MPE Panther eNews

Happy Sunday, Panther Families! 🐾💛🖤

We have another exciting week at MPE! Our Book Fair is happening this week! Don't forget to add money to your child's eWallet to make shopping easy and convenient. Information on how to set up an eWallet can be found in the flyer below. We will also have extended shopping hours on Thursday until 5:30 PM for families who would like to shop after school! As a reminder, this Friday students do not have school. This day will be used for parent teacher conferences. Be on the look out for information from your students' teacher on how to sign up for your parent teacher conference.

A huge THANK YOU to all the families who have generously donated candy for our upcoming Fall Festival on October 30th! We appreciate your support in helping make this event special for our Panthers! If you are interested in decorating and hosting a trunk, we would love to have you participate! Sign-up information can be found in this newsletter.

Looking ahead, next week is Red Ribbon Week! We are excited to celebrate making healthy choices and encourage all our Panthers to participate in the fun dress-up days planned throughout the week!

Thank you for your continued support and for making MPE such a wonderful community. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events!

Thank you,

Nelly Vaccaro

Principal

Memorial Parkway Elementary

THIS WEEK:

Monday, October 19th:

• Book Fair Week

Tuesday, October 20th:

• Choir Practice Begins
• Tutorials after school 3:30-4:30

Wednesday, October 21st:

• Unity Day- Wear Orange
• Tutorials After school 3:30-4:30
• DI Parent Meeting 3:30-4:30pm

Thursday, October 22nd:

• Late Book Fair Day! Come shop after school until 5:30pm

Friday, October 23rd:

• Student Holiday
• Parent Teacher Conference Day

NEXT WEEK:

Monday, October 26th:

• Red Ribbon Week Begins! See flyer for dress up theme days

Wednesday, October 28th:

• School Store-Bring your cash!

Friday, October 30th:

• Book Character Parade @ 8:30am- Parents feel free to come and watch the fun parade! You can join us by lining up outside by the car rider line in the front of the school.
• Fall Festival 5:30-7:00pm

Please complete the form below and submit by 2:00 pm the day BEFORE you plan to visit the campus. If you are planning to visit multiple children during lunch, please fill out a form for each child you are visiting. For safety purposes, Katy ISD guidelines limit lunchroom visitors at the elementary level to parents/step-parents/guardians, nonschool-aged siblings, and grandparents (accompanied by a parent or with written permission from parent), or campus mentors.

You MUST complete the RSVP Form. All lunch visitors will be allowed on first come, first served basis. When the cafeteria tables fill up, you will not be able to eat with your child that day even if you completed the form the day before. You need to arrive early. Please plan to ONLY eat with your child one time per week to allow other parents to eat with their children. We need to share the space and time in the cafeteria. This will be monitored closely.

You must present a physical valid government issued ID. A picture on your phone will not be permitted.

New Communication Process for the 2026–2027 School Year

To better serve our families and ensure your questions are directed to the appropriate team, we have updated our campus communication email addresses. Please use the following email addresses based on your need:

• mpeelementary@katyisd.org – General questions and all transportation changes
• MPEADA@katyisd.org – Attendance questions, doctor's notes, absences, and attendance concerns
• MPEregistrars@katyisd.org – Registration, enrollment, withdrawals, and residency questions

Using the appropriate email address will help us respond more efficiently and ensure your request reaches the right staff member as quickly as possible. Thank you for your partnership and for helping us streamline communication this school year!

Student Drop Off in the Morning:

Reminder: Student supervision begins at 7:30 a.m. each morning. For the safety and well-being of all students, please do not drop off or leave children unattended before this time, as no staff will be available to supervise.

Thank you for your support in helping us maintain a safe and secure environment for all students.

NEW: Late Arrival Procedure
If your child arrives late to school, a parent or guardian must follow the procedure below:

1. Park and Enter the Building – Curbside drop-offs are not allowed for late arrivals.

2. Park in a Visitor Parking Spot – Please do not park in the fire lane or bus lanes.

3. Sign In at the Front Office – An adult must check the student in for the day.

4. Bring a Government-Issued Photo ID – Identification is required to sign in a student.

For the safety and accountability of all students, late arrivals must be accompanied by an adult into the building.

NEW: Late Pick-Up Procedure:
Effective immediately, all parents/guardians who are picking up their child late after school must follow the updated process below:

1. Park in a Visitor Parking Spot – Please do not park in the fire lane or bus lanes.

2. Enter the Building – Proceed to the front office.

3. Bring a Government-Issued Photo ID – Identification will be required to release a student.

4. Present Your Transportation Tag – This tag helps us ensure a safe and efficient dismissal.

Birthday Invitations:

Per the student handbook: Birthday and other party invitations may not be distributed in any quantity at school because they create a disruption to the educational environment.

No Pets on School Property:

For the safety of our students and staff, dogs or other pets are not allowed on school property during arrival and dismissal. Please help us keep everyone safe by following this rule.

• Grades 1 – 5 will use the Park Tree Lane entrance from the west just past Park Knoll. Follow the designated parent drive lane. This is in yellow on the map.
• NEW- Grades Pre-K, Kindergarten, and all Teacher Assist will use the Park Wind entrance from the south and follow the designated parent drive lane. This is in purple on the map.
• The front drive is for Daycare buses only.
• Parent drives will close at 7:50AM to allow our staff to return to their classrooms. Please bring your child to school on time.

• Estudiantes de grado 1 – 5 entran por la calle Park Tree del oeste pasando la calle Park Knoll. Siga el carril designado para padres.
• Estudiantes de grado Pre-K, Kindergarten, y Ayuda Designado entran por la calle Park Wind de sur. Siga el carril designado para padres.
• La entrada de coches al frente es solamente para autobuses de guardería.

