August Newsletter

Mountain View Families,

I hope you all had a wonderful and restful summer break filled with memories, laughter, and time together. We are excited to welcome all of our Mountain Lions back to campus and are thrilled to greet our newest families joining the Mountain View Elementary community!

Mountain View holds a very special place in my heart. I was fortunate to be a student here from Kindergarten through 5th grade, and later returned to serve as a 3rd grade teacher. Now, it is my greatest honor to lead this incredible school as principal. Our family is proud to be part of the Killeen/Harker Heights community. My husband is currently stationed at Fort Hood, and our daughter will be attending Union Grove Middle School this year.

At Mountain View, we truly believe it takes a village to raise a child, and we are blessed to be part of your child’s educational journey. Our commitment is to foster an environment where every student feels safe, supported, and empowered to reach their fullest potential. We are ready to work together, with you, as a team to ensure your child has an exceptional year of growth, learning, and joy.

This year, Killeen ISD will be implementing a few district-wide changes. With those changes, we ask for your grace and patience as we work to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for all. Please know that student safety remains our number one priority in every decision we make.

We are excited to continue traditions that make Mountain View a truly special place, including #FridayFriends, where we build relationships across grade levels, and #WeDoHardThings, which reminds us that resilience and grit are at the heart of all we do.

As we begin this new school year together, I leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller

Below you will find important information to help you prepare for the first weeks of school. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. We look forward to an amazing year ahead!

Christy Galloway

The safety and well-being of every student remains our top priority. As we begin a new school year, we are implementing updated morning arrival procedures to enhance the security of our campus. While change can sometimes feel unfamiliar, please know that these updates are grounded in our deep commitment to protecting our Mountain Lion family.

Beginning this school year, all students and visitors will pass through Entry Shield upon entering the building. In addition, designated staff members will be present each morning to monitor entrances and conduct backpack and belongings checks as needed. These steps are part of a proactive approach to ensure a safe, secure environment where students can focus on learning and growing.

We understand this is a new process for our community, and we deeply appreciate your support, patience, and understanding as we work through this together. Below you will find some helpful information to assist in a smooth arrival process:

Helpful Information:

• When entering as a visitor, please leave all personal belongings in your vehicle.

• Visitors must present a photo ID upon entry.

• If possible, please bring all school supplies to Meet the Teacher Night to help reduce wait times during morning arrival.

• All visitors will be required to pass through Entry Shield. Any visitor carrying personal items will be asked to either return them to their vehicle or submit to a search prior to entering the building.

Working together and walking alongside one another makes the greatest impact. Thank you for being our partners in creating a safe and welcoming environment for every child who walks through our doors. We are grateful for your trust and continued support as we begin another year of learning, growth, and community at Mountain View.

The first day of school, August 13th, is an exciting time filled with new beginnings, big smiles, and plenty of emotions—for both students and parents. We want you to know that we are here to support you and your child every step of the way. Please take a moment to review the important information above regarding our Entry Shield and arrival procedures, as these steps will help ensure a smooth and safe start for everyone. On the first day, August 13th, parents are welcome to walk their child to class. On August 14th and 15th, this option will be available only for PK and Kindergarten parents. Beginning August 18th, all students will walk to class independently. We will have staff stationed throughout the building to greet students and help guide them to their classrooms with care and encouragement. We truly appreciate your partnership as we start this school year strong, together.

We are excited about beginning the new school year with our Mountain View family! Here are a few helpful reminders to begin the year.

A valid guardian’s ID is needed to change any student information and will be verified by staff. In addition, if you plan to attend lunch with your child on designated days or attend any school event during school hours such as Academic Awards, Cub of the Month Lunch, Book Fair, or any meetings with a staff member, you must bring a valid ID to be permitted into the event.

Our entire staff is dedicated to ensuring that your student has a successful school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please speak with your child’s teacher, seek the student handbook online, or call the front office at 254-336-1900. We are looking forward to an amazing year!

Morning Arrival: Doors open at 7:00 AM, and the tardy bell rings at 7:25. Students arriving to school will either go immediately to the cafeteria for breakfast or join their classroom. Staff members will be in the hallways to ensure that students reach their destination.

• Bus - PK and Kinder students must have the Transportation Authorization form completed prior to the student riding the bus. The school provides a bus pouch for PK and Kinder students to wear. Students will arrive in the bus lane at the back of the school and be escorted into the building to either go to breakfast or their classroom.

• Valet – Two lines are available at the back of the school for car drop-off. Staff are available to help students out of the car and to ensure their safe entry into the building. Whichever lane is chosen, ensure that your child is sitting on the side that is closest to the sidewalk.

• Walkers – Includes parents parking in the parking lot to escort their children to the door in the morning and picking up their children in front of the school AND students walking to and from school. Parents that park to bring and pick up their children MUST always walk with their children to keep them safe. If parents would like to stay in their car, valet is a great option.

Afternoon Dismissal: Adequate supervision will be provided to ensure that students find their correct way home. Students will meet in specific areas of the building to ensure that students are safely dismissed.

• Bus – Teachers will load the students at the back of the school onto the buses for the trip home. PK and Kinder students will only be released at the assigned stop to the person(s) listed on the bus pouch after providing a valid ID to the bus driver. 1st – 5th grade students will be released by the bus driver at the assigned stop.

