Cub Chronicles: October 10th
Dear Families,
What a fun, music-filled week we’ve had! With Austin City Limits just down the road, our campus has been surrounded by the sounds of our city celebrating, and it reminds us how thankful we are to have our very own music teacher, Ms. Sybi.
Throughout the year, the children will:
Explore Instruments & Sounds
Our young musicians will:
• Try out a variety of classroom instruments—rhythm sticks, hand drums, shakers, bells, and the xylophone, and this week, the auto-harp!
• Practice loud/soft, fast/slow, and high/low to build listening skills and self-regulation.
• Take turns being the “conductor,” leading friends to start, stop, and change tempo: great for confidence and collaboration.
A Teachable Moment from the Playground: Our “Mini-ACL”
Last week and this week, the children could hear music drifting from the festival while playing outside. We paused for a quick “dance break”:
• “What do you hear? A drum? A singer? A beat?”
• The children were able to practice active listening by tapping steady beats, echoing rhythms, and creating our own “festival feeling”.
Why This Matters
Music at this age strengthens:
• Language & early literacy (rhythm and rhyme)
• Math thinking (patterns, counting beats)
• Motor skills (steady beat = steady bodies)
• Social-emotional growth (taking turns, expressing feelings, leading/following)
Try It at Home
• Put on a favorite song and have a family conductor: start/stop, fast/slow!
• Build a sound collection in the kitchen: wooden spoon, pot, whisk shake.
• Play “Guess That Sound”: take turns making a hidden sound for others to identify.
Thank you for cheering on our little artists. Austin is alive with music right now, and it’s been magical to help children connect what they hear in our community with what they can create with their own hands and hearts.
With rhythm and joy,
Whitney Zisman
Head of School
Trunk or Treat!
October 30 & 31
Get ready for one of our favorite fall traditions: Trunk or Treat! Parents decorate their car trunks with festive Halloween fun, and children visit each “trunk” to collect treats and enjoy the creative displays.
Thursday, October 30: T/Th Bears, Butterflies, Owls, and Foxes
Friday, October 31: Ladybugs, Otters, and MWF Bears
We’ll celebrate from 8:40–10:45 a.m. each day. Children are welcome to come in costume, but please send an extra set of clothes if their costume isn’t comfortable for play or classroom activities.
We can’t wait to see all the creativity (and candy!) this year.
Dia de los Muertos Altar
Our Día de los Muertos Altar is back this year! A Día de los Muertos altar is a colorful display created to honor and remember loved ones who have passed away, often decorated with photos, flowers, and meaningful items. If you shared photos last year, we still have them and will display them again.
If you’d like to add something new to the altar, please bring a photo to the office or email it to mayra@stmarksdayschoolaustin.org.
The altar will be available for viewing in the Parish October 28–November 3 before and after school.
Fall Picture Days
October 21-22
We officially have fall picture days on the calendar! Barbara Legere will be back behind the camera this year. St. Mark’s will provide digital files for all individual photos. Class schedules will be shared as we get closer to the date.
Another week of fun! We’re growing and learning more every day.
Let's Grow our St. Mark's Family!
Have a family you’d love to introduce to St. Mark’s? We’d love to meet them! Invite your friends, family, and neighbors to learn more about our school at our Open House on October 23rd. It’s a great opportunity to see our classrooms, meet our teachers, and experience the St. Mark’s community.
Help us spread the word, we can’t wait to welcome new families!
Annual Chicken BBQ & Block Party
The 2025 Chicken BBQ & Block Party is scheduled for Saturday, October 18th, 2025. We hope to see a lot of our Day School Families there!