Hutsell Herald

Happy Sunday, Hornet Families!

We made it through our first full week of school, and I could not be more proud of our little Hornets! As I visited classrooms throughout the week, I saw so many great things happening—students engaged in learning, building relationships with their teachers and classmates, practicing routines, asking questions, and already showing us just how much they are capable of accomplishing. It has been wonderful to see our Hive filled with learning, laughter, and excitement!

As we continue settling into our school routines, I want to share a few important reminders with our families.

Our building opens and students may begin arriving at 7:30 AM each day. Please do your very best to ensure your child arrives at school on time and is ready to begin the day. Students are considered tardy at 7:50 AM. Arriving on time helps students:

• Begin their day feeling calm, prepared, and ready to learn.
• Participate in important morning routines and instruction.
• Develop strong habits of responsibility and punctuality.
• Avoid missing valuable learning time.
• Start the day connected with their teacher and classmates.

Even a few minutes can make a difference, so thank you for helping us make every instructional minute count!

Please remember that all students should be picked up no later than 3:25 PM each day. Students who remain after 3:25 PM are considered a late pick-up. We appreciate your partnership in making arrangements to ensure students are picked up on time each afternoon.

In addition to this weekly principal newsletter, please be sure to read the grade-level newsletter sent by your child's teachers each week. These newsletters are an important resource for families and include information such as:

• Upcoming units and what students are learning
• Resources and strategies to support learning at home
• Important dates, reminders, and upcoming events
• Grade-level information and expectations

Staying connected to both newsletters is a great way to stay informed about what is happening at Hutsell and in your child's classroom.

We are excited to welcome our families to Parent Orientation this Tuesday! We will offer two identical sessions:

Session 1: 5:00 PM
Session 2: 6:00 PM

You only need to attend one session. This will be a great opportunity to hear from your child's teacher, learn more about classroom expectations and routines, and find out how we can work together to support your child's success this year.

I am looking forward to continuing to partner with each of you throughout the school year. When our families and school work together, we create the strongest possible support system for our Hornets. Thank you for trusting us with your children and for helping us make Hutsell a wonderful place to learn, grow, and thrive.

We are looking forward to another amazing week in the Hive! Let's make it a great week, Hornets!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Smith

• Aug 25: Parent Orientation
• Aug 27: CAT Meeting - 8:15 AM and 3:30 PM LGI
• Aug 28: Writing Club Applications Due
• Sept 3: PTA Meeting - 3:30 PM Library
• Sept 4: All Pro Dad - 7:00 AM Gym
• Sept 7: No School - Labor Day
• Sept 10: CAT Meeting - 3:30 PM LGI
• Sept 18: No School
• Sept 25: Scarecrow Parade - Kinder and Pre K - 8:15

In an effort to improve the process we have in place for Changes of Transportation, we will be implementing the changes listed in the following flyer effective Monday, August 17th. We appreciate your cooperation and support as we implement these changes.

Change of Transportation Form

Volunteer Registration 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 – English

Volunteer Application – Spanish

Volunteer Portal – Log Your Hours

Please join PTA for the 2026-2027 school year! Your membership helps bring amazing programs to our students and staff throughout the school year. It also gets you awesome discounts at lots of businesses and companies and DOES NOT require you to volunteer, though we would love to see all of you around the school and at our family events!

Join PTA

This year's reading challenge for 1st-5th Grade starts September 1st!

The GT Screening deadlines are quickly approaching!

No Lunch Visitors at this time.

We are so excited to welcome students back to the library in the coming weeks. 3rd Graders will receive their CLASS 1:1 Chromebook during the first week of school. Please be on the look out for specific 3rd grade 1:1 information in the coming days.

Our summer reading challenge is still going on. Students can complete the challenge for awesome rewards through September 15th.

Mrs. Hancock and Ms. Davis

Library Staff

Library Facebook page

Library Website

Library Twitter

We're so excited to launch Beanstack for this year's reading challenge! Use the link below as a quickstart guide for logging books through the Beanstack tile in MyKaty Cloud and through the Beanstack app for Apple and Android users. Watch the video to learn more about the student experience in Beanstack.

Join PTA today and help support our students and staff.

Click on the link to get directed to our Facebook page where you can see pictures, updates, and important information about everything PTA is doing for our school!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095534200990

Attendance is key for student success. Every time your student is absent, he/she loses learning opportunities. One of our goals this year is to increase attendance and reduce tardies. Statistics show that students that show to school everyday have a greater chance of graduating high school and attend college. Please join us in our incentive program "Race to School" and help your student win the school reward and PBIS points for their house.

Scan the QR code or click the link below.

https://katyisd.revtrak.net/elementary-schools/elementary-a-h/hutsell-elementary/#/list

Students are tardy if they arrive after 7:50am. If you arrive after 7:50am, you will be required to walk your child into the school and check them in using the iPad in the front office. Students are counted as a late pick-up after 3:25pm. Car rider tags will stop being recorded in the line at 3:25pm. If you are not in the line by 3:25pm, you will be required to come into the building to pick up your child and check them out using the iPad in the front office. Students arriving to school with time to spare have the luxury of settling in, greeting their teachers and classmates, completing morning work, and focusing their minds on the lessons to come. Students arriving late miss out on this natural transition period, and chronic tardiness may cause students to struggle with academic focus and relationships with peers. Showing up on time to school every day can help students develop the habit of being punctual, illustrates to them your commitment to their learning and friendships, and helps reduce classroom interruptions and distractions for all students.

School starts at 7:50am

If you are here after that time, you must park and come inside to fill out the google doc before your student may come inside.

If you arrive after 9:15am for a reason that is unexcused, the student will receive an absence for the day, and you will receive the automated phone call from the district in the afternoon at 4:15pm.

Please send in any excuse notes within 5 days of the absence.

Please see the link below for all attendance rules and regulations: https://www.katyisd.org/Domain/3790

Free Meals at Hutsell for Students

7:25 am - Staff arrives

7:30 am - Doors open and students go to classrooms

7:43 am - First bell

7:50 am - Tardy bell

3:00 pm - Dismissal

3:25 pm - Staff leaves

Join our volunteer community by registering using the QR codes below. Required for all Katy ISD Volunteers

The WATCH D.O.G.S. continues!

WATCH D.O.G.S. is one of the nation’s largest and most respected school-based, family, and community engagement, organizations in the country. In 1998, the very first WATCH D.O.G.S. program launched at Gene George Elementary in Springdale, AR. Today, more than 6,800 schools across the country have launched a WATCH D.O.G.S. program of their own. Each school year hundreds of thousands of fathers and father figures make a positive impact on millions of children by volunteering millions of hours in their local schools through this amazing one-of-a-kind program.

If you or another father figure in your family would like to sign-up, please fill out your information using this link: WATCH D.O.G.S. Sign Up You must also complete the district volunteer registration.

Order your t-shirt at dadsofgreatstudents.com. Shirt is required to volunteer.

Thank you for your support!

Please contact the clinic with regards to your children taking medication during the school day, so we can discuss the proper forms to be filled out.

If you have any questions, please call 281-237-6525.

Website: https://www.katyisd.org/HE
Location: 5360 Franz Road, Katy, TX, USA
Phone: (281)237-6500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HutsellElementary/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/officialhutsell

Shauntá Smith - Principal

Timothy Hurt - Student Support Principal

Brooke De La Garza - Assistant Principal

Rocio Sokol - Assistant Principal

Katherine Hodgins - Counselor