Bravo from the Head of School!
The world has thrown us many challenges over the past several months, and when confronted with challenges, we can either sit back and watch in frustration or we can face them head-on. I must offer my heartfelt congratulations to our parents, guardians, teachers, assistant teachers, administrators, afterschool care staff, governing body, and -- of course -- students for confidently rising to the challenge and facing it head-on! When I look back to all of the ends-of-year in schools in my life, whether as a student or an educator, I can think of none as unique as this one. Guided by our school's vision, mission, and core values, we have come out of this experience wiser, with increased skills, and perhaps a few more grey hairs. In my final Head of School eCommuniqué for the year, I share with you my final thoughts and reflections as we head off for summer.
Thank you from our Principals
It was very nice to see you all at the parade yesterday as we missed seeing each of you.
Thank you for making distance learning possible and working with your child(ren). Our distance learning wouldn't have been so successful without all the work that you (families and children) have done. It is now time for a well-deserved summer break! We wish you a wonderful and relaxing summer and look forward to welcoming you back in a couple of months.
AIS & COVID-19 FAQs for the 2020-2021 School Year
Wondering what next school year will look like? Like all schools in Texas, we are subject to evolving guidance from local, state, and federal authorities. Within this context, we are carefully planning for a campus reopening at the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Please refer to this list of Frequently Asked Questions resource regarding COVID-19 and our plans for reopening safely; these may also be found under the School Life section of the AIS website. It is important to note that these elements are all subject to change with evolving guidance from authorities. Please be on the lookout for a mid-summer communication that will provide a summary update of any major changes to the elements outlined in our FAQs.
Congrats to our First 4è Class!
We celebrated and congratulated our first-ever graduating 8th-grade class at Austin International School on Monday with a virtual celebration! We are so proud of our students!
The Owl Hour
Our 4è students have done tremendous work this year on their Owl Hour News. Check out their latest edition here.
PTO 2019-2020 School Support
We are at the end of our 2019-2020 school year and it is now time to donate a portion of our funds raised throughout the year back to the school. The administration has provided us with a shortlist of needs that we can put this money towards. Here is a link to a quick survey to weigh in on how these funds will be utilized. We have approx. $13k to give back to the school. Please chime in, we will close this form by Friday, June 12th. These responses will be utilized to then have a vote at a special meeting (date pending). Thank you from the AIS PTO Executive Committee
Community Parade
We had a fantastic end to the year with the community parade. Thank you all so much for participating! It was nice to see the faces of our students, and parents, and teachers again! We included a time-lapse video for you to enjoy.
Student Awards-Attributes of the Month(s)
At AIS it is important that all members of our community uphold our Core Values of: Creativity, Mutual Respect, Intercultural Communication, Critical Thinking, Personal Balance, Generosity of Heart, Civic Responsibility, Autonomy, and Adventurousness. While we have been distance learning, we still recognize and celebrate our students who have embodied the following attributes at AIS from March through June. Thanks for making our community stronger!
March - Curious. Congrats to : Rhone S., George M., Youssef E., Ariana P., Owen J., Lucas C., Vivienne B., Cami H., Julian D., Lou G., Lucas P., Antoine M., Calypso C., Benjamin M., Stanislas S., Samrawit W., Marc-Olivier M., Alison N., Clementine S., Simone M., Isabella C., & Caroline C.
April - Personal Balance. Congrats to: Agnes B., Elena M., Amara N., Mila H., Teah M., Amélie Z., Sebastian M., Maxim S., Cecily P., Matteo T., Alina S., Amariah R., Jakob S., Natalie L.,
Hadrien M., Penelope B., Isabella H., Fiona C., & Alexandra J.
May - Autonomous. Congrats to: Ethan C., Madeleine S., Luka O., Maia R., David D., Theo G., Lucas Z., Atticus C., Dafna F., Amelie B., Abram A., Sara H., Jacob N., Sam S., Taylor M., Mateo K., Rainer M., Emma R., Yelena K., Yasmine S., Alexandra H., & Simon F.
June - Intercultural Communication. Congrats to: Rhône S., Emma T., Jade B., Mari M., William J., Marlene B., Leila L., Isanne W., Carina A., Lola C., Autymn Rose L., Valeria H., Hallie C., Gigi G., Anna C., Salome C., Isabella C., Pablo F., Matthew J., Quinn J., Lorraine S., Alfred A., Cameron C., Caroline C., Declan C., Alexandra H., Aubrey M., Andrew Y., Simon F., Joaquin F., & Alex J.
Summer Camp Registration Ends Today!
Registration ends today for our in-person and virtual summer camps, so sign up here now. Due to limited registrations, some camps which have not reached the class minimums may not fill. We will send out confirmations next week. Please refer to the previous Flash editions for detailed camp information.
School Yearbooks
Our yearbooks for the 2019-2020 school year are almost complete. You may place your pre-orders for yearbooks which will be shipped directly to family homes with a $2.99 flat shipping fee. Click here to order directly through TreeRing. You will need to enter the following passcode to get to the AIS account: 1014743869961294 A tree is also planted in honor of each book purchased.
School Supplies
We are finalizing our student supply lists and will send out the order links and full lists on June 15th to place easy orders for the next school year. Supplies will be shipped directly to your homes.
Summer Updates
During the summer we typically don't send our weekly newsletter. However, we will send out a bi-monthly Flash to keep our community updated in preparation for the next school year. So, check your inboxes for important special editions. Please also stay tuned for AIS's Summer Reading Program.
COVID-19 and Distance Learning Survey
Thank you again to our families, students, and teachers for coming together to successfully execute our transition to distance learning! While we hope to minimize the use of distance learning during the 2020-2021 academic year, we must recognize that another temporary transition to distance learning is a distinct possibility. In that vein, we would like to solicit your input regarding the impact of COVID-19 on your family and subsequent transition to distance learning through the completion of a COVID-19 Parent Survey prepared by the National Association of Independent Schools. We will be comparing the results of these data to those of other independent schools and using that information to inform tweaks and adjustments we may need to make to our distance learning program. The survey will remain open through June 30th, 2020. Thank you in advance for your input!
Student Mascot Design Contest
We are excited to share that the Student Council will be heading up an initiative to organize a team mascot contest drawing for the next school year. The contest will start on Thursday, June 4th, and last throughout the summer. You can use your summer to be inventive and artistic. Students from GS to 4è and staff members are encouraged/invited to submit their drawings for our school mascot. Here are the guidelines:
Draw the owl as you can imagine it.
Write the school slogan “Let’s go Owls!” and the name of the mascot “Owlvin”.
Post your drawing on this padlet in the column of your grade.
The winner will have his/her drawing chosen to be the AIS official team mascot and it will be given to a designer as a model. So, grab your markers (no colored pencils), as it’s time to show your creativity to the whole AIS community. Thank you for your participation! Let’s go Owls!
June Student Birthdays
Happy Birthday, bon anniversaire, and feliz cumpleanos to the following students with June birthdays: Amalia A., Henri M., Abram M., Valeria H., Ranier M., Xavier H., Ethan C., Eloise S., Melodi A., Penelope B., Jakob S., Elizabeth D., & Emma R.
Save the dates
- June 5 - Summer Begins!
- July 15 - Community Update 2021 School Plans
