Hello, Brentwood families,
The 2024-2025 school year is coming to a close—it went by so fast! Thank you for making Brentwood such an incredible community and for many fantastic experiences and memories this year. Our students will have a great last few weeks of school, thanks to our amazing teachers and Brentwood staff. Please encourage your students to share extra hugs, high fives, and “thank-yous” this week for Teacher Appreciation Week.
This issue of the Bark will be our last until we resume in late July with details about back to school events, including Popsicles in the Park, Meet Your Teacher, Tie Dye, and Back-to-School Night. The PTA website calendar will be updated this summer, too, and Konstella will be refreshed and ready for next school year.
Book It to the Book Fair
The Brentwood Library Spring Literati Book Fair is happening this week! The fair will be open Monday through Thursday, May 5–8, for shopping during the school day and after school (till 6 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, and 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday). The fair will accept cash, card, and Literati e-gift cards. To load an e-gift card for your student to shop at the fair, visit this link. For questions, contact librarians Erin Tigelaar (erin.tigelaar@austinisd.org) and Kate Slaten (kate.slaten@austinisd.org). We hope to see you there!
Hey Brentwood Alumni Seniors!
Brentwood’s annual Senior Walk will happen on Monday, May 19 at 7:45 a.m. Please help us get the word out to any Brentwood alumni you know who are graduating from high school this year—we would love to celebrate them! Seniors may wear their graduation gowns for this walk through Brentwood, to the cheers from all 700 current Brentwood Bulldogs along with teachers and staff. Shout out to FastFrame Westlake for sponsoring doughnuts, bagels, and coffee for these special seniors and their families!
School Supply Fundraiser Is Live
Save yourself time and help raise money for our Bulldogs by ordering supplies through our fundraiser! Supplies will be shipped directly to the school and available for pickup at the Meet Your Teacher event in August. Be sure to select the grade your kiddo will be in for the 2025-2026 school year. Order supplies by July 1.
Advocacy Matters
HB 2, the House funding bill, passed with just over half the amount of money needed to make up for inflation. It'll be a much-needed infusion of money into our schools. HB 2 introduces several important changes in the way Texas funds and operates its public education system. Below are the most impactful provisions:
1. Increase in Basic Allotment and Public School Funding
~HB 2 raises the basic allotment per student from $6,160 to $6,380, an increase of $220 per student.
2. Expansion of Pre-K and Early Childhood Education
~HB 2 expands eligibility for state-funded pre-kindergarten by making all 3-year-olds eligible for pre-K if they meet certain conditions.
3. Teacher Pay Incentives and School District Grant Programs
~HB 2 introduces significant pay raises for public school teachers based on a state-run performance designation system.
4. Additional Allotments and Grant Funding for School Districts
~HB 2 expands several funding streams for school districts, including a fine arts allotment, additional funding for struggling schools, and funding for college and career advising for 11th and 12th graders.
Unfortunately, SB 2, the voucher bill, also passed. Polls showed that 95% of Texas voters wanted the issue put to a statewide vote, and polls inside the various caucuses showed opposition from both parties all over Texas. Many fought long and hard to avoid this bill, but it ultimately passed, largely due to pressure from the governor and the president of the United States.
This is obviously a disappointing outcome, however, the energy against vouchers is palpable. Our goal now is to ensure that this energy carries through to the next elections as well as the next and so on.
Even as the legislative session winds down, there remains many opportunities for advocacy and engagement. From budget deficits to school closure discussions, there is a lot going on in our district. Dobie Middle school has received an “F” accountability rating for four years in a row and as such the district is looking for ways to support the students and create a TEA-approved plan. Following community engagement and further investigation of options, the district is no longer considering reassigning Dobie students to another Austin ISD middle school. District leaders are instead proposing a district-managed restart with an 1882 contingency. This option preserves local control and makes intensive school redesign investments while leaving room for a state-approved 1882 partnership if significant progress is not made. If this choice is approved, students will continue going to their neighborhood school, but with required changes in some staffing and teaching for the 2025-26 school year.
