Congratulations to Doss Science Fair Participants!

Click here to view the list of the 2012 Science Fair Winners

Doss Students will bike to China!

And we’re off!  This semester, we are encouraging Doss students to walk or bike to school enough times to cover 7100 miles — the distance between Austin and Beijing, China! Each Friday, Laura Wagner and I will tabulate the week’s mileage using our Boltage data, and we’ll tell the students how far we’ve come. In addition, we’re moving our new Doss on Wheels icon (“Hootie”) across the large mural of the world in the cafeteria, so the kids can visually see how far they’ve come. Check out the photo of Hootie and be sure to talk with your kids about him too! In our first 2.5 weeks, we’ve already covered 1600 miles! So we’ll surely make it to China before the end of May. In fact, we expect Hootie to make a couple of wrong turns on his journey, and he may find himself surrounded by penguins or even kangaroos!

Our students continue to do a great job of biking and walking to school, despite the lower temperatures. In fact, this week we’ve averaged around 120 “bings” each day. Twenty-six students have already binged in more than 40 times this school year, so they will be helping out with the morning announcements this Monday.

We’d like to encourage and congratulate our students by greeting them at the Boltage machine each Wednesday morning with stickers, snacks, yellow tickets, etc. If you would be willing to help out by being at the school 7:20-8:00 am on a Wednesday morning, please let us know. I’ll put together a schedule and send it back to those who can help out.

Some other fun things that are coming up this semester: a “surprise” drawing on a Wednesday morning to give out 10 bike bells (Thanks for getting them, Beth Rowan!); continued bike safety tips; the awarding of the new bike to whomever wins the drawing; a fun day of celebration when Hootie finally gets to Beijing, etc. If you have ideas, suggestions, or questions, please let us know!

Thanks!
DeDe Church, dedechurch@gmail.com
Co-Chair, Doss on Wheels

BookSpring Read-A-Thon is Coming!

Get ready for the 2012 BookSpring Read-A-Thon!
Book A Trip!

This year’s Doss Read-a-thon will be February 6-17.

BookSpring is a non-profit organization which promotes literacy in the Austin area. Last year, over 140,000 books were given to over 45,500 of the neediest children and their families in Greater Austin. Participating students ask family, friends and neighbors to pledge for every page they read during the read-a-thon, winning prizes based on the amount they raise.

Our Doss Owls love to help others and they love to READ, READ, READ…?What a perfect combo!

Look for materials and more information to come home with students shortly before the date.

For more information contact the BookSpring Chairs, Lauren Rosprim or Katie Kinzy or visit www.bookspring.org.

Chinese Immersion Program

Dear Doss Community:

Would you like more information on the Doss Chinese Immersion Program? Meet me in the cafeteria from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 19, 2012. I will give you an overview of the current program components, answer your questions and offer applications for parents of 2012-2013 Kinder and First grade students.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Janna Griffin
Principal, Doss Elementary School

Send questions or comments to: jgriffi1@austinisd.org

Attention 5th Grade Parents

Are you ready to explore the Middle School Experience? Ready or not, 5th grade parents, here it comes!

Friday, January 20
Principal’s Coffee at MMS
8:30 am MMS Cafeteria
Question and answer session regarding choice sheets.

Friday, January 27
Choice Sheets due
Choice sheets must be filled out by ALL of our Doss fifth graders. If someone is leaving or going to a different school next year, Mrs. Throm will write a note and attach it to the choice sheet. The choice sheets are due to fifth grade teachers on or before January 27. Remember to attach the filled out Application for Pre-AP Advanced if your child is going to take a Pre-AP Advanced course in any subject area.

For more information, contact Murchison Middle School at 414-3254 or check out the MMS website.

Upload Yearbook Photos

Please remember to upload your pictures to the yearbook site. Directions are located on the Yearbook committee page.  If you have trouble, drop a disk in the yearbook folder in the PTA office or email them to us at rperry3@austin.rr.com or karennabers@yahoo.com. If your class has set up a shutterfly account for the Spring Party books, please give us access and we can download the pictures from there. We need lots more pictures!!!

Bonus Box Tops at HEB

Here is our chance Doss shoppers to earn some extra Box Tops money. You can receive 70 BONUS Box Tops at HEB between 1/18/2012 and 1/31/2012 when you buy 10 Box Tops items in one trip. You will receive a Bonus Box Tops certificate at checkout. So, stock up on snacks for team sports,  ziploc products, cereal or whatever your greatest need is and earn some extra money for Doss!

They also have coupons at the BoxTops website btfe.com for a lot of these participating items. If coupons are your thing, check it out and save a little while you earn for the school!

Please turn in your BoxTops by January 20 (next deadline February 20), clearly marked with your student’s name and teacher.

The Hoot>>Issue #5 2011-2012

Click on the image below to download a pdf file of the fifth edition of the Hoot, our Doss PTA newsletter, for the 2011-2012 school year.