Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc. The Village Gazette - June 2010 1

THe Village gazeTTeJune 2010 Volume iV, issue Vi

news for THe residenTs of THe Villages aT wesTern oaks and legend oaks iTM

(Continued on Page 3)

Mills TeaM Makes Winning Music MeMories

submitted by Kristen Card

The Mills Elementary Music Memory Team [pictured] hit just the right notes at the 31st annual AISD All-City Music Memory Contest, held May 1st at Travis High School. Together, the Mills team earned 2 second-place ribbons and 16 first-place ribbons. A dozen of the blue-ribbon winners also earned the Malcolm Gregory Award for achieving a perfect score.

Music Memory is a nationally recognized curriculum designed to give grades 3-6 students a lifelong love of music through the in-depth study of 16 selections each school year. The musical pieces cover five major historical periods, and feature well-known composers of orchestral, choral, vocal and keyboard pieces.

Mills music teacher and team coach Debbie Tannert led the All-City Contest. Ms. Tannert is the granddaughter of award namesake Malcolm Gregory, who was an AISD Music Memory participant in 1921-22 and was instrumental in bringing the contest back to the district in 1979. His daughter – Ms. Tannert’s mother – Mollie Tower was AISD’s Elementary and Secondary Choral Music Coordinator at the time. This year, Ms. Tower assisted Ms. Tannert with the presentation of the awards named for their father/grandfather.The Mills team award winners were:

MalcolM gregory aWard & 1sT Place ribbon:Jena Blumenthal , Daniel Miller , Jonas Ebner , Brendan Pegg, Austin Fuller, Claire RudySagar Ganeshan, Evan Seidel, Emma Ginsberg, Harrison Tran, Hyeonseung Lee, Joylin Wei

1sT Place ribbon:Bradley Barto, Liam Ebner, Maddie Drga, Juliana Nicole Garcia

2nd Place ribbon:Joshua Pham, Zoe Zapatero

Congratulations to the Mills Music Memory Team and Ms. Tannert for their good work in naming those tunes!

ATM Machines Safety Tips:

ATM robbers usually position themselves nearby waiting for a victim to approach and withdraw cash. Most ATM robbery victims are women and were alone when robbed. Most claim that they never saw the robber coming. Most ATM robbers used a gun or claimed to have a concealed weapon when confronting the victim and demanding their cash.

If you or your family members use ATM cash machines on a regular basis, here are some tips that can make the process a little safer. Use only ATM machines in well-lighted, high-traffic areas. Don’t use ATM machines that are remote or hidden such as being located behind buildings, behind pillars or away from public view. Beware of obvious hiding places like shrubbery or overgrown trees. ATM robbers like to have the element of surprise with no witnesses.

Get a list of ATM locations from your bank and keep it in your car. Choose an ATM that looks and ‘feels’ safer, even if it is a couple of miles out of the way. Try and limit your use to daylight hours. When you drive up to an ATM location, scan the area for any suspicious persons. If you see anyone suspicious standing nearby or sitting alone in a car, don’t hesitate to drive away. Listen to your ‘gut’ instinct. When you approach an bank ATM on foot be prepared and have your access card ready. After inserting your card and your PIN number keep an eye out behind you. If anyone suspicious or seemingly dangerous approaches terminate your transaction and leave immediately, even if it means leaving your ATM card in

2 The Village Gazette - June 2010 Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc.

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EMERGENCY NUMBERSEMERGENCY .......................................................... 911Fire ............................................................................. 911Ambulance ................................................................. 911Sheriff – Non-Emergency ...........................512-974-0845

SChoolSElementary Clayton ...................................................512-841-9200 Kiker .......................................................512-414-2584 Mills .......................................................512-841-2400 Patton .....................................................512-414-1780Middle Bailey ......................................................512-414-4990 Small .......................................................512-841-6700High School Austin .....................................................512-414-2505 Bowie ......................................................512-414-5247

UTiliTiESWater/Wastewater City of Austin...........................................512-972-0101 City of Austin (billing) ............................ 512-494-9400 Emergency ...............................................512-972-1000Texas State Gas Customer Service ..................................1-800-700-2443 Gas related emergency ...........................1-800-959-5325Pedernales Electric Cooperative New service, billing ..................................512-219-2602 Problems ..................................................512-219-2628ATT/SBC Telephone New Service ..........................................1-800-288-2020 Repair ...................................................1-800-246-8464 Billing ...................................................1-800-288-2020Allied Waste ...............................................512-247-5647Time Warner Cable ....................................512-485-5555

oThER NUMBERSOak Hill Postal Station ............................1-800-275-8777City of Austin Dead Animal Collection ...........................512-494-9000 Abandoned/Disabled Vehicles ..................512-974-8119 Stop Sign Missing/Damaged ....................512-974-2000 Street Light Outage (report pole#)............512-505-7617