• Los carriles para padres cierran a las 7.50am. Por favor de traer a sus hijos/hijas a tiempo.

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Safety is our top priority, and we appreciate your help in keeping our car rider line safe and efficient for everyone. Please keep these important reminders in mind:

✅ Wait for the Door to Close – Please ensure your child’s door is fully closed before driving off.
✅ No Phone Usage – Stay off your phone while in the car line to remain alert and focused.
✅ Speed Limit – Please adhere to the posted speed limit to keep our students and staff safe.
✅ Seated Safely – Students should be seated in their designated seats, not in the front of the car or standing before exiting.

✅Traffic Signs- Adhere to traffic signs. It is the LAW. ex: No left turn, stop sign and speed limit

Thank you for your cooperation in making drop-off and pick-up a smooth and safe process for all!

At MPE, we are proud to use the Ron Clark Academy House System to build a strong sense of community, belonging, school spirit, and connection for every Panther!

Every student and staff member belongs to one of our six Houses:

🖤Altruismo – The House of Givers
🔴Amistad – The House of Friendship
💚Isibindi – The House of Courage
💙Rêveur – The House of Dreamers
💛Soluvaire – The House of Uplifters
💜Nukumori – The House of Kindness

Our House System gives students opportunities to connect across grade levels, work together, celebrate successes, and show their Panther pride. Throughout the year, students can earn points for their House by demonstrating positive behavior, leadership, teamwork, academic effort, and our school values.

Every Friday is House Day! Students are encouraged to wear their House shirt or House colors to represent their House and show their spirit!

Once every nine weeks, we come together for a House Rally! These high-energy celebrations give our Houses a chance to compete, celebrate accomplishments, recognize students, and strengthen our MPE community.

We can't wait to see our Panthers showing their House pride every Friday!

Parent Portal: Curriculum Information

Our Parent Portal provides families with easy access to important curriculum information and resources to help support learning at home. Parents can review grade-level learning expectations, curriculum resources, instructional topics, and other helpful information connected to what students are learning in the classroom in Katy ISD.

We encourage families to visit the Parent Portal regularly to stay informed and partner with us in supporting student success.

Please be sure to sign up for Remind to stay connected! I will use it to share important information such as our weekly newsletters, rainy day procedures, and other key campus updates.

Thank you for staying informed and involved!

We are excited that the The Texas Department of Agriculture has designated Memorial Parkway Elementary a CEP campus for this upcoming school year. This means that all students will be eligible for free breakfast and lunch! Students will be able to receive these free meals regardless of the income status of the home. We ask that parents complete this information during their Power School update, as it may also ensure other benefits for our students.

Bus transportation is provided for elementary students who live more than a half mile radius from school and secondary students who live more than a one-mile radius from school. Bus route information can be found online starting July 19th. Bus route wall maps are also posted at all schools.

For other transportation information, call:

• East Transportation Center: (281) 396-2700
• West Transportation Center: (281) 396-7560
• South Transportation Center: (281) 396-2115

Katy ISD campuses and facilities use an online payment model. This initiative supports our ongoing efforts to enhance student and staff safety by removing cash transactions from schools, providing families with 24/7 access to convenient online payment options, and reducing administrative tasks for teachers and campus staff, allowing them to dedicate more time to student instruction and support.

Katy ISD will continue using Pay N’ Go for online payments, while also incorporating select approved vendors for specific types of transactions.

For families requiring a cash payment option, Parent Pay Hub stations will be accessible at the following locations:

North: Katy ISD Law Enforcement Center
20370 Franz Rd, Katy, TX 77449
Hours: Accepting Payments 24-hours Monday - Sunday

South: Katy ISD South Transportation & Police Center
3151 Falcon Landing Blvd. Katy, TX 77494
Hours: Available during Katy ISD business hours

For more information about student fees that are eligible for online payment, as well as transactions where cash is still accepted, please visit the Pay N’ Go FAQs webpage or the Pay N’ Go website for instructions and additional information.

Katy ISD is grateful for the thousands of volunteers who make a difference in our schools each year. To help maintain a safe and secure environment for our students and staff, all volunteers serving on or off campus during or outside the instructional day are required to register annually through the district's Raptor volunteer management system.

A valid government-issued photo ID and email address are required to complete registration.

Your information will remain confidential and will not be shared outside of the volunteer program, except for applicants who register as a Community Volunteer (not a parent, grandparent, or guardian of a current Katy ISD student) or as a KEYS Mentor. For these volunteer roles, the information required to complete a background check will be shared only with our authorized background screening provider, JDP.

Once registered and approved, volunteers can:

• Sign up as a campus volunteer by completing the volunteer recruitment form provided by their campus organization(s) or by contacting the campus volunteer coordinator.

• Track volunteer hours through their volunteer profile for every Katy ISD campus where they serve.

• Quickly and easily submit individual off-campus volunteer hours.

Volunteer Application

Nelly Vaccaro- Principal

Ximena Ocaziones- Principal Secretary

Karina Hernandez- Assistant Principal: 1st, 2nd and 4th

Talya Robertson- Assistant Principal: Pk/K, 3rd, 5th

April Richardson- Counselor

Veronica Martinez- Bilingual Counselor

Maria Araujo- Instructional Coordinator

Johana Montoya-Instructional Coach

Memorial Parkway Elementary is designated as a Title 1 school. All children in Title I schools benefit from additional technology, staff, and programs. Because there are more adults to help children, all children receive more individualized and small-group instruction. The goal of Title I services is to accelerate academic achievement so that all children meet or exceed state and federal standards of performance.

In addition to these extra supports, we know that parent and family engagement is also key in providing our students the best experience possible. Please read our Title 1 documents here: