The LAND Line

It's been such a full October so far, and the past week was no exception! Thank you to all of you who volunteered on Friday to help serve snacks at our first PeaceFest with fabulous Fall weather! Even more of you showed up for the Garden & Grounds work day to 'love your park' and support all the planning and energy that Libby Chennell (& SO MANY OTHERS!!) put in to improving our campus! My heart and soul is SO full getting to be a part of the enthusiasm Maplewood has for positive behavior reinforcers and outdoor learning!

While our fifth graders are soaking up their outdoor school experience at Camp Champions this week, they will still participate in Unity Day on WED OCT 21 by taking a group picture wearing orange stickers! I'm so excited to see how students get creative with the idea, where the goal is to unite against bullying of any kind and show our solidarity with one another. We reminded all students at last Friday's assembly NOT to buy anything new for this effort. If kids don't have anything orange or forget to wear it, there's always an orange marker at school to draw a peace sign on a hand! We will also have an orange ink pad for students to get a peace sign hand stamp at lunch on Wednesday, if they want.

In the meantime, I'll wrap up my current lessons on unity using the book, "One" by Kathryn Otashi, and continue lunch groups which wrap up in 2 weeks. I'll also reach out to families with invitations for students who might benefit from weekly lunch visits with a McCallum High School mentor. We will have 10 of these "PALS"(Peer Assisted Leadership & Service) mentors assigned to our campus. Each one will meet with a different Maplewood student during 2 separate timeslots that overlap with our lunchtimes. This support is great for kids who need a little extra motivation at school - socially or academically - from older kids who have been through an extensive process to qualify and train as mentors. If you have questions or think your child might benefit, please email me.

Keep scrolling for more reminders and resources, and don't forget to thank our bus drivers and crosswalk guards for Transportation Workers Appreciation Week! As always, have a great week!

• Community Conversation: Marshall Middle School Boundary Update / Conversación comunitaria de Austin ISD: Actualización de límites de la Secundaria Marshall

  Date / Fecha: Monday, October 19 / Lunes, 19 de octubre

  Time / Hora: 6–7:30 PM

  Location / Lugar: Marshall Middle School, 4401 Tilley St., Austin, TX

  Austin ISD is establishing a dedicated attendance boundary for General Marshall Middle School, which opened without a defined attendance area. As part of Phase 1 of our districtwide boundary planning to build aligned feeder patterns from elementary through graduation, families and community members are invited to a community conversation to review draft scenarios and discuss potential impacts on elementary attendance areas before the Board of Trustees votes in October.

  Español:

  Austin ISD está trabajando para establecer un límite de asistencia dedicado para la Escuela Secundaria General Marshall, la cual abrió sus puertas sin un área de asistencia definida. Como parte de la Fase 1 de la planificación de límites del distrito para crear patrones de trayectoria escolar alineados desde la primaria hasta la graduación, se invita a las familias y a la comunidad a una conversación comunitaria para revisar los borradores de las propuestas y conversar sobre los posibles impactos en las áreas de asistencia de las escuelas primarias antes de la votación de la Mesa Directiva en octubre. Esperamos que nos pueda acompañar.

  • Review Draft Plans | Revisar los borradores del plan
  • Submit Feedback Online | Enviar comentarios en línea

Fall Fest is coming up on Saturday, October 24 from 3–5 PM, and we need your help to make it a success! Please sign up for one (or more!) volunteer spots below to help us bring the fun to life for our Maplewood community.

Volunteer Roles:

• Trunk or Treat – Hand out treats and keep the fun rolling in the Trunk or Treat area
• Yard Games – Oversee simple outdoor games and keep things running smoothly
• Haunted Gym – Help create spooky fun inside the Haunted Gym
• Food – Help out in the kitchen
• Set Up (1:00–3 PM) – Assist with setup before the event begins
• Clean Up (5–6:30 PM) – Help pack up and clean up after the festivities

Thank you for volunteering, your time and energy make Fall Fest possible!

Festival de Otoño – Hoja de inscripción para voluntarios

¡El Festival de Otoño será el sábado 24 de octubre de 3 a 5 PM y necesitamos tu ayuda para que sea un éxito! Regístrate en uno (¡o más!) de los turnos de voluntariado a continuación.

Roles de voluntariado:

• Tronco o Dulce – Reparte dulces en el área de Trunk or Treat.
• Juegos al aire libre – Supervisa juegos sencillos al aire libre.
• Gimnasio encantado – Ayuda a crear diversión espeluznante dentro del gimnasio.
• Montaje (1:00–3 PM) – Ayuda a preparar antes de que comience el evento.
• Limpieza (5–6:30 PM) – Ayuda a recoger y limpiar después del festival.

¡Gracias por ofrecer tu tiempo y energía!