NEwSlETTER PUBliShERPeel, Inc. ............................................ 512-263-9181Article Submissions ......... villagegazette@peelinc.comAdvertising .......................advertising@PEELinc.com

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THe Village gazeTTeaTM- (Continued from Cover Page)

Participate this June 12th - 20th in Chalk Art from the Heartand help us promote water safey. Drowing is Preventable!

Check out our website for details, contest rules and PRIZES!

WWW. COLINSHOPE.ORG

the machine. When you receive cash from the machine don’t openly count it...put it away immediately, extract your card, and walk away.

If you use your car at a bank drive-thru ATM machine the same rules apply. Make sure there are no obvious hiding places or suspicious persons loitering in the area. If there are, listen to your gut instinct and drive away. Keep the car in gear, doors locked, with your foot firmly on the brake, while using the ATM machine. Keep a close eye on your rear and side view mirrors during the transaction. Robbers almost always approach from the rear on the drivers’ side. If you see anyone approaching, drive off even if it means leaving your ATM card behind. You can always retrieve it later or cancel the card. If you are confronted by an armed robber, just give up your money without argument. The cash is not worth serious injury or death.

• Only use ATM machines in a well-lighted, open, high-traffic area during the daytime • ATM machines in supermarkets are safer for nighttime use • Avoid ATM machines adjacent to obvious hiding places • When you approach an ATM scan the area first for loiterers • Have your card ready and leave quickly, not counting your cash in public • Walk or drive away immediately if your instincts tell you so • Don't argue with a robber, if confronted, and give up the cash • Don't fight with or attempt to follow the robber • Drive to a safe place and immediately call the police

- Submitted by Deputy James Kitchens, Travis County Sheriff ’s Office

The Village Gazette

Stork Report

Congratulations!Let us help celebrate...email info on the arrivalof your little one tovillagegazette@peelinc.com.

� The Village Gazette - June 2010 Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc.

THe Village gazeTTe

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suMMer reading rocks again aT Mills

submitted by Kristen Card

Summer’s here! So have those other two little words of summertime been uttered at your house yet? I’m bored!

Mills Elementary’s Summer Reading Rocks program returns to the rescue! Summer Reading Rocks will keep the Mills library open over the summer from June 15th to July 29th. Every Tuesday 3-6 p.m. and every Thursday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Mills parents and kids (including incoming kindergarteners!) can come participate in storytimes, book clubs, computer time, reader theater, or just hang out and get into some good books. Third-graders-to-be are especially encouraged to explore selections from the Texas Bluebonnet Award booklist.

Books will be available for checkout – students can check out up to five books for two weeks, and parents can get their own library card and check out up to ten books at a time. Final due date for all books will be July 29th.

Enjoy reading activities in an air-conditioned atmosphere, keep kid boredom at bay, and maintain not only your child’s reading skills, but also your parental summertime sanity. Come to Summer Reading Rocks at Mills!

For more information, please visit www.MillsPTA.org.

SAVE ThE DATE! The Stiletto Stampede for the Cure™ is back at the Hill Country

Galleria, Saturday, October 16, 2010! Presented by IdealHeel™ and Dillard’s, the Stiletto Stampede for the Cure benefits the Susan G Komen Austin Affiliate. The Stiletto Stampede for the Cure is a high heel dash (100 yards) with a mission to encourage young women and men to know and understand the risks of breast cancer and empower them to prevent the disease by utilizing overall Breast Self-Awareness through early detection, screening methods and education. More information is available online at www.stilettostampede4thecure.org

Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc. The Village Gazette - June 2010 �

THe Village gazeTTe

*AnnuAl PercentAge rAte. All rAtes Are exPressed “As low As”. ActuAl rAte mAy vAry dePending on credit quAlificAtions. **Austin telco will PAy All stAndArd closing costs on Home equity loAns below $100k. AdditionAl non-stAndArd fees will be tHe resPonsibility of tHe member. ***rAte APPlies to 1st lien commerciAlreAl estAte loAns witH A loAn to vAlue of 80% or less; construction/develoPment loAn rAtes/terms mAy

be different. no Pre-PAyment PenAlty. ****AnnuAl PercentAge yield. PenAlties for eArly witHdrAwAl mAy APPly. All APr’s, APy’s And terms Are subject to cHAnge witHoutnotice. PleAse cAll for detAils. tHis credit union is federAlly insured to At leAst$250,000 Per member by tHe nAtionAl credit union AdministrAtion.

