The Ocelot Observer
Back to School Updates
Welcome Back, Ocelots! ππ
The first week of school is here, and we could not be more excited to welcome our Ocelots back to Oak Creek! Our teachers and staff have spent countless hours preparing classrooms, planning meaningful learning experiences, and making sure our campus is ready for an incredible year ahead.
At Oak Creek, we believe every child deserves a school where they feel known, valued, challenged, and excited to learn. Our entire team is committed to making Oak Creek the very best school for your children, a place where they can grow academically, build confidence, discover their strengths, and create memories that will last long beyond elementary school.
This year, our theme is βWhere Legends Begin,β and we know those legends will begin with the small moments that happen each day: a new friendship, a challenge overcome, a goal reached, a teacher who believes in them, and a student who discovers just how much they are capable of.
Thank you for trusting us with your children and for being such an important part of the Oak Creek community. We are grateful to partner with you and cannot wait to see all that our students accomplish this year.
Hereβs to an amazing first week and an unforgettable 2026β2027 school year.
Welcome back, Ocelots, this is Where Legends Begin! πΎ
With excitement,
Valerie Harari
Principal
Oak Creek Elementary
To help us ensure a safe, secure, and efficient dismissal, all families picking up students through car rider, front walker, or back walker dismissal will be required to show an Oak Creek pickup tag before their child can be released.
Each family will receive:
2 full-size printed pickup tags for regular use
3 wallet-size pickup tags that may be shared with grandparents, family members, or other approved individuals who may pick up your child. Please use a Sharpie to write your studentβs FIRST NAME, LAST INITIAL, and GRADE LEVEL as large and clearly as possible on each wallet sized tag. This helps our staff quickly identify your student and keep dismissal moving smoothly.
If you did not receive your pickup tags for car, front walker or back walker at Meet the Teacher, they have already been printed for you! Please stop by the front office on Monday between 1-3 pm or visit the Tag Table outside the front office during arrival on the first day of school. Staff will verify your photo ID before providing your tags or releasing your child.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we establish our dismissal routines during the first days of school. These procedures are in place to make sure every Ocelot gets home safely and with the correct person each day! ππ
Attendance FAQs
1. Comal ISD only allows 8 parent notes per school year. After the 8 parent notes are reached, it will have to be a doctor note to excuse an absence.
2. NOT all parent notes are excused.
- A list of examples for which an absence may not be excused is in the parent/student handbook you received electronically when registering your student and can be found here.
3. Comal ISD does not excuse traveling, being out of town or vacations.
- The only exception is if you have to go out of town for a funeral or a family emergency.
4. Parents do not need to call and let us know that your student will not be at school.
- A phone call or voicemail does not excuse the absence. All you need to do is send a parent note or doctor note upon return to campus. You can submit the note through Skyward or your student can turn them into the front office.
5. ALL notes need to be turned in or emailed within 2 days of the students return to campus. This prevents notes from being denied due to an attendance timeframe being close and attendance no longer able to be adjusted.
6. ALL parent notes NEED to have a reason for the absence on the note. It does not need to be in detail.
- EX: "Death of a family member" "Kept home from school because of illness." "Family medical emergency."
7. It is NOT always excused when a student goes home from the nurse.
- It is the parent's responsibility to verify with the nurse if this is nurse excused or not. If the nurse explains that she cannot excuse the student for going home, you will need to send a parent note or doctor note to excuse the class periods missed.
We are excited to welcome Nurse Tayte to the Ocelot Family. Nurse Tayte previously served the students of Moringside Elementary and is very familiar with School Nursing and Comal ISD. When you see her around, please give her a big Ocelot Welcome!
If your student needs over-the-counter medications not listed on the standing medical delegated orders, nursing staff will require a physician, podiatrist, or dentist authorization to administer the medication in accordance with the Texas Board of Nursing licensing standards. Please remember that all medications must be brought in the the nurse's office by a parent.
Tayte Olma (Oak Creek School Nurse): tayte.olma@comalisd.org
A critical piece of school safety is the uniform response to any incident at school. Weather events, fires, accidents, intruders and other threats to student safety are scenarios that are planned and trained for by school and district administration and staff.
Comal ISD uses the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), which provides common language around five protective actions campuses can take when an emergency arises. The SRP is based not on individual scenarios, but on the response to any given situation. The actions used are Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate and Shelter.
Parents will receive messages containing these actions during the school year. Students are taught these terms along with drills according to the action. Here is what these different actions mean.
- Hold β In your room or area. Clear the halls.
- Secure β Get inside. Lock outside doors.
- Lockdown β Locks, lights, out of sight
- Evacuate β To the announced location
- Shelter β Hazard and safety strategy
Learn more about the SRP at the "I Love U Guys" website.
