Eagle News

Dear Houston Families,

We are so excited to welcome our Eagles back on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 for the first day of school! Families are invited to walk their child to class on the first day only. Beginning August 20, students will enter independently, with staff ready to guide and support them as needed.

School doors will open at 7:10 a.m. Students will remain in the cafeteria until 7:30 a.m., when they are taken to class. Breakfast in the classroom will be served from 7:30–7:50 a.m. and will not be available after 7:50, so please ensure your child arrives on time. All students should be in class and ready to learn by 7:40 a.m.

PK3 families may drop off by the playground, and all other students will enter through the main doors. Dismissal will begin at 3:10 p.m., with instruction ending at 3:05.

For the first two weeks of school, parents will not be able to join students for lunch. This allows our Eagles to settle into their routines smoothly and ensures a calm, safe environment in the cafeteria.

Safety and creating a secure campus remain our number one priority, and we thank you for partnering with us to ensure a strong start. Together, we will make this a fantastic year of growth and learning! Thank you for your partnership as we begin a brand-new year together. I’m so excited to see all the learning, growth, and joy that’s ahead for our Eagles!

With Eagle Pride,
Principal Tarpley

8/18-No School, Registration open from 9-1pm.

8/19-First Day of School

8/29-Wear college shirt day!

9/1-Labor Day/No School

9/8-CAC at 3:30, PTA Meeting @ 4:15 pm

9/11-Principal Coffee @ 8-9am

9/11- Back to School Night @4:30-6:30

9/19-Spirit Day, wear BRIGHT colors day!

9/22-9/23- Staff Development Day and No School for students

Here is a quick outline of some things to expect on the first day of school. This list is not exhaustive but does cover major points you will need to know for the first day of school.

SAFETY:

First and foremost, safety is our priority. Due to recent events, parents and guardians will only be allowed to walk their children to class on the first day. Volunteers and visitors are always welcome after arrival, but they must always sign in at the front office first (you must have your license ready to scan).

REGISTRATION:

• Please do not wait until August 19th to register! Our registrar, Ms. Acosta, is available to assist from 9:00-1:00 pm before August 19th!
• If your child is not fully registered and/or does not have up to date immunizations, they will not be placed in a classroom until that process is complete
• If this is the case, our front office staff will begin helping with new registrants or those that need assistance finishing registration at 8:00 am.
• We ask that you wait until 8:00 am so that we avoid overcrowding in the office and allow our staff and students to start their day.

ARRIVAL:

In the morning:

• We will open our doors at 7:10 am

• NOTE: School starts at 7:40. After this time, you are considered tardy at 8:05.

• NEW THIS YEAR: If you arrive after 7:45, parents must walk students into the office to sign them in or you can fill out the quick google form to gain entry.

• There may be tears on the first day and that is ok! We promise that your student will be loved and well taken care of and will come home with lots of fun and exciting stories from the day!

• We do ask that as parents, if your child is upset, to understand that sometimes it is harder for the student if parents linger. We respectfully ask that you allow our teachers and staff to assist to make sure your student has an amazing day!

• After 7:45 students must be dropped off at the main building. No students will be able to access the buildings without checking in at the main office.

DISMISSAL

Our new dismissal procedure is designed to ensure a safe and efficient process for all students. In this system, each student is assigned a unique dismissal number, shared among siblings, which is used to call students when parents or designated adults arrive for pick-up.

Students have backpack tags displaying their dismissal number, and families using car pick-up are asked to have their car tags clearly visible. This allows us to quickly identify and call the correct student for dismissal.

Please note that there are two dismissal locations:

• Front (Cafeteria) for PK3-2nd Grade students and their older siblings. Front dismissal starts at 3:10PM.
• Back (Gym) for 3rd-6th Grade students. Back dismissal starts at 3:10PM.

Parents are asked to go to the assigned student pick-up areas. If you need an additional car tag, please contact your child’s grade-level teacher.

OTHER REMINDERS

• IMPORTANT: Regarding parking, please do not park in our parking lots as this is strictly for staff. Visitors are to park on the street. We understand parking may be tough this year due to construction but we request your patience at this time.

