Panda Parent Newsletter
Back To School Welcome Anita Uphaus ECC Vol. 3 #2 Oct 2025
Happy October Panda Families!
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month. We have loved learning about the diverse cultures and traditions of the Hispanic Community. We look forward to a wonderful month of Fall learning and exploration. We have some parent opportunities with our Parent Support Specialist and our Fall Festival this month! We hope you can join us. Thank you for continuing to support our Panda School Family. Have a great October!
Warm regards,
Mrs. Dimas
Parent Support Specialist
My name is Linda Perez, and I am your Anita Uphaus Early Childhood Center Parent Support Specialist.
You can expect periodic newsletters from myself, and several of the classroom teachers to keep you up to date as to what is happening here at Anita Uphaus and in the classrooms.
A good way of staying up to date on school information is to visit our website at www.uphaus.austinschools.org . From there, you can find several sources of information that will keep you informed of all the happenings at Anita Uphaus. If at any time during the school year you feel the need to contact me, please feel free to call me, Linda C. Perez, Parent Support Specialist at (512) 414-5538 or by email at linda.c.perez@austinisd.org
We hope to partner and collaborate with you to have a successful school year. Your involvement and partnership are important. There is no one like you!
As your Parent Support Specialist, I can assist you in several ways. In working together, I can:
- Find resources you may need- I can help find assistance when needed.
Learn new things about school and how to help your child succeed. Look for workshops for parents throughout the year!
- Become leaders in our school! Your input and participation in the Parent/Teacher Association (PTA) and other school committees such as Campus Advisory Council (CAC)
- Become a Parent Volunteer! Volunteers are welcomed and needed!
Everyone who volunteers will need to attend a volunteer orientation and complete a successful background check.
Arrival & Dismissal
As the school year begins, here are a few reminders that will assist with our arrival/dismissal procedures. Attached you will find our map for Arrival & Dismissal. Please assist us in following traffic rules. We thank you in advance for helping to keep our staff, scholars, and parents safe.
During morning drop off, parents and parent guardians will be allowed to:
- walk their child(ren) up to the designated campus entrances at the school.
- If you are walking them to the designated drop off areas, please make sure you cross at the student crosswalk for your safety. Parents must park in a designated parking spot and walk your child across.
- Go through the designated drive-thru entrances at the school
During after school pick up, parents and parent guardians will be allowed to:
- pick up their child(ren) at the designated campus pick-up areas at the school
- Go through the designated drive-thru exits at the school
Please do not:
Block the flow of traffic in and out of school premises.
Speed in a school zone.
Use cell phone in school zone.
Due to safety reasons, parents and parent guardians will NOT be allowed to walk children to their classrooms.
REMINDERS: Please be mindful of your speed during pick up & drop off. Speed limit should not exceed 10 mph.
NO CELL PHONE use in an active school zone. Please put your cell phones down.
1. PK3 side drop off door
2. PK4/Kinder Back drop off door
2025-2026 Bus information
We recommend families whose students are eligible for General Education transportation to check their bus information by checking the district’s “Bus Stop Finder''. Families whose students have special needs will receive their information in person from their bus teams. *Please keep in mind routes and stops may change periodically.
“Where's TheBus” App for Families
AISD’s transportation team offers families the “WheresTheBus” app, which provides timely information about the location of their student’s assigned bus only, including when it will arrive at their stop. Please promote the app to your school communities.
The free app is available on any device with internet access (smartphone, tablet, personal computer, iPad)—and takes less than five minutes to install. Instructions are available at https://www.austinisd.org/transportation.
If you need to pick your child up for a doctor's appointment, do so by 2:30pm.
No pick ups after 2:30pm due to preparation for end of day dismissal. Thank you!
Notify your child's teacher in advance. Parents cannot call in advance to have students retrieved from class, so plan to arrive early.
Parents need to be prepared to provide driver’s license when signing a student out from school.
Make sure you get a school note from the doctor’s office. The doctor’s note must be reported to
School Absence Note / Nota sobra la ausencia | Austin ISD .
If you have any questions, please contact our Attendance Specialist Martha Salinas @ martha.salinas@austinisd.org.
Breakfast In the Classroom
Parent Coffee Chat
📖 Every class visits the library weekly for storytime and a lesson.
🎒 Families are always welcome! Come check out books and enjoy stories together.
🕒 Family Library Checkout Hours:
Monday–Friday, 2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Stop by after school and discover something magical to read!
📚 Cada clase visita la biblioteca una vez por semana para una hora del cuento y una lección.
👨👩👧👦 ¡Las familias siempre son bienvenidas! Pueden venir a sacar libros y disfrutar cuentos juntos.
🕒 Horario para familias:
Lunes a viernes, de 2:45 p.m. a 3:30 p.m.
¡Visítenos después de clases y descubran nuevas aventuras para leer en familia!
Author Visits at Uphaus!
We had an amazing author visit with Jonathan Stutzman - thank you to our friends at BookPeople for making it possible! Our children are now huge fans of Tiny T. Rex, and the excitement for reading is stronger than ever.
And there’s more to look forward to! We already have two more author visits scheduled this year:
October 6 – Chris Barton
March 9 – Miguel Briones
We are so grateful to bring these opportunities to our students and can’t wait to welcome even more inspiring authors to Uphaus!
Counselor News
Hello families, my name is Ileanna Mercado and I am the proud School Counselor at Anita Uphaus Early Childhood Center. My role as the school counselor is to provide social and emotional support for our students. I provide weekly counseling lessons, crisis intervention, small group counseling, and short term individual counseling. I also work closely with our district Licensed Mental Health Professional to connect families with resources as well as ongoing counseling for students who require higher level of support. Please see some important information below in regard to providing services to your child. Thank you.
Monday is Uphaus T-shirt day (if your scholar has one).
Friday is Colleget T-shirt day (if your scholar has one).
Our campus participates in Monthly Safety Drills.
- We are required to do 1-2 safety drills every month to help us all be prepared in case of various emergencies. These drills are very calm and are announced as practice drills.
- The first step is to register here: https://austinisd.voly.org/
Please note: if you are planning to volunteer for any event at school you must go through a
background check.
- You can also contact our Parent Support Specialist, Ms. Linda Pérez, at 512-414-5520, Ext. 58514 or linda.c.perez@austinisd.org
Please support the Uphaus PTA
PTA is an organization of parents and teachers coming together to advocate for our children and students. Your membership alone will give us a BIGGER voice in our school and community!
Membership is for the year $10.00. This money goes towards student events, teacher appreciation and much more. PTA membership flyer going out soon!
