West Elementary
"Growing Leaders at West"
Empowering each other to grow academically, socially, and emotionally.
Happy New Year, Families! I hope you and your loved ones enjoyed a restful and joyful holiday break. We are excited to welcome our students back and begin the second semester with renewed energy and purpose. This time of year is a great opportunity for a strong start. Students will continue building on their learning, setting goals, and challenging themselves both academically and personally. We are looking forward to a semester filled with growth, progress, and success.
Our Leader in Me Habit of the Month is Habit #5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. This habit focuses on listening with empathy and valuing others’ thoughts before sharing our own. Students will be practicing this habit at school through classroom discussions, group work, and problem-solving activities. You can support this at home by encouraging your child to listen carefully, ask questions, and talk through feelings respectfully. When school and home work together, these habits truly come to life.
As we move into the second semester, we’d like to share a few important reminders. Please be sure to label all coats, jackets, hats, water bottles, and lunch boxes with your child’s name. With changing temperatures and busy school days, items are often set down or misplaced. Labeling helps us return lost items to our students more quickly and efficiently. We also want to remind families about our school start times. The first bell rings at 7:40 a.m., and the tardy bell rings at 7:45 a.m. Any student who is not in the building by 7:45 will need to be signed in by a parent or guardian through the front office. Arriving on time helps students begin their day calmly and ready to learn.
Thank you for your continued partnership, encouragement, and positive support. We truly value our families and appreciate all you do to help our students thrive. Together, we look forward to a wonderful second semester.
-Mrs. Brandon
Counselor's Corner
Goals and Test Worries
January’s Leader in Me habit is Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. This means listening to feelings first—including our own.
As a school counselor, I often see students feel nervous about tests. A little worry is okay! Here are simple ways families can help:
Setting Goals (SMART Goals)
Help your child set one small goal
Make it SMART:
Specific: What will I work on?
Measurable: How will I know I tried?
Achievable: Is it just right—not too hard?
Relevant: Does it help me learn?
Time-bound: By when?
Example: “I will practice my spelling words for 10 minutes each night this week.”
Write the goal down and read it together
Praise effort, not just scores
Helping with Test Anxiety
Listen first: Ask, “How are you feeling?” and really listen
Name the feeling: “It sounds like you’re nervous—and that’s okay.”
Practice calm breathing: breathe in for 3, out for 3
Remind them: “You don’t have to be perfect. Just do your best.”
When we seek first to understand, children feel safe sharing their worries—and that helps them grow confident and ready to learn
A Reminder for us as Grown-Ups
Research shows that children often copy the emotions of the adults around them. When adults feel very worried or upset, kids can feel even more anxious. That’s why staying calm is so important. Even if you are worried about your child’s future, try to send this message: “You are safe, and things will be okay.” When adults stay regulated, children feel more confident and ready to try. By staying calm and listening first, we help our kids do the same.
PTO Information
Looking for a way to get involved and make a difference? Join our PTO (Parent Teacher Organization)! Our PTO plays an important role in building a strong school community by supporting students, teachers, and events throughout the year. Whether you have a little time or a lot, there’s a place for you to plug in and help make this year amazing.
Check out of PTO page here and follow the links to join PTO!
Campus Information
Attendance and Hours
It is important for students to be at school every day and on time. Students are considered tardy after 7:45 am and will need an adult to sign him/her into school. Please park out front in the small parking lot and walk your student into the front office. If your child is sick, remember to send a doctor's note or parent note when he/she returns. We appreciate your help with ensuring your child's academic success.
Arrival Time: begins at 7:15, shuttles at 7:00
Dismissal Time: PreK - 3:20, K - 4th - 3:30
Car Line Traffic Flow
Please see the pictures below for car line traffic flow maps.
Morning Drop Off:
In the mornings, we utilize a SINGLE file line closest to the building for drop offs. To help with the timeliness, we will open both the front and back of the building for drop offs.
- Front drop off begins at 7:15
- Back drop off begins at 7:20
- If your child is able to open the car door and get out unassisted, we encourage them to do so AFTER you have pulled up to the covered sidewalk and AFTER all traffic has stopped.
- Please do not try to pull around other cars to exit. We will work to ensure traffic moves quickly and everyone exits in a single line.
Afternoon Dismissal:
We split into two lanes at the front of the building for dismissal.
- Kindergarten, 1st grade, and sibling groups are assigned to the A lane, closest to the building.
- 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades are assigned to the B lane. They must cross the driveway crosswalk for pick up.
- You will go in the same lane every day. We do not switch back and forth due to how Car Rider Pro is set up. Even when someone is absent, stay in your assigned lane.
Car Rider Pro. The cost for additional or replacement tags is $7, cash or check.
Please remember the following to ensure that your tag scans each day for pick up.
- You must have your Car Rider Pro Tag hanging for it to scan on the reader. DO NOT block the reader.
- We will open the gate for car line at 2:00 pm. You may not line up prior to that time.
Morning Drop off Traffic Flow
Afternoon Dismissal Traffic Flow
Shuttle System Info
If you have an elementary student that attends West and you have older siblings that attend Intermediate, Junior High, or High School, you can choose to drop your older siblings off at West and they can board a shuttle bus to go to their campuses. Please fill out the google form here to use the shuttle service
We do ask that if you are using the shuttle service you enter and exit from the loop, due to bus traffic using the Page Road entrance. There is a separate, smaller driveway for the shuttle service, as indicated by the green arrows on our traffic flow maps.
You may begin dropping off at 7:00 am, and the shuttle leaves promptly at 7:15 am. You will need to arrive by 7:10 am to ensure that your older students get loaded onto the shuttle buses before they leave. If you arrive after the bus leaves, you will only be able to drop of your West Elementary student a will need to drive your other students to school.
The afternoon shuttle will return to campus between 4:00 - 4:15 pm. You need not arrive at the West Elementary campus prior to 4:00 pm to pick up your students.
Should these times not work for your family, your students can also catch the bus to their campuses from your home.
Questions regarding the shuttle system can be emailed to Cassie Solis at csolis@hisd.com or Vanielle Williams at vwilliams@hisd.com
Parent Supports and Events
District Parent Links
Nurse's Notes
Food Services
Food Service Info for the 2025-2026 School Year
- to setup or maintain your student's Lunch Money Now! account please visit: https://www.payschoolscentral.com/
- to begin the application process for free and reduced priced meals at Hallsville ISD please visit: https://www.mealappnow.com/manhal/
- The first day for lunch visitors or lunch drop offs will be September 22nd. Lunch deliveries from outside food services such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub are not allowed and will be turned away at the front office.
Prices for student meals:
Breakfast $1.50, reduced $0.30
Lunch $3.10, reduced $0.40