Eagle News

Dear Eagle Families,

First, I want to say there is A LOT of information in this newsletter, please read carefully. I also want to share a big thank you to our entire community—dismissal has gotten so much better over the last few days! Your patience and cooperation make a huge difference. Following recent conversations with our team and with local law enforcement on site, we are making a few critical updates to keep our students safe and ensure traffic flows smoothly.

Updated Traffic & Pickup Rules

• No Left Turn into pick up line: Drivers coming from the Jacaranda/Lemon direction may no longer make a left turn into the Tallow drive entrance during drop-off and pickup.

• Dismissal Time Update (Effective Sept. 14th): Beginning Monday, September 14th, dismissal will shift to 3:15 PM. In alignment with district guidelines, our teachers provide instruction right up to 3:10 PM to maximize learning time. Transitioning to a 3:15 PM dismissal ensures our Eagles receive full bell-to-bell instruction while still exiting campus safely and efficiently.

• Dashboard Numbers Required: You must have your assigned dismissal number tag clearly displayed on your dashboard or window. If you do not have your tag present, you will be required to park and go to the front office to verify your identity with a photo ID before your child is released.

  
  

• Cell Phone Ban in School Zones: Using a handheld mobile device in a school zone is strictly prohibited by state and city ordinance. Violators are subject to police citations and fines up to $500 in the City of Austin. Please keep your eyes on the road and put phones away completely.

  
  

• Car Seat & Booster Safety: Every child must be buckled into an appropriate car seat or booster. Children are strictly prohibited from riding on the laps of other siblings or adults while the vehicle is in motion. If your family needs assistance obtaining a car seat or booster seat, please contact Mr. Frutoso Robledo, and we will connect you with community resources to ensure your child’s safety.

  
  

Late Pick ups & Office Hours

If you arrive after 3:30 PM, your child will be brought to the front office. Please remember that our main office closes at 3:30 PM, and all students must be picked up no later than 3:45 PM, as we do not have staff on duty for supervision past that time.

Walker Safety & Grade-Level Guidelines

Per district safety guidelines, it is strongly encouraged that students under the age of 10 be accompanied by an adult or met by a guardian at bus stops. To ensure our younger Eagles arrive home safely, any student below 4th grade who walks home must be accompanied by a sibling who is at least in 4th grade or older.

If you request for your Kindergarten or younger student to walk, you must contact your grade-level administrator directly to document this request, as well as inform your child's teacher:

• Pre-K, 2nd Grade, & 4th Grade: Ms. McGrew- chaitra.mcgrew@austinisd.org

  
  

• Kindergarten: Mrs. Tarpley- alexandra.tarpley@austinisd.org

  
  

• 1st Grade, 3rd Grade, & 5th Grade: Mrs. Komassa- lori.komassa@austinisd.org

  
  

Thank you for partnering with us to keep every single Eagle safe from the moment they arrive to the moment they get home!

Warmly,

Principal Tarpley

September

• September 7th- Labor Day-No School
• September 14th- CAC Meeting at 3:30 (anyone can attend)
• September 14-18th Book Fair
• September 15th- PTA Meeting 5:30-6:30
• September 17th- Back to School Night 4:30-6:25pm (Details to come)
• September 21st- Staff/Student Holiday, Yom Kippur

Check out our new Instagram page where we celebrate all the wonderful things happening under our school's new leadership! JHouston_AustinISD

At Houston Elementary, we want to ensure our Eagles are energized, focused, and ready to learn every single day! To support student health and maintain a productive learning environment, please remember that sodas, energy drinks, and sugary beverages are not permitted at school. Per Austin ISD’s Wellness Policy, elementary campuses allow only healthy snacks and water for students during the school day. High-sugar drinks and caffeine lead to energy crashes and make it difficult for students to concentrate on their lessons.

If your child brings a snack or drink to school, please send them with plain water, 100% fruit juice, or low-fat milk, along with healthy snacks like fresh fruit, vegetables, or whole-grain crackers. We appreciate your partnership in keeping our classroom environments healthy, active, and focused on student success!

We love celebrating our Eagles on their special day! To ensure celebrations are fun, safe, and do not disrupt instructional time or violate district policy, please review our campus expectations:

• Timing: Per district policy, classroom birthday celebrations take place at the very end of the school day, right before dismissal.

