Pony Express

We hope you're enjoying the long weekend! Monday, February 17, is a school holiday in observance of Presidents Day. We look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday for a great week of learning.

📝 Progress Reports & Academic Check-Ins

Progress reports will be available this week, marking a great opportunity to check in with teachers and ensure students are on track. With the end of the 3rd nine-week grading period on March 13, now is the time to take advantage of tutorials and extra support to finish strong!

🏃‍♂️ Spring Sports & Activities

With spring just around the corner, we’re excited to offer a variety of activities for students, including:
✅ Golf
✅ Track & Field
✅ Friday Morning Run Club
✅ 6th Grade Girls Weight Club

Encourage your student to get involved, stay active, and have fun!

🏫 Get Involved – Stay Connected!

O. Henry thrives because of our amazing community, and we invite you to get involved in shaping our school’s future:

• PTA Nominating Committee – Help select next year’s PTA leadership!

• Campus Architectural Team (CAT) – Be part of the conversation around our Phase 1 Modernization and bond updates.

• Campus (Mustang) Advisory Council – Provide input on academics, school safety, and campus priorities.

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We would love for our families to join, serve, and contribute to making O. Henry the best it can be!

Thank you for your continued support—we appreciate our Mustang families and all that you do for our school.

Let’s make it a great week to be an O. Henry Mustang!

☮️, ❤️, and 🐴’s,

Marlo Malott

While the formal members of our team have been selected we want to let you know that our CAT meetings are open to the public, and everyone is invited and welcome to attend.

Please note everyone is invited to participate in the discussions, the decision-making will remain with the selected CAT members. We believe all community members have insights could still be valuable, and we encourage you to join us.

Our first meeting will take place at O. Henry Middle School in the library at 4:30 PM on Wednesday, February 19th.

Also included are few helpful resources to stay up to date with the project:

Additional Resources:

• AISD Bond Webpage
• Calendar of Events
• Bond Book

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting and appreciate your continued interest in this exciting project!

Monday, 2/17- Presidents Day

• No School for Students
• Staff Professional Learning

Tuesday, 2/18 C DAY

• Pre UIL for Orchestra students
• 4:00-- Mustang Council CAC Meeting
• 6:00 -Boys Basketball C Team vs Gorzycki @OHMS

Wednesday, 2/19 A Day

Support AVID- Wear a College or Military Shirt

4:30-6:00 OHMS CAT meeting -- 1st meeting- what is the CAT team, OHMS Bond overview

Thursday, 2/20 B Day

• 7:30 Student Led FCA in Big Gym
• 4:00 Boys C Team Basketball Practice
• 6:00/7:00 Boys Basketball vs Lamar- 7th @OHMS; 8th at Lamar

Friday, 2/21 C Day

• 6:30-7:30 Dance Show- L. A. Fire Tribute Showcase in cafe

Saturday, 2/22

• 9:00/10:30 Girls Soccer vs Lamar at OHMS

Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025 - 6:30 pm

The African American Heritage Celebration program started in 1983 under the leadership of former Austin ISD Associate Superintendent William Charles Akins. This is the 42nd Annual African American Heritage Celebration, and it is an opportunity for Austin ISD to celebrate the academic achievements of our students, the dedication and leadership of staff members, and the commitment of our community partners. We honor over two hundred students, Austin ISD staff members, and various community leaders. The chosen host school this year is Akins Early College High School and the theme is "Unity in Diversity: Celebrating Trailblazers in the Community."

Wednesday, February 26, 2025
6:30 p.m.
Austin ISD Performing Arts Center
1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd.

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Please fill out the form below if your student athlete is interested in participating in the O. Henry Golf Club.

The club is open to any student at O. Henry regardless of skill or grade level. The season typically starts right after Spring Break and goes on until early May.

We work closely with AHS Golf and Lions to create our season schedule. More information will go out as sessions are organized.

O. Henry Golf Sign Up 2025

Welcome to the Mustang Strength Club! Strength Club will meet every Thursday morning from 7:15-8:00 in the O. Henry weight room, starting February 13th. We will be lifting weights
(bench press and squats) and doing simple movements: box jumps, jump rope, pull ups, push ups, etc. Athletes will also have access to the small gym to do various fitness activities.

Who: open to 6th grade girls who are serious about improving their strength and fitness

When: Thursday mornings, 7:15-8:00

Where: O. Henry Weight Room, drop off your athlete on Exposition, athlete will enter through gym doors

Sponsor: Coach Crystal Gaffney (7th grade vball/bball coach)

We will also have parent volunteers leading workouts. Parent volunteers are key to this club's success.

If you are interested in volunteering your time once or more a month, please reach out to Coach Gaffney.

crystal.gaffney@austinisd.org

Check our our School Year 2025-2026 Transition Newsletter.

We will keep this updated until August 2025. Linked here are copies of Course Sheets, Course videos, and more information about O. Henry.

https://secure.smore.com/n/ref0u

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Each week we will feature a member of our faculty and staff. Thank you for being a part of our Mustang Family!

Wanting to be involved but can't make a long-term time commitment? Consider joining the OHMS PTA Nominating Committee!

