Highlights & Action Items

New faces at the GSA!
Calling all auction items for our Spring Gala
Afterschool Programs- Drop Deadline and Start Dates
Volunteers needed for BookFair
Re-enrollment Coming Soon
Reminders for the New Year

Introducing Ms. Castillo and Ms. Melinda

You may have noticed a few new faces around campus this week. We want to take a moment to welcome two new staff members to the GSA team!

Ms. Bernadette Castillo

Teaching Assistant & Aftercare Monitor

"Hello there, my name is Bernadette Castillo, I was born and raised in Austin, Texas. I have five years of experience working within the education field. Currently I have a master’s degree in education, and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. In addition, a minor in both psychology, and art history. In my free time I enjoy roaming Austin and surrounding areas for new places to visit with my family and friends. I look forward to getting to know everyone at GSA, and making new relationships. "

Ms. Melinda Madurai

Director of Finance

Melinda Madurai grew up in Victoria, TX and moved to Dallas after graduating with a Finance/Accounting degree from The University of Houston - Victoria and successfully completing the CPA exam. Melinda has held various financial and operational positions in both mining/refining and telecommunications. She transitioned her corporate career into the private education sector in 2007/08 working at a PK - 8th grade co-educational school as CFO/COO for many years before relocating to Austin in the summer of 2021. Melinda is very excited to have found a home at The Girls’ School of Austin and is looking forward to contributing to the life and experiences that are The Girls’ School. Melinda enjoys traveling, reading, and spending special time with her family and friends.

Calling All Auction Items!

GSA's Spring Gala is just 86 days away! Along with the Firebird Fund, this is one of only two opportunities to raise funds for the school. And with this exciting event quickly approaching, we are putting out the call for auction items!

Can you offer a unique experience that can't be found anywhere else? Do you have access to a vacation home? Did you receive a gift card for the holidays that you don't plan on using? All of these AND MORE make fantastic auction items for our Spring Gala!

If you have an item or experience that you would like to donate, please fill out this form here or call Kim Famighetti (6th Grade Parent) at 917-952-6157, and she will get all the details from you.

THANK YOU for helping make this year's Gala a success!

Afterschool Programs Start January 29th*

Spring afterschool programs will begin the week of January 29th. Be on the lookout for an email from your child's instructor with more details. The deadline to drop a class is January 19, 2024. No refunds can be given after January 19th. If you have any questions about Afterschool Programs, please contact Chandler Yanke.

*With the exception of Lower School Yoga which begins January 23rd

BookFair Volunteers- Family Night Feb. 13

February is BookFair month! As part of this weeklong celebration, we will be hosting the BookFair Family Night on February 13th! This is a fun evening event where our community comes together with our local partner, BookPeople, to celebrate our love of books and reading! This year's event will be February 13th from 5:30-7:30pm. There will be two hour-long shifts so you can also enjoy the event. Each station will have two volunteers, so you can sign up with a friend or take the opportunity to meet a new GSA parent! Feel free to sign up here!

Thank you for your help! We could not do these fun community events without the help of our parent volunteers!

Re-enrollment for 2024-2025 School Year

Re-enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year begins next month, and we hope your schooling plans include the GSA! Re-enrollment will begin on February 5th and the deadline for all contracts will be March 1st. Just like last year, we are also requesting that you update your student profile information in the parent portal. This system is where GSA captures necessary information like family contact details, student allergies, music selection, etc. Instructions on how to log in will be included with your contract in case you need a refresher. If you are considering other academic options for the 24-25 school year, please reach out to Neely Michaelis at nmichaelis@thegirlsschool.org.

Reminders for the New Year As we enter the new year, we just have a few reminders that help our community run smoothly!

School Start Time: As we get back into the rhythm of school, we wanted to remind everyone about our start time and when students are considered tardy. The first bell rings at 7:55am as an alert for students to go to their classrooms. The tardy bell rings at 8:00am. At that time (8:00am) we close the gate and students are considered "tardy." If you arrive after 8:00am, we ask that you park your car and walk your student in so that they can be signed in.

Names on Clothing: Please label all of your students' outwear with their names. If something shows up in lost and found with a name, we are sure to return it to that student. Our lost and found fills up quickly, so please help us take care of this by labeling all items.

Cell Phones and Smart Watches: Students who bring their phones and/or smart watches to campus must turn these items into the office at the beginning of the school day. Students are not allowed to have their phones on their person (backpack, locker, pocket).