November 2014

In this issue . . .

PTO 2-3

CTE 3

Safe Homes 4

Speaker Series 5

EEF 6

Project Graduation 7

Baccalaureate 8

Hyline 9

Choir News 10

Orchestra 11,12

Band 13

Cheer 14

Girls Soccer 15

Rugby 16

Westbank Library 17

Community Partners 18

Dear Chaps’ Families,

As the calendar turns to November, we see many of our student groups reaping the benefits of their hard work

and commitment starting back in August and up through the school year so far:

The varsity girls’ cross country team is the district champs and the boys’ varsity cross country team is the district runner-up;

The tennis team captured the district championship and then went on to secure the area championship;

The marching band placed in the top group of performers in the area contest and qualified for the UIL state contest in early November; and

Our volleyball team is also 2014 district champions and are preparing for their post-season play.

Congratulations to all of the young women and men in these groups and others who continually demonstrate

that hard work, commitment, and continuous improvement, can help you meet your goals.

We also celebrate Veteran’s Day this month with our annual Veteran’s Day assemblies on November 11. These

assemblies are one of the highlights of the year as our students have the opportunity to honor the people who

have so bravely given of themselves for our country. The Westlake Student Council plans and organizes the

assemblies and they always find a speaker who is passionate and articulate to share their experiences with the

student body. A large percentage of our students have direct connections to people who serve, or have served,

our country. The respect and admiration they have for family and friends are evident in these assemblies.

As the end of the month approaches, our attention turns to the holiday

season. Please be sure to take in one of the holiday offerings from our fine

arts department. From the band, choir, and orchestra concerts to the drama

department’s children’s play and the technical theatre’s annual Nutcracker

Spectacular, please mark your calendars to take in one of the shows.

This year our National Honor Society has committed to making the holidays

brighter for seventeen families around the Austin area. The NHS students will

be working to fill the Christmas wish lists for these families and provide them

with a holiday to remember. It is exciting to see so many students who are

willing to give to others at this time and throughout the year!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday

Go Chaps!

John Carter, Principal

As we approach Thanksgiving, the Westlake PTO reflects on all that we are thankful for this

year...

- All those who participated in our Homecoming Mum Sales! The PTO was able to raise over $30,000! With this money,

our No Hassle Donations and our concession sales, we are able to fund many of the teacher requests for needed

supplies. A quick sampling - Robotics tools, dissection goggles, centrifuges, Math huddle boards, Band PA system, Choir

sheet music, Orchestra cello racks, English class books, and so much more!

- Our volunteers! Big thanks go out to Kat Gase and her Mum Mom crew for working long hours (especially right before

Homecoming) to finish making almost 1,500 mums! And each week Lucinda Valenti and her concessions crew keep all of

our concession stands efficiently humming and raising money for our PTO, while having fun. All of our volunteer chairs

put in lots of hours making sure our PTO programs thrive and help meet our mission of enhancing the learning

environment at WHS. Thank you to all who give of their time for our school!

- Our teachers and staff! Please help us show our appreciation by donating $20 cash or by picking up a gift card at your

favorite local store for our Winter break Teacher Appreciation luncheon and gift card sharing! Drop these off at the front

office. Thank you!

- Our Community Partners! Our newest partners are Mathnasium , Aceable & Pinkberry. They help us reach our goals!

- Our students! They are why we do all that we do and they work so hard (especially during this time of year), making

this all worth it!

- Our No Hassle Fundraiser Donors! There is still time to make your non-taxable donation for this year. Donate online at:

http://www.westlakepto.com/give/ or drop your check made payable to Westlake PTO at the front office. Thank you!

Gold Ribbon Underwriters

The Zamarripa Family

Ava and Steve Late

The Meek Family

Kathryn & Beau Ross

The Bybee Family

The Pacinda Family

Zoey Zamarripa

The Talbert Family

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Go Chaps!

Liz McWhirter

WHS PTO President

PTO President

And some reminders....

