01-05 - Weekly Newsletter

-- January 6th - January 9th. 2026 --

Hello T-Bird Families!

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season with your kiddos. I’m sure you were ready to get them back to school, and we have been eager to begin 2026 with a strong start. In order for our students to be successful every day, they have to be prepared to learn. Our KIPP Paseo Classroom Norms are:

• Be on time
• Be prepared
• Be respectful
• Be engaged

We are noticing several students are not bringing paper or pencils/pens to school every day. Some students have large backpacks filled with personal items and no school materials. Please review your child’s backpack and ensure they have notebooks for their classes and pens, or pencils, with a sharpener.

Spring Semester is the start of our deep dive into our students’ performance from their exams in December. This means that attendance continues to matter every single day, being prepared matters, and being engaged. There are so many students we want to celebrate in our next Awards Ceremony that will take place on Tuesday, January 20th. Please be on the lookout for an invitation!

Remember, we do not have school on Monday, 1/19, but we have lots of learning, and some subject tests, on Friday, 1/16, so please ensure your child is coming to school. Thank you for making 2026 even better than 2025.

Best,

MG

Welcome back to school, KPR families!

We’ve had a long but successful first week back, and students are settling into their routines. We are excited to welcome back our social work interns next week! Ms. Karime and Ms. Annabelle will be available for student meetings every Tuesday and Thursday. We are also thrilled to introduce our new interns, Ms. Claire (on campus Thursdays and Fridays) and Ms. Julia (on campus daily). With a team of four interns and myself on campus, we have increased availability to support students.

Our team can provide weekly counseling sessions to give students dedicated time to discuss challenges inside and outside of school. If you believe your student would benefit from regular check-ins, please complete a Student Assistance Form (SAF). Once submitted, a social work team member will contact you to discuss support.

I look forward to all the things to come this semester and working alongside our wonderful students!

Best,

Rebecca Coy, LCSW (she/her)

School Based Social Worker

Learning isn't just in the books it's also learning how to stand for school culture values and getting 1,000 points in order to go to the merit trip to Barton Creek mall like these students!

Dear parents,
School pictures are ready!

Visit mylifetouch.com to log in or create an account, find your student and order using your student's student ID number (if available at your school).

All families can also log on and order a FREE Digital SmileSafe card.

More about the Smilesafe program here.
Physical pictures should have gone home today for all students!

Here's where we will post all the fun attendance wins or the helps we might need with attendance!

Right now we have a quarterly competition going on. This competition is based on daily attendance points for a quarter long competition! Attendance is one of if not the MOST crucial part of a students academic success.

Hello families and Happy New Year,

When students returned on Tuesday, they enjoyed our Q2 Attendance Incentive! Students who achieved perfect attendance throughout the entire second quarter earned the exciting opportunity to pie any administrator or teacher of their choice. It was a fun-filled day celebrating their commitment to being present and ready to learn.

We want to thank every single parent who ensured their student was coming to school each day. Your support in prioritizing attendance makes a tremendous difference in your child's education and our school community.

Stay tuned for our newest attendance incentive coming soon...

Everybody got a text message this week with your students standing and what needs to be done to get them on track if they're not already. If they are thank you for helping us get them here everyday! Remember anything below 90% attendance means that based on time with us they've become chronically absent and they will NOT receive academic credit for the year unless they move back above 90%.

Thunderbird families, we are officially in the heart of the winter sports season! Our basketball teams are halfway through their season and showing incredible grit, while our soccer programs are officially kicking off their pre-season play this week.

Grab your calendars and come out to support our student-athletes!

🏀Basketball: The Mid-Season Push

Our basketball teams are battling hard as they enter the second half of the season. Here is where you can catch the action this week:

Middle School (MS)

MS Boys:

Monday, Jan 12: Home Game vs. IDEA Bluff Springs @ 6:00 PM.

Wednesday, Jan 14: Practice until 6:15 PM.

Thursday, Jan 15: Home Game vs. Harmony @ 6:00 PM.

MS Girls:

Monday & Wednesday: Practice until 6:15 PM.

