• 100,000 possible layoffs for public school employees statewide…more than 1,000 proposed for AISD
• Larger class sizes, cuts of $1,000 per pupil, and elimination of grants for pre-kindergarten for 64,000 schoolchildren.
• No money for crucial new textbooks, cuts to dropout prevention programs and elimination of services that help 650,000 children struggling to meet accountability standards.

There is a solution. Learn more about proposed cuts, possible effects on Mathews, and what steps the state can take to stop the destruction.

Please plan to attend a special Mathews Commmunity Meeting:
Thursday, March 3rd
6:00-7:30 pm in the Mathews cafeteria.

We’ll share what we know, and seek ways to take action, including plans for a statewide rally at the Capitol on March 12. Contact Mathews parent Rob D’Amico for more info. rdamico@texasaft.org

PTA presentation on local and state budget impacts (Powerpoint, PDF)

Don’t want to be overwhelmed with choices? Sign the Petition here and you’ll get word on all the events, letter campaigns and more: Texas Can Do Better: Our Kids, Our Future: www.texascandobetter.org

Or, Get on a roll…

Action 1 … Stay Informed

Be sure you are on the Mathews listserve
Texas Forward Coalition: www.txforward.org
Texas Can Do Better: Our Kids, Our Future: www.texascandobetter.org
Save Texas Schools: www.savetexasschools.org
Save Austin Schools: www.saveaustinschools.com
AISD Tough Times / Tough Choices site: www.austinisd.org/inside/budget/
Class-Size issues: www.22to1.org
Texas PTA “Under the Dome” http://www.txpta.org/legislative

Action 2 … Speak Out

Email the AISD Board of Trustees: trustees@austinisd.org
Sign the Petition at Texas Can Do Better: Our Kids, Our Future: www.texascandobetter.org
Sign the Petition at Save Texas Schools: www.savetexasschools.org
Sign the Petition at Keep the 22:1 Class-Size law: www.22to1.org
Email and Call state elected officials at Texas AFT’s Political Action Page

Action 3 … Show Up

Attend the Mathew Budget Issues Meeting: March 3
Attend the Save Texas Schools Rally: March 12
Attend the Texas American Federation of Teachers Rally: March 14

AISD Important Dates (www.austinisd.org)

Presentation of the 2011-2012 Preliminary Budget to the Board of Trustees: February 28
Presentation of Final Recommendations of the Facility Master Plan Task Force: March 7
Community Conversations on the Preliminary Budget: March 24 & 31
Board action on Facility Master Plan Task Force Final Recommendations: March 28
Presentation of the 2011-2012 Revised Budget: April 11
Public Hearing on the Revised Budget: April 25

Packing peanuts can be returned to most packaging stores. This one is nearby:
Pak Mail
3112 Windsor Road #A
Austin, TX 78703
(512) 478-7600

Take styrofoam to Cycled Plastics.

Send used gift cards and grocery cards to Earthworks for recycling OR save them for our card recycling bin in the school lobby in the new year…

Earthworks c/o Halprin Ind.
25840 Miles Rd.
Bedford, Oh 44146.

Make at least one GREEN RESOLUTION to reduce your waste stream in the new year.

1. Compost. Yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 24 percent of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream. That’s a lot of waste to send to landfills when it could become useful compost instead!   All around the country, landfills are filling up, garbage incineration is becoming increasingly unpopular, and other waste disposal options are becoming ever harder to find.  According to Jonathan Bloom at wastedfood.com, the food rotting in landfills creates millions of tons of methane gas, which scientists say is 20 times as harmful to our atmosphere as carbon dioxide.  Landfills are the largest human-related source of methane.

2. Stop junk mail.  Sign up at http://www.catalogchoice.org/,  http://newdream.org/junkmail/optout.php, http://www.paperlesspetition.org/

3. Break the bottled water habit.

4. Bring your own coffee cup.

5.  Bring your own bag (and remember to recycle all plastic bags and film at the grocery store or dry cleaners).

6. Pack waste-free lunches with reusable containers.

7.  Buy in bulk.

8.  Buy used.

9.  Reduce consumption.

10.  Recycle more.

Check out these Web sites for more info.

earth911.com

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/tips-techniques/recycle-anything-00000000006117/index.html

www.ecology-action.org

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/sws/zerowaste_recycling.htm

www.brykerwoodspta.org. Click on the Go Green link.

Happy Holidays.

Mathews Elementary from Castleview Productions on Vimeo.

This week: In Like a Lion

Whoever said that April is the cruelest month didn’t live in central Texas in March. It’s lovely. Too lovely. So lovely, in fact, that event organizers can’t resist crowding just one more lively diversion into an already-overflowing calendar. March is, after all, the last safe bet that a public event won’t require heat exhaustion tents every twenty paces. The result? We’re cursed with too many tempting weekend activities. Oh, the agony of choices!