The PTA is recruiting a nominating committee, which will meet 2-3 times over the next two months. No leadership experience required -- in fact, we encourage new members to jump in! This committee has the privilege of slating qualified candidates for O. Henry's PTA leadership roles. With just a couple of meetings and a big impact, this is a meaningful way to support the school without a big or long-term time commitment. We are looking for interested parents and caregivers who would be willing to help between February and April of this year. If you are interested in more information, please contact Laura Lee Daigle at lauraleedaigle@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting the OHMS PTA!

It's the time of year when we begin thinking about leadership for the upcoming school year! The PTA is recruiting a nominating committee, which has the responsibility of helping find qualified candidates for O. Henry's PTA leadership roles.

With just a couple of meetings and a big impact, this is a great way to support the school without a big or long term time commitment.

We are looking for interested parents and caregivers who would be willing to help between February and April of this year. If you are interested in more information, please contact Laura Lee Daigle at lauraleedaigle@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting the OHMS PTA!

♥️ Heartfelt thanks to Martha Dyess, Gillian Barksdale, Valerie Pardo-Jules, Samara Hull, Tara Heavner, Lizzy Castañeda, Brooke Salman, Becky Hatcher, Jennifer Pac and Dawn Grace for volunteering in the office last week!

Volunteer at the Mustang Mall! We need volunteers to work the store during the 2 hour lunch period. The Mustang Mall now has a dedicated square credit card reader, so the kids are able to use watches, Apple Pay and cards to pay!! CLICK HERE to sign up for Mustang Mall!!

Mustang Mall

The Mustang Mall now has a dedicated square credit card reader, so the kids are able to use watches, Apple Pay and cards to pay!!

We are always looking for volunteers to work the store during the 2 hour lunch period. CLICK HERE to sign up for Mustang Mall!!

February 17 - Student Holiday

February 25 - Mustang Council (CAC) Meeting

SUBJECT: Your student is invited — please RSVP

Dear families,

We’re going to Venice, Florence & Rome in Summer 2027, and you’re invited!

We’re excited to tell you more about the trip we’re planning with EF Tours, our educational travel partner. Please be sure to register for this info session to be considered for this opportunity: https://rsvp.eftours.com/s8e8azv

RSVP | EF Education First

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rsvp.eftours.com

When students travel, they expand their knowledge of the world around them, discover more about themselves, and grow more confident. These skills are critical for creating the global citizens of tomorrow, and we would love to have your student join us on this adventure.

In this info session, we’ll talk about:

• How this opportunity will benefit your student
• What we’ll see and do on our trip
• Everything that’s included in this experience
• How your child can earn academic credit
• How we’re keeping this safe and affordable
• How to enroll on this trip (before it fills up!) during EF’s risk-free enrollment period

There are limited spots on this trip, so we would love to have you attend this meeting to learn more about this exciting opportunity!

Thanks,
Jenny Parker

Please note this is a non-school sponsored trip.

Dear Parent or Guardian,

We hope your child has had a fantastic year so far at O. Henry! We appreciate your partnership this year and are thrilled to begin preparing for the upcoming year.

We wanted to announce that our annual registration process is now open. To ensure your child is all set for next year, you will need to register your child using the AISD Portal by mid-May.

Registering online will only take a few minutes and ensures your child has a smooth transition into the following year. This process allows us to make sure all of your information is up to date.

If you have any questions about the registration process, please call 512-414-7328 or our front office at 512-414-3229.

Lizbeth Rodriguez-Loza

Registrar/ PEIMS Clerk

**90% rule what does it mean?**

If a student drops below 90% in a course, an "NC" is entered instead of a grade. The grade may be passing – but the student did not attend at least 90% of the time. Please contact your student’s Assistant Principal to see what corrective steps must be taken.

Notices are going out to families this week whose students are dropping below 90% attendance and we will be required to attend "Attendance Matters" workshop:

Hello!

My name is Mia Ansel and I am the Undersecretary of Registration for Austin High School Model United Nations. If you are receiving this email, you have either participated in past Jr. AUSMUN Summer Camp programming, AUSMUN Fall Conference, Middle MUN, or you have caught the attention of our program as a school, group, or individual who would be a good fit for this summer experience.

On behalf of Austin High Model UN, I would like to personally invite students from your school to our fourth annual Junior AUSMUN Summer Camp for rising 7th-9th grade students, taking place this Summer from July 7-10! Junior AUSMUN Summer Camp is a four day immersive experience and preview of high school Model United Nations, designed for rising 7th through rising 9th grade students. Campers will gain critical research and writing skills, public speaking confidence, global awareness, and long-lasting friendships through participation in Junior AUSMUN Camp!

The interest form for this program has officially opened and students are encouraged to fill it out if they are at all interested! This form is not official registration; it will simply add students to our email list for further updates (and priority registration) about Junior AUSMUN Camp and provide our staff with a rough estimate of campers. Please click HERE to fill out the interest form. (https://forms.gle/wwdiTZZ3mNCZRQoF8)

If your students have not yet experienced the magic of Austin High MUN programming, we invite you to explore our Junior AUSMUN Camp website. Please visit our website for more information on who we are and the communal impact we strive to make as a program. Please share this email with them and their families!

If you or your student has already entered high school, please feel free to "unsubscribe" from our list by responding to this email. If you have any questions regarding group registration, you are also welcome to reach out and we are happy to provide more information. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions; we look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,

Mia Ansel

Undersecretary of Registration

REGISTRATION LINK: https://www.hoopgeneration.org/spring-2025-tryouts

HG Tryouts

PROMO CODE: SCHOOLPROMO