I’m excited to welcome you to another incredible year at A.N. McCallum High School!

The beginning of the school year always brings a mix of emotions for students and staff alike. Our priority is to ensure that every student feels supported, valued, and empowered—and that our teachers and staff have what they need to create a thriving, inclusive learning environment. If you’re new to the Mac family, welcome! You’re joining a vibrant, caring community, and we’re here to support you every step of the way.

Partners in Your Child’s Education

It feels like just yesterday I was dropping off my youngest for her first day of kindergarten—now she’s a college sophomore. Every parent knows how quickly the time flies. As both a parent and an educator, I understand the deep trust you place in us. Please know: Mac educators genuinely care about our students. Our teachers and support staff come to work each day with a shared purpose—to help your child grow, succeed, and feel loved. My hope is that this year we can continue building a strong partnership, grounded in the knowledge that your child is cared for both at home and at school.

Here’s to a meaningful and memorable school year ahead!

Calendar Highlights

• Friday, August 8th, Freshman Orientation

• Tuesday, August 19th, First Day of School

• Monday, August 25th, Back to School Night

• Monday, September 1st, Student Holiday

• Monday, September 8th, First CAC and PTSA meeting

McCallum Calendar and Bell Schedule

• AB Calendar

• Bell Schedule

Here are a few other items to consider as we start a new year.

• HB 1481 - requires all school systems to adopt and implement a policy prohibiting the use of personal communication devices by students on school property during the school day. 

  • Every student is issued a chrome book, so they do not need to bring their personal computers.

  • Personal Cell Phones will be off and secured in the students bag while in class.

    • Teachers will be authorized to take up a phone if a student has it out in class.

    • A full phone policy will be included in future newsletters.

  • Parents please talk to your students about the importance of following this new State policy.

• McCallum is under construction! We will need to adjust the way students enter the building, especially those who ride the school bus.

  • Students who ride the school bus will enter the school through the World Language Hallway (look for signs along Sunshine Dr.).

  • Parents who need to conduct school business will enter the Library through the double blue doors off of the circle drive.

  • No one will enter through the main entrance by the flagpoles until the front office construction is complete (predicted to finish in October).

• Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 28th, the rivalry continues between McCallum and Anderson. The game starts at 7:30 pm. Buy your tickets early, as this game will sell out.

Has a McCallum High School staff member gone above and beyond to make a difference? Nominate them for a RAVE Award (Recognizing All Valuable Employees)! We love celebrating the dedication, kindness, and hard work of our amazing team—and we want to hear your stories!

AISD RAVE 

We want to keep you informed. There are many ways we communicate with families and students:

• MacJournalism - Our journalism program keeps us all informed through their MacJ posts on Instagram (@macjournalism). They rarely miss an event or an important announcement. Note: if you don’t have an Instagram account, the MacJournalism posts are worth getting an account and just following their posts. 

• Blend Announcements - Depending on the nature of the announcement, students and parents will receive Blend Announcements. 

• Morning Announcements - Our Mac Student Council does morning announcements, as well as a moment of silence and pledges, at the beginning of 2nd and 6th periods. 

• MacKnightly eNewsletter - Our wonderful Mac PTSA sends out a weekly newsletter called the MacKnightly Newsletter with important announcements. To sign up to receive this, please sign up at the bottom of this webpage: https://mccallumptsa.org/.

• Principal Update - I send a Principal Update (like this one) once a week. It serves to connect and highlight important information.

• Emails and Texts through Thrill Share - Thrill Share is the system used by AISD to send group emails and text messages. Occasionally, parents have accidentally opted out of receiving these by indicating they would like their email made private. To check your settings, go to your Portal, click on the tile “Frontline SIS Self-Serve”, click on the tab “Edit Contact Info”, and scroll down to check that you have indicated “No” to making your email private (unless, of course, you’d like to opt out of emails)

We are in the business of people. We can expect that there will be differences of opinion, misunderstandings, confusion in communication, etc. What do you do when something happens? Please follow these steps when addressing a concern or misunderstanding.

• STEP 1: As often as possible, we want our students to practice advocating for themselves. The first step in addressing a concern is to encourage your student to speak with their teacher. Most problems can be resolved at this level and it is great practice for students to become advocates in their own lives. 

• STEP 2: If you and your student feel there is still an issue, please email your teacher directly. You can find their contact information in the AISD Directory or by emailing through the Parent Portal Frontline Self-Service.

• STEP 3: The best next step is for the student or their parent to reach out to their support team of AP and/or counselor to help resolve the problem

• STEP 4: If you feel like your concern has not been addressed then please contact Mr. Baxa the school principal (andy.baxa@austinisd.org).

It’s important you know your student’s support team - their Assistant Principal and Counselor. We have a few changes to our team this year.  