Here are three you can wring your hands about this weekend:

The Zilker Kite Festival (Sunday, March 7; rain date March 11)

If there’s nice weather and a good breeze, the kite density at this event practically eclipses the sun. It’s glorious. And it’s within walking distance for a lot of Mathews families. Find out about it here.

Explore UT (Saturday, March 6, rain or shine)

Corral your little longhorns and head on over to campus for the 11^th annual Explore UT event, a day of nearly 400 activities, performances, lectures, and exhibits. Family-friendly and hands-on, the day is designed to acquaint Austinites with the university’s many treasures. Geek out over fossils and seashells, march with the Longhorn Band, or make ice cream with liquid nitrogen. Don’t miss the Children’s International Festival on the South Mall. Click here for all the info.

It’s My Park Day (Saturday, March 6)

Get grubby and earn some serious peat cred. The Austin Parks Foundation is coordinating a citywide volunteer effort to show some love to our green spaces, parks, and playgrounds. Some events have music, art projects, picnics, and more. There are jobs for little people, so bring the fam. Learn more and find an event here. (Dig spending time with Mathews gardeners? Sign up here to help improve the Clarksville Community Garden.)

So get some rest! Eat your Wheaties! Stock up on sunscreen! It’s going to be a busy March.

See you next link!

The long list of businesses, professionals and community organizations hosting our 6th graders is impressive! We thank them all. We also appreciate our parent volunteers, Katherine and Genie Robertson, who have organized this valuable event.

This week: Back from the brink

When it comes to sweets at the holidays, otherwise completely sensible, moderate, restrained adults have been known to overdo it ever so slightly. (It’s, ahem, no one you know.) Especially with those exotic confections that only surface at the holiday season. You know the ones I mean—compound dessert creations so absurdly studded with hyphens that even their names defy digestion. Seven-layer-toffee-cheesecake-nutbars. Cream-filled-walnut-butterscotch-ginger-squares. Crispy-malted-chocolate-mocha-caramel-butter-rum-maple-spiced-macademia-something-or-others. Washed down with eggnog, naturally. It’s enough to make you shamefully neglect your blog for weeks on end in a glassy-eyed sugar fugue of rationalizations and procrastinations. Or so I’m told.

And kiddos are especially vulnerable to the holiday roller coaster—the food, the family, the gifting, the lack of routine. Which I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, given that today is the last day of holiday break. How’s the weather out there on the ledge?

So what, then, of January? Does recovering from holiday indulgence mean regimens of denial? A month-long grapefruit fast? A devout swearing-off from plastic toys, the Disney channel, and (evil, evil) peppermint bark?

Swinging on that pendulum makes me dizzy. Instead, this month, I’m going for balance. For the whole family. No crazy diets, no hard-core workouts, no forsaking of small pleasures. Just a common-sense return-to-sanity approach to ease us all into the new decade.

So here’s a toast to:

Eating sustainably. The Austin Farmers’ Market makes its official move to the green at Republic Square Park on Saturday, January 16, from 9 am until 1. With music and scones to distract them, the little ones won’t even notice those gorgeous turnip greens you just bought.

Moving sustainably. Yoga is great for young and old this (or any) time of year. Gentle stretching, some balance poses, deep breaths…it’s the perfect antidote to the tumult of December. Some studios in town with classes for kids: Yoga Yoga, Austin Kula Yoga, and Star Kids Yoga. And don’t forget that Ruta Maya has a family yoga class on Saturday mornings that’s free with a purchase from the coffee bar.

Giving sustainably. Time to unload the excess and start the year with an orderly, manageable environment. Plus, now’s a good time for kids to work toward balance not just in their lives, but also in their community. Clean out the closets and donate some gently used items. There are lots of folks in need; SafePlace is just one of many local charities that would appreciate kids clothes, toys, sports equipment, art supplies, books, etc.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2010.

See you next link!

Did you know? Americans throw away 25% more trash during the
Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year.
The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1
million extra tons per week.

What you can do:

1. Consider buying or making gifts that have less packaging. Books
purchased from our Scholastic Book Fair, December 7-11, not only
support our school library but also support an environmentally
responsible publisher. Consider original gifts made by local artists
or gift cards for local services, stores, and restaurants, especially
ones who support Mathews. Experiential gifts, such as an art class, a
horseback riding lesson, or a trip to the rock climbing gym, are
wonderful alternatives.

