitors will pull them from their class to test. Students will be emailed their testing room on December 2nd and they will also be able to scan QR codes in the hallway on testing days that will direct them to their correct room. Students testing will resume their regular schedule once they finish testing. Their absence from class or classes they miss due to testing will be excused and updated as “testing” in Home Access Center.

Students in Texas high schools who have already completed course credit for EOC tested subjects but need to earn credit for the graduation exam may take the December STAAR/EOC tests. These

students include those who:

Earned credit over the previous summer for an EOC tested subject

Were absent for the last STAAR/EOC administration

Have not passed on previous attempts on STAAR/EOC exams

Practice STAAR tests are available HERE for all subjects.

We highly encourage you to have your student utilize these videos to become familiar with the new testing system and the changes that are available.

Access the STAAR with accommodations.

Access the STAAR with NO accommodations.

Mid Term Exam Updates:

Friday, December 13 is a C Day. Click HERE for the Day Bell Schedule.

Monday, December 16 - Thursday, December 19 are Mid Term Exam Days.

Friday, December 20 is a Student Holiday / Staff Work Day.

Please see the MHS 2024 December Final Exam Schedule for additional information.

NOTE: FLEX time will not take place during Final Exams.

Students who are exempting an exam will report to their scheduled classroom for attendance and supervision.

Please see the MHS - December 2024 Final Exam Exemption document for additional information.

Show your Mav Spirit with a Mav Car Decal. Order for your activities or a general decal at mcneilcheer.com. Decals are $12/each customizable with name /jersey number / instrument / etc. If you don't see your activity, email president@mcneilcheer.com and we'll design one for you!

Starting November 4th, our school will be hosting donation buckets for Brown Santa, a non-profit organization founded by the Travis County Sheriff's Office that brings holiday cheer to families in need. Every year, Brown Santa collects donations of toys and other essentials and distributes them to children and families who may not have the means to celebrate Christmas.

This season, let’s come together as a school community to make a difference! Here’s how you can help:

• What to Donate: New children’s toys, children books, stuffed animals, blankets, craft supplies, clothing, and other holiday essentials.

• Where to Donate: Find the Brown Santa donation buckets placed in the front office, suite 5, and Mr. Norwood's room.

• Other Ways to Help: Scan the QR code on the image to make a direct donation or browse Brown Santa's Amazon storefront to purchase items they need.

By giving a little, we can bring joy to families and make someone’s Christmas truly special. Let’s make this holiday season a brighter one for everyone—one donation at a time!

Did you know… College Representatives visit McNeil Students regularly?

Click HERE to see a calendar with the upcoming list of Colleges coming to the McNeil

College & Career Center (in Office Suite 5, located in the back of the Cafeteria) from 11AM - 1 PM. Maverick students and families that have questions about applying to college should check the McNeil Counseling Department webpage: Applying to College & Career Future Goals and contact Dr. Sonia Baker, McNeil High School Lead Counselor, with any additional questions. GO MAVERICKS!

OUR Next College Rep Visitors to McNeil:

Tuesday, December 3 - Texas A&M University-College Station

Click here for tickets to the 2024 Cocoa & Carols show featuring YOUR Maverick Musicale and Rhapsody Choirs! This week, Thursday, November 21 at 7 PM in the McNeil Cafeteria!

Parents and students can sign up for FAFSA support at McNeil, January 25, (9a-12p) in the College & Career Center. https://myredkite.com/event/list

We use student names as they appears on their birth certificate for their diploma.

You can use the Home Access Center to check your name.

Please check for spelling, hyphens, spaces, and missing names.

If you find an error you must email the registrar before November 15th.

annette_griggs@roundrockisd.org

If your student has a temporary name change it will not be reflected on HAC.

Please note: there will be a fee for any reprints after diplomas are printed on December 1st.

Sign up for our annual flag subscription and we will place a United States flag in your yard for Veterans Day and the four other patriotic holidays below.

Subscriptions are $52 per year and are available to those within the McNeil HS attendance zone. Flags will be put up one day prior to the holiday and taken down the day after.

Veterans Day - Presidents Day - Memorial Day - Independence Day - Patriot Day (9/11)

Ask other McNeil and RRISD Students about their experiences!

Ambassadors were specially chosen after taking multiple AP, On-Ramps, Dual Credit, and IB courses!

For more information visit the link: https://advancedacademics.roundrockisd.org/ ambassadors/

Ask an Advanced Academics Ambassador Chat Flier 2024-2025.pdf

McNeil HS PTSA

Click HERE for important information from YOUR MAVulous McNeil @McNeilHSPTSA. To join the McNeil PTSA visit JoinPTA.org. Additionally you can visit www.mcneilptsa.com to buy McNeil Spirit Wear (on the Store Tab) and sign up to receive weekly emails about future McNeil activities and special events. MHS PTSA weekly updates are sent on Sundays.

McNeil High School Community Calendar

MHS School Newspaper - The Trailblazer

MHS IB Corner Newsletter

Website: https://mcneil.roundrockisd.org/
Location: 5720 East McNeil Road, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: (512) 464-6300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rrisd.mcneil
Twitter: @MHSmavs