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Business Classifiedsless THan a Penny: You can run a business classified in the Village Gazette newsletter and reach all of Villages at Western Oaks and Legends Oaks I for only a penny per home. Call 512-263-9181 for details.

Classified adsPersonal classifieds (one time sell items, such as a used bike...) run at no charge to Village at Western Oak and Legend Oak residents, limit 30 words, please e-mail VillageGazette@PEELinc.com.Business classifieds (offering a service or product line for profit) are $50, limit 40 words, please contact Peel, Inc. Sales Office @ 512-263-9181 or advertising@PEELinc.com.

We want to hear from you! Email VillageGazette@PEELinc.com to let the community know!

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Austin Immediate Care is a true urgent care center, not a hospital emergency department in disguise.

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Austin Immediate Care is a true urgent care center, not a hospital emergency department in disguise. not a hospital emergency department in disguise. not a hospital emergency

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Before you visit a medical facility that calls itself an urgent care center, make sure that you will be charged urgent care co-pays—the diff erence could mean hundreds of dollars for you and your insurance company!

(Continued on Page 7)

NATURE wATChIn the Water & On the Land

Many people are surprised to learn that the popular distinction between frogs and toads is artificial, as toads are actually a particular group of frogs. When using common names, the term ‘frog’ generally refers to species that have smooth and/or moist skins and are aquatic or semi-aquatic, and the term ‘toad’ usually refers to species that have dry, warty, skin and are largely terrestrial. Both are amphibians, which means they change from a juvenile, water-breathing form to an adult, air-breathing form as they mature.

Of the nines species of toads in Texas, all have dry, warty skin, and obvious parotoids or shoulder glands. These glands secrete a toxin that can vary (if you are the predator) from simply distasteful to potentially lethal.

Toads lay their eggs in long strings in the water, as opposed to clumps on vegetation like most frogs. To mate, the smaller male embraces the larger female by clasping her from behind, underneath her forelimbs.

Widespread in the southeastern part of Texas is the Gulf coast toad (Bufo valliceps valliceps). Since it is not as well-adapted to the dry areas like some toad species, this toad is often found near water, whether it be a natural feature or where irrigation is frequently used. With females measuring up to 5 inches in length (not including their legs), this is one of the largest common toads in our area. Yellowish- or reddish-brown to rich brown, the Gulf coast toad’s skin

Rio Grande Leopard Frog

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nature Watch - (Continued from Page 6)

may also show highlights of orange, gold, or white. This toad is best identified by its extensive cranial ridge, a crest that runs from its nose over and past each eye to the back of its head, with a branch that wraps around the back side of each eye.

Active from dusk until well after nightfall, the males call from the edge or near the edge of the water with a short and low but loud trill that is repeated every few seconds. Like most all other toads in Texas, the female Gulf coast toad usually lays her many thousands of eggs in long double strings from March to late summer, with breeding triggered by rains. In drier periods, these toads can be seen under street lamps and porch lights, searching for insects before returning to the same hiding spot to wait out the day.

Abundant near water, the Rio Grande leopard frog (Rana berlandieri) is one of the most commonly seen frogs in central Texas. During wet periods, it is primarily diurnal Gulf Coast Toad

(active both during the day and at night) and while in a drought it is mostly nocturnal. Like most leopard frogs, this species has a smooth, sandy-tan to greenish-beige skin, with darker olive oval or rounded spots and light-colored ridges down either side of the back. It occurs throughout central and west Texas, north to New Mexico, and south to central Mexico, where it is also known as the Mexican leopard frog.

Like all frogs, this frog has a large, circular spot behind each eye, called a tympanic membrane or eardrum. Located on the sides of the head, they are typically larger in males than in females, and allow the frogs to locate one another through vocalizations. In central Texas, calls resembling a short, rapidly pulsed snore, interspersed with chuckling notes, are most frequently heard in late winter or early spring.

