Week 1 Brave Bulls Bulletin

Dear Tom Lea Families,

We are thrilled to welcome you and your child to a brand new school year at Tom Lea Elementary, home of the Brave Bulls! We are going to have a fantastic year of learning, growing, and thriving together!

Our first day of school is tomorrow, Monday, August 4th, and we can't wait open our doors. The beginning of the year is such a special time filled with anticipation, excitement, and opportunity. We are here to ensure your child feels safe, welcomed, and eager to learn.

A few things to know for tomorrow:

🕗 School Start Time:
Teachers will arrive by 7:40 am on Monday. As many parents will choose to walk their students directly to their classroom, please plan to arrive a few minutes early to help your child settle in. We will announce at 8:10 am that instruction is about to begin to allow parents to exit.

🎒 What to Bring:
Your child will need:

• Backpack

• Lunchbox if they choose to not eat school lunch

• Water bottle

• Labeled supplies, etc.

• District-provided supplies will be organized soon and you may see additional items in their backpacks as those are distributed

Thank you and we look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

Mrs. E. Sandoval

ejsandova@episd.org

#itstartswithus | #bravebullsspirit | #thrivein2025

• Monday, August 4th- First Day of School
• 8/22 - "Back to School" Dance during PE for Students

Click here for the EPISD Calendars Page

https://forms.office.com/r/pxShU8Xu2B

PLEASE SUBMIT ONE RESPONSE PER STUDENT. This allows us to generate a form on file per student that the Front Office & Teacher keep on file to ensure a smooth dismissal. We are sharing the sample form that is created for each student, customized with the parents' responses.

• 1st Bell 8 AM
• Start Time/Tardy Bell 8:15 AM
• End Time 3:25 PM
• Early Release 12 PM

We understand how important class placement is to families. While teacher requests are not being considered at this time, please know that we are always intentional in placing students where we feel they will be most supported academically and socially.

If concerns arise once the school year begins, any teacher change requests will not be considered until the third week of school. At that point, a meeting with the teacher and campus administration must take place to ensure we are making the best decision for the child.

For families who have requested placement in our Dual Language program, please know that priority is given to students who are identified as Emergent Bilingual (EB) per federal guidelines. Non-EB students will be considered based on registration timestamps and class balance. If space is not available, non-EB students will be placed in a monolingual classroom.

As part of our ongoing commitment to providing a secure and safe environment for all our students, our traffic & dismissal plan addresses the following:

• Safe crossing areas

• Traffic flow management

• Supervised zones such as parking/no parking areas

• Designated dismissal areas

• Four primary ways dismissal occurs

  
  

Thank you for your partnership and for following our school procedures. We count on the adults helping carry forth an efficient & safe dismissal process.

The most up to date information is on our website, on the traffic page:

https://www.episd.org/o/tle/page/trafficplan

Bus 400 Route: https://5il.co/3n1pr

Bus 262 Route: https://5il.co/3n1pt

Approved: July 2025

Shared w/Tom Lea: 7/15/2025

El Paso ISD's web friendly version: https://www.episd.org/page/dress-code

👚🩳👕Tom Lea Follows: Non-Uniformed Dress Code, reviewed annually by CIT Committee

Texas House Bill 1481, signed into law on June 22, 2025 by Governor Greg Abbott prohibits the use of cell phones, smartwatches, and other non-instructional communication devices during the school day. The new rule will take effect at the start of the 2025–26 school year for El Paso ISD students beginning on August 4.

• Personal communication devices, such as cell phones, smartwatches, tablets, radio device, paging device, and other electronic devices (eg: Meta AI glasses) capable of digital or telecommunication are prohibited.
• This does not include an electronic device provided to the student by EPISD.
• Devices must remain off and out of sight throughout the instructional day on school property. Devices must be stored in backpacks (or purses).
• Devices are not allowed to be kept in their pockets (this is considered in use)

We will update families as more information becomes available and as the school board finalizes relevant information for parents to know.

The EPISD Extended Day Learning Center is a fee-based, licensed childcare operation that is campus-based to allow seamless transition from the classroom to after-school care for Tom Lea students. Use the link to learn about the program at Tom Lea Elementary.

Parents, these are items students will need to bring by grade-level. The lists are minimal to reduce the impact & cost to families. Further below you will find a list of items that will be provided by district/campus. Although supply kits will not go home this year, the school will receive many items in bulk.

For ALL STUDENTS please know:

• Backpacks are recommended
• Lunch bags are optional and if applicable to students that choose to bring their own lunch

• 1 pack of dry erase markers

• 1package of cardstock

• Boys: sandwich Ziploc bags

• Girls: gallon-size Ziploc bags

• Wired Headphones (No Bluetooth)
• Plastic School Box (pencil pouch will be provided)

• Boys: sandwich Ziploc bags

• Girls: gallon-size Ziploc bags

• Wired Headphones (No Bluetooth)

• School Box (pencil pouch will be provided)

• Girls-sandwich size

• Boys-Gallon size

• Wired Headphones (No Bluetooth)

• School Box (pencil pouch will be provided)

• Ziplock Bags
• Girls-sandwich size
• Boys-Gallon size

• Wired Headphones

• Ziplock Bags
• Girls – sandwich size
• Boys – Gallon

• Wired Headphones

• Ziplock Bags
• Girls – sandwich size
• Boys – Gallon

Elizabeth Jo Sandoval,

Tom Lea Elementary Principal

Email: ejsandov@episd.org
Website: www.episd.org/tomlea
Location: 4851 Marcus Uribe Dr, El Paso, TX 79934
Phone: 915-230-5450
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TomLea.bravebulls/
Twitter: @TomLeaES

Instagram: @tomleaelementary

VISION: Tom Lea is committed to fostering a love for learning and achieving academic excellence in a safe learning environment.

MISSION: In partnership with our diverse school community, we believe in developing well-rounded

students by providing high-quality, authentic learning experiences that cultivate critical thinkers and problem solvers.

The badge is the school's dedication and commitment to helping students think critically and use technology responsibly to learn, create, participate, and share.

The EPISD App is your destination to get school updates, communicate with educators seamlessly and securely through the Rooms feature, access classwork and materials, and so much more. We’re excited to offer a collection of resources and information to enhance your user experience.

What is Rooms?

Say hello to two-way communication in the El Paso ISD app; Rooms allows parents and teachers a safe and secure place to communicate through messages, and for teachers to share announcements, materials, and more!

Your school administration and staff will be sharing updates, resources, and reminders through Rooms as well.

Setting up Rooms Step-by-Step: Click Here