.png)
Table of Contents
Lee Merch - updates
Fami-Lee, we made it through week 5!
This week marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month (more on that below) which means you are invited to Lee Loteria Night.
We had a few firsts this week: 1st Roadie Work Day, 1st CAC meeting and 1st PTA meeting! Thank you to all the members of the Lee community that are coming out to events and lending their time and efforts to enhance the learning experience for our Roadrunners. Those of you turning words into actions are true heroes!!
Teacher & Staff About Me forms were uploaded to the Lee Staff page if your Room Rep has not sent it to your class yet. Room Reps will try to keep posts to a minimum but expect at minimum a weekly newsletter from them to keep you informed. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Roadrunner Rally
This weekend, I'm asking you to please share the RRR QR code or URL with your friends and family. Encourages those that are able to please contribute in honor of your Roadrunner. Everyone who donates will receive a tax receipt.
Hispanic Heritage Month
How is Lee celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month?
9/27 - Lee Loteria Night
10/9 - 2nd Grade Showcase "Hispanic Heritage Month"
AISD Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
See how AISD is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Another way to join the fun is to submit an entry into the 2024 “Join the Fiesta!” Spanish Heritage Talent Show. This districtwide contest is open to all students, parents, and staff, and includes art, dancing, singing and music. Deadline for submissions is September 30th at 6 pm.
More about Hispanic Heritage
National Hispanic Heritage Month traditionally honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries.
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402. (source)
Additional Resources
All About Roadrunner Rally
Fami-Lee, after Room Rep Orientation, it became clear that there was some ambiguity around Roadrunner Rally so we've been trying this week to share some simple clear facts. The graphic above has a lot of words on it but it highlights some of the key reasons RRR fundraising is so essential.
Donate to Roadrunner Rally today, to help the PTA continue to meet the needs of our school community.
Suggested donation is $150 per child, but any and all donations are appreciated!
Please donate today: roadrunnerrally.hellofund.io
9/25 - Let's meet at Chuy's for dinner!!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR! On Sept 25, we have our first Spirit Night coming up at Chuy's in Mueller...everyone come meet up!!
For every dine-in / take-out order that mentions Lee Elementary - a portion of the check is donated back to the school. Plus it'll be a fun friend hangout!
FYI: Show the attached flyer so Chuy's can note your dinner as part of this fundraiser.
9/27 Loteria Night
Fami-Lee this is the event you've been waiting all year for! Loteria Night is returning to Lee! Bring your Roadrunners for this FREE family friendly event.
Loteria Night
September 27th | 5-7PM
Lee Cafeteria
Will there be food?
YES!! We're planning to have: tamales, taquitos, agua fresca, churros for free!!
9/30 - Halloween Costume Exchange
Y'all Ms. Day, Lee Librarian and last week's Remarkable Roadrunner is hosting a Lee Halloween Costume Exchange!
Monday, September 30th
3:15 PM - 6:30 PM @ Lee Library
Drop-off your CLEAN costumes by Friday, September 27th in the Library
All leftover costumes will be donated so let Ms. Day know if you want yours returned if not taken.
10% off Yearbooks
24-25’ Yearbooks are on sale now through October 31st! Receive 10% off when you order your child’s yearbook early. This discount also applies to last years’ 23-24’ yearbooks if you missed out on ordering. Custom pages are not due at time of order. You can go back and complete that step later. Each book order includes 2 customized pages for your individual yearbook.
If you have any questions please reach out to Selena at historian@russellleepta.org
ALSO, send photos to photos@russellleepta.org
Remarkable Roadrunner
Roadie Work Day Crew!
Huge thank you to John Hewlett, Roadie Chair and all the volunteers who gave up a portion of their Saturday to work on Lee! Every person and every project makes a huge difference to the overall functionality and beautification of our school which positively impacts the learning environment!
The next Roadie Work Day will be in the Spring but if any projects come up in the interim, we'll be sure to call for volunteers!
Pictured above (L to R): The PE bulletin board was FINALLY installed thanks to Blake Hoffman. The Lee entry vestibule was painted by the Gardner family! NEW stronger backpack hooks were installed by Evan Prince and Blake Hoffman. Dani Monahan and UT Architecture student Joaquin Rodriguez put together a new shelf for Ms. Wilborn's art supplies. The Yetter family raked & removed leaves from around old Lee chicken coop. Some of our youngest volunteers were also on hand ready to help!
Thank you to Dani Monahan for nominating this outstanding group of people!
If you were there and weren't mentioned - please consider this as a sincere thank you to you as well.
Feel free to send any photos you took at Roadie Workday to photos@russellleepta.org for the Historian and Communications team to use in future posts.
Want to nominate someone in our community to showcase their good work in the classroom or out of it? Fill out the Remarkable Roadrunner Nomination form.
Lee Merch - UPDATES
From Kimberly Trott, Lee Merch Chair
Pre-orders can be picked up on October 7th at pick up and drop off.
Shop our current Lee merch directly on our Square site (currently limited quantities)
FALL CARNIVAL NEEDS YOU
We're looking for core volunteers to help lead up making Carnival happen. Join the team and spread the word to your community!
Have a teenager that needs volunteer hours? Do you love decorating haunted houses, selling t-shirts, handing out cotton candy, etc... we have a job for you! No volunteer job is too small!
questions : fundraising@russellleepta.org
OTHER WAYS TO HELP: email Wyeth at fundraising@russellleepta.org to join our local business outreach team for donations, sponsorship, and support
Lost & Found Updates
Saundra Edwards, Committee Chair & Claire Boyle are visiting the school weekly to sort and organize L&F items and they ask that you please label ALL your Roadrunners sweaters, hoodies, jackets, water bottles and lunch boxes so we can reunite them with their belongings. Thank you!
