Table of Contents
Wrapping up week 8!
Reminder there is no school on Monday 10/14 while teachers conduct caregiver conferences. If you have not signed up, please check with your teacher/Konstella for details.
In this week's rundown we've got some updates from Ms. Day, important info on Prop A, sign up opportunities for Carnival Volunteers as well as Parking Lot fundraiser volunteers.
TODAY 10/11
Lost & Found will be outside the school all day - Please stop by and claim your items anytime!!
Scroll down and mark your calendar with all latest updates!!
Advocacy Update
by Kelly Griswold, PTA Advocacy Chair
Hi everyone! Popping to remind you that we’re almost a week away from early voting! Its going to be a big one for Austin ISD and public education.
Austin ISD PROP A
Did you know there are going to be two Prop A’s on the Nov. Ballot? The Austin ISD Prop A $41 million in new funds to our schools - more than $550 per student - and will help us keep our librarians and school nurses at our campus. See the attached fliers to learn a bit more.
There is also a Travis County Prop A for affordable childcare - you can find more about that here.
Want to know more about the Travis County propositions that will be on the November ballot? The League of Women Voters is hosting a forum at the Baker School in Hyde Park this Sunday. You can find more details and register here.
Austin School Board Election
Want to know more about the candidates? Check out this rundown here.
Position 8 is an At-Large position - so everyone across Austin will be voting on that position. Depending on where you live, you may or may not have another position on your ballot (for example - Lee is in District 3, where incumbent Kevin Foster is running unopposed).
Have questions or want to get involved? Reach out to advocacy@russellleepta.org.
Thank you to our NEW business sponsors: Page Paul Architecture and CraftCorps!
Thank you to our newest local business sponsors: Page Paul Architecture + Interiors and CraftCorps! Their generosity is helping us continue to deliver amazing opportunities for our school. We also appreciate the opportunity to support and raise awareness of local businesses! If you are a local business and would like to support the school, please email fundraising@russellleepta.org
10/19 - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
PARKING LOT FUNDRAISER
We NEED you! It only takes 4 people 2 hours to collect $1,200 for Lee.
10/19 @ 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Lee PTA Presents: An Enchanted Afternoon!
October 26, 2-5 PM
Join us for an unforgettable afternoon filled with games, inflatables, snacks, and more! The Fall Carnival is a great opportunity to build community and support the school, and best of all—it's completely FREE for families!
To raise money, we'll be hosting a teacher dunk tank and offering a few items for purchase. Cash, Square, and PayPal will be accepted. Don’t forget to bring a refillable water bottle, as October can still run hot.
Want to help? Sign up for volunteer opportunities here. We absolutely cannot pull off this event without the active support of our parent community! In the meantime, if you have a special talent—like face painting, fortune telling, or if you own a large inflatable you'd be willing to lend for the afternoon—please reach out to us at carnival@russellleepta.org.
We look forward to seeing you there!
A special thank to our Fall Carnival Committee Chair Beth Stone.
Shoutout to other Carnival Committee members: Claudia Tescari, Kristy Orr, Jessica Hoffman, Wyeth Slagle, Sykes Marino, Stephanie Chang, and J Ewing.
Reminder: PTA is a group of volunteer caregivers from Lee who feel passionate about creating opportunities for our students to shine both inside and outside of the classroom. We are extremely grateful for every community member who donates any amount of time, talent, or treasure toward our mutual goals.
Clothing Donations | 10/8-10/31
Clothing Donations Needed
Our school nurse is in need of gently used pants and new underwear.
Girls/boys pant size 5-8
Boys underwear size 5-8
The collection bin will be located outside Lee's main door from October 8th-31st.
Save the Date: November 12th at Home Slice
We had such a good time (and turnout) at our Chuy's Spirit Night, that we are hosting another at Home Slice on 53rd Street.
GOOD NEWS: This Spirit Night is actually a Spirit DAY/NIGHT! 10% of all orders that day will be donated back to the school. RSVP not required but helpful!
Please encourage your friends and families to grab some Home Slice...and let's all meet up for dinner that night!
Did someone say 20% off holiday cards?
Don't forget that Minted offers us 20% off AND they give a percentage of the proceeds back to the school.
All you have to do is use code FUNDRAISERUSSELLLEE to get the discount and participate.
