Mathews Weekly
February 12, 2018
From Grace
I want to take just a minute to share how proud I am of our students who read their essays, stories, and poems in our assembly last Friday. This year for our African American History month writing contest, we asked students in 3rd-6th grade to think deeply about the meaning of Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech and reflect on whether or not we have achieved his dream, both at Mathews and the world. This assembly always blows me away but this year, in particular, their action driven responses made me lean in and listen even more intently as they shared their thoughts. Our students recognized the work we are doing at Mathews to make school a safe and inclusive place for all while recognizing there is much work left to be done in the world. As a staff, we've been working on our own cultural lens and "widening our aperture" to see more. Well, on Friday, our students helped me let in more light - their leadership and calls to action to support and honor all people, especially those who are the most marginalized, made me pause and take another look at my own definition of culture and how we acknowledge and celebrate it at school. Talk about powerful. Their writing will be on display in the main hallway and I encourage you to stop by, read, and be inspired.
We will continue to celebrate culture and tradition this week in honor of the Lunar New Year and this week's assembly will be led by our first grade students, who will be tying in our reading of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Chinese traditions. We'll also have a Dragon and Lion performance later in the morning and our first grade students will wrap up the day with a Dragon Parade for us. Should be an amazing day!
Speaking of amazing, our parent and family volunteers play a huge part in helping our school be a wonderful learning community. If you volunteer in any capacity - from donating supplies to donating time making sure homework is complete, from stuffing Wednesday folders to chairing a committee for a major event like Octoberama or International Festival. However you support our students and school, please know that you are appreciated! This year we'll be hosting our annual Volunteer/Parent Appreciation Breakfast on Wednesday, the 14th, immediately after drop-off. This is when the staff donates food and drink to provide a light breakfast as our way of saying thank you for all you do. Please stop on by!
In less exciting news, I've noticed a return of the U-turn in front of the school during drop-off in the morning. Please take the extra minute to go around the block rather than make a U-turn on a busy and narrow West Lynn. Let's practice patience and safety! Thank you!!!
Please check out information about upcoming AISD budget meetings and school events in the Important Information section below. Worth noting is that one of our 3rd grade Cub Scouts is organizing a food drive for the Central Texas Food Bank (formally the Capital Area Food Bank)! A donation box will be set up in the main hallway and non-perishable food items may be brought in for the next two weeks, beginning this Tuesday. What a great way to show care for our greater community!
I'm looking forward to another week of good things at Mathews, especially the opportunity to get to know and honor each other and watching our students choose kindness and acceptance. Enjoy the rest of your day and we'll see everyone in the morning!
*If you happen to know of a family who isn't getting these weekly email messages, please let them know they can opt in to messages in the parent cloud at: my.austinsid.org
Important Information
STEAM Day - February 23
AISD Budget Information Meetings
A series of Budget Community Conversations will take place beginning Tuesday, Feb 13. Attendees will learn about the financial conditions facing the district and have an opportunity to weigh in on budget priorities. Community feedback will be critical to the decision-making process as our financial officers work to stabilize the budget over the next 3-5 years.
The meeting schedule is listed below. Please note that community conversations held at CAC and Baker are intended for Austin ISD staff. While they are open to the public, parking and seating will be limited.
Tuesday, Feb. 13, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Crockett High School Cafeteria
Thursday, Feb. 15, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Baker Center Cafeteria
Thursday, Feb 15, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Lanier Early College High School Cafeteria
Friday, Feb. 16, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Carruth Administration Center Board Auditorium
Online Registration
You can access online registration using the parent portal at: my.austinisd.org If you have any questions about registration, please contact Julie Salazar, our fantastic registrar. Also, please continue to keep in touch with me about transfer needs and requests. Thank you!
Girl Day at UT
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day and the Girl Day STEM Festival
Saturday, February 24, 2018
12-5 p.m.
UT Austin Campus
For more information, and to register a girl (or boy) to attend, please visit: http://www.girlday.utexas.edu
Easy Ways to Support our School
Did you know that you can support Mathews while you shop for groceries, supplies, and goods?
Mathews participates in the Box Tops for Education program which gives us $0.10 for each Box Top collected and turned in. Many of the items you already purchase have Box Tops on them; simply cut out the Box Tops and drop them off in the pink boxes on the window sills by the cafeteria. In November, we made almost $25.00. While that may not seem like a lot, it can add up quickly and we appreciate all the help. If you'd like to learn more about this program, this link has helpful information: https://www.boxtops4education.com/about
Arrival Update and Dismissal
Dismissal: We have more buses/vans picking up our kiddos this year. Please do not park in the front between 2:00 and 3:15 pm, even if waiting for dismissal. It is important that we leave the front lane open for buses and childcare vans. Thank you!!
Wednesday Folders
The Week at a Glance
Monday, February 12, 2018
- School Tour at 9:00 am
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
- Happy Valentine's Day!
- Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast in the library at 7:45 am
Thursday, February 15, 2018
- Shelter in Place Drill - 1:00 pm - All
Friday, February 16, 2018
- Happy Lunar New Year!
- Assembly - 7:50 am - First Grade Presents
- Chinese Dragon/Lion Dance Performance at 10:30 am - Gym - Al
- 1st Grade Dragon Parade at 2:00 pm
Upcoming Events:
- February 19 - Student Holiday - Parent/Teacher Conference Day
- February 21 - Korean Drummers Performance
- February 22 - Fire Drill
- February 23 - Most Magnificent Day of STEAM
- February 23 - Mathews Meeting
- February 26 - CAC Meeting
- March 2 - Track and Field Day!
- March 7-9 - 6th Grade Camp
- March 9 - Principal Coffee - Suicide Awareness and Prevention
- March 9 - Fire Drill
- March 9 - Mix it Up Lunch
- March 12-16 - Spring Break!
- March 20 - Reverse Evacuation Drill
- March 20 - Family Build Night
- March 26 - Honor Roll Assembly
- March 26 - CAC
- March 28 - Personal Best Cookies and Tea
- March 30 - Mathews Meeting
- March 28 - Girls Outside Field Trip
About Us
Website: mathews360.com
Location: 906 West Lynn Street, Austin, TX, United States
Phone: 512-414-4406
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathews360/
Twitter: @mathews360