Highlights & Action Items

Fall Celebration- Announcing new date!
OneCall- Please opt-in for texts
New Front Office procedures
Back to School Nights start next week
Strategic Plan Coffee & Conversation with Ms. Yacono
Media Release Non-Consent
After School Programs pick up information

Fall Celebration- New Date and Venue

Every year, the Girls' School of Austin hosts a Fall Celebration to welcome families back for another great school year. This year, we have decided to push the date back to October 26th in hopes that the weather will be more comfortable for an outdoor event. We will also be hosting this fall carnival-style event right here on campus! Stay tuned for more details about the event and how to get tickets. But for now, you can remove the tentative September 28th date and mark down October 26th!

The strength of GSA is in our community, and this event is intended to strengthen connections within a class as well as across grades. We invite all GSA families (parents, siblings, grandparents, everyone!), past and present, to join us for this wonderful social event.

OneCall- Please Opt-In for Texts

The GSA uses a service called OneCall to text/call for emergency communications. For example, we used this service in prior years during the school closures due to ice to alert families about the closure. We never anticipate needing to use this service, but maintaining this communication ability is vital. It is important that you opt-in to receive these messages. Please take a moment right now and text the word, ALERT, to 22300.

Front Office Procedures- Welcoming and Safe

The Girls' School of Austin is a community, and our parent community has always been an important part of that. We strive to ensure that those families joining us on campus feel welcome while also maintaining proper school security.

Starting this year, all campus visitors will be asked to show their IDs to be scanned, as is the practice in most schools. This allows us to keep a record of all campus guests. Please be prepared to give Chandler your driver's license if you are coming onto campus. We will not be requiring this during Community Meeting, but we do ask you to grab your Community Meeting badge on your way in, and drop it back off on your way out.

Back to School Night Details

Don't miss Back to School Night (BTSN) starting next week!

Join us for an optional happy hour from 5:00-5:30pm in the MUB.
The presentation will start at 5:30pm in the MUB with important information you need to know for the year ahead.
At 6:00pm, you will be invited into your child's classroom for a presentation from your grade-level teacher(s).

Attending Back to School Night is vital for parents to get to know your teachers, understand curriculum expectations, connect with other parents, and stay informed about school activities. It is an important part of fostering a supportive learning environment for our girls!

Lower School BTSN is Aug. 29 and Middle School's is Sept. 5. This is a parent-only event.

Strategic Plan- Coffee & Conversation

Everyone should have received an email this morning about the launch of our new Strategic Plan! The email sent this morning has a high-level overview and the links to many other sources for more details. The Strategic Plan will also be the topic of this year's first Coffee & Conversation with Ms. Yacono! For those new to the GSA, Coffee & Conversation is an opportunity for a group conversation around a particular topic followed by a Q&A in a more casual setting. On September 6th, we will share all of our excitement about this next step, and Ms. Yacono will be able to answer your questions about the Strategic Plan. New this year, we are offering a second Coffee & Conversation at noon in hopes that this works better for some families' work schedules. So join on on September 6th at either 8:30am (right after Community Meeting) or at 12:00pm.

Media Release Non-Consent

From time-to-time, GSA will use photos taken at school or events on social media or in other media outlets. GSA asks for a signed form ONLY from those parents and/or guardians who wish to refuse permission for all such media releases and public displays.

If you agree to allow the GSA to publish and/or display this information for non-commercial purposes and without cost, NO ACTION IS REQUIRED.
If you DO NOT grant permission for the GSA to release this information in the manner stated above, please complete and return the signed Media Release Non-Consent Form. (paper copies are also available in the front office)

Picking Up from Aftercare and Afterschool Programs

Our afterschool offerings begin next week, and we love seeing our students taking advantage of these enriching opportunities. Along with that comes some growing pains in our pick up processes. Please read these carefully to help this go more smoothly in the coming week:

If you're picking up your child from an after school program, please drive through the carpool line just as you would for regular dismissal and have your child's name placard in the window. The program instructors know to escort students to the curb for pick up. Let Chandler Yanke know if you need a new placard for your windshield/dashboard.
If your child is in aftercare, please park in a parking space and come into the office to pick your child up. You must sign your child out in the front office.
Regardless of the program your child is in, please do not get out of your car in the drive-through pick up line. If you need to get out of your car for any reason, you should park in a parking space, even if it appears no one else is in line. This has caused a majority of our problems in the past.
Parents who have children in both aftercare and an after school program should park and come inside to sign the aftercare student out in the office.