Students not in the Fine Arts Academy - List of APs

Last Names A - GO Gabriel Adame (Assistant Principal): gabriel.adame@austinisd.org 

Last Names GP - PA Larry Featherstone (Assistant Principal): larry.featherstone@austinisd.org 

Last Names PE - Z Lavonda Loney (Assistant Principal): lavonda.loney@austinisd.org 

Students not in the Fine Arts Academy - List of Counselors

Last Names (A-E) Loren Croom: loren.croom@austinisd.org 

Last Names (F-LH) Nicollette Muller: nicollette.muller@austinisd.org 

Last Names (LI-RN) Cristela Garcia: cristela.garcia@austinisd.org

Last Names (RO-Z) Marc Garcia: marc.garcia@austinisd.org

All Students in the Fine Arts Academy:

Teri Kirby (Associate Principal): teri.kirby@austinisd.org

Shelley Goldstein (Counselor): shelley.goldstein@austinisd.org

Additional Supports:

• 504 Coordinator - Jennifer Padron - jennifer.padron@austinisd.org 

• College and Career Counselor - Camille Nix - camille.nix@austinisd.org 

• Principal’s Admin Assistant - Bonnie Baker - bonnie.baker@austinisd.org 

• Guidance Secretary - Tonya Moore  - tonya.moore@austinisd.org

Fall Austin Community College Dual Credit Update

Deadline to register for ACC courses has passed. Any student still working through this process with Mrs. Nix can continue to do so. Please check your email and if you have a personal email from her, please follow directions ASAP. If your student did not receive an email, then it means they did not complete the registration process with ACC and were dropped from the class. Students who were dropped will be enrolled in the appropriate course at McCallum. If you have any questions about ACC or college registration please contact Camille Nix.  

Senior Information

Class of 2026, are you ready? It is going to be a FUN year!

Ms. Nix will be running college prep sessions next week. Please check your email for details and sign up!

Here is a checklist of tasks to accomplish prior to graduation:

• Apply to four year or two year school, enlist in the military, or apply to the workforce

• Take and pass the Texas State Initiative exam (many of you are exempt - stay tuned for more info!)

• Complete the FAFSA or the opt-out form. Do not do this yet! It’s not time…but keep it on your list of things to do.

At McCallum, we believe every day counts. When students are present, they engage in meaningful learning, strengthen their skills, and build connections that support their success—especially in our rigorous academic, athletics, and fine arts programs. But did you know attendance also directly impacts our funding? In Texas, school budgets are based on daily student attendance, which means every day a student is here helps fund the teachers, arts programs, support services and resources that make McCallum exceptional.

As you plan medical, dental, or travel appointments for the school year, we encourage you to refer to the 2025–2026 Austin ISD calendar and try to schedule on student holidays whenever possible. Every instructional day counts toward your student’s learning and our school’s funding.

Helpful dates to consider:

• September 1

• September 22-23

• October 10

• October 13

• October 20

• November 4

• November 24-28

• December 22-31

• January 1-2

• January 5

• January 19

• February 16-17

• March 16-20

• March 31

• April 6

• May 25

Visit the McCallum attendance page for more information.

Students should come to school with a refillable water bottle, writing utensil, paper, fully charged Chromebook, and a backpack in which to put it all. If your student is new and doesn’t yet have an AISD issued Chromebook, please be on the lookout for an email with information on getting one. Teachers will communicate specific needs for their classes to their students during that first week of school.

Please be aware that Sunshine Drive is used by AISD buses for student drop-off and pick-up. For safety reasons, private vehicle pick-up is not allowed on Sunshine Drive between Houston and Stark in the afternoons. We strongly recommend coordinating a pick-up location with your student along Houston Street or Grover Avenue. Please avoid asking your student to cross the street to reach your vehicle, as this poses safety risks. This year, we are also beginning three major construction projects on campus, which will impact traffic patterns. These projects are exciting improvements for our school but will contribute to increased congestion during pick-up and drop-off times—especially in the first few weeks.

Let’s all be patient and treat one another with respect as we adjust to these changes and work together to get our students home safely.

The large lot right along Koenig is available after the band finishes practicing in the morning at 8:30ish. Students would need to move their cars immediately after school so the band can practice. The parking lot at the corner of Sunshine and Houston is our Senior Lot and is reserved for the class of 2026. Students will need to park along Sunshine or Grover if they cannot find space in one of the parking lots.

 There are two faculty parking lots that students are prohibited from using. The first faculty parking lot is located between the gym and the MAC building on the north side of campus. The second faculty parking lot is located off of Houston St. on the south side of campus. Students who park in the faculty lots may be towed at the owner's expense.

 I highly recommend carpooling when possible. Parking is very limited.

Volunteer at McCallum! -- Background Check Needed

Please consider volunteering at McCallum this year!

Volunteers–new and returning–will now be required to complete a new background check at the start of each school year. 

 Returning volunteers do not need to create a new account. They can simply sign in using their existing credentials to resubmit their background check.

Once you have completed the background check, you can sign up for front office volunteering at the link below. Or keep an eye out for other volunteer opportunities.

https://austinisd.voly.org/opportunity/view.html?id=107125

If you have any questions, contact sara.zettner@austinisd.org

Picking up your student -- Make it easy!

If you need to pick up your student during the school day, the best way is to send a written note to the front office

The note must include:

• student's full name 

• student ID

• date and time they are leaving

• parent/guardian name and phone number

• parent/guardian signature

Your student will need to bring this note to the office before school and they will be issued a pass. Your student will then show the pass to their teacher at the proper time and they can leave directly from class.

With the construction going on, the difficulty parking and the size of our school, this will be a much easier option. If you are unable to send in a written note, the parent/guardian or another person on the student's pickup list will need to come to the front office with their id and check out the student. In this case, please allow plenty of time for the student to be retrieved from class. 

Students who return the same day will need to check back in at the office.

Note: the pickup note does not count as an excuse note. See our website for more attendance information:

https://mccallum.austinschools.org/department/attendance

Thanks for taking the time to read the Principal Update. We are looking forward to another wonderful school year at McCallum. 

I will send out another message next week with more information on the start of the school year.

Go Knights!

Thank you,

Andy Baxa
Proud Principal
McCallum High School