• Approved Treats: If you would like to send birthday treats, items must be store-bought and individually wrapped. In accordance with our Austin ISD Wellness Policy, healthy options—such as fresh fruit cups or whole-grain snacks—are strongly preferred.

• Not Permitted: To protect instructional time, student safety, and wellness standards, we do not allow cakes, pizza, sodas, sugary juices, balloons, or piñatas.

• Unapproved Items: Please note that if any non-permitted items are brought to school, they will be held in the front office and must be picked up by a parent by 3:45 PM.

Thank you for your cooperation in making our students' birthdays special while keeping our classrooms safe and focused on learning!

As we prepare for the transition into our new building next school year, we wanted to share a few important updates to campus systems and procedures. These changes are based on feedback gathered through Principal Coffees, CAC meetings, and family survey responses.

The following changes will be made:

1. Visitor Approval & ID Requirement: Per state and district policy, and most importantly for student safety, any adult visiting for lunch must be listed on the student's approved contact list provided during enrollment and MUST present a valid photo ID upon entry. If you do not have a photo ID, entry will not be permitted—no exceptions.

2. We are excited to soon invite our families to eat lunch with their students. We will begin welcoming parent/guardians starting on September 15th. To better support student behavior, routines, and learning on some of the most challenging days of the week, parent lunch visits will now take place Tuesday–Thursday only. This means parents will not be permitted to join students for lunch on Mondays or Fridays.

3. Additionally, due to the design and capacity of the cafeteria in the new building, family seating will be located outside only. Lunch visits will therefore be weather permitting, as rain, cold temperatures, or other weather conditions may impact outdoor seating availability.

As we continue preparing for the move into the new building, additional adjustments to systems and procedures may be made over the summer and communicated prior to the start of the school year.

10:10-10:45 Prek 4

10:45-11:20 2nd Grade

11:00-11:35 5th Grade

11:25-12:00 Kinder

11:40-12:15 3rd Grade

12:05-12:40 1st Grade

12:20-12:55 4th Grade

We will also be adjusting our tardy time. Beginning this school year, students will be marked tardy at 8:00 AM instead of 8:05 AM. Breakfast in the classroom will continue to be served from 7:30–7:50 AM, with all breakfast items collected promptly at 7:50 so that academic instruction can begin. Arriving on time is incredibly important, as students who arrive late miss out on breakfast, morning meeting, social-emotional learning, and valuable instructional time at the start of the day.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

In order to ensure that our campus remains a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for everyone, we ask that you please review the following key safety guidelines from our campus safety plan.

Our Safety & Preparedness Protocols

• Crisis Planning: Each school year, all campus personnel review our comprehensive crisis management plan, which includes updated evacuation and emergency procedures.

• Practice Drills: Throughout the school year, students and staff participate in routine drills to practice procedures for evacuations, lock-outs, lock-downs, and severe weather.

Visitor & Volunteer Safety Procedures

• Visitor Badges: All visitors must check in at the front desk and wear a visible Visitor Badge on their shirt (placed near the collarbone area). Please remember to bring a government-issued ID each time you visit campus so we can check you in properly. No entrance to our campus will be permitted without a government issued ID.

• Badge Details: Your badge will list the specific area of campus or event you are visiting.

• Changing Locations: We love our volunteers! However, if your volunteer work or visit takes you to a different location than originally logged (for example, moving from the library to a classroom or cafeteria), you must stop by the main office to update your Visitor Badge.

• Staff Checks: Our staff members have been asked to help monitor visitor badges. If you are in an area not listed on your badge, staff will kindly redirect you to the front office for an update.

"The safety and security of our students and staff is always at the forefront of everything we do."

Thank you for your partnership and cooperation in keeping our Eagles safe every single day. Should you ever have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to the office.

To help keep our campus safe and minimize disruptions to instructional time, please review our procedures for visiting campus, checking students in and out, and attending school events.

🆔 Campus Visitor Policy

• Government-Issued ID Required: All visitors must present a valid government-issued photo ID and check in at the front desk every time they visit campus.

🚙 Student Check-In & Check-Out

• Signing Students Out: Only a parent, guardian, or designated emergency contact with a government-issued photo ID is permitted to sign a student out.

• Arrival for Pickup: To keep students safe and protect instructional time, students will not be called to the office until the authorized adult has physically arrived on campus. Please plan accordingly for off-campus appointments.