• Valet – Valet enters at the back of the school from Moccasin Dr. If you are picking up a student in grades PK, K, and 1, you will enter onto school property in the right lane. The line will start on Moccasin Dr. and continue around to Iowa Dr. If you are picking up a student in grades 2 – 5, you will enter on the left lane. The line starts in the right lane on Moccasin Dr. and continues to Wampum Dr. away from the school. If you have a child in PK, KG, and 1st and they have siblings in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade, the older children will join their younger siblings for valet dismissal. Staff will be on duty to help with the valet process. If you do not have a valet tag, you will need to pick up your child from the office. See the information below about valet tags.

• Walkers – Walkers who walk home and parent pick-ups at the front will be dismissed from the front of the school. Students who walk home will be dismissed to the crosswalk in front and directed to the crossing guard corner.

• Parent Pickup - Parents who pick up will park their car and move to an assigned spot. K and 1 will form the line by the designated dismissal door. PK parents will stand behind their cone and grades 2,3,4, and 5 parents will stand behind the median. PK will go to the door one at a time from the median. Additionally you must show a government-issued identification to the teacher. Also, move back to the median until older siblings are dismissed.

• YMCA - Students will meet in the cafeteria, and parents will pick up their children at the exit door closest to the cafeteria.

• Daycare - Students will meet in the cafeteria. Students will be escorted to their daycare van by the cafeteria exit door on the Wampum Dr. side of the school.

Any changes regarding dismissal need to be completed by a parent or guardian in the office or by notifying the child’s teacher through email or Remind.

Early Pickup: If a parent needs to sign their child out early from school, we ask that you come to the office no later than 2:30 PM. The office is closed from 2:30-3:02 for dismissal. The Parent/Guardian must provide a valid ID and must be on the student’s contact list to sign out their child from campus.

Valet Car Tag: Valet car tags are required and must be visible from the windshield area to utilize the valet car rider lanes. Valet car tags are available at Meet the Teacher. The first two tags are free, and additional tags are $5.00.

A background check is required for volunteering. The application link is listed below. Two weeks after filing the background check, please contact the school office. You will not be notified when the check in complete, please contact the front office to follow up on the status of your application.

• There are many opportunities to volunteer, including but not limited to:
• Helping in classrooms
• Valet line support
• Lunch room help
• Media Center (you will need a one-hour training class)
• Office support
• In-home help: cutting, pasting, etc.

We love having visitors on campus! To help ensure everyone has an opportunity and space, please be aware of the scheduled days you may eat with your child. Family tables are located on the stage. You must show a photo ID when signing in at the front office. Entry Shield procedures will be followed.

Please keep the office/clinic informed of any change in address or telephone numbers by coming in to change the registration card. It is also important to keep emergency contact information current. It is important that an emergency contact person/number be someone other than yourself in the local area. In the event of a serious emergency, we will make every attempt to contact you at all of the numbers listed on the registration card. If the service of an ambulance is necessary, the parent/guardian will be responsible for the total cost as outlined in district policy.

• CLINIC VISITS: The teacher/staff member will complete a clinic pass for all students sent to the clinic. The teacher/staff member will annotate the chief complaint/reason for sending the student to the clinic. The clinic will document all care your child receives. A yellow copy of the clinic pass, or a digital copy, will be sent home with every student seen in the clinic. Parents are encouraged to contact the clinic if there is a concern about the treatment received.

• EMERGENCY CLOTHING: All Pre-K and KG students should have several changes of clothes in their backpack due to cafeteria or bathroom accidents.

• MEDICATION: All medication must be given in the clinic. Students are not permitted to carry ANY medications, including cough medication, cough drops, medicated creams, medicated eye drops, 6 etc. Inhalers are an exception to the policy ONLY if a physician’s permit is completed and on file with the clinic stating the child can carry and self-administer the inhaler. For the complete KISD medication policy, please see the district section of this handbook.

• ALLERGIES: All allergies should be noted on your child’s health history sheet to be kept in the clinic. If your child has an allergy to insect stings/bites or food, please complete the information sheet available in the clinic to inform us of the type of reaction to expect in your child. On this form, you will also need to provide us with what kind of treatment your child is to receive: i.e. Calamine lotion, Epi-Pen or prescription antihistamine. A physician’s order must be on file in the clinic in order to administer any prescription medication. If your child has a food allergy, the school district can substitute alternative foods or beverages on the purchased lunch tray in place of those foods to which your child has an allergy. For the substitutions to be made, you must have a letter from your child’s physician. The letter must state the foods and/or beverages your child is unable to consume and the foods acceptable for substitution. There is a form available in the clinic.

• FEVER: Fever is defined as temperature equal to or greater than 100ºF. KISD policy states that a child cannot remain at school with a temperature equal to or greater than 100ºF. Students will now be excluded from school until fever free, without the use of fever-suppressing medications, for 24 hours if they have a temperature equal to or greater than 100 degrees. This policy has been changed because the Texas Department of State Health Services has updated TAC Title 25, Part 1, Chapter 97, Subchapter A, Rule 97.7 and Rule 97.1- Diseases Requiring Exclusion from Schools and

• LICE POLICY: KISD Lice Procedure: Any student with visible signs of lice will be excluded from school until he/she is free of all live lice. Parents/Guardians will be notified, instructed in the treatment of head lice, and asked to pick up their child as soon as possible. Parents/Guardians will be instructed to promptly treat the child and return the student to school the next day. Upon return to school, students will be cleared to go to class after being re-examined by the clinic staff and found to be live lice free. School bus transportation will not be provided from school to home on the day the live lice were discovered. Screening of siblings and other students who were most likely to have head to head contact will be done by the clinic staff. To avoid disruption of student and teacher class time, no unwarranted mass classroom screenings will be done.