Thursday, Jan 15: Away Game @ KIPP College Prep (8004 Cameron Rd, Austin, TX) @ 6:00 PM.

High School (HS)

Tuesday, Jan 13 (Away): Travel to IDEA Montopolis. Boys @ 5:30 PM | Girls @ 6:45 PM.

Friday, Jan 16 (Home): Double-header at Paseo!Girls @ 6:00 PM | Boys @ 7:15 PM.

Practice Schedule:

HS Boys: Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday until 6:15 PM.

HS Girls: Monday & Wednesday until 6:15 PM.

⚽Soccer: Pre-Season Kickoff

The pitch is calling! Our Varsity teams begin pre-season matches this week.

Boys Varsity:

Wednesday, Jan 14: Away Game @ Hyde Park @ 6:00 PM.

Location: 11400 MoPac Expy S, Austin, TX 78759.

Practice: Monday & Tuesday until 6:30 PM.

Girls Varsity:

Thursday, Jan 15: Home Game vs. Wayside @ 6:00 PM.

Practice: Tuesday & Wednesday until 6:30 PM.

📣Save the Date: Middle School Soccer Tryouts

Ready to join the Thunderbird soccer family? Mark your calendars for MS tryouts!

MS GirlsJan 21 & Jan 22Until 6:00

MS BoysTBDStay tuned!

Happy New Year, Thunderbird families! We’re excited to kick off the spring semester and continue supporting our students on their college and career journeys.

ACT Scores Are In! ✏️
ACT scores from December testing are now available. We encourage you to ask your student to share their results and talk about how they did. This data is important; it helps students be strategic in how they study and focus on specific skills as we prepare for our School-Day ACT in March.

College Trips This Semester 🎓
We have several college trips planned for this semester. More details will be shared as plans are finalized, but we’re excited to continue exposing students to a variety of postsecondary options.

Scholarships & Résumé Building 💡
It’s never too early to start! Encourage your student to:

• Apply for scholarships as opportunities become available

• Get involved in activities, volunteering, or leadership experiences

• Work on building skills that strengthen their résumé

Upcoming CCMR Testing Dates

• School Day ACT: March 24, 2026 (juniors only)

• School Day SAT: April 28, 2026 (juniors only)

• TSI Testing: May 18-20, 2026 (8-11th)

We’re Here to Help 🤝
If you have questions or would like support with your student’s postsecondary plans, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We look forward to partnering with you throughout the semester!

✈️ A new year, new goals, and more opportunities ahead. Let’s keep our Thunderbirds soaring.

Hello Thunderbirds and Parents!

As a reminder our uniform and weekly dress code is NOT optional and must be used or students will have to wait in the lobby for uniforms to be dropped off or to be picked up, it is second semester no students should be out of dress code.

Please read arrival and dismissal reminders!

At some point today you will receive a message IF your student is receiving an award on the 20th!
If you don't receive a text/email they will not be receiving an award during the ceremony. This is for Quarter 2 and Semester 1.

School supplies are becoming a big issue in our school where students don't have the things they need to be successful in class, like pencils, pens, or paper.
Please check in with your students to make sure they are fully prepared for the school day and every class. If there's any financial struggles please reach out to the front office directly.

As a reminder each student is responsible for their chromebook, this included on days they are absent which is why attendance is also so critical! Accidents happen but any damages must be paid to be fixed and any missing ones must be paid to be replaced.

We have a ceremony on the 20th for all those who get a text tonight!

Remember this rating is as a whole school, not just focused on one section or person! Tell us your overall experience with us HERE!

Please fill this form out for the Thunderbird Parent Association! Even if you're already a member please fill the form out.

Your Parent Portal is SO important and crucial to know what's happening in your students day to day school life, on knowing who's teaching your students and so much more!

In addition to reviewing Attendance, Grades, Schedule etc, parents will also be able to update their Address, Contact Information and approved student pickup order.

Login Instructions

In order to sign the consent or check the reports you'll need to login to skyward! I know not everybody knows how to yet so here is a one pager on instructions of how to sign in, and how to reset your password if necessary.

English How-to, EN - Reset Password

Spanish How-to, SP - Reset Password