Balcones District Park in the Milwood subdivision is getting help from small hands this Saturday, April 14, when students from the Austin International School (AIS), guided by their families, will be cleaning the park as a part of Keep Austin Beautiful’s city-wide Clean Sweet initiative. Students from Austin International School will be picking up trash and cleaning playground equipment in order to show their commitment to public works in their new adopted neighborhood. The school will be relocating to its new location at 4001 Adelphi Lane in June.

Not only is AIS joining in on the city-wide effort sponsored by Keep Austin Beautiful, the school has committed to conducting such community service projects several times a year. Last November, students partnered with Little Helping Hands volunteer service organization to help clean up Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest District Park.

“Community service is extremely important for AIS. It is a way for us to support our local community while teaching our students to embrace the challenges brought by the world out there,” said AIS Head of School Christophe Bonnet. “AIS will increasingly become more involved in the Austin community to show our appreciation and give opportunities to our students to become positive contributors to their local community.”

About Us

AIS provides an international education based on solid academic foundations, lifelong social skills and a positive forward-thinking outlook, allowing students to thrive in the world of today and tomorrow.
Our curriculum, delivered in three languages and built on a French curriculum framework, develops students’ critical thinking and intellectual curiosity. This will prepare them for academic success in French, American, and international institutions.
Academically this will prepare them to, amongst others, take the International Baccalaureate (IB) or the French International Baccalaureate diplomas.
Our goal is to cultivate independent thinking, build confidence and broaden our students’ perspective to lay the foundation for success in a global community.

AIS Today

Our school is a non-profit organization, composed of approximately 161 students from 30 nationalities, speaking 16 different languages. At AIS everyone is welcome and diversity is encouraged. We are fully accredited by the French Ministry of Education, which is the recognition of all our efforts over the past 10 years to provide a traditional and solid foundation to our children, combined with a forward thinking outlook. Only three schools in Texas and 37 in all in the USA have attained this highly sought-after recognition.

For further information, please contact Suzanne Krause:
Email: suzanne.krause@austininternationalschool.org | Phone: (512) 331-7806 ext 3

- Biggest Fur Ball (Sponsored by Mud Puppies)

Your dog’s hair can help us bring a new Guinness World Record to Austin! – Brush your dog and help us build the Ball!

- Most Dogs Sitting Simultaneously – Sponsor this Ring!

- Most Dogs Wearing the Same Bandana (provided by Petco!)

Dog and family friendly sponsors like Petco, Purina and Mud Puppies will be back sharing samples and information for dogs and their best friends. The popular Groovy Dog Bakery’s Doggie Cake Walk will be back as will the Canine Center for Training and Behavior’s cool Agility Course. Try it out with your pooch.

Proceeds benefit nonprofit Texas Hearing and Service Dogs, now in its 24th year of turning strays into stars that assist disabled Texans. Learn more and register at www.servicedogs.org.

Next up is our bi-annual Neighborhood Garage Sale on Saturday, October 15, 2011. If you plan to participate, please send us your address so that we can add you to the list we will publish prior to the sale day.

Also on Saturday, October 15, 2011 the local branch of the Raindrop Foundation, at 12400 Amherst Drive will be holding a Turkish Food and Crafts Fair from noon until 6 pm. All proceeds will benefit the Bastrop restoration efforts.

Remember folks – parade start time is at 10:30am starting at the Milwood Baptist Church at the top of Cabana, followed by barbeque fare in the Balcones District Park, and the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble performing to give us the best July 4th event in town!

Volunteers are still needed. If you have time to help setup or need to drop something off (table, pop-up canopy… ect.) you can come by the park starting at 8:15am.  If you can help during the festivities, stop by the membership table or find one of the volunteer coordinators.

Thanks for making this a great event,

MNA Board

Volunteers are critical to helping this event run smoothly and we can’t do it without your support.

If you can help in any of the following ways, please contact us or just show up on July 4th and come by the Milwood or Walnut Crossing Neighborhood Association booths and let us know you would like to lend a hand.

• Deliver flyers around the neighborhood
• Can loan a pop-up canopy (we can pickup and return if necessary)
• Can loan a gas grill (we can pickup and return if necessary)
• Help with morning setup
• Help with afternoon break-down
• Help with monitoring the food line
• Help with grilling the food
• just available to help with anything that needs to get done.

Thank you for your support in helping make this a great event.

Yes, I want to be a volunteer!

The Parks and Recreation Department may close eight public pools in an effort to cut costs in its 2012 fiscal year budget. The move would save the department approximately $340,000, said Tom Nelson, aquatics division manager with the department.
The closures would effect the 2012 summer season, which typically runs from June through August. Pools in Northwest Austin facing closure include Balcones Neighborhood Pool and Kennemer Pool.

Balcones, a year-round facility, would be operated only during the summer.

Community members may voice their concerns or provide suggestions at www.austintexas.icanmakeitbetter.com.

The department will hold budget hearings on Aug. 25 and Sept. 1.

10:00 am – Parade participants assemble at the Milwood Baptist Church Parking Lot

10:30 am – Parade begins (goes from Cabana to Eton)

11:00 am – Picnic lunch at Balcones District Park

11:30 am – Performance by the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble

As always, we will have plenty of cold drinks, hot dogs, and hamburgers thanks to the generous sponsorships of neighborhood businesses and groups. You can purchase raffle tickets for great prizes. Be sure to renew your neighborhood association dues at the picnic or here.

The Austin Parks and Recreation Department cordially invites the public to the upcoming community information and input meeting on a proposed off-leash trail for Yett Creek Park.  The meeting will be held on Monday, June 13, 2011, 6:00-7:30 pm, at Davis Elementary School Cafeteria, 5214 Duval Rd.

This meeting will provide information on the project proposal and possible design of the trail.  Stakeholders, community members and interested citizens will have the opportunity to provide their input regarding the project.

Questions regarding the meeting may be emailed to the project manager, D’Anne Williams at YettCreekParkTrail@ci.austin.tx.us

Victor Ovalle
Program Manager; Public Information and Marketing
Austin Parks and Recreation
work 512-974-6745
cell 512- 567-4746

To pay your dues online (with or without a PayPal account), please click the link in the nav bar above or here. It’s fast, saves postage, and is only $15 per year. Your dues keep the neighborhood informed via our quarterly reminder postcards and, most important, help fund our annual July 4th picnic at Balcones District Park.

So, if you can’t remember when was the last time you paid your dues, they’re probably due!