School Matters
November 2023
Schools honor veterans November 10
Lake Travis PAC to host annual City of Lakeway Veterans Day Ceremony Saturday, Nov. 11
The Lake Travis Performing Arts Center will host the annual City of Lakeway Veterans Day Ceremony at 11:00 am, Saturday, November 11. The event is free and open to the public and will feature performances by the Lake Travis High School Choir and Brass Quintet.
For more information, visit the City of Lakeway's website.
Voters approve $143M Proposition in District’s 2023 bond election
With all Travis County votes counted late Tuesday night, November 7, Lake Travis ISD voters approved Proposition A in the District’s 2023 bond referendum—a $143 million package to fund new construction for stadium facilities serving students at High School #2, as well as renovations and upgrades at Lake Travis High School and LTISD's three middle schools.
Unofficial results are as follows (source - Travis County Elections Office):
- For - 7,344 (58.48%)*
- Against - 5,215 (41.52%)*
*Election results are unofficial until canvassed by the school board.
"We are fortunate to live in a community where residents are passionate about supporting their schools," said Paul Norton, Lake Travis ISD Superintendent of Schools. “I would like to thank our school board, senior staff, and our Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee for their vision, dedication, and hard work during the past eight months. Thank you to our voters who supported equitable facilities for our students. It's a great day for Lake Travis ISD!"
Additional information about the District’s 2023 bond program is available on the Lake Travis ISD website.
National School Psychology Week (November 6-10)
With the theme “Let’s Grow Together,” the Lake Travis Independent School District proudly joins the National Association of School Psychologists to celebrate November 6-10, 2023 as "National School Psychology Week."
Our Licensed Specialists in School Psychology—or LSSPs—are highly-qualified and uniquely-trained professionals who directly support our students and their ability to learn. After several challenging years, our theme speaks to the importance of both personal and shared strengths in our growth as individuals and school communities in every season of life. School psychologists are particularly skilled at assisting students and staff in thriving and working together, whatever the circumstances.
The following LSSPs proudly serve students across LTISD:
- Krystie Griffin, Coordinator of Special Services
- Siiri Marquardt, Coordinator of Special Services
- Brook Roberts, Coordinator of Special Services
- Kelsey Theis, Lead LSSP
- Ashley Allison, West Cypress Hills Elementary
- Kaleigh Carpenter, (Intern) Bee Cave Middle School
- Patty Chen-Daily, Lake Travis High School
- Ariel Dennis, (Intern) Bee Cave Middle School
- Megan Ho, Bee Cave Elementary
- Jenn Harris, Lake Travis Elementary
- Abigail Harrison, District
- Mallory Johnson, Lake Pointe Elementary
- Ashlynn Koenning, Hudson Bend Middle School
- Elena LaRocca, District
- Kelley Lauer, Lakeway Elementary
- Camika Lewis, Child Find
- Tammy Maiorano, Lake Travis High School
- Taylor Martinez, (Intern) Rough Hollow Elementary
- Sarah Naugher, Serene Hills Elementary
- Ashley Rew-Hunter, Lake Travis High School
- Olivia Ann Salazar, Lake Travis High School
- Jessica Solberg, Lake Travis Middle School
Heads up: LTHS security booths to be fully operational beginning November 27
If you have been at Lake Travis High School during the past couple of weeks, you may have noticed new security booths have been installed along Cavalier Drive and Spillman Loop (on the north and south sides of the campus). The security booths will be fully operational between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. beginning Monday, November 27, 2023.
Please note, the security booths are not intended to create delays, additional traffic or restrict student access. Instead, the intent of these booths is to provide stronger security measures, controlled access, and accountability for visitors on campus during the school day. Additional communication to parents will be provided by the LTHS administration. Once in operation, we ask for your patience and cooperation.
The project was funded through the 2022 Bond.
New police department officers sworn in, department fully staffed
Superintendent of Schools Paul Norton, Police Chief Andy Michael, and the Lake Travis ISD Police Department are proud to welcome to the District the two officers pictured above. As a result, the department is now fully staffed with 14 officers (including Chief of Police).
Under House Bill 3, effective September 1, 2023, Texas school districts are required to have an armed officer on every campus. If a district is unable to do so, it must have a "good cause exception" with an alternative plan. According to Chief Michael, considering the highly-competitive and challenging hiring environment created by the recent law, Lake Travis ISD is one of the first districts in Central Texas to be fully staffed.
