I am not sure what it is about week 2 of the school year but each year it seems to be a little crazy. If you remember last year we dealt with hate speech disguised as free speech when a group of protestors decided to visit our school. This year we had the unfortunate incident on Thursday night after the Taco Shack Bowl. I am very thankful that our students were not seriously injured! I want to take a moment to say thank you to the AISD staff members, AISD Police and AFD who dropped everything to assist our students that night. I was proud to see Knights taking care of Knights!
Friday, September 6th will be a B day.
Click here for the AB calendar
First CAC (Campus Advisory Council) meeting is Monday September 9th. Email Elaine Bohls-Graham, elaine.bohls-graham@austinisd.org, if you are interested in joining.
Here are a few other items that came up during week two.
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Back to school night was a success. I enjoyed getting a chance to chat with some our parents. I hope you all enjoyed walking a "mile" in your student's shoes.
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Taco Shack Bowl festivities
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Thank you to the Blue Brigade, Cheerleaders and the Drum line for showing the world your MAC pride in the spirit competition at 6 am!
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Students had their first theme day. It was fun seeing the students and faculty in their tropical attire. There may have been a Parrott and a Flamingo sighting that morning (See Mac J Instagram).
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Our first pep rally was fun until it wasn't. The first pep rally involves a little ribbing of the freshman class, and I know some freshman were expecting to be booed. But the level of booing heard during the pep rally was a bit over the top. I apologized to the Class of 2028 on Friday, and reminded our students McCallum values diversity and inclusiveness. I challenge our students to rise to occasion and find a way to break free of traditions that do not fit with our culture. I am all for fun, but should our fun be at someone else's expense?
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I will have more on the actual game below in the Athletic Spotlight. I want to talk about student behavior at the game. Please talk to your students about making good choices while at sporting events. I was disappointed by some of the chants heard coming from the student section. I am a firm believer the only chants you should hear at a YOUTH sporting event are positive ones. We cheer for the Knights not against the other team or referees!!!
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The accident Thursday evening was scary and a reminder of how quickly a simple car ride can go bad. I am thankful that no students or staff were seriously injured. This accident is a teachable moment for us as a community. I suspect many of you had the same talk I had with my daughters Friday. We talked about driving awareness and how to avoid some potentially dangerous situations. As a school this is providing us a chance to reflect on our practices to see where we can make improvements.
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Friday was our first Safety Drill for the year, we practiced our Lockdown procedures. We will typically have 1-2 safety drills each month. Click here to learn more about our safety drills and AISD Emergency Management Plan.
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This week we will begin to secure the outer gates on Houston St. between the portables and the English wing. Students will not be able to enter on the South end of the building and will need to plan accordingly.
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It has come to my attention that some of our student are engaging in a back woods fight club in West Austin. We are working to identify the students involved. Please talk to your students about the dangers of engaging in these types of activities. We know how quickly things can escalate and we do not want anyone to get hurt.