WEEKLY UPDATE
Dear Lamar Community -
Thank you for another fantastic week! We started the week off with a bang and a storm that hit right at dismissal. Thankfully the rest of the week was much smoother.
I invited Lt. Pickford and Sgt. Barnes from the Austin ISD Police Department out to campus this week to observe our dismissal process. You may recall from a previous newsletter that we met over the summer to plan for the construction. We knew that we may have to readjust once the year started. After their observation, we continue to encourage students who are eligible to ride the bus to do so. This will reduce the traffic around Lamar. If you do pick up your child after school, please exercise extreme caution and obey the posted speed limits. Some parents have found it easier to meet their child a street over from Wynona so as to avoid the traffic in front of school.
The Bark continues to below with a lot of important campus updates.
Have a great weekend and Go Verde!
Sincerely,
Megan Tesano
Principal
LET'S GO SCOTTIES!
Thursday kicked off the volleyball season for our Lamar Scotties! Both teams played great games.
Lamar takes on O'Henry in the large gym next Thursday, Sept 1st at 6:00 pm (B team) and 7:00 pm (A team).
REMINDER ABOUT ATTENDING ATHLETIC EVENTS
We encourage our students to support their classmates by attending athletic events. We will be going over the following expectations with students this week in Scottie Seminar:
- Students must be accompanied by a parent to attend events.
- Fans are encouraged to cheer loud and proud for their team, but not against the other team.
- At no time are fans allowed to address the officials.
- Noisemakers are not allowed.
We thank you for supporting your Scotties as we develop their skills around sportsmanship.
OFFICE HOURS BEGIN ON TUESDAY!
Teachers will begin offering "office hours" from 7:55 am to 8:15 am Tuesdays through Fridays. Students may obtain a pass from their morning location or the central location in the main foyer. Students must have a pass to attend office hours.
While not required, it is a good habit for students to notify their teachers when they plan to attend office hours.
MAP GROWTH WINDOW OPENS
Students will begin taking their Beginning of the Year MAP Growth assessments this week in their English Language Arts classes. Math assessments will begin the following week.
The MAP growth assessment is a way for teachers to learn about students current reading and math levels. Teachers then use this data to design individualized pathways for students and other instructional decisions.
CHROMEBOOK UPDATE
Mr. Willenberg has been working hard this week to get students district issued Chromebooks. Students who bring their own devices may continue to do so until they receive their district issued device.
INTRODUCING OUR NEW 504 & CAMPUS TESTING COORDINATOR!
Ms. Melinda Kirk will serve as Lamar's 504 and Testing Coordinator. She will be in the office Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and every other Thursday.
Ms. Kirk is attending training during the upcoming week and will begin holding 504 meeting soon after.
Her email address is melinda.kirk@austinisd.org.
SAVE THE DATE FOR BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT (BTSN)
Wednesday, September 7th at 5:45 pm. Complete details will follow in next week's Bark. In the meantime, you may want to practice finding your child's schedule in the Parent Portal at portal.austinisd.org.
FOOTBALL SEASON IS STARTING SOON!
Mark your calendars for the first football game on Tuesday, Sept 6th at 6:00 pm and 7:30 pm at Nelson Field.
PTA NEWS
FENCE SIGNS!
Help support Lamar and advertise your business by sponsoring a sign on the Lamar fence. Your donation is not only great advertising in a high traffic area, it is also tax deductible. Sales open August 29 at https://lamarpta.org/join/fence-sponsorship-2/
ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM TEACHERS
Are you interested in auditioning or working on Lamar's school-wide musical this year? Come find out more about Shrek the Musical Jr!
Meet the Directors, get the details, ask questions at the Informational Meeting in the Lamar Library Tuesday 8/30 at 6pm. This meeting is not mandatory to audition, but helpful to all. Auditions for Shrek the Musical Jr will be help Sept. 13 & 14 and participants must pre-enroll for an audition. Find out how!
email le.easter@austinisd or michel.kennell@austinisd.org for questions about the meeting.
Texas Book Festival
2022 Fresh Ink Fiction Contest – Texas Book Festival
VISUAL ARTS
Hello Visual Art students and parents and welcome to the 2022-2023 school year!
The first Visual Arts Major meeting (For Visual Art Major students only) is Sept.1 at 7:55am in room 506 (there will be a drawing with free art materials for those who attend)
The first Visual Art Booster meeting (parents only, food and beverage provided!) is Aug. 31 at La Mancha restaurant at 4:30pm.
This is the perfect time to get a lot of questions answered about Jr. Vase, Open studio, Fundraisers, Booster Club, and many other things. You also get some face time with the teachers and other Visual Art Major Parents. 4:30pm at La Mancha (2203 Hancock dr, Austin)
If able, please RSVP here if you plan to attend so we can get an estimated count for snacks and beverages. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0B4DA8AF2DA5FC1-meet
Silent Auction Items: Our biggest fundraiser of the year is LamARTe. This even brings in the majority of our funding, which is used for supplies that students need and updates the art rooms are in dire need of (like safe and secure storage for projects). The district only provides a small percentage for supplies that does not cover the majority of what we need to have an effective and sustainable program. If you have or know someone who has something to give for the Silent Auction, please let Ms. Thomas know- jacklyn.thomas@austinisd.org. THANK YOU!
Booster Club:We are so grateful for the amazing Booster Club parents who make all our events and programs possible. If you are interested in joining, we would love to have you! Meeting dates are below. You do NOT need to volunteer tons of time, we have positions and needs to fit all abilities and time restrictions. One connection can make all the difference in supporting our students.
Sept. 28, Oct. 26, Nov. 30, No meeting in December, Jan. 25, Feb,. 22, March 29, April 26, May 17