Next WHS PTO meeting

Friday, November 7 Noon in Chap Room

Featuring our World Languages Department and

refreshments by Chick Fil A

Pavers

Only 10 pavers left! Order yours

now....http://www.westlakepto.com/shop/pavers/

The Staff Appreciation Committee is in full swing as we

plan an event for our staff each month. While the

holidays seem far away, we are already collecting

donations and gift cards NOW to give to the staff.

** drop any cash donations in the box in the front office,

and we will take care of getting the cards.

Or

**pick up a gift card for $20 at any of the great local spots

in Westlake

Texas Honey Ham, Chik Fil A, Maryes Pizza, Breed and Company, Tacodeli, Juiceland,

Target, HEB, Randalls, etc. The holidays will be here before we know it, and we

would love to give each member of the WHS staff a token

of thanks and a treat over the holiday break.

Thank you for your contributions! Go Chaps!

Staff Appreciation

Career and Technical Education (CTE)

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Advisory Council meeting will be held on November 20 at 9:00 in the chap room. We welcome parents and industry members to join us to hear important labor market news and updates on CTE programs.

Please RSVP to Pat Betzner, CTE coordinator, at pbetzner@eanesisd.net or 512-732-9280 x 33100.

Poor decisions can change your life forever. That’s the lesson Sarah Panzau shares from experience in her riveting and inspiring presentation in which she serves as living proof that choices you make today can have drastic consequences. Come and listen as she tells her story. sarahsjourney.com

Tuesday November 11 at 7 pm

Westlake High School PAC Free Event, All Parents and Students and 5th -12 Grade Invited

Students Receive Double Community Service Hours for Bringing a Parent

West Ridge MS Students will receive a FREE TARDY PASS for attending

eanessafehomes.com

Project Graduation 2015!

Senior Parents: Please visit our website, www.westlakepg.com, throughout the 2014-15 school year for

PG15 updates and ticket information.

We have a great team assembled to provide a memorable event for our graduating students. Want to

volunteer? We are looking for two Committee Chairs; business solicitation and volunteer administrator. If

interested, please email us at info@westlakepg.com..

Junior Parents: We still need two Junior parent volunteers for the PG16 Co-Chair positions: Revenue and

Volunteers. These volunteers will shadow our efforts this year and help ensure a smooth PG16 event. We

are also looking for PG15 Jr Transportation and Jr Volunteer Coordinator Committee Chairs. Please email us

at info@westlakepg.com if you are interested in joining our team.

Former PG Chairs: If you have a PG notebook, please turn it in to the school office so that we can reuse this

information and learn from your efforts.

PG15 RAFFLE!

PG15 is currently selling raffle tickets at home football and volleyball games. The cost is $25 per ticket or

$100 for 5 tickets. You can win one of three prizes: $3000, $1500 or $500. PG15 is funded through the

generous support of our parents and community. Please consider buying raffle tickets to support PG15.

WHS Class of 2015 Baccalaureate!!! What is Baccalaureate???? Baccalaureate is a student-led service of faith and

music. It's the first event of graduation week!! All

seniors, their family and friends are invited. You do not

need a ticket, and it is optional. Seniors wear their cap,

gown and cords. When is Baccalaureate??? Sunday, May 24, 2015 from 5:00-6:15 p.m.

Where is Baccalaureate????

The Riverbend Centre, 4212 Capitol of TX Highway

Who pays for Baccalaureate???

Baccalaureate does not receive any money from WHS or

EISD. We rely on donations from local churches, synagogues,

faith communities and senior parents.

Where can I send a contribution???

Please send a check, made out to WHS Baccalaureate, to

Elizabeth Hunt at 6508 Lost Cove, Austin TX 78746 How can I get involved???

The Baccalaureate Committee is a volunteer group of parents

representing Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim faiths. We

need parents from all grade levels to help out. How can I get more information???

Please contact Carmen Adams-Schulz clas@austin.rr.com ,

Sivagami Natesan sivagamihome@austin.rr.com ,

Marijane Smitherman msmitherman47@yahoo.com

UPCOMING EVENTS

Sat., Nov 8: TMEA Region Clinic/Concert, San Marcos High School

Tues., Nov. 18 TMEA Pre-Area Auditions, Anderson High School

Fri., Dec. 5 Winter Concerts, 6:30 and 8:15 pm, WCPAC

Parent Volunteers Needed!

