Student performances, presentations of academic achievement awards, skits, spoken word and a black history presentation are among the activities planned for the “I am the Dream, You are the Dream” program at Eastside Memorial High School on Thursday, March 10. The program, sponsored by the African American Men & Boys Harvest Foundation, will be at 3:15 p.m. in the school gym, located at 1112 Arthur Stiles Road.

The Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) has awarded the Austin School District its Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) for excellence in budget presentation of the 2010-2011 Budget.

Spring Break in the Austin School District is Monday, March 14, through Friday, March 18. All campuses and administrative offices will be closed. Campuses and administrative offices will reopen on Monday, March 21.

In celebration of Youth Art Month 2011, more than 1,500 works of student art — representing 111 elementary, middle, and high schools — will be displayed in a public show, March 4-28, at One Congress Plaza, located at 111 Cesar Chavez.

For the first time ever, 36 K-3 teachers in 23 elementary schools of the Austin Independent School District have been awarded Target Literacy Classroom Grants, ranging from $500 to $3,500 per classroom. Target grants support classroom projects to accelerate the development of K-3 literacy skills. Funds can be used to purchase books, software, materials for professional development, and other literacy resources to accelerate student learning.

One hundred ninety-seven Austin School District seniors have earned national recognition for their exemplary performance in the National Merit Scholarship Program, the National Hispanic Scholar Award Program, and the National Achievement Scholarship Program for 2011.

Financial Exigency, Program Change, and Reorganization The Board of Trustees of the Austin Independent School District has approved a resolution declaring a Financial Exigency and Need for Program Change and Reorganization (Reduction in Force) Affecting Employment Areas.

Superintendent Meria Carstarphen announced today that 8th grade students in the Austin Independent School District achieved the highest score in Science, among the 17 urban districts participating in what is commonly referred to as the Nation’s Report Card. Austin’s 4th graders also scored higher in Science than their peers in 12 other urban districts.