With the recent release of the 2023 accountability ratings, Dobie is not alone. Burnet and Webb middle schools are also in a similar position and additional campuses may follow if significant changes and investments are not made.
The Main Takeaway
There will be increasingly difficult budget decisions moving forward, with necessary prioritization of investment in long-underserved schools. Our district leadership and school board trustees have very thoughtful and transparent conversations about this during board meetings. It is important that more of our AISD community understand what is being discussed at board meetings and what opportunities exist for each of us to be involved in these important decisions. The Austin Council of PTAs (ACPTA) produces a clear and succinct weekly Board Recap, written by engaged parent, Sharyn Vane. Please take time to read these. You can find them at https://www.austincouncilpta.org/ and within posts on the ACPTA blog.
Last Call from Lost and Found
All items that remain in Lost and Found will be donated on Friday, May 23. PLEASE check it now to make sure your students haven’t left anything behind. The Lost and Found rack can be found in the Library hallway during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5–9. After that, it will be back in the community room.
Feeding Our Families
Schools in the McCallum High School vertical team, including Brentwood, collectively serve more than 2,000 students who are economically disadvantaged. MACares, a McCallum PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) program, partners with school counselors to support these families and is collecting H-E-B gift cards to help with groceries this summer. If you would like to donate, drop off gift cards (in any amount) in Brentwood's front office or give here (choose the MACares option). Thank you for supporting our families and students! Please email macares@mccaullumptsa.org with any questions.
Interested in JCC After-School Care?
The Jewish Community Center (JCC) is currently exploring options to open up a transportation route from Brentwood Elementary to its after-school program at the JCC. To help inform their decision, they have requested that interested families complete a short survey by Monday, May 12. We will continue to update our website to reflect on-campus after-school programs and off-campus programs that offer pick-up from the Brentwood campus.
In the Neighborhood
Have you seen Lamar Dance perform at a Brentwood event? We loved having them out at the Carnival and Brentwood Rocks this year! The Lamar Dance Spirit Night is this week—on Tuesday, May 6, from 4–8 p.m.—at Phil’s Icehouse & Amy’s Ice Cream (5624 Burnet Road). Grab dinner and a sweet treat while supporting the incredible dance program at Lamar! Just mention "Lamar Dance Spirit Night" at the register or include it in the chef’s notes when ordering online.
Calling All Future McCallum Knights!
Come to the McCallum High School football field for our “Spring Game” football scrimmage on Friday, May 9. Entry starts at 5:30 p.m., game time is at 6, and admission is free. Park in the large lot on 2222, and walk through the gate on the west side. A few other items of note and reasons to attend:
1. Preview the 2025 Knights football team and learn about fun upcoming events.
2. Meet the Mac coaches and football booster club board.
3. Tour the Mac field house—with our new weight room equipment!
4. Watch the Blue Brigade drill team and McCallum cheerleaders perform.
5. Buy a spring game T-shirt or other great merch.
6. Partake in food and drinks.
7. Don’t forget to bring your own chairs. (Bleachers are coming as part of the AISD 2022 bond upgrades, but for now, it’s BYOC.)
8. Support our Knights!
Celebrate Diversity
Congratulations to the winners of this year's Pride Week Art Contest! Our winners, who will all receive a $20 gift card to Black Pearl Books, include June Lynch (Kinder, Ash), Vivian Masterson (1st, Eishenhauer), and Audrey McGuckin (4th, Coronado).
It’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month) is an annual celebration that recognizes the historical and cultural contributions of individuals and groups of Asian and Pacific Islander descent to the United States. The AAPI umbrella term includes cultures from the entire Asian continent—including East, Southeast, and South Asia—as well as the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. As of 2019, there were about 22.9 million people of Asian or Pacific Islander descent in America. According to the Pew Research Center, AAPI people are a diverse and growing population that make up about 7 percent of the total U.S. population.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have contributed in a major way to many facets of American culture and society, including science and medicine, literature and art, sports and recreation, government and politics, and activism and law. In 2021, Kamala Harris became the first Asian American Vice President of the United States. In film history, AAPI people, stories, and traditions have become more visible with South Korean director Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, in 2019, and the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, in 2021, which debuted Marvel’s first Asian superhero.
