Pony Express

In This Issue:

• Principal's Update
• Happening This Week at O. Henry
• O. Henry Times
• Hoofbeat-- OHMS Student News
• Mustang News- Episode 15
• Counselor Corner-Austin HS Academy News
• School Tours- current and prospective families
• Save the Date- 2024-2025 Course Fair
• Athletic and PE News-6th Grade Strength Club
• Fine Art News-Theatre-Freaky Friday Auditions
• PTA Updates- Save the Date Principal Coffee, OHMS PTA in good standing.
• Other Campus and AISD News: Absence Reporting, Bell Schedule, AISD Calendar, Transportation, AISD Health Services
  

Dear Mustang Families,

Welcome back Mustangs! We are excited to see everyone back in the building on Tuesday, January 9th for the Spring Semester. Students will report to their ACES teacher to pick up a copy of their Semester Two schedule. Some students will be getting new courses and other students might have a different schedule due to balancing class size number. Don't worry if you don't remember your ACES teacher as we will have the lists posted outside the cafeteria window and on the inside bulletin board near the front door.

Adults at home-- We will be reviewing our technology expectations during 5th period with all our students. This will include cell phones, ear buds, and Chromebooks. We have attached the slideshow here for your review at home.

The spring of 2024 is a great time for our students to get reconnected with friends, join clubs, or even get involved in our spring sports. Students this spring will be lauching Leader In Me and the 7 Habits as our Spring Social Emotional Curriculum and Family Connection. We are looking forward to our families connecting with us on our topics each week. I hope you will join me at Principal Coffee this coming Thursday, January 11th at 8:00 to learn more and to socialize with other O. Henry families.

Make it a great week to be an O. Henry Mustang,

Marlo Malott

Monday, January 8th

Teacher and Staff Professional Learning

Tuesday, January 9th - C Day

7:00- 7:40 a.m.-- Camp O. Henry Parent and Student Check In

All Students Report to ACES first for a copy of your schedule

4:00-- Camp O. Henry Students Leave to Buckner

Wednesday, January 10th- A Day

B Lunch-7th Grade Book Club

Thursday, January 11th- B Day

8:00- PTA Coffee with Principal

C Lunch- 6th Grade Book Club

Friday, January 12th- C Day

2:30- Camp O. Henry Returns

Please put the below information in the counselor corner regarding Austin HS Information. Please keep it there, students have until February 6th to fill out the academy preference survey.

Are you planning to attend Austin High School next year?

If you live IN the attendance zone to attend Austin High, go to the "Academy Admissions" tab of the Austin High School website and complete the Academy Preference Survey by February 6, 2024. We recommend you complete the survey after attending Maroon & White Night on November 15.

If you live OUTSIDE THE ATTENDANCE ZONE, go to the Enroll Austin tile on the parent portal, scroll to the yellow "Registration" box and click on "Start Application Now." You'll be completing the "Priority Registration" process and ranking Austin High as one of your top choices. To complete the Next Steps of the curriculum transfer process for Austin High, complete this Academy Preference Survey, which has the written component (short answer response) built into the survey.

Update on the process: We will not be scheduling essay writing sessions at the middle schools or at Austin High this year. All information we need will be collected through the Priority Registration application on Enroll Now and the Academy Preference Survey. Please keep in mind: students do not transfer to a specific academy at AHS. Students sign up to come to our Academy Model, and all academy placements are made via a blind lottery process. We do our best to place all students in their 1st or 2nd choice academy.

Rachel Price

O. Henry Middle School

Counselor

512-414-3229

Ext 70652

A new club successfully launched at O.Henry this past fall: the 6th Grade Girls Strength Club. Mark Newberry spearheaded the new club with the support of Coach Crystal Gaffney, with the goal of introducing our new class of Mustang girls to the benefits of regular exercise, training discipline, and exercise safety. The Club was also an effective way for the girls to get to know one another and get into the gym and weight room weekly.

Originally the goal was to convince 18 6th grade girls to show up every Tuesday morning at 7 am for an hour of weight and plyometric training before school. But interest quickly grew and ultimately over 35 girls signed up for the Club, with approximately 25-30 girls showing up for training every Tuesday morning.

The Club introduced the girls to several exercises, including bench press and squats in the weight room and box jumps, circuit training, and jump rope in the gym. The girls also learned to properly warm up before their exercises, safely handle weights, and spot and watch out for one another. Each week, a group of parent volunteers would help Mark run the class and make sure the girls completed all their exercises effectively and safely. Regular parent volunteers included Max Cook, Patrick Hadlock, Jennifer Milch, Todd O'Neill, Anthony Lostracco, Joe Rohrlich, and John Williams.

The girls improved quickly through the fall. They got more comfortable with the exercises, their form improved, and they got stronger! At the beginning of the Club, the girls set a baseline in high jump, broad jump and push-ups, and as a class they improved at the end of the fall -- in total height and length in the jumping exercises, and in form on the push-ups. A very impressive feat!

Thank you, Coach Gaffney, Mark, and the parent volunteers for making the club happen, and to the girls for committing to a new activity in their first few months at O. Henry. The Club will continue in the Spring. If you or any other 6th grade girls are interested in joining, please reach out to Coach Gaffney at crystal.gaffney@austinisd.org

O.Henry Middle School peeps! 🎉 Guess what? The 23-24 Yearbook is packed with all our crazy moments, and awesome memories. Grab yours now for just $35! But heads up, if you snooze and wait till after December 1st, it's gonna cost ya $40. So, why pay more later when you can snag it for less today? Let's make this year unforgettable! Don't miss out! Go to balfour.com and click the "Shop My School" tab or go directly to this O. Henry hyperlink to pre-order your copy.

O.Henry PTA recently learned that it has achieved Good Standing status from the Texas PTA Association for good financial, governance and leadership. What a way to end 2023 and we could not do it without all of our O.Henry PTA members. Go Mustangs!

Parent/Caregiver Coffee with Principal Malott - January 11, 8:30 am, O.Henry Cafeteria

Mustangs-

Please plan on dressing for the ever changing Texas weather. We expect students to be prepared to be outside. We encourage sweatpants, hoodies, coats, beanies, etc whatever else is needed to feel comfortable.

CLICK HERE for the AISD Guidelines

2023-2024 General School Supply List

Attendance Laws and Regulations

Chromebook Distribution Questions

Enrichment/ACES Supplies We Are Looking For!

Foodservice Information: Breakfast and Lunch Menus, Meal Drop Off Guidelines

Safety Planning - Temperature and Weather Health Guidelines

Teacher Wishlist Items

Have a question or concern for the district, or aren't sure who to ask? Submit a Let's Talk at the button above.

Car Riders: To keep traffic flowing, follow the arrows on the map below. Be patient, student safety is our most important priority. To keep our Mustangs safe, do not drop off in back bus lot. If pickup is altered due to bad weather, a Schoolmessenger alert will go out from the Principal.

Bus Riders: Bus riders may only ride their assigned bus. Use the Bus Finder page to check which route you are assigned. Buses leave promptly at 3:57 PM each day - information about late buses will be available in coming weeks. Buses drop off and pick up on the east side of campus. For additional questions about transportation see AISD's website here.

Walkers/Bike Riders: If walking or biking to school please be safe and use crosswalks to get across streets. Bike racks are available for student use.

Website: https://ohenry.austinschools.org/
Location: 2610 West 10th Street, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-414-3229
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohenryms
Twitter: @Ohenryms