Eagle News

Dear Houston Elementary Families,

As we enter March, we are excited to see the growth our Eagles have made this year. As we approach state assessments, our focus remains on strong instruction, student ownership, and consistent attendance—every day matters.

We are continuing to strengthen reading and math instruction, provide targeted support, and encourage students to show their work and explain their thinking.

Families, you can support by ensuring daily attendance, encouraging reading, and asking your child to explain their learning.

We are also in our final push for enrollment. Our goal is 100% enrollment by Friday, April 3rd to ensure every student has a seat and we are fully prepared.

Join us at one of our enrollment events:

• April 1 | 8:00–10:00 AM
• April 2 | 8:30–10:30 AM & 3:00–5:00 PM (Early Learning Day)

Even if you are unsure about returning, please enroll your child now to reserve their spot.

Thank you for your continued partnership.

Together, We Rise 🦅
Principal Tarpley 🦅

Check out our new Instagram page where we celebrate all the wonderful things happening under our school's new leadership! JHouston_AustinISD

APRIL - Arab American Heritage Month

• Apr 6th-10th - Assistant Principal Appreciation Week
• Apr 6th - Campus Staff Development Day - No School for Students
• Apr 8th-10th - No Parents and Visitors on Camps - STAAR Testing
• Apr 8th - STAAR Reading 4th Grade
• Apr 9th - STAAR Reading 3rd Grade
• Apr 10th - STAAR Reading 5th Grade
• Apr 10th - Academy 4 Friday, 1:00-2:30, Dining Hall
• Apr 14th-17th - No Parents and Visitors on Camps - STAAR Testing
• Apr 15th - STAAR Science 5th Grade
• Apr 20th-24th - School Librarian Appreciation Week
• Apr 20th-24th - Administrative Professionals Appreciation Week
• Apr 20th-24th - School Volunteer Appreciation Week
• Apr 20th-24th - Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week
• Apr 21st-24th - No Parents and Visitors on Camps - STAAR Testing
• Apr 21st - STAAR Math 4th Grade
• Apr 22nd - STAAR Reading 5th Grade
• Apr 23rd - STAAR Math 3rd Grade

To ensure that all 450 of our students have a seat at Houston for the upcoming school year, it is very important that families complete registration as soon as possible. Early registration helps us plan for teachers, class sizes, and resources to best support our students. If you need assistance, please visit our school website for step-by-step information or go directly to the district enrollment page to complete the process. If you have any questions or need support, please call our front office — we are happy to help!

School Report Card

Dear J. Houston Families,

The Texas Education Agency has released School Report Cards for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. This information will help you understand how your school is doing in terms of testing, class sizes and college, career and military readiness, among other items.

Please see the attached report cards to learn more about the following information:

• How our students performed on the STAAR tests

• How ready our students are for college, careers, and the military

• Details about our student enrollment

• Average class sizes

• Information on our financial spending

• How our school compares to the rest of the district and the state.

• Data for different student groups, like race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status

• Results from at least the past two years.

The School Report Cards are attached to this email, and can be found online at TEA School Report Card. 2024 and 2025 School Report Cards will be available on the district website no later than February 6, 2026.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about this report card. Thank you for your continued support of our school.

Sincerely,

Alexandra Tarpley

Principal

Houston Elementary

Enclosures
2024 School report Card

2025 School Report Card

School Report Card Definitions

We’re excited to share a positive update on our new school building! Construction continues to move along smoothly and remains on schedule. Exterior finishes are nearly complete and are expected to wrap up within the next week. Window installation will also take place over the coming week.

Interior work is already underway, with plumbing, electrical, and HVAC/duct work completed, allowing crews to move forward with classroom and learning space construction. Everything is progressing well, and the building is really starting to take shape!

At this time, we are still planning to transition into the new building over the summer, with an anticipated opening on the first day of school. We’ll continue to share updates as we move closer to the finish line.

If you haven’t had a chance to see them yet, please take a look at the renderings and photos attached—it’s exciting to see what’s ahead for our Houston Eagles!

Austin ISD enrollment for the 2026–2027 school year is opening soon! Families can find important dates, deadlines, and enrollment steps on the district’s official enrollment page. This year’s process includes multiple application and registration rounds starting in January 2026 for program applications and general transfers. Austin ISD

We encourage all families to visit the Austin ISD enrollment website for details on how to enroll, transfer, or apply to programs. Keeping up with these dates will help you secure your child’s spot and access the opportunities that best support their learning.

We want to partner with families in helping students use the right language when talking about social concerns. Not all unkind behavior is bullying, and understanding the difference matters.

• Rude behavior is usually unintentional (interrupting, saying something without thinking).

• Mean behavior is intentional but happens occasionally (teasing, saying something hurtful once).

• Bullying is intentional, repeated behavior meant to hurt someone and involves a power imbalance.

We encourage families to help students describe what happened accurately and to talk through appropriate ways to respond. When concerns arise, our counselor and staff are here to support students in learning healthy communication, problem-solving, and how to seek help when needed.

We are currently seeing an increase in students experiencing vomiting, rashes, and strep throat–like symptoms at school. To help keep all students and staff healthy, we ask that you please monitor your child closely for symptoms.

Please keep your child home and consider contacting a healthcare provider if they are experiencing:

• Vomiting or diarrhea

• Fever

• Sore throat with fever or rash

• Unexplained or spreading rashes

• Any illness that prevents them from participating comfortably in school

Students should be fever-free for 24 hours without medication and free of vomiting before returning to school. If your child has been diagnosed with strep throat, they must be on antibiotics for at least 24 hours before returning.

Thank you for your partnership in helping keep our school community healthy. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the school nurse.

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.