2. Consider your wrapping materials. Use cards and wrapping paper
made from recycled paper. Re-use old holiday cards by turning them
into gift tags and wrapping decorations.
Recycle used gift wrap. Gift wrap is recyclable, unless it’s
laminated, metallic, or has a bunch of tape stuck to it. As for
packaging remember, the City now accepts cardboard and paperboard, and
any plastics #1-#7 in its Single Stream Recycling. 

Packing peanuts can be returned to Tesoros Trading Company, 1500 S Congress Ave., and styrofoam can be recycled at Cycled Plastics   http://www.cycledplastics.com/Services.html.  

 Happy Green Holidays!

This week: The giving season

I wish I were kidding, but it’s practically December. Maybe this doesn’t come as a news flash for you, but those of us still emerging from a Halloween sugar bender are blinking uncomprehendingly at the calendar, trying desperately to account for the last three weeks or so.

And with the avalanche of shopping ads that will inevitably bury us in the days to come, one’s thoughts naturally turn to gift giving. I for one am a big proponent of a sincerely delivered note of thanks to the teachers and other dear staff who make our Mathews experience so special. I don’t think anything is more gratifying than having someone take time out of their busy season to express their appreciation with a kind word.

Of course, the National Retail Federation begs to differ, but who cares?

But let’s say you don’t bake/can’t knit/won’t revise your pre-recession buying habits and want to deliver a small remembrance to a special teacher/librarian/coach/counselor/nurse/office staffer/principal/custodian/crossing guard/lunchroom attendant without a soul-sucking/expensive/ad-fueled trip to the mall. Can it be done?

Yes! First of all, you can shop locally. The Austin Independent Business Alliance has designated six local business districts (South First, North Loop, etc.) to help promote uniquely Austin vendors. At their site, you can click any of the districts to get a list of locally owned businesses in that area. Boutiques, studios, bookstores…all brimming with merchandise you can feel good about.

Second of all, you can buy handmade. This movement is really taking off. People want to feel more of a connection to the items they purchase these days, and buying from a craftsperson means you’re sure to give a one-of-a-kind gift. The Web’s handmade juggernaut is Etsy. Search for a teacher gift there, and prepare to be overwhelmed (in a good way) with personalized stationary, unique felted paperclips, utterly affordable Post-It holders, fun bookplates, and so much more. You can even use their Geolocator to find Austin crafters!

There are lots of good ways to say thanks this season, and plenty of them don’t involve opening your wallet. But if you’re so inclined, there are ways to support local businesses and independent craftspeople while you share the holiday love.

See you next link!

This week: Pages by ages

Remember my post not long ago about the weekly bestseller list for children’s books at The New York Times site? Retrace your websteps, because we’re headed back there for the special section on children’s books that appeared in the NYT’s magazine a couple of weeks ago.

From a survey of recent young-adult fairy fiction right down to reviews of books about winter for the picture-book set, this is an excellent place to start your holiday book shopping for the junior bibliophiles in your life.

Included in the special section is the annual (since 1952, no less) list of best illustrated children’s books. (You know it’s year-end when you start seeing the “Best Of” lists. I was in denial that November is coming to a close, but now there’s nowhere to hide.) Each book in the list is reviewed so you don’t have to judge it by its, er…cover.

Keep scrolling so you don’t miss the last book on this year’s list, All the World, by Liz Garton Scanlon. She’s an impossibly talented Austin author, so show some local love and read this very favorable review.

See you next link!

Here’s a great holiday show that benefits Mathews Elementary and Austin Children Charities.  20% of each ticket price goes to the school when you use the code “MathewsPTA” when buying tickets.  And, the charity with the most ticket codes wins $10,000!

“A Texas Christmas Carol”
Starring Tish Hinojosa, The Biscuit Brothers and more.
The Long Center, Dec 29 – Jan 3.
For adults+kids tickets, call (512) 474-5664.
For adult tickets only, order online.
Use the code “MathewsPTA” when buying tickets (code is good for any show).

In addition to the 20% contribution, the group with the most ticket purchases wins $10,000!

Three reasons to go:

• Entertain out-of-town guests with a one-stop holiday show.
• Support Mathews Elementary: 20% of adult ticket prices go straight to the Mathews PTA.
• Hang out with friends on Mathews Night, Wednesday, December 30th.

The All-Austin, All-Star lineup:   Tish Hinojosa, the Biscuit Brothers, Tosca String Quartet, Amazing Grace Gospel, Austin Classical Guitar Society, Austin Lyric Opera, Ballet Austin, James Bowie High School Silver Stars, River City Brass Quintet, St. Martin’s Ringers Handbell Choir, Tapestry Dance Company and the Zachary Scott Theater Showstoppers.

For more info, visit The Long Center site and the Biscuit Brothers site.

Here’s a quick promo video for A Texas Christmas Carol  on Vimeo.