Lee Calendar
9/20 @ 8-9AM - PTA Meeting @Lee Cafeteria ***NEW location
Arrive early for coffee & mingling RSVP HERE (walk-ins welcome!)
9/23-9/27 @ TEACHING ASSISTANT APPRECIATION WEEK
9/25 @ Chuy's Mueller - Lee Spirit Night!
9/26 - Roadrunner Rally Coffee Chat
9/27 @ 5-7PM - Loteria Night @Lee Cafeteria
9/28 - Parking Lot Fundraiser eLee Parking lots
9/30-10/4 - CUSTODIAN APPRECIATION WEEK
10/1 - Individual Picture Day
check your backpack for the attached flyers or click on these images to expand them!
10/3-10/4 - No School
10/7-10/11 - Principal Appreciation Week
10/10 - 2nd Grade Showcase "Hispanic Heritage"
10/14 - NO SCHOOL - Caregiver Conference Day
PTA Meeting Recap
First it was a huge crowd. Thanks everyone for taking the time to participate and share your thoughtful insights and suggestions. Those of you working to turn ideas into reality are true Lee heroes. I'm excited to see what's to come!
Thank you to today's meeting sponsors Starbucks for donating two carafes of coffee and Upper Crust bakery for donating a huge assortment of pastries! Sara Farrell, our PTA VP of Membership has been going above and beyond to get amazing donations for meetings and events! It was such a welcome treat!
Meeting highlights:
Kelly Griswold volunteered to be the new Lee Advocacy Chair and she already shared some great and timely information with us!
Lee Live - Mark your calendar for March 29th for a very Texas centric event at the Shady Springs Party Barn over near the airport! Jessie Doloresco is this year's Lee Live Chair but as we know it is truly a group effort so let's work on making it the best yet.
Budget Review - Our PTA Treasurer, Elise Price goes down the budget line by line at every PTA meeting so if you are ever curious, please come to a meeting!
RRR updates - Wyeth, VP of Fundraising gave us a high level look at where we are right now and what we still need. Check your Roadrunner's backpack for a flyer as well that hopefully answers some questions. PLEASE DONATE HERE.
Recess - For those of you with questions about the Recess situation, it is on the agenda for the next CAC meeting. If you are interested in joining a group of concerned parents working with Ms. Placker on a solution, email Selena Melancon at historian@russellleepta.org to join the conversation!
Prop A + Voter Registration!
by Kelly Griswold, PTA Advocacy Chair
Hi Everyone! I'm Kelly Griswold (1st grade mom) and I accidentally raised my hand at a PTA meeting today to head up advocacy at Lee for this year. Jokes aside, I'm excited to be partnering with you guys as we head into an important legislative season for our public schools.
Prop A will be on the November ballot to raise funding for AISD - which is currently in a $78M budget deficit for this school year. Why? Because virtually no additional per-student funding was approved during the last 88th Legislative Session, despite Texas’s $33B budget surplus.
Prop A will help AISD to continue funding basic educational expenses (salaries, utilities, fuel, insurance, etc), as well as new state mandates (school resource officers at every campus, accelerated instruction for students).
What happens if Prop A doesn't pass? The district is exploring cost-saving measures to reduce its budget deficit. AISD is considering cuts to the budget for those services if Prop A doesn't pass:
School librarians
School nurses
Counselors
Support staff
Fine Arts and Career and Technical programs
What can you do?
You can learn more about Prop A via the AISD website here.
Family Fun this Weekend!
9/22 - Free Museum Day
Check out all the museums participating in Free Museum Day this year!!
The 27th Annual Austin Museum Day is a free celebration of art, culture, history, music, nature, and science. Over thirty museums in the greater Austin area will welcome visitors with special programming including guided and self-guided exhibition tours, activities, and more for visitors of all ages.
McCallum Fine Arts performs: Tuck Everlasting
Step into a world where time stands still and every moment is timeless. Follow Winnie Foster’s journey as she uncovers a hidden spring with the power to grant eternal life, forcing her to choose between eternal life and the fleeting beauty of a single lifetime.
September 19-29
McCallum Arts Center
Tickets: www.mactheatre.com
YOUTH CREATIVE WRITING CLUB
(3rd-6th grade, maximum 15 students)
For students interested in any medium of creative writing, be it poetry, playwriting, or story writing, or for students who wish to develop their writing skills as they get ready to transition into middle school. Meetings include writing exercises, one-on-one instruction, workshops, peer reviews, and much more!
Instructed by: Vivien Loving viv.loving@gmail.com (512) 364-3032, a Junior at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) in Austin, and a graduate of the Iowa Young Writers Studio and CIEE's Creative Writing Study Abroad program.
Who: 3rd-6th graders
When: Wednesdays, 5-6 PM, Sept. 25th - Dec. 20th
Where: Spilled Milk Social Club, 3804 Cherrywood Road
Cost: Nothing! Free for all students
Extra info: Please bring a notebook of any kind and a pencil or two; everything else will be provided. A waiver will need to be signed by parents, and can be found as an attachment.
Volunteer w/Mr. Peckham!
THANK YOU to everyone who has volunteered so far but remember, Mr. Peckham is out there every school day so if you have the time, please add your name to the list.
This is a 30 minute commitment that can be fun and easy with 2 or more people working together!
Let's bring back the fun music and happy morning atmosphere! Volunteer today!
If you have a non-Lee parent willing to volunteer like a grandparent contact communications@russellleepta.org to get them on the schedule!
VOLUNTEER HERE| Looking for context for this ask? see last week's rundown here.
Thanks for reading this week's Roadrunner Rundown. As always feel free to share your comments or feature suggestions with Clarissa at communications@russellleepta.org or online here.
Comments