Elementary School News

75 yeBryker Woods established 1939ars of excellence in education!

Built in 1939, Bryker Woods Elementary will be celebrating 75 years of excellence in education during the 2014-15 school year! Watch for details for a neighborhood celebration like Bryker Woods has never seen before.

Bryker Woods Elementary School Playground Usage

Use of the school playground during non school hours for neighborhood recreation is most welcome at Bryker Woods Elementary. Our school grounds are also under 24 hour surveillance by cameras.  These extra set of eyes help keep our school grounds safe!

Our Bryker Woods school playground is for student use only during the school year as set by Austin Independent School District.  The school day runs from 7:45 AM to 2:45 PM.  In addition, on school days, the playground is available only for Extend-A-Care and Creative Action from 2:45 to 6:30 PM.  AISD contracts with both Extend-A-Care and Creative Action for this usage.

The purpose of these guidelines are intended to secure and preserve the Bryker Woods playground area for the joy of the school children during the school year/school day, as well as for the enjoyment of the Bryker Woods neighborhood.

We take pride in our school building and grounds by doing everything we can to keep it attractive.  Please be a thoughtful citizen and pick up trash and litter you might see on the school grounds. There are trash receptacles placed in various areas around the school. Also please see note below about dog waste. Please pick up after your pet. Please.

We (grown ups and kids) have found that some owners have not cleaned after their dogs when visiting the school playground.  Please remind the neighbors to PLEASE, PLEASE be sure to pick up after their dog. The school is a wonderful place to let your dog run free when you are on your walk down to the creek, but children with poop on their shoes have been reduced to tears when returning to the classroom to find that everyone else “knows”.  It’s almost impossible to get cleaned up properly when you’re at school, and especially when you’re only 5 years old.  So, please, keep a careful eye on your dog and be sure to pick up that poop.

Bryker Woods Elementary Morning and Afternoon Traffic

Our morning arrival and afternoon dismissal is focused strictly on safety FIRST. Please use the circle drive for drop-off and pick-up. This driveway is a fire lane; therefore, unattended cars are not permitted. When exiting the driveway we ask that you turn right only. If you will, use Kerbey Lane (front of school) as a one-way going north, this will greatly help. Please stay in your car at all times. We will assist children in and out of cars. We ask that you end all cell phone calls when you enter the school zone. Cell phone use is prohibited (marked by signs near school) by the City of Austin and fines are enforced. Our back parking lot is designated Staff Parking only. The staff needs to be able to arrive and then again leave without fear of not finding a spot or fear of being blocked in. Please be considerate of our neighbors-Do Not Block their drives or fail to give them room to back out. Local businesses also ask that we do not park in their lots. We are asking parents to park along the south side of 34th St (east of Kerbey). This street is very narrow and when cars are parked down both sides it is hard to use as a two way street. In short please remember during school rush hours:

  • Southbound traffic on Glenview
  • Northbound traffic on Kerby

Vandalism

BrykerWoods Elementary has had several instances of vandalism on our campus over the past few weeks. Two broken windows, broken solar panel, two “tagged” (spray painted) buildings, the theft of two trash cans (one expensive and one less expensive), and some removal of garden plants. There is a serious concern that this vandalism is escalating and we need your help in making the neighborhood association aware and asking for residents eyes and ears in assisting in watching the school and catching these kids who think this is a game. The fear is that if they feel it is OK to vandalize the school then the whole neighborhood is at risk as well. Please help keep an extra eye on BrykerWoods Elementary and should you notice anything suspicious – dial 911 immediately! Thanks for helping to keep our neighborhood safe and secure.

Neighborhood Recycling

Did you know that you can recycle newspaper, magazines, shopping catalogs, office & school papers and mail 24 hours/7 days a week at our campus? Did you know that Bryker Woods earns money for paper dropped off at the green and yellow “Paper Retriever”™ bin? While Bryker Woods has recycled paper at school for several years, we now are involving the entire community to join in paper recycling. This is an easy way for you to recycle your paper and help us raise money for projects like playgrounds, landscaping, books, and other worthwhile activities. Please remember to bring your paper and drop it in the “Paper Retriever”™ bin which is located on 33rd Street by the faculty parking lot. There is no financial commitment from you, just bring us your paper (e.g. newspaper, magazines, catalog and mail – no confidential info should be placed in the bin). Please do NOT include: Cardboard, Plastic, Glass, Metals or Trash. Thanks for helping the environment and BrykerWoods Elementary!