Highlights & Action Items

Spirit Week: March 4-8
Introducing a new Board Member
BookFair- What's left on the teacher wish lists?
Dress Code reminder- acrylic/fake nails
Virtual Coffee & Conversation - Feb. 27
GSA Spring Gala- Thank you Sponsors!

Spirit Week: March 4th-8th

The week before Spring Break has become our GSA SPIRIT WEEK! With this tradition, we celebrate the joy, creativity, and silliness of both our students and staff. It is one of the small ways to remember that it's always a GREAT day at the GSA! Theme days are as follows:

Monday = Monochromatic Monday -- dress in a single-color of your choice
Tuesday = Tie-Dye (or Rainbow!) Tuesday -- wear something tie-dye or rainbow themed
Wednesday = Hair Love Day -- uniform + style your hair in the way you love
Thursday = Throwback Thursday -- bring back the style of a past decade or borrow something from a parent
Friday = ????? 8th Grade Choice! -- the 8th Graders will announce the Friday theme during Community Meeting on February 23rd!

Welcome (Back!) Susan Hewlitt- New GSA Board Member

The Girls' School of Austin is excited to welcome Susan Hewlitt back as a member of the Board of Trustees! With over 20 years of experience in fundraising and advocacy, Susan has made significant contributions to Austin's community. Her dedication to healthcare philanthropy has led her to her current role at Dell Children’s Foundation, where she continues to prioritize serving everyone in the pediatric ecosystem.

She lives in central Austin with her husband Reid and 17-year-old daughter, Cicily, who attends Stephen F. Austin High School and is a 2020 graduate of the Girls' School of Austin.

Susan and her family enjoy all of the great things Austin has to offer including ACL festival, Ladybird Lake and tacos. Susan is originally from Kansas City, stands by KC BBQ, attended Iowa State University for her undergraduate degree and received a Masters in Heathcare Transformation from the University of Texas, Dell Medical School in partnership with the McCombs School of Business.

We are thrilled to have Susan joining our Board of Trustees!

GSA BookFair- Shop Teacher Wish Lists through Sunday!

First of all, congratulations to Aryn Orman and Rachel Hull for winning the Family Night scavenger hunt raffle prizes! We also want to thank all of our volunteers, especially our BookFair chair, Holly Green, for all their hard work in making BookFair week so spectacular!

The GSA BookFair will continue in-store and online through February 18th at BookPeople on N. Lamar. During this week, 20% of all sales go to GSA when you present a flyer or enter GSAFAMILY in the coupon code field during checkout for online orders. There are still items on your teacher's wish lists! These books directly impact your child's learning here at the GSA, whether they are added directly to the classroom library, or are used in professional development for our amazing teachers! Thank you for helping our teachers continue to supplement all of the great work they are already doing with these books.

You can find all the lists on our BookFair site. Here is what is still available on the list for each teacher:

Coach Sparks- 2 books
Ms. Lee- 9 books
Dr. J- 4 books
Ms. Harris- 5 books

Ms. Hayden- 5 books
Ms. Bonhert- 13 books
Ms. Parks- 6 books
Mr. Ward- 6 books

Ms. Melear- 11 books
Ms. Seekatz- 15 books
Ms. Read- 4 books

Dress Code Reminder: Fake Nails

Acrylic tips and fake nails are becoming a problem in both Lower and Middle School. As a reminder, the following is stated in our Parent-Student Handbook:

"Fingernail Polish/Cosmetics: Nail polish is discouraged but may be worn. Acrylic/fake nails are not allowed. Nail length needs to be conducive to playing an instrument and typing on a keyboard."

These kinds of nails can be very expensive and time consuming to remove, so if your weekend plans include a manicure, please keep this school policy in mind!

Virtual Coffee & Conversation- Feb. 27

Ms. Yacono is committed to providing another opportunity for our busy families to take advantage of her Open Door Policy. That is why she began offering a monthly evening Coffee & Conversation on Zoom from 7:00-8:00pm.

These are come-and-go and very informal. If you just want to jump on and share a short story or ask a quick question-- that's great! If you have a more in-depth (but still relevant to the whole school) question you'd like to discuss-- that's great too! If you have questions that pertain to your particular student, we still encourage you to set a meeting with Ms. Yacono.

This is the Zoom link for this event. It can also be found on ClassDojo.

We want to take a moment to thank our amazing Lucky 21 Gala sponsors!

These companies are members of our Austin community who truly believe in the importance of empowering the next generation of women leaders. Please take a moment to check them out below!

PLATNIUM SPONSOR:

Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches

SILVER SPONSORS:

One Eye | Compass Realty Group

Baker Botts

McKnight Title

BRONZE SPONSORS:

Loewy Law Firm

Brooke Mozersky Group

Northwestern Mutual- Corey Hicks

If you know a company that might be interested in sponsoring our Lucky 21 Spring Gala, please reach out to Reagan Ward. We are always looking for mission-aligned companies who are eager to support education and women's empowerment!

Get your Gala tickets today!