To sign up for volunteer needs during the year, including musical committees, visit

http://vols.pt/eicSBa

For the latest Choir information, please visit http://westlakechoir.com

Join us for our Winter Concerts!

Friday, December 5, WCPAC

6:30 pm 9-12 Men, Junior & Senior Chorale,

Chamber Women & Madrigals

8:15 pm 9-12 Women, Junior & Senior Chorale,

Chamber Women & Madrigals

TMEA Region Audition Results 2014-2015

Congratulations to all the Choir students who participated in this year’s Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Region auditions on October 18th at Bowie High School in Austin. The following Westlake students advance to compete in the TMEA Pre-Area auditions on November 18th at Anderson High School. SOPRANO I Brittany Roach, Alexandra Connolly, Emma Bushong

SOPRANO II Alyson Glover, Christie Byrne, Annika Mukhurjee

ALTO I Susannah Crowell, Sarah Hildreth, Molly Rapozo, Payton Stack, Kathleen Graham, Gabby Rodriguez, Emily Call

ALTO II Vishakha Mallya, Upasana Prabhu

TENOR II Lucas Revering, Andrew Clement

BASS I Charly Hibler, Ryan Newberg, Elekos Praxis, Tag Garibay, Charles Abbott, Zac Pifer, David Womack

BASS II Lucas McWhirter, Sam Killibrew

TREBLE HONOR CHOIR

SOPRANO I Paige Montgomery, Kelly Burch, Olivia Field, Lili Labens, Claire Sullivan

SOPRANO II Hannah Roberts, Libby Smith

ALTO I Maisie Melton, Kara Kyaw, Kayla Savage, Rachel Bilbo, Elise Johnson

ALTO II Audrey Sutter

Choir students at TMEA Region Auditions

November Events Westbank and Laura’s Library

Jen Bigheart – jen@westbanklibrary.com Mondays Laura’s Library Open Chess Open chess play for all ages http://www.westbanklibrary.com/event/open-chess-lauras First Saturdays Madrone Trail Hike Join us for an educational hike (2 miles in length) through the Madrone Canyon, the first Saturday of every month from 8:30 - 9:30 AM. No registration required, but we will require you to sign a liability waiver. Just show up at the trail head at the end of the Laura Bush Library parking lot. Your hike guide will point out different features of the canyon environment. http://www.westbanklibrary.com/event/madrone-canyon-trail-hike-lauras Sunday, November 9th, 1pm Laura’s Library Scrapbook Veteran Page Everyone is welcome to come and create a scrapbook page for one of their family members. The library will hang and display these pages starting November 10th through 19th. http://www.westbanklibrary.com/event/scrapbook-veteran-page-lauras Saturday, November 15th, 8:30am Laura’s Library Madrone Canyon Workday – Service Hours Opportunity Join us to remove two invasive species from the Canyon at Laura Bush Library. These plants take over native wildflowers and grasses preventing re-population of areas throughout the canyon. We will be removing King Ranch Bluestem Grass and Poverty/Roosevelt Weed or False Willow. Please bring work gloves and tools that can help remove non-native plants. This is a volunteer opportunity for ages 13 and up. It will last from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., but you are not required to stay the entire time. http://www.westbanklibrary.com/event/madrone-canyon-workday-lauras Saturday, November 15th, 10:30am Laura’s Library Creating a YouTube Channel This course will show you how YouTubers created their channels and give you pointers on how you can design yours. Everyone will be shown step-by-step instructions for getting started. We will show a variety of channels to help give you an idea of how channels were started along with interesting ways that people are using their channels with outside websites. Whether you have a channel currently and want to make it better or you would like to start your own, this course is a great intro to how YouTube works with content creators and how you can learn how to make money off of what you create. http://www.westbanklibrary.com/event/creating-youtube-channel-lauras

Entries for the next edition of Chap

Connections, the December issue, are due by

November 22, 2014. Send to

Chapconnectios@gmail.com

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