GSA News Archive: 2008-2009
May 2009
News from Lisa: Survey Says... We conducted our annual parent opinion survey a few weeks ago, and I've summarized the results.
8th Grade Trip: D.C. or Bust! The 8th graders share their thoughts about their recent trip to Washington, D.C.
New Advising Program for the Middle School: We are giving our advising program an upgrade.
Note from the Board: As we close out another great year at The Girls' School, the Board of Trustees is taking some steps to be ready for the coming years.
Guided Reading: Guided Reading is individualized language-based instruction in a small group setting.
Talent Show: A few pictures from the last talent show.
Volleyball: Way to Go!! The TRUE BLUE Volleyball team is wrapping up its season.
Art Beat: GSA was again festooned with all shades of tie-dye during our bi-annual event!
April 2009
News from Lisa: In Support of Getting Dirty. David Sobel (who studies environmental education and kids) makes the case that kids who are exposed to environmental education in the classroom might not end up being the ones who care the most.
Starry, Starry Night: A heartfelt thank you is extended to everyone who participated in this year's annual gala, Starry, Starry Night.
Admissions: The Girls' School is approaching the end of its seventh year...
Honors Orchestra is on a Roll: This year, the Honors Orchestra was invited to perform for several music and art festivals.
Piano Portraits: The second annual Piano Portrait Concert was held Tuesday, April 21 at Congregation Beth Israel.
6th Annual Self Portrait Show: Over 300 students, families and friends attended our opening reception at the marvelous Maranda Pleasant Gallery on April 25th!
8th Grade Visits Famous Sculptor: We were privileged to be invited to visit the Austin studio of nationally known wood sculptor, David Everett, early this month.
Public Speaking: On Friday, March 27, The GSA Speech Team competed in our district meet.
GSA Celebrates Earth Day: This year the GSA middle school participated in The Earth Day Groceries Project.
The Junk Yard Lot: On Wednesday April 8th, Zach Scott's traveling theater troop came to GSA to perform The Junk Yard Lot.
Middle School Art Competition: The GSA 6th, 7th and 8th graders swept the competition at the Austin Middle School Art Show.
Art Beat: This has been our busiest art month ever—the Self Portrait Show and the AVEDA Floating Gallery combined to make GSA Art a formidable experience!
March 2009
News from Lisa: The Fund-a-Need — A Home for the Middle School. As you know, we have spent the last year working on a conditional use permit (CUP) on a unified site plan.
Portrait Show: Presenting the 6th Annual Girls' School of Austin Self-Portrait Show "She Is Me"
Aveda Art Show: We are partnering with AVEDA to support Earth Day with our beautiful artwork. (Reception on Sunday, April 26, 1:00-3:00 p.m.)
A New Standardized Exam for GSA: We will be introducing our students to the CTP-4 series of exams, which will replace the Stanford-10.
Field Trips: A look at past and upcoming field trips for the Middle School.
A Midsummer Night's Dream: The fifth grade worked diligently on our production of A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare.
Art Beat: Our acrylic on canvas self portraits are blooming in every grade!
February 2009
News from Lisa: Growing through Conflict. Yesterday, as I watched our middle school girls perform the one-act play Alice in Wonderland, I was reminded of the importance of roles in relationships.
Gala Update: The annual gala is, first and foremost, a fundraiser for GSA. That said, it's also an opportunity to bring together the adults in our community to celebrate our successes.
Admissions: February is the month for decisions in the Admissions Office.
Message from the Board: The next time you see Alex Argyros (Persey's dad) around campus, please congratulate him. Alex is the newest member of GSA's Board of Trustees.
Alice in Wonderland: On Saturday, February 21, GSA's One-Act Play cast put months of hard work on display at the PSIA One-Act Play competition.
Art Beat: The kiln has been cooking with clay creations by all grades!
January 2009
News from Lisa: Planning Ahead. Schools have rhythms, some of which may surprise you. For one, we're always planning for the year ahead, it seems.
Gala Update: The 2009 Gala will be Sunday, April 19 at The Four Seasons Hotel Austin. The gala will follow a similar format as last year, with a silent auction during the cocktail hour and a live auction during the seated dinner.
Scholastic Art Awards: Seven winners from The Girls' School of Austin!
Admissions: As I've written before, we're trying a new admissions process for Kindergarten this year. On Saturday, January 10, we had our first prospective Kindergarten play day.
Seventh Grade Retreat: The seventh grade girls, along with Ms. Abell, Mrs. Cook, Dr. Juli Fellows, and Ms. Schmitt, spent three wonderful days at Highland Lakes Camp.
Robotics Teams Finish Season Strong: GSA was well-represented at the recent Central Texas Junior First Lego League (JFLL) Expo on January 10.
Winter Concerts: Last month students shared their music and hard work with the GSA community. The girls played very well, treating us to a wide variety of music from Bach to Axl Rose!
Art Beat: There are brilliant woman artists who are often overlooked in history and we are celebrating the new year with our study of the techniques and portraits of a few of them.
December 2008
News from Lisa: Ethics and Girls. The middle school years - which occur at the height of a brain-restructuring hormone onslaught - can be difficult, but they are also the opportune years to introduce girls to some of the "big picture" questions that will frame their adult lives
Message from the Board: Uncertainty. A little is ok. There would be no opportunity without it. And as a parent it seems that some just comes with the territory.