AAPI people have a long history in the United States, despite the stereotype that they are “perpetual foreigners”—the idea that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are inherently foreign, “other,” and not truly American. According to the Bering Land Bridge Theory, Asians first migrated to what is now known as North America over 15,000 years ago along a land bridge between Asia and North America. In the 16th century, Filipinos who were escaping forced labor and enslavement during the Spanish galleon trade, immigrated to North America, eventually establishing a settlement in St. Malo, Louisiana, in 1763. During the California Gold Rush of the 1850s, a wave of Asian immigrants came to the West Coast and provided labor for gold mines, factories, and the transcontinental railroad.
Since their immigration to the United States, Asians have been met with xenophobia, racism, bias, and violence. During World War II, from 1942–1945, people of Japanese descent were incarcerated in internment camps across the nation. At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, racist and xenophobic rhetoric about the origins of the virus led to an unfortunate spike in anti-Asian racism and violence, with AAPI people of all ages and cultures being verbally and physically harassed in cities across America. Today, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest-growing racial group in this country. AAPI Heritage Month serves to celebrate the unique journey of all AAPI immigrants and citizens in the United States and their special life experiences, traditions, and cultures.
The month of May was chosen for AAPI Heritage Month because it commemorates the immigration of the first Japanese people to the U.S. on May 7, 1843. May is also significant because of Golden Spike Day, which, on May 10, 1869, marked the completion of the transcontinental railroad that was built in large part thanks to Chinese workers.
Adapted from an article by Minhae Shim Roth (History.com)
Want to Learn More?
Articles:
12 Asian American and Pacific Islander Women to Know
The Asian American Women Who Fought To Make Their Mark in WWII
Films:
American Pastime
Moana
The Namesake
Children’s Books:
Gibberish, by Young Vo
Bilal Cooks Daal, by Anoosha Saeed
A Morning with Grandpa, by Sylvia Liu
Check Your Calendar
Follow along on Konstella or subscribe to our Brentwood Elementary Google Calendar to stay in the know about upcoming school events, holidays, and PTA activities. Here are some upcoming dates to remember:
- Monday, May 5–Thursday, May 8 Spring Literati Book Sale (till 6pm Mon. & Wed., till 4pm Tues. & Thurs.)
- Tuesday, May 6 PTA Board Meeting (5:30pm)
- Thursday, May 8 Brentwood Bike Bus (7am, recurring every Thursday)
PTA Meeting (6:30pm) - Friday, May 9 School Tour (8:30am)
McCallum Spring Football Scrimmage (5:30pm) - Wednesday, May 14 PTA Volunteer Appreciation Happy Hour (5pm)
- Monday, May 19 Brentwood Alumni Senior Walk (7:45am)
- Thursday, May 22 5th Grade Graduation (8am)
- Friday, May 23 Deadline to check Lost & Found before it's all donated!
- Monday, May 26 NO SCHOOL Memorial Day
- Thursday, May 29 LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
Building Bulldogs
Brentwood PTA runs an annual, donate-one-time-per-year, no-hassle fundraiser we call the Bulldog Fund. The donations collected in this fund are used for essential (and at times all-too-expensive) programming like literacy and math software, library books, music, art, and more. Donate HERE!
Let Us Know
Do you happen to have a program, event, or volunteer need that you would like published in the Bulldog Bark, on the PTA website, or sent out via social channels? Simply email communications@brentwoodpta.com for consideration.
PTA Website
PTA Facebook
X: @BrentwoodAISD
Instagram/Threads: @BrentwoodBulldogs_AISD
Brentwood Website