Eagle News

Hello Houston Eagle Families,

We have a few important updates and reminders to share this month!

📅 Three-Day Weekend:
There will be no school on Monday, October 20th due to Parent-Teacher Conferences. Please make sure to sign up for a conference time with your child’s teacher. These meetings are a valuable opportunity for us to work together—not only to support your child academically, but also socially and behaviorally. Our goal is to strengthen the partnership between home and school so every student can thrive.

☕ Parent Coffee – School Consolidation Plan:
We know many families have questions about the district’s school consolidation plan that was released on October 3rd. To help provide clarity and space for discussion, we invite you to join us for a Parent Coffee on Thursday, October 16th at 8:00 a.m. During this time, we’ll review the information, share what it means for Houston Elementary, and answer your questions. You can also share your feedback here.

⏰ Attendance Matters!

Did you know that our school’s official attendance snapshot time is 9:45 a.m.? This means that for Houston Elementary to receive full state funding, your child must be present at school by 9:45 a.m. each day. Please note: This is different from tardies. Tardies are still documented at 8:05 a.m. Students arriving after 8:05 are marked tardy, even if they are present for the 9:45 attendance snapshot.

If your child has a doctor’s appointment, please try to schedule it after 12:00 p.m. whenever possible. This helps in two important ways:

1. Our school receives credit (and funding) for your child’s attendance that day.

2. Your child has the chance to enjoy a warm, nutritious, and free lunch before leaving for their appointment.

Thank you for helping us make every minute—and every meal—count! Consistent attendance truly helps our Eagles soar! 🦅

💙 A Call to Partnership:

Regarding turning around our school, I want to be very clear—our school cannot do this work alone. When families are involved, students do better, teachers feel supported, and our entire community grows stronger. Attendance at conferences, meetings, and school events is not just about showing your child that education matters—it shows our teachers and staff that their hard work matters too.

We need every family to show up, stay engaged, and be part of the solution. Our students’ success and the strength of our school depend on a united partnership between home and school. Together, we set the tone for what it means to be a Houston Eagle—committed, present, and rising together.

Together, We Rise 💙
Alexandra Tarpley
Principal, Houston Elementary

OCTOBER

• Oct 6th-10th - Principal Appreciation Week
• Oct 6th - CAC Meeting @ 3:30 pm
• Oct 10th - No School Students & Staff
• Oct 13th - Student & Staff Holiday / No School - Indigenous Peoples’ Day
• Oct 16th - Parent Coffee, 7:45
• Oct 17th - End of 1st Quarter
• Oct 20th - No School for Students / Parent Conference Day
• Oct 21st - PTA Meeting, 5:30
• Oct 22nd - Unity Day - wear orange! (Bullying Prevention Month
• Oct 23rd - Lights on Afterschool Program - ACE, 6:00-7:30
• Oct 27th-31st - Spirit Week!
• Oct 30th - Boo Bash! 5:30-7:30, Dining Hall
• Oct 31st - Happy Halloween! Bringing Words to Life Day!

NOVEMBER

Native American Heritage Month - https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/

• Nov 1st-2nd -Día de los Muertos
• Nov 2nd - Daylight Savings Ends (fall back)
• Nov 3rd - CAC Meeting
• Nov 4th - Staff Development Day/Election Day
• Nov 6th - PK3 Head Start Parent Meeting, Parent Room, 8:00
• Nov 11th - Veteran’s Day
• Nov 11th - Mother Goose Presentation, PK-1st grades, 8:00-9:45
• Nov 13th - Parent Coffee, 7:45
• Nov 13th - Family Thanksgiving during lunches
• Nov 13th - ACE Feast of Sharing, 6:00-8:00, Dining Hall
• Nov 18th - PTA Meeting, 5:30
• Nov 20th - STEM and CATCH Night, 4:30-6:30
• Nov 24th-28th - Fall Break!
• Nov 27th - Thanksgiving Day

To m🍎 Lunch Visits & Younger Siblings

We love that our families join their children for lunch—it’s a special tradition that builds community and connection. However, we’ve recently noticed several incidents involving younger siblings not being closely supervised during lunch visits. This has led to accidental spills, safety concerns, and some damage to school property.

To ensure that we can continue offering this opportunity, we ask that parents closely monitor younger children at all times and help them follow appropriate cafeteria expectations. Please remember that lunch visits take place in a school environment, and all guests are expected to follow the same safety and behavior standards as our students.

We appreciate your partnership in helping us maintain a safe, respectful, and welcoming space for everyone. Thank you for doing your part to keep this Houston Eagle tradition alive! 🦅

Please see attached newsletters for our district's literacy wide newsletters. [ Unit 1 English| Spanish / Unit 2 English | Spanish ]

Office Reminders regarding lunches

Please plan your child’s lunch ahead of time. Monthly lunch calendars are sent to families, the district menu is available here, and daily menus are announced in the morning.

Students cannot call home during lunch to request a meal. Lunch is only 30 minutes, and allowing calls would create disruptions. Please review the menu with your child and talk about occasional changes. Your support helps us keep lunch time smooth and safe for everyone.

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.