Admissions: The Admissions Office (that space in front of Ms. Sylvia's desk which is also the reception area and the Nurse's Office) has been extremely busy lately! We've had parent interviews, tours, student assessments, and shadow days.
All-Region Orchestra: On November 22, seven GSA middle school string students performed in the All-Region Orchestra concert at Pflugerville High School. This was the culmination of many weeks of preparation and a well-deserved reward for their success at the All-Region audition in October.
World Have Your Say: On November 21st the 8th Grade took a trip to the KUT Austin City Limits studios to be in the audience of a live taping of the BBC program World Have Your Say. Millions of people everywhere were listening to the show.
Robotics Teams Advance to Finals: Congratulations to GSA's two robotics teams, the 3rd-5th grade Volcanic 7 and 6th-8th grade Spare Pieces. Competing in separate qualifying events, both teams took 3rd prize in Research Presentation!
2008 Science Fair: Can subliminal perception influence your selection of M&Ms? Are eighth grade students more likely than first grade students to turn up the volume on their iPods?
Operation Blue Santa: The Kindergarten through 3rd grades participated in this community service project for the holidays.
Art Beat: Tie Dye Extravaganza!
November 2008
News from Lisa: While the Leaves Turn. It has been a busy month on campus, what with various characters (the usual plus some new ones) frolicking about.
High School Placement. As the Admissions Director I am spending the fall reading new student applications and teacher recommendations coming into the office, scheduling shadow days and play dates for prospective students, ...
Service Learning. This month the 8th grade worked on three projects for Service Learning.
8th Grade Visits the Kimbell. The first Eighth Grade field trip of the year took place on October 29th.
Robotics Competition Around the Corner. The robotics countdown is on! In one week, the 6-8th graders will face stiff competition at the First Lego League (FLL) Austin-area qualifier tournament.
S.E.T. Update. The eighth grade Science, Engineering and Technology class has been building and programming robots this trimester.
Bump, Set, Spike! Congratulations to the 5th & 6th grade volleyball team for their impressive finish in the WAYA league...2nd place!
Art Beat: And the Beat goes on...! The new school year is off to a great start, with all of our talented girls creating their imaginative and impressive super heroes (and villains!), soon to be seen in the Courtyard Gallery.
October 2008
News from Lisa: Bringing Up Baby. We are well into the first trimester; routines have been established and the activity called "school" is well underway. Some of you might remember the classic film Bringing Up Baby...
All-Region Orchestra Tryouts: On Saturday, October 11, like several hundred string students from the Austin and Eanes school districts, 12 GSA middle school students went to McCallum High School to try out for All-Region Orchestra, and seven of them made the cut.
Service Learning: This is the second update from the 8th grade on our Service Learning project. We have been contacting organizations we'd like to work with, planning projects, and finding ways to update the whole GSA community on our progress.
GSA Robotics: The GSA K-2 robotics teams are off to a roaring start!
Admissions Q&A: When prospective families visit the school I ask them to share some information with me, including how they heard about The Girls' School.
Lightning Strikes Again!: Congratulations to the 5th & 6th grade volleyball team...they are 4-1!
Ranch Romp - Jojo's Journal: My classmates, the 5th grade class, and I had a lot of fun at Ranch Romp.
Art Beat: The GSA Courtyard Gallery is festooned with the girls' dramatic and delicate Sumi-E (Japanese brush painting) and Chinese calligraphy artwork.
September 2008
News from Lisa: The Girls' School Turns Seven. From the five girls in a house to our current enrollment in Tarrytown, this is still a young-and-growing school, and it is an exciting time to be part of this adventure.
Fall Celebration: Please join the entire GSA community on Sunday, October 26 from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Mayfield Park for our second annual Fall Celebration & Annual Fund Kick-Off. Relax and socialize among the peacocks and fish ponds while making your financial commitment to the school. The Lost Pines, an acoustic bluegrass group, will provide entertainment, delicious food and a cash bar will be available, and we'll hold our fundraising program at 4:30 p.m. Invitations will arrive in early October - please watch your mailbox, and mark your calendar today.
Message from the Board: With a new school year we welcome new families, new programs, and new classroom resources.
8th Grade Retreat: On Friday the 29th of August, the eighth grade class of GSA went to the Shambhala Meditation Center, accompanied by Ms. Ramberg and Ms. Schmitt, for a purpose unbeknownst to us.
Newton's Apple: The new, improved, science curriculum began with a bang!
Art Beat: And the Beat goes on...! The new school year is off to a great start, with all of our talented girls creating their imaginative and impressive super heroes (and villains!), soon to be seen in the Courtyard Gallery.
August 2008
Grants: The Girls' School is the recipient of a Moody Foundation grant for math, science and technology. The foundation offered us $5,000 if we could raise at least $22,000 toward our goal of $28,000, which we did in spades at our annual Gala in April.
When Girls Bully: Barb Steinberg will present at 3:15 p.m. on September 3 on the GSA campus. Ms. Steinberg is the former director of programs at GenAustin. She now writes and presents on a variety of topics of interest to women and girls.
Math Night: Come with your questions about how to support your daughter in the Everyday Math program. Math Night is on September 9 at 5:45 p.m. for grades 1 and 2 and at 7:00 p.m. for grades 3 and 4.
Accreditation: The Girls' School of Austin is now accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).