• When dismissal plans change, send a note or email to the teacher in the morning with the new information or call the office prior to 2:00pm. After 2pm, changes in transportation are not guaranteed to be communicated.

• Students who have not been picked up by 3:20 will be brought into the office and must be signed out by a parent.

• Remember that there is a $200 fine for talking or texting while driving in a school zone. Any active loading or unloading area is considered a school zone.

• DO NOT PASS any school bus that has flashing lights and the stop sign displayed. Buses have cameras that will send you an automatic ticket for passing a school bus.

• We kindly request that you leave all dogs at home when dropping off or picking students up on foot. While your dog may be the nicest dog around, unexpected reactions from children, adults, and pets may occur.

We ask for grace and patience as we navigate through the first week or two, especially with new systems for staff, students and parents. In all interactions, staff and parents alike, we are modeling valuable life skills for our students and children. We are always happy to help and assist and we appreciate your understanding and support as well. Thanks for your cooperation and help in getting our students to and from school safely!

Please see the attached letter.

Free meals for all students at our school!

Our school proudly provides free breakfast and lunch for all students each day through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program. Through this program, students automatically receive free meals without any application, documentation, or registration. We do not collect meal applications at our school.

What is the process to dine at school?

Students may simply walk through the cafeteria serving line on any day and select their meal components. Since meals are free, no money is needed for students to receive a breakfast and lunch meal. If a student would like to purchase a second meal, additional servings, or healthy snacks, they may use cash, or you may add funds online by creating an account at www.SchoolCafe.com/AustinISD. The cafeteria accepts cash daily from 7 a.m.-2 p.m.. Cafeteria staff and teachers are available to assist any new or returning students.

About school meals:

View menus for our school at www.SchoolCafe.com/AustinISD, or download the Schoolcafe mobile app. Breakfast and lunch are prepared daily by staff in our school kitchen. The healthy meals we serve meet or exceed the federal breakfast and lunch nutrition guidelines that schools are required to follow. Our kitchen offers a balance of healthy versions of student favorites mixed with scratch-prepared recipes, plant-based dishes, and global flavors. Our menus feature local, sustainably-sourced, and clean label foods. Our cafeteria can accommodate food allergies and special dietary needs with a completed Request for Dietary Accommodation Form.

Good to know:

While no application is needed for your student to eat for free, we may ask your family to complete an Income Verification Form to help maintain our campus demographic information used for various education funding sources and programs.

Help your family and our school with SNAP:

Need help buying food for your family? Apply today for the state funded benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at www.yourtexasbenefits.com.

SNAP not only helps your family, but it also benefits your school. The more students who receive SNAP benefits, the more funds available to schools for education, meal programs, and more.

Questions about how these programs impact non-citizens or immigration status? Use this resource, Protecting Immigrant Families - Food Programs and Your Rights, to help answer commonly asked questions about how to make good decisions for your family and their health.

School meal resources:

• SchoolCafé - One app for all your school meal needs.

• View daily breakfast and lunch menus for our school.

• View nutritional information, ingredients, and allergens for each menu item.

• Make prepayments for additional servings of food or healthy a la carte snacks.

• Set a la carte restrictions.

• How to create a SchoolCafé account, add student(s), make payments, set up automatic payments, and low balance alerts - English / Spanish

• About Meals at AISD

• Request for Dietary Accommodation Form

• AISD Wellness Policy English / Spanish (Guidelines surrounding food and beverages provided on campus, celebrations, food for instructional purposes, rewarding with food, and fundraising)

• AISD Food Service Employment Opportunities

• Connect with AISD Food Service on Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X)

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.

AISD Weather Guidelines

• Temperature guidelines have been established in order to provide a safe and healthy environment for students participating in outdoor activities at Austin ISD.

• The listed temperatures, heat indexes, and wind-chill factors are designated figures for terminating and/or modifying outdoor activities including: Athletics, Fine Arts, PE, and recess.

• AISD_Temperature Weather Guidelines