• Late Arrivals (After 7:45 AM): If your child arrives after 7:45 AM, a parent or guardian must walk them into the building entrance to sign them in. Please do not drop your child off at the curb.

⏰ Note Regarding Attendance & Tardies:

• 8:00-9:45 AM: Students arriving during this window are counted tardy.

• After 9:45 AM: Students arriving after 9:45 AM are counted absent for the day.

• We highly recommend scheduling medical or personal appointments at the end of or after the school day whenever possible.

🎟️ Event RSVPs & Fast-Pass Check-In

• Visitor Badges: Parents attending school events must check in at the front office to receive a visitor badge before entering the main building. Government ID is required to be presented.

• Pre-Printed Badges: To streamline entry for designated busy school events, we will send out event RSVPs in advance so our front office team can pre-print badges.

• First-Time Visitors: Please note that pre-printed badges are only available for returning visitors already in our system. First-time visitors must have their ID scanned in person at the front desk. Please plan accordingly to ensure you give yourself enough time to check in. The school only has one raptor system for check-in and there is often a long line of parents needing to check in.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in keeping our Eagles safe and focused on learning!

Please keep in mind that routine is important for your student & the staff. With that in mind, we understand that transportation changes are necessary sometimes. For that reason, we’ve outlined below the steps to take for making such changes.

** TEMPORARY (SHORT-TERM) **

If you need to make a change in transportation for a short time only (one or two days), please contact your child’s classroom teacher, and also notify the front office via phone or email: 512-414-2517 or houstonelementary@austinisd.org. You can also send a note with your child to give to the teacher at the beginning of the school day. NOTE: Any changes must be submitted to the office (including last minute phone calls on the same day) BEFORE 2:00 pm each day.

At Houston Elementary, we love catching our students being great! We are excited to share our Eagle Points program, a campus-wide positive behavior effort designed to recognize and reward our students for showing kindness, demonstrating leadership, putting forth academic effort, being on time, and making overall positive choices throughout the school day.

Every teacher and staff member on campus can award points to any student when they see them doing the right thing. Students accumulate these points throughout the week, watch their progress on our school leaderboard, and get to redeem their hard-earned points for special rewards in our school store! Ask your child about their Eagle Points this week and join us in celebrating their positive choices.

At Houston Elementary, we believe that nurturing our students' heart and character is just as important as academic success. This year, we are thrilled to implement CharacterStrong, a campus-wide social-emotional learning and character development program designed to foster kindness, respect, responsibility, and strong relationships across our school.

Through engaging weekly lessons and daily morning meetings, your child will learn practical skills for handling emotions, showing empathy, building positive friendships, and making responsible choices.

What you can do at home:

Ask your child about the "Character Trait of the Month" or what they learned in their CharacterStrong lesson this week! By using the same language at home and at school, together we can help our Eagles grow into strong leaders both in and out of the classroom.

Want to Volunteer?

Are you interested in volunteering at Houston? We'd love to have you! Austin ISD uses Voly for all volunteers in our school and everyone is required to sign up through the system. Volunteers must be renewed each school year. Please see below for information on how to sign up to volunteer at our school:

Volunteer Requirements and Application Process

To ensure student safety and maintain a secure environment, all volunteers must meet the following requirements:

• Complete a Volunteer Application, which must be renewed each school year.
  • The application takes approximately five minutes to complete and should be submitted as early as possible.
  • Applications can take up to five business days to process.
• Pass a background check as part of the Volunteer Application process.
• Present your photo ID at the campus to be scanned into Raptor.
• Represent yourself and Austin ISD in a professional manner and treat students, staff, and other volunteers with respect.

Additional Information:

The Volunteer Application is separate from the campus Raptor check-in process, which ensures all names are screened for safety and security purposes. All campus visitors are required to sign in and print either a visitor or volunteer badge.

How to Become a Volunteer

1. Create an Account: Visit austinisd.voly.org to sign up.
2. Complete the Application: Fill out your profile, select the schools you’d like to volunteer with, and submit the required information, including:
   • Full name
   • Email address
   • Address
   • Confidentiality agreement
   • Volunteer guidelines acknowledgment
   • Background check consent form
3. Pass the Background Check: Background checks typically take 2 hours to 5 days to process.
   • You must wait until your background check is cleared before volunteering.
   • Once cleared, you will receive a notification email confirming your approval.
4. Find Opportunities: After receiving your clearance, explore and sign up for volunteer opportunities that match your interests.