Special Services hosts Transition Night on November 14
The Lake Travis ISD Special Services Department will host its annual Transition Night from 5:30 to 8:30 pm, Tuesday, Nov. 14 at Lake Travis High School. The event will feature informational sessions centered around helping our children with disabilities move toward independence in life after high school.
Parents of students who receive services through our Special Education and 504 programs are encouraged to attend. Participants will be able to choose from several sessions including college planning, agency contacts, post-secondary support groups, job training, and more. Confirmed presenters include student support services from several universities across Texas, Project SEARCH, Goodwill Industries, Texas Workforce Commission's Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Bloom Consulting, Integral Care, and others.
For more information, visit the LTISD Special Services website or contact LTISD Transition Specialist, Erika Musick Griffin.
The holidays are approaching... and attendance matters
As we prepare to take time off from school November 20-24 for the Thanksgiving break, we are grateful for everyone who has helped to restore a routine for showing up to school while supporting students and families. Daily routines are essential for reducing stress and creating a sense of security for students and adults.
Please take steps to keep your child healthy and send them to school unless they are truly sick. Every day of school is an important opportunity for students to learn as well as connect to peers and their teachers.
LT Special Olympics athletes participate in regional bowling competition
"There was an amazing amount of energy in the bowling alley all week, and these amazing athletes left it all out on the lanes," said Matt Zajac, Head of Delegation for LT Cavs Special Olympics.
The volunteer coaches and the Lake Travis community are proud of our athletes, some of whom are pictured below.
HEB's "Feast of Sharing" to take place Nov. 21
City of Lakeway's "Lights On" event is Dec. 1
LTHS student-athletes sign letters of intent
Kacey Kazmierski
Volleyball
Avery Hamlin
Volleyball
Carrington Jaimes
Volleyball
St. Edward's UniversityRiley Moore
Women's Basketball
St. Edward's UniversityMia Ferrell
Women's Soccer
Lamar UniversityAvery Lang
Seminole State College
McKenzie Peck
Women's Soccer
Hardin-Simmons UniversityGavyn Schlotterback
Baseball
Paris Junior College
Karson Rader
Wayland Baptist University
Joey Leoni
Virginia Wesleyan University
Men's Golf
Luke Noan - Seton Hall University
Ethan Dufresne - Sam Houston State University
Elijah Galvan - St. Mary's University
District celebrates students, community at LTHS Homecoming Parade & Extravaganza
The Lake Travis High School PTO hosted the annual Homecoming Parade and Extravaganza on Wednesday, October 25. The event celebrated students and community and featured local food trucks, inflatables, a parade, pep rally, and homecoming court presentation. Funds raised from the event will help support student and teacher initiatives through the LTHS PTO.
Additionally, on Friday, October 27, seniors Tyler Ligon and Lily Peters were announced as Homecoming King and Queen for the Lake Travis High School Class of 2024. The announcement was made during halftime of the Lake Travis and Austin High game at Cavalier Stadium.
First Place
Second Place
Third Place
City of Lakeway seeks input through community survey
Austin Symphony Orchestra and LTHS musicians to perform together, tickets on sale starting November 15
Members of the Austin Symphony Orchestra and student musicians from Lake Travis High School will come together next Spring for the fourth annual “A Night with the Austin Symphony Orchestra.”
Maestro Peter Bay will conduct the performance with participation by Anna Macias, Director of Orchestras at Lake Travis High School and Richard Hicks, Director of Bands at Lake Travis High School.
Tickets will go on sale at 7:00 pm, Wednesday, November 15. This special performance will be held at 4:00 pm, Sunday, March 3, 2024 at the Lake Travis Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit the City of Lakeway's website.
A Look Back: "National Blindness Awareness Month" (October)
October is "National Blindness Awareness Month," an initiative to help the public understand the realities of visual impairment and how it affects the world population. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 2.2 billion people around the globe suffer from some form of visual impairment or blindness–including everyone who simply wears corrective lenses.
At Lake Travis ISD, three staff members work each day to bring awareness to the population of students we serve and to highlight their many accomplishments. Pictured, left to right, are: Loni Girdler, Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist (O&M); Lea Chesney, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVI); and Clare Sayce, Braillist.
