- End of Year Reminders
- GSA's Lens on Technology & AI
- Welcome, Olivia Ledbetter
- Gratitude for Robyn
- Beyond the Fence: Onward
- Quite a Year, GSA!
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End of Year Reminders
We’re almost there! A few key reminders as we wrap up the school year: |
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GSA's Lens on Technology & AI
The Girls' School of Austin has navigated the always changing landscape of AI with intentionality. We are happy to share our newly published Lens on Technology and AI, which acts as our North Star document for decisions regarding technology use. We want to extend our gratitude to the AI Task Force for their dedication to providing timely insights and expertise to keep our school leadership and Staffulty informed. You will also notice new language next year in our Parent/Student Handbook around AI Use, Academic Integrity, and Technology Use.
Thank you to this year’s members: Peter Boumenot, Constantine Caramanis, Jordan Chin, Lisa Stuardi, Avni Trivedi, Rachel Nguyen, Jeremy Goheen, Rebecca Yacono, and Anne Baker. If you are interested in joining next year’s Technology Advisory Committee, please reach out to Anne Baker, Director of Instructional Technology.
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Welcome, Olivia Ledbetter
We are excited to introduce Olivia Ledbetter, who joins GSA next week as our new Director of Advancement. Arriving, very fittingly, right in the middle of the wonderful whirlwind that is our final week of school!
Olivia comes to us with a rich background in creative leadership, strategic communications, and team building, most recently as a Creative Director at Oracle. Throughout her career, she has partnered with senior leaders and guided teams to turn big ideas into meaningful, real-world impact; a skill set she will bring directly to her work championing this community.
What drew us to Olivia goes beyond her impressive résumé. She is a genuine listener, a connector of people, and someone who knows how to bring a community together around a shared vision. As an alum of an all-girls school herself, she understands deeply what it means to be part of an environment dedicated to building confidence, courage, and creative problem-solving in young women.
Olivia is approaching her first days with curiosity and anticipation, eager to spend time getting to know the students, families, and programs that make GSA so special. We look forward to introducing her to many of you in the weeks ahead!
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Gratitude for Robyn
At the end of June, Robyn Burchfiel, GSA’s Interim Head of Advancement will hang up the fifth hat she has worn in our community. In addition to serving in that role for the past 18 months, over the past thirteen years, Robyn has been a GSA parent, an alumna parent, a trustee on our board, and the co-chair of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee.
This April, she and her intrepid committee pulled off the See the Future Spring Gala - a record-breaking night to remember in terms of tickets sold, funds raised, and fun had by all. At that event, Robyn and Steve Burchfiel gave a founding gift to help establish the Phoenix Fund, which will provide unique growth opportunities for GSA staffulty for years to come. At City Hall last month, Robyn spoke on behalf of GSA’s impact on the girls of Austin. And this month, Robyn planned Tuesday’s Senior Walk as a member of the Core Admin team and attended as the proud mother of Addie (GSA ‘22, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School ‘26).
We are grateful for Robyn’s humor, wisdom, style, and cool-under-pressure approach to every challenge. We also aren’t going to let her get far from the Girls’ School of Austin – she has as much to offer in our next era as she has given us in this one! Thank you, Robyn, for everything you do for the GSA. |
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Beyond the Fence: Onward
As expected, following the Planning Commission’s unanimous approval of our CUP amendment, neighbors have filed an appeal.
Because of the timing of that appeal, we will not be in front of City Council before the summer break. The earliest anticipated date is now July 23. We will send more information as we get closer to this date and as details are confirmed. While we know many families will be enjoying their summer plans, we hope that those who are in town will consider returning to City Hall to support GSA when the time comes.
In the meantime, our work continues. Members of the Site Development Committee (GSA's Land Use Consultants, Thrower Designs, along with Rebecca Yacono, Rachel Nguyen (GSA Board Chair), and Robyn Burchfiel have been actively meeting with individual City Council members to share more about GSA’s plans and ensure they have a clear, accurate understanding of our future expansion.
We remain encouraged by the momentum and grateful for this community every step of the way. |
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Quite a Year, GSA!
This year's theme was See the Future. Be the Future. — and in every sense, this community did exactly that.
It started in August with the purchase of the land adjacent to GSA, a tangible first step toward expanding our Middle School. An Envisioning Session in September got us dreaming together, and from there: a full site plan completed in under a year, a CUP amendment application submitted, and when City Hall called, our community including our 8th Graders, who spoke directly to planning commissioners, showed up and made it count—securing an approval in record time.
This was a year that moved. Middle School students welcomed a new math and science teacher, earned Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards, topped the National Spanish Exam, and performed in All-Region Orchestra. Lower School taught us about bugs, pioneers, and deserts; and reminded us that learning is fun, adventurous and life-long. And in a true-to-form GSA moment, following one of the Spring Concerts, a 3rd Grader discovered a snake of uncertain demise on campus, promptly gave it a proper burial, a hand-painted tombstone, and a deadheaded carnation. She named the snake Sage.
R.I.P. Sage — we hardly knew ye. Our girls find the lesson in everything.
Kinder through 8th Grade filled the MUB with stunning self-portraits; and we watched in awe as they mastered reading, multiplication tables, and the laws of gravity; while practicing the harder lessons too, like using kind words, working through conflict, and showing up for one another.
Behind the scenes, this community built something lasting. Parent volunteers logged over 2,400 hours. The Gala broke attendance and fundraising records. The Phoenix Fund was established. New families found us at unprecedented numbers. Faculty and staff completed the ISAS Accreditation Self-Study. And through shifting traffic patterns and neighbors' opposition to the CUP, this community flexed, adapted, and modeled for our girls exactly how to navigate an uncertain, ever-changing world.
It was, in every sense, a GSA kind of year. Now, go enjoy your summer. With love, The GSA Faculty and Staff |
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May 18 Field Day May 21 Graduation 1/2 Day (staggered dismissal) Aug 17-18 Kinder Orientation and Grades 1-8 Listening Conferences
Aug 19 First Day of School |
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