Panda Parent Newsletter
Back To School Welcome Anita Uphaus ECC Vol. 3 #1 Sept 2026
Welcome Panda Families!
We are off to a fantastic start to the 2026–2027 school year! It has been wonderful seeing both new and returning faces filling our hallways. We hope you had a restful, joyful summer spent with loved ones.
Our dedicated staff has worked hard to prepare an inspiring environment for our scholars. We look forward to a school year filled with growth, learning, laughter, and community celebrations.
To keep you connected with everything happening at Anita Uphaus Early Childhood Center, our parent newsletter will be sent at the beginning of each month. Here’s to an incredible year ahead—Go Pandas!
Warm regards,
Mrs. Dimas
Parent Support Specialist
My name is Linda Perez, and I am your Anita Uphaus Early Childhood Center Parent Support Specialist.
The faculty and staff at Anita Uphaus ECC would like to welcome everyone back to school and extend a special Welcome to all of our new students and their families. We are excited and are looking forward to another exciting year of learning at Anita Uphaus.
I would also like to extend a welcome to our newest staff members:
Mr. Emanuel Rangel Carmona (Apple Blossom Teacher-LSS), Ms. Yenifer Escobedo (Apple Blossom TA), & Ms. Leslie Mandujano (Instructional Coach).
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. We are excited to begin the 2026-2027 school year. 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.
- Doors open: 7:10 am
- Arrival Time: 7:10 thru 7:40 am
- Tardy Bell: Rings at 7:40 am (Scholars must be in class)
- Dismissal Time: 3:10 pm
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.
You will need to bring your student pick up card daily for dismissal. Guardian or designated person must be listed on the child's pick-up roster in the system. If you do not have your card, you will have to present your ID for pick up in the front office.
Pickup Reminder for Panda Families
To help keep dismissal safe and efficient for all students, a physical pickup card is required for quick pickup.
- Have the physical card visible and ready for staff to see.
- Photos or screenshots of pickup cards cannot be accepted.
Forgot your card?
Staff will need to check additional identification and verify pickup information. This process takes extra time and may delay your pickup.
Thank you for helping us keep our Panda Cubs safe and make dismissal run smoothly for everyone!
Recordatorio para las Familias Panda
Para mantener la salida segura y eficiente para todos nuestros estudiantes, es necesario presentar la tarjeta física de recogida para usar la fila de recogida rápida.
- Muestre la tarjeta física al personal.
- No se aceptan fotos ni capturas de pantalla.
¿Olvidó su tarjeta?
El personal deberá solicitar una identificación adicional y verificar la información de recogida. Este proceso toma más tiempo y puede causar demoras.
¡Gracias por ayudarnos a mantener seguros a nuestros Ositos Panda y a que la salida sea más rápida y eficiente para todos!
2026-2027 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.
Every Day Counts!
Attendance/Grades: Regular attendance in all classes is an expectation of all Austin ISD students. State law and District policy state that students must be in attendance for 90% of the instructional days for a class to receive credit. A student who misses more days than allowed by AISD policy, excused or unexcused, may not be given credit for that class unless time and/or work is made up for the absences. Students will work with the grade level administrator to complete the appropriate steps to reach compliance.
Parents: Making sure your student is in school and on time every day is the law. For more information visit the district's attendance page.
Tardies
● If a student arrives after 7:40a.m., they must report to the front office to sign in & receive a tardy pass to class.
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.
Our Assistant Principal is Mrs. Diaz-Eskew!
Welcome back, Uphaus families! My name is Elia Diaz-Eskew, and I am honored and proud to serve as your Assistant Principal at Anita Uphaus Early Childhood Center. With 33 years of dedicated experience in education, I am deeply passionate about partnering with families to support our young learners in their social-emotional growth, academic achievement, and positive behavior skills. Outside of school, I cherish spending quality time with my family, attending sporting events, listening to live music, and getting lost in a good book. My ultimate hope for this school year is to help all of our scholars shine in everything they do, ensure they have a wonderful experience at Uphaus, and inspire them to continue to "Color Our World!"
Hi, Uphaus Families!
I'm Mrs. Haywood, the proud librarian here at Uphaus, and I'm so excited to kick off another wonderful year in the library! Our goal is not only to help build early literacy skills, but also to inspire a lifelong love of reading in our little Pandas.
Each class will visit the library once a week for story time filled with books, songs, and fun learning activities, and our Pre-K 4 and Kindergarten students will soon begin checking out a book each week to take back to their classrooms and enjoy.
We have so many exciting things planned this year, and I can't wait to read, sing, learn, and grow together with your children. Stay tuned for all the fun ahead!
Be sure to follow us on Facebook at Uphaus ECC Library for updates, photos, and library news.
And don't forget, families can check out books, too! Our library is open for family checkout every day after school from 2:45-3:30 p.m.
Here's to a fantastic year of reading and learning together!
Counselor News
Hello wonderful Panda families!
My name is Ileanna Mercado, and I am thrilled to serve as the school counselor at Anita Uphaus Early Childhood Center. Whether your child is returning or brand new to our school, I am excited to support a happy, safe, and successful school year for everyone.
As a school counselor, my job is to help every student feel supported, confident, and ready to learn. Some of the way I work with students, teachers, and families include:
- Providing whole group classroom Lessons
- Small Group Counseling
- Short-Term Individual Counseling
- Family support and community resource information
In order to provide some the services mentioned, consent must be provided. Please see the information below regarding this process. I look forward to a wonderful school year!
Ms. Mercado
Meet our Instructional Coach Ms. Mandujano!
Hello Families! My name is Leslie Mandujano, and I am thrilled to introduce myself as your new Campus Instructional Coach!
Our dedicated teachers have been working incredibly hard these first few weeks to establish the daily routines and procedures that set our classrooms up for success. You can reinforce this hard work at home by keeping a consistent morning & evening routine, reading together every day, and asking your child to share one procedure they practiced at school! I look forward to partnering with you and our amazing teaching team this year.
Teachers are also currently conducting our first major assessments of the year: Pre-K students are taking the CLI Engage assessment, and Kindergarten students are participating in the MAP Growth assessment. Both of these evaluations are given three times a year, at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. These assessments are vital tools that allow us to celebrate your child's individual strengths, track their academic progress over time and ensure they receive the exact support they need.
Helpful Links:
CLI Engage Family Portal (PreK Families)
MAP Growth Family Toolkit (Kinder Families)
Meet Officer Lopez!
Based at Uphaus Early Childhood Center, Officer Lopez serves multiple campuses across Austin ISD. You'll see her keeping our schools safe, supporting students and staff, and directing drop-off and pick-up traffic. Be sure to say hello and give her a warm welcome when you see her on campus!
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!