Additionally, these professionals represented LTISD by attending the annual White Cane Awareness Day celebration in Austin. According to the National Federation of the Blind, the white cane is an essential tool that gives the blind and visually impaired the ability to achieve a full and independent life at school, at work, and in our neighborhoods. This year’s event, covered by Fox7 News, featured the incredible talents of students who attend the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
A Look Back: "National Principals Month" (October)
Now more than ever, so much is expected of our school principals. They are instructional leaders, assessment experts, disciplinarians, campus safety coordinators, community builders, budget analysts, and guardians of policy mandates and initiatives. And they do this while navigating a constantly-changing landscape. For these and many other reasons, we join the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals in recognizing October as "National Principals Month" across Lake Travis ISD:
- Kim Kellner, Bee Cave Elementary School
- Karen Reich, Lake Pointe Elementary School
- Lizeth Thompson, Lake Travis Elementary School
- Sam Hicks, Lakeway Elementary School
- Vanessa Randels, Rough Hollow Elementary School
- Keegan Luedecke, Serene Hills Elementary School
- Amy Russ, West Cypress Hills Elementary School
- Melanie Beninga, Bee Cave Middle School
- Laura Keogh, Hudson Bend Middle School
- Rebecca Hudson, Lake Travis Middle School
- Debbie Garinger, Lake Travis High School
A Look Back: "Dyslexia Awareness Month" (October)
In recognition and support of October as "Dyslexia Awareness Month," Lake Travis ISD and the International Dyslexia Association share a vision of a world where students with dyslexia are understood and have the tools to succeed.
According to the website Reading Rockets, dyslexia occurs in people of all backgrounds and intellectual levels. People who are very bright can be dyslexic. They are often capable or even gifted in areas that do not require strong language skills. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.
At LTISD, our campus dyslexia specialists work directly with identified students. Additionally, these professionals support their campuses to increase understanding and care for struggling readers:
- J.D. Aguirre - Lake Travis High School
- LuAnne Ainsworth - Itinerant Teacher
- Michaella Buddle - Serene Hills Elementary
- Claudia Carpenter - Rough Hollow Elementary
- Missy Giambruno - Bee Cave Middle School
- Sally Hernandez - Lake Travis Elementary
- Alice Johnson - Lakeway Elementary
- Amy Ledbetter - Bee Cave Elementary
- Sharon McMichael - Hudson Bend Middle School
- Erin Modde - Lake Pointe Elementary
- Colea Podoloff - West Cypress Hills Elementary
- Diane Tilley - Lead Dyslexia Teacher
- Monica Wommack - Lake Travis Middle School
A Look Back: "National Physical Therapy Month" (October)
To celebrate the impact of physical therapists, the American Physical Therapy Association has designated October as "National Physical Therapy Month."
At Lake Travis ISD, school-based physical therapists (PTs) are part of a team of service providers who support a student’s ability to access his or her educational environment. As specialists in movement, PTs assist a student’s physical participation in a variety of settings throughout the school day. Using their unique expertise in movement and function, our school-based PTs ensure a free and appropriate education for students with disabilities to prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living.
The following physical therapists serve students across LTISD:
- Christine Urban
- Heather Amitrani
A Look Back: District recognizes October 18 as "Unity Day"
In recognition of Bullying Prevention Month and "Unity Day," students and staff across LTISD were encouraged to wear the color orange on Wednesday, October 18 as a symbol of support, kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Sponsored by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center, the effort sent a visible message that no child should ever experience bullying and that all students deserve to be safe in school, online, and in the community.
A Look Back: Texas High School Coaches Day (November 3)
Our coaches perform a number of complex roles including serving as full-time teachers, department chairs, hall and cafeteria monitors, disciplinarians, and even grief counselors. Many of these men and women also serve as field trip bus drivers, pep rally leaders, part-time field and facility maintenance workers, and safety and security guards. They are the first to arrive on campus and the last to leave at night. But above all, they care for and support our students, staff, and community without any expectation of recognition or praise.
Our athletic coaches are passionate and dedicated to teaching and coaching, and they make a positive impact on our student-athletes. For these reasons, we proudly joined the Texas High School Coaches Association in recognizing the dedication and contributions of our middle and high school athletic coaches on Friday, November 3, 2023, the first-ever “Texas High School Coaches Day.”
Interested in a corporate partnership with LTISD?
Keeping Connected
Download the LTISD Keeping Connected PDF to learn about the various ways to receive District and campus-level news, emergency notification, and other information.
Stay in the know on the go with our District mobile app for iOS and Android. Follow LTISD on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Learn about Peachjar, the innovative flyer management system that sends District- and school-approved digital flyers directly to parents via email.
Lake Travis Independent School District
Email: info@ltisdschools.org
Website: www.ltisdschools.org
Location: 3322 Ranch Road 620 South, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-533-6000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltisdschools/
Twitter: @ltisdschools