Table of Contents
Wrapping up week 9!
THANK YOU to our current Parking Lot volunteers for tomorrow's game. Anyone else able to help would be hugely appreciated.
1st 9 week report cards are on the horizon! Those of you eager for a peek can check Frontline (which might still change) but of course final report cards will be posted under "student documentation" in the AISD portal by the end of next week.
Next week is also Library Book Fair week! See Ms. Day's announcement below. AND it is the kick off of Cosmic Week in PE. IF that wasn't enough the Carnival is almost here. Have you signed up to volunteer? Are you attending? Are you entering the costume contest or the pumpkin contest? Get ready for an epic day at Lee! More on all of that below.

Advocacy Update
by Kelly Griswold, PTA Advocacy Chair

Early voting starts this upcoming Monday, Oct. 21. You can find polling locations and times here.
Need to do some homework on who and what will be getting your vote? See these links below:
Personalized voter information for any election: https://www.vote411.org/
View who’s running in Texas School Board, Texas House and Senate, and view candidate’s records on public education issues: https://teachthevote.atpe.org/
Voting tools for educators: https://texaseducatorsvote.com/
Prop A
Over $4 billion in state funding was set aside for Texas schools during the last legislative session, but was not released to Texas school districts. Across Texas ISDs across the state have similar propositions on their ballots in an effort to make up for that shortfall. AISD Prop A is a direct result of that legislative action - looking to make up a $78 million deficit due to unreleased funding.

On Tuesday, AISD hosted a community conversation on Prop A - you can find a link to that presentation here.
Some key highlight on how we got to Prop A:
Texas is currently $4,000 behind the national average in per-student funding.
Texas has not raised the per-student funding for over 5 years, despite having a multibillion dollar state budget surplus.
The Texas legislature has placed additional mandates on school districts — such as HB3 (requiring school resource officers and security vestibules) — but did not increase funding to match the expenses.
Have questions about Prop A? You can Text: 512-856-6123 to chat with an AISD representative.

AISD Board of Trustee Meeting Recap
The ACPTA puts out a handy recap of AISD Board of Trustee meeting - if you’re interested you can view that recap here.
Have questions or want to get involved? Reach out to advocacy@russellleepta.org.
The Book Fair has Landed
By Jenny Day, Librarian | jenny.day@austinisd.org | 512-414-2098 ext 57836

October 21-26
Monday * Preview Day
Shop after school until 4:15
Tues - Fri * Shop 7:15-4:15
* Friday until 6:00
Saturday * Fall Carnival
Shop 2:00 - 5:00
You can order gift cards and books at our online fair until Sunday, Oct. 27.
(Except for gift cards, items ordered on the website will be delivered to the school 5-10 days after our book fair ends.)
PE Cosmic Week is almost here!!

Get ready for Cosmic Week at the end of October!! We’re transforming the gym into a Black Light Wonderland to celebrate the end of our throwing, catching, and bowling unit!!
Students can add to the fun by wearing white or neon outfits on their PE Day. Last year, we saw amazing glow-in-the-dark hair, face paint, and light-up scrunchies—can’t wait to see your creativity this year!
Each class will have two PE sessions of Cosmic activities. Check the schedule for your child’s days. Let’s make this Cosmic Week unforgettable!
Remarkable Roadrunner

I just want to call attention to the awesome Bike Bus Leader, Jillian DeLa Torre Copeland! This was supposed to be a one time event which has evolved into a weekly meetup! Thank you Jillian for always stepping up and serving the Lee community!
Want to join the Bike Bus? We'll be posting the meetups on Konstella or you can follow along on our Caregiver Facebook Group here.
Don't forget to nominate a Roadrunner (caregiver, staff, student, group) for the weekly Remarkable Roadrunner spotlight! We want to celebrate community members whenever possible. Remarkable Roadrunner Nomination Form
10/19 - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

PARKING LOT FUNDRAISER STILL TIME TO VOLUNTEER!!!
We NEED you! It only takes 4 people 2 hours to collect $1,200 for Lee.
10/19 @ 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
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
If you take photos at any Lee event that you think might look great in the yearbook, please send them to us at: photos@russellleepta.org

Lee PTA Presents: An Enchanted Afternoon!
October 26, 2-5 PM

This year, we're excited to have Blowcomotion perform in addition to Lee Sings, making this a carnival you won’t want to miss.
👻 Volunteers + Donations Needed! 👻
We need your help to keep our activities running smoothly. Sign up today to donate a little over an hour of your time to make this event unforgettable for the kids!
💰 Fundraising Reminder 💰
The Fall Carnival is a great fundraising opportunity for our school! While most activities are free for the kids, we will have items for purchase and accept cash, PayPal, and Square
💦 Teacher Dunk Tank! 💦
Yes, you read that right—five of our brave teachers have volunteered for the dunk tank to help raise funds. You won’t want to miss this chance to dunk your favorite teachers!
🎃 Pumpkin Carving Contest 🎃
This year, carve and decorate your pumpkin at home, then bring your masterpiece to the carnival by 2:30pm for the chance to win a trophy you won't soon forget! We’ll display all the submissions at the Carnival, and the community will vote for their favorite. We can't wait to see what you come up with!

👗 Costume Contest 👗
Get creative with your costumes! Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:
🏆 Spookiest
🏆 Funniest
🏆 Best Group Costume
🏆 Most Original
🏆 Best Enchanted Forest Theme
Volunteer opportunities here. Questions? email carnival@russellleepta.org.
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.
Lost & Found Updates
The Lost & Found team asks that you please take the tine to label your student's items this week as the racks are filling up quickly!
Lee Calendar
October calendar should be in backpacks this week!
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 - Home Slice Spirit Day/Night!
11/14 - 3rd Grade Program "Herstory" *** New date
October Teacher Appreciation

Did you know that each month the PTA offers a small token of appreciation to the teachers? This month, it was a DIY Trail Mix Bar!
Thank you to our Appreciation Chair, Stephanie Lermer and her team for always putting together such amazing treats!
And THANK YOU to all the exceptional teachers at Lee who help create such a thriving Roadrunner community!!
Questions or want to help? Email, appreciation@russellleepta.org
Hyde Park Fire Station Festival & Costume Parade

The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association proudly hosts the Fire Station Festival on October 20th from 3:00-5:00 pm at Fire Station #9 at 4301 Speedway.
Come help us celebrate the 50th birthday of Hyde Park Neighborhood Association. This event is for residents of all ages!
The costume parade will begin at 2:45pm at Shipe Park and we will walk to Fire Station #9 at 4301 Speedway.
Volunteer w/Mr. Peckham!
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 the 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.
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