Library Lines - October 2024
By Jenny Day, Librarian | jenny.day@austinisd.org | 512-414-2098 ext 57836
Library Calendar through October 31
DATE | GRADE | TIME | LOCATION | EVENT DETAILS |
Wed 10/16 | 5th | 2:15-3:00 PM | Library | Cybersecurity & Incident Response |
Fri 10/18 | 5th | 12:40 PM | Library | Science Friday |
10/21-10/26 | all grades | TIME | Library | Book Fair (will be open during Carnival) |
Tue 10/22 | 3rd-6th | 10:30 AM | Auditorium | Author Visit, Patrick Carman |
What we’ve been up to:
Along with story time, we’ve been working on Library procedures and behavior expectations. Kindergarten has been checking out books, but not taking them home, yet - that will come in November. If your older child has been bringing home their library books - please help them remember to return their books on time. Along with choosing a book they want to read, one of the other things I stress about checking out books is the lifelong skill of borrowing something and returning it in a timely manner. We’ve also been talking about the district Responsible Use Policy and our own computer use at home. We did have one free day for browsing and centers.
Coming up!
Next week: CyberSecurity Awareness talk (Wed) and Science Friday for 5th grade. The whole grade level will come to the library for the CyberSecurity talk. Those interested can sign up for the Science Friday talk during lunch.
On October 22nd author, Patrick Carman, will visit 3rd - 6th grade. We had him do a virtual visit during COVID so I’m excited to see him live! He won’t be selling his books at Lee, but you can order them online or at local bookstores. You can get more information here.
October 21 -26 is our “Galactic Adventures Literati Book Fair!!” We will be open during the day 7:15 - 5:00 Tuesday-Friday and throughout the PTA Fall Carnival. Monday will be Preview Day - expect a wish list from your student. **Library Volunteers - we will still have library classes during Book Fair. Our online book fair is open - you can order books here and they will be delivered to the school after Halloween. I will send them home with your child. You can use the same link to order gift cards for your child or teacher or favorite school personnel.
Thank you for your support through the Halloween Costume Exchange.
It was so much fun to see the kiddos run right to their new best costume!
Browse through the photos of our newest books purchased with the $10,000 PTA grant, costume exchange, 2nd graders making paper flowers, and Centers Day in the Library!!
Lost & Found Updates
10/11 - L&F rack will be outside by the main entrance of the school at pick up
As you can see the rack is full and it's not even sweater weather yet!! Please take a moment to look!
Lee Calendar
October calendar should be in backpacks this week!
10/7-10/11 - Principal Appreciation Week
10/14 - NO SCHOOL - Caregiver Conference Day
10/15 - CAC Meeting
10/18 - Principal's Coffee
Reminder to check in at the main office with a photo ID to participate
10/19 - Parking Lot Fundraiser
10/26 - Lee Carnival (Save the Date)
Save the date & contact our Carnival Chair, Beth Stone at carnival@russellleepta.org to join the planning committee or volunteer the day of! Carnival Website
11/1 - NO SCHOOL
11/12 - Homeslice Spirit Day/Night!
11/14 - 3rd Grade Program "Herstory" *** New date
All New 2nd Grade Program!
On October 10th the Lee 2nd graders performed a brand new showcase celebrating Hispanic Heritage entitled "Hola Amigos"!!
Congratulations to everyone involved with bringing this new program to the stage from inception to execution.
Did you get some great photos that you'd like to see published in the year book or the Rundown? email them to photos@russellleepta.org
10/09 - Bike to School Day Recap
by Jillian DeLaTorre Copeland, PTA Vice President
Lee had an incredible turnout for Walk & Roll to School Day!
Walk & Roll to School Day is an annual event that involves communities from across the country (and globe!) walking and rolling to school on the same day. It began in 1997 as a one-day event.
Today, thousands of schools across America—from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico—participate every October. Over time, this celebration has become part of a movement for year-round safe routes to school.
Big thank YOU to all the caregivers and students who rode their bikes to school today! I anticipated 3 families and was blown away by nearly 40 students who joined the bike bus today! We plan to do it again in the near future, stay tuned!
Photo credits: Jillian DeLaTorre Copeland & John Hindman
9/27 - LOTERIA RECAP
Thank you to everyone who came out to help make this another spectacular Lee event. There was plentiful food, tables of happy faces, and some great prizes!