MEETINGS & PROGRAMS

​The Austin High School PTSA is not just about fundraising for the academic support of our teachers and the academic success of our children. We also want to emphasize our role in providing educational opportunities beyond the classroom walls.  These opportunities happen through out the year and are part of the PTSA Parent/Student Educational Programming Series.

PTSA General Meetings
​

Tuesday March 30
6:00pm
PTSA General Meeting & Speaker

A Discussion about Teen Substance Abuse 
& Preventing Addiction
 
Marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine are commonly used among adolescents. Research shows that children who begin using substances before the age of 15 are 7 times more likely to have a problem as an adult due to the developing brain.  Every year while the brain is still developing and substance use is delayed, the risk of addiction decreases.  
Paul Smith is a fellow AISD parent and father to two sons who have been away from home in treatment programs during their high school years as a result to marijuana use. Paul and his wife began Brave Parents, a support group in Austin, shortly after the boys returned home. Paul will speak to us about substance use among teens starting as early as 12 years, substance abuse, and the resources available to families.  
​
Parent Resources:
​
Talking to Kids About Alcohol and Other Drugs: 5 Conversation Goals
Talk with your teen about E-Cigarettes- a Tip Sheet for Parents
Positive Activity List
How To Talk to Your Teen About Drugs: 6 Tips for Parents

Short Video on Brain Development
Key points to discuss after viewing the video:
  • Your brain develops until at least age 25. 
  • Teen brains are being shaped and “programmed” by the choices they make.
  • Drug use can eventually lead to dramatic changes in neurons and brain circuits. These changes can stay even after the person has stopped taking drugs. This is more likely to happen when a drug is taken over and over again.
  • If you do drugs as a teen, the reward pathways in your brain can get scrambled, which puts you at greater risk for addiction. 
Harvard Health blog article: “Teens and drugs: 5 tips for talking with your kids”

​Local Resources for Substance Abuse Treatment
Tuesday, May 18
6:00pm
PTSA General Meeting
Wednesday January 27
​6:00pm
PTSA General Meeting & Speaker

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS & COVID:  Stay calm & take control of college planning in a time of uncertainty. 
Tara Miller, AHS Lead College Counselor, will moderate a presentation and discussion with
Akil Bello, Educational Access Consultant and Test Preparation Expert, and
Miguel Wasielewski, Executive Director of Admissions UT Austin
VIDEO College Admissions & Covid w/ Tara Miller, Akil Bello, & Miguel Wasielewski 
Places to start: College website, Austin High College & Career Center website, Your Personal Naviance
The best place to seek help is to start with the college & career center website for up to date information and advisor contact info. You can also Join virtual visits online in your Naviance, sign up for virtual college fairs, check college websites for college specific opportunities too. Reach out to the Austin High School College & Career Center advisors via email for questions & meeting requests. The more focused your college search is, the less stressful it will be. College Admission professionals love to talk to students, you can reach them via email or video conference on their websites.
RESOURCES & LINKS
BOOKS
  1. The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us by Paul Tough
  2. The Truth about College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together by Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark
  3. Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream by Sara Goldrick-Rab
  4. New - The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your... by Ron Lieber 
  5. Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions by Jeffrey Selingo
Tuesday, November 10
​6:00pm
PTSA General Meeting & Speaker

Understanding LGBTQ+ for Parents & Staff

​1 in 10 youth between the ages of 13 – 18 years identify as LGBTQ+ (Trevor Project National Survey 2020).  We will learn what it is to identify LGBTQ+ and how we can better support these students and friends at Austin High School.

Presented by Summer Hough
Staff Therapist for Out Youth and Transgender Wellness

outyouth.org

See the presentation HERE
Thursday, September 24
6:00pm via Zoom       
PTSA General Meeting & Speaker
Quaran-Teens:  How to help our teens adjust to digital learning and address their emotional needs.
Presented by 
​Wanda Montemayor, O. Henry Wellness Counselor and private therapist,
​and
​Sherri Patton Grubb, Austin High Wellness Counselor. ​

Parent & Student Education Programs

2020-2021 PROGRAMS

Quaran-Teens:  How to help our teens adjust to digital learning and address their emotional needs.

​Presented by 
​Wanda Montemayor, O. Henry Wellness Counselor and private therapist,
​and
​Sherri Patton Grubb, Austin High Wellness Counselor. ​

​PAST PROGRAMS 

Stories about Recovery -- UT Center for Students in Recovery
&
Research based Drug & Alcohol Addiction - Waggoner Center
Consent and Sexual Harassment
​presented by Safeplace and Austin Children's Center (now called Safe Alliance)
How Smartphones & Other Technology Can Affect YOU
Dr. Mike Brooks
The Teenage Brain: It's Real and It's Amazing
​Teri Wood, PF.D., NCVT
NAMI Austin Presents: Let's Talk, 
Starting the Mental Health Conversation With Your Teen.
Co Sponsored by Okay To Say
Body Image and eating healthy
​Gina Mateer, RD, LD 
A Showing of the film
​"Most Likely to Succeed"
Distracted Driving
​presented by Andrew's Choice