Early release next Monday
Hays CISD students will have an early release Monday, Feb. 21. Elementary students will be released at noon, middle schools will dismiss at 12:45 p.m., and high school students will be dismissed at 1:30 p.m. During the afternoon, district teachers will participate in professional development, including assessment of student data and creating plans from those assessments.
Financial Aid Saturday
Financial Aid Saturday is set for this Saturday, Feb. 19, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at the Hays High School library. The event will assist seniors – or any former graduate or current college student – in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2011-2012 school year. Volunteers from a number of agencies, as well as Spanish translators, will be available to assist. Seniors should contact their high school counselors for information on items to bring and early registration. Parents and students should bring a copy of their W-2 and income tax forms to complete the FAFSA. All Financial Aid Saturday services are free and open to all seniors, regardless of their campus. For early registration or for more information, see the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce website at www.collegereadyaustin.com.
Middle school bands perform
The Wallace, Chapa and Simon middle school bands will perform in concert next Monday, Feb. 21, 6 p.m., at the Hays CISD Performing Arts Center. The program serves as the bands’ pre-UIL competition performance, so the audience can expect an enjoyable evening. The Simon Middle School band will open the show at 6 p.m. followed by the Wallace Symphonic Band at 6:20 p.m. The Chapa Symphonic Band plays at 6:40 p.m. followed by the Wallace Wind Ensemble at 7 p.m. and the Chapa Wind Ensemble at 7:20 p.m.
The Barton and Dahlstrom middle school bands host their pre-UIL concerts at the PAC next Tuesday, Feb. 22, with the Bobcat Symphonic Band opening at 6:30 p.m. The Bobcat Wind Ensemble performs at 7 p.m., followed by the Dahlstrom Symphonic Band at 7:30 p.m. and the Mustang Wind Ensemble at 8 p.m. Performances are free and the public is warmly invited.
Denim and Diamonds on the horizon
Tables and individual tickets are available for the Hays CISD Education Foundation’s Denim and Diamonds annual fundraiser. Set for Saturday, March 5, at Texas Old Town, the event features a gourmet dinner, a stand out band, and live and silent auctions. Alumni tables seat four and are priced at $500, and business sponsorships are priced $1,500 for bronze, seating six, $2,500 for silver and $5,000 for gold, those tables seating eight. Couples tickets are $125. For more information, contact Angie Mendez at 268-2141.
Lehman improvement recognized
The National Center for Educational Achievement announces that Lehman High School has been included on its “Higher Performing Schools List” for Texas. The NCEA list recognizes schools that have “consistently outperformed their peers that serve similar student populations and recognizes their achievement in bringing more students to college and career readiness than expected.” Recognition is either for consistent student improvement over previous years or absolute student achievement. Lehman has been recognized for its marked improvement in both Science and Social Studies.
Roborunner robot runs
We almost let recognition of this event get by, but the Camino Real Elementary School Roborunners we reported on a while back did finally compete at the Central Texas Regional LEGO Championships in Austin. Coaches Christopher and Veronica Bonhamgregory reported that following their qualification, their team “furthered their bioengineering research, refined their presentation and continued to improve their robot design and performance.” They add, “We were blessed to have such a great group of kids.” The great group of kids that competed in Austin last month included Adrian Castro, Maribel San Juan, Ana Ortiz, Cristian Faison, Ryan Tolbert, Annie Ramirez Hernandez, Juan Tiu, German Olivares Benitez, Jarod Bessey and Mya De La Paz.
Percussion Concert Set
The Hays High School Percussion Ensemble Concert is set for Thursday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m., at the Performing Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public. Assistant HHS Band Director Christopher Gordon promises “a night of percussion music featuring percussionists from Hays High School and Dahlstrom and Barton Middle Schools, as well as a few high school soloists.”
