GSA News Archive: 2009-2010
May 2010
News from Lisa: Busy as Bees – or Apidae. It's been an exciting month—what with thinking about renaming the school and planning our construction project.
Note from the Board: First of all, we welcome Keith Smith as a new member of the Board of Trustees.
April 2010
News from Lisa: The Rites of Spring. Students are preparing for concerts and art shows.
Note from the Board: Congratulations to the tremendous efforts of Jenny Smrekar and Suzanne Quinn for making the April gala such a success.
GSA ART at Barton Creek Mall for Earth Day! April 10 through April 30, Floating Art Gallery, Aveda Store, Barton Creek Mall
Piano Studio Composition Concert: Thursday, April 29 at the Congregation Beth Israel
Self-Portrait Show: Friday, April 30, at Flatbed Press East Gallery
March 2010
News from Lisa: Middle School Moves "Down the Hill". Next school year, we expect to offer our middle school students a new home in Windsor House.
February 2010
News from Lisa: A Local Education. One of the wonderful things about being in central Austin is easy access to so many cultural and educational opportunities.
Note from the Board: I am writing about communication because it's a continual topic, and most of us think we need more and more.
One Act Play Competition: Saturday, February 20, St. Michael's Academy
Something Extra at GSA: Yale's a cappella group on campus on Monday, March 8.
January 2010
News from Lisa: GSA is Jumpin'. There may have been record cold in Austin this month, but the "joint is jumpin" here at The Girls' School!
Children in Nature Symposium: February 21, 1-4 p.m., Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
December 2009
News from Lisa: Blizzard of 2009 Strikes Girls School! Who needs reality? The "blizzard" lasted less than five minutes and consisted of some nice large flakes, but it was enough of a reason for everyone to run around the courtyard in gleeful excitement.
Note from the Board: 2010 will be a big year for facilities improvements on the GSA campus. (more)
Boggy Creek Farm: During their trip to Boggy Creek Farm, the 5th and 6th grade learned a lot about compost and other natural plant helpers.
2nd Grade Volunteer Project: The 2nd grade volunteer project ended in November after working with five different local nonprofits.
Jump Rope for Heart: Thank you to all of the classes for their hard work getting ready for Jump Rope for Heart!
Science Fair: On Friday, December 11, a visitor to campus might have thought it was Marie Curie Day at GSA.
GSA Students Show Off Their Work: Creative Writing Reading, GSA Art Exhibition at Texenza Coffee, and 12 x 12 Art Box Show.
Art Beat: The Art Scarf Sale was a sellout in two days!
November 2009
News from Lisa: Veterans Day. We held a new event this year – the Veterans Day celebration.
The Crucible Symposium: On Friday, November 6, the 8th grade attended a symposium about The Crucible, organized by our Humanities teacher, Ms. Ramberg, and Matthew Daude-Laurents, GSA ethics teacher. Among us were three honored guests...
Inspired by Poe: A few weeks ago the 6th grade humanities class submitted poems, stories, and drawings to the Inspired by Poe contest sponsored by the Austin American-Statesman.
Robotics Congrats! GSA's First Lego League team (FLL) was awarded its first technical award – third place in Robot Design.
Challenge Success: We had a great turn-out for this year's LiveSTRONG Challenge.
Literary Character Day: On Friday, October 30 everyone dressed up as a character from one of their favorite books.
NaNoWriMo: Once again this November, all of the middle schoolers will be working on NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month.
Museum Visits: The 7th and 8th graders enjoyed an afternoon field trip to the Mexic-Arte Museum and UT Ransom Center on November 3rd.
Exotic Pets Visit Fourth Grade: Diane Madison organized for a representative from Herpetron Exotic Pets to bring some rainforest animals to the classroom.
Fourth Grade Reading Marathon: On October 28, the 4th grade had a reading marathon!
Art Beat: November means Tie Dye! at GSA, and for two weeks this month, all classes experienced this project in preparation for our 4th Annual GSA ART SCARF SALE fundraiser.
October 2009
News from Lisa: On Neighborliness. October is a great month. There is a subtle change in the light filtering through the trees, the leaves are changing color (in Texas, that is also rather subtle)...
Note from the Board: After two years of working to secure a Conditional Use Permit to include the Windsor House as part of our campus, we are now officially a K-8 school.
All-Region Orchestra Auditions: GSA Middle School string students do it again!.
Peacocks in the Park: In mid-October (Sunday the 18th) and for the second year in a row, The Girls' School held its Fall Celebration at Mayfield Park.
Dr. Owen, Paleontologist: On Tuesday, October 20, a paleontologist came to talk to the Fifth grade science class about fossils.Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF: This Halloween, all students will be encouraged to "trick-or-treat for UNICEF."
Ancient Greek Studies: Throughout the months of August, September, and October, the 3rd grade studied Ancient Greece.
Ranch Romp: At the end of September the 5th graders went to Highland Lakes Camp for Ranch Romp.
Upcoming Events for parents: GSA has two exciting events for parents coming up soon, both focused, at least in part, on the challenges of early adolescence.
Art Beat: October has flown by, jam-packed with multiple art treats for all!
September 2009
News from Lisa: Shiver Me Timbers! On Friday, September 19th we celebrated "Talk Like a Pirate Day" at GSA.
Second Grade Volunteering: A group of 2nd graders went to volunteer at Caritas of Austin.
LIVESTRONG at School: To promote cancer awareness the Lance Armstrong Foundation is challenging classrooms to complete a lesson from the LIVESTRONG at School curriculum
GSA Garden Beds: In the last remaining weeks of summer, the GSA garden beds were built.
Studio Spotlight: On Wednesday, September 23, a group of GSA students took a field trip to Ballet Austin.
September Big-Little Event: On September 4th, GSA had its first Big-Little Sister event of the year.
The Zoo Man & Co.: On Friday, September 11 all of the grades in GSA gathered in the Courtyard for a special treat.Eco Art Exhibit: It was exciting to realize that you could express yourself with recycled items made into art.
Art Beat: The GSA All Star/All School Super Heroes have arrived to save the world!