Thank you for a wonderful year!

I cannot say enough how very much I have enjoyed working with your children this year. They are one of the best groups I have ever had, and I will miss them next year.

There are just a couple of final things to pass along:

1. A note went home today from the PTA regarding HISD's budget plan for next year and its potential impact on Sinclair. In short, the school would lose about $145,000 from its budget over the next 2 years. If you are concerned about this, please contact the Board of Education and Superintendent Grier. You can read about the proposal here: HISD Magnet Budget Proposal
2. It probably goes without saying, but please make sure your children read over the summer. A note went home today with information about the summer reading program HISD and Sinclair are sponsoring. They can also use TTM over the summer. If they have forgotten their login information, just email me and I will send it to you. A little bit of reading and math, say, a couple hours a week each, will keep them from losing the skills they have worked so hard to acquire this year.
3. Finally, I encourage you to get out and explore some of the city's wonderful museums and performing arts groups. Many of the museums in the Museum District have free days once a week. Miller Outdoor Theater has a great array of free performances going on all summer. My personal favorite thing to do in summer is to go to Padre Island National Seashore to watch a hatchling sea turtle release. The Kemp's Ridley sea turtle is highly endangered, so when nests are found, the eggs are collected and incubated until the turtles hatch. When they are ready, National Park Service scientists release them on the beach at sunrise. I have found that if you leave Houston at 2am, you can be at the release site by 6:15 or so, even if you stop for donuts. You may prefer to stay overnight in a hotel in Corpus Christi which would leave you with just a 30-40 minute drive to the release. Park admission is waived if you are attending the release. Read all about it here: Padre Island National Seashore sea turtle releases

Baby sea turtles crawl across the beach at Padre Island Nat'l Seashore