Send your nature-related questions to naturewatch@austin.rr.com and we’ll do

our best to answer them. If you enjoy reading these articles, look for our book, NatureWatch Austin, to be published by Texas A&M University Press in 2011.

- by Jim and lynne weber

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SUMMER hEAT CAUTioNSStay Safe This Summer

How dangerous is overheating in the summer months? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 1973 – 2003, excessive heat exposure caused 8,015 deaths in the United States. “Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet annually many people succumb to extreme heat,” says Dr.George Luber, extreme heat expert for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Summertime activity, whether on the playing field, running, boating, or just enjoying the great outdoors, must be balanced with measures that aid the body’s cooling mechanisms and prevent heat-related illness. Know the symptoms of heat disorders and overexposure to the sun, and be ready to give first aid treatment.

heat Cramps- are strong muscle contractions and usually affect the abdomen and legs. The condition usually improves with rest, water and cooler conditions.

heat Exhaustion- caused by heat and dehydration but the effects are more serious than cramps. Symptoms may include

paleness, dizziness or fainting, nausea or vomiting, and an increase in body temperature. Rest, water and cool compresses (ice water on the back of the neck, etc) can help. For more sever heat exhaustion, IV fluids may be required.

heat Stroke- The most serious of the heat related conditions. Heat stroke is most commonly brought on by strenuous exercise in hot conditions. However, it can also affect non-active individuals if the temperature is high enough. Visual signs include flushed, red look to the skin, the person often stops sweating**. This is one key sign that an individual is in an over heated condition. Also, a person with heat stroke might become delirious, unconscious, or have seizures. Lowering the body temperature and getting fluids into the person as quickly as possible is imperative.

Don’t get caught off guard this summer drink plenty of water, wear plenty of sun-screen, and exercise early in the morning. Enjoy the summer season and stay safe.

- Submitted by Valerie Salinas

Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc. The Village Gazette - June 2010 �

THe Village gazeTTe

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© 2007. Feature Exchange

Crossword Puzzle

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FiNANCiAl FoCUS In life, you can’t avoid all risks — and you shouldn’t try, because

endeavors that carry risk also bring the prospect of reward. And it’s certainly the same in the investment world. So instead of trying to invest risk-free, which is impossible, learn to recognize the different types of investment risk while becoming familiar with your own risk tolerance.

To start with, let’s quickly look at some of the most common forms of investment risk:

• Risk of losing principal — This is the type of risk most commonly associated with investing. You could lose some, or even all, of your principal if you sell an investment, such as a stock, whose value has dropped lower than the purchase price. You can’t eliminate the risk of losing principal, but you may be able to reduce it by buying quality stocks and holding them long enough to overcome short-term market drops.

• Inflation risk — With an investment that pays a fixed rate of return, such as a certificate of deposit (CD), you run the risk of not keeping up with inflation, which means you could lose purchasing power over time. Consequently, it’s a good idea not to “overload” on these types of investments.

• interest-rate risk — When you own a bond, your investment is somewhat at the mercy of changing market interest rates. For example, if you buy a bond that pays four percent interest, and market rates rise so that newly issued bonds pay five percent, the relative value of your bond will go down; no one will pay you face value of your bond when they can get new ones that pay higher rates. Of course, if you hold your bonds until maturity, which is often a good idea, you can avoid being victimized by interest-rate risk.

• Concentration risk — This type of risk occurs when you have too much of your money concentrated in one area, such as in a particular stock or in one industry. If a downturn strikes that stock or industry, your portfolio could take a big hit. To combat this type of risk, you need to diversify your holdings among stocks, bonds, government securities and other investments. While diversification, by itself, cannot guarantee a profit or protect against a loss, it can help reduce the effect of volatility.

In addition to understanding the above types of risk, you also need to be familiar with your own risk tolerance and how it affects

(Continued on Page 11)

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your investment strategy. If you are constantly worried about “the market,” you’ve probably got too many investments that are at risk of losing principal. At the other end of the spectrum, if you’re always concerned that your portfolio won’t grow enough to generate the income you’ll eventually need for retirement, you may be investing too conservatively — and, as a result, you’re inviting inflation risk.

Ultimately, you need to match your own risk tolerance with a strategy that allows you to achieve your goals. This will require self-awareness, patience, discipline — and, at times, a willingness to move outside your own “comfort zone.” By learning to balance and manage r i s k , you can ultimately put yourself in a position to pursue your investment strategy.

Financial Focus - (Continued from Page 10)

12 The Village Gazette - June 2010 Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc.

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