KIPP Spirit Newsletters

We need to talk directly about a serious issue affecting your children’s education: chronic absenteeism. While our overall attendance looks decent on paper, the underlying numbers reveal a critical problem we cannot afford to ignore.

A student is chronically absent if they miss just 2 days of school a month—excused or unexcused. That is 10% of the entire school year lost. Missing school isn’t just missing a class; it causes students to fall behind academically, lose track of key concepts, and disengage socially.

Here is where we currently stand:

• Grade 5: 97.00% attendance | 9% chronically absent

• Grade 6: 96.21% attendance | 14% chronically absent (nearly 1 in 7 students is missing crucial instruction time.)

• Grade 7: 97.26% attendance | 10% chronically absent

• Grade 8: 96.97% attendance | 10% chronically absent

• School Total: 96.88% attendance | 11% chronically absent

The Reality: When students miss school, teachers spend vital classroom time catching them up instead of moving forward. It hurts the individual student, and it drags down the entire classroom.

Occasional illness happens, but routine absences for convenience, minor excuses, or planned trips during school days directly compromise your child's future.

What We Expect Moving Forward:

• Prioritize attendance: School is non-negotiable. Treat it with the urgency it deserves.

• Limit scheduling during school hours: Appointments and family events should happen after hours or during breaks.

• Fix morning routines: Ensure your child arrives on time, fully prepared, every single day.

If your child is missing school regularly, you will hear from us. We are here to partner with you, but we need you to step up and ensure your child is in their seat every day.

School photos are happening Tuesday, 9/8! Please make sure your student comes dressed in their full school uniform and ready to smile.

Check the attached docs for package options and info on how to order. Let us know if you have any questions!

Our first-ever Girls Flag Football game was an absolute triumph! The girls put on a clinic, dominating the field and securing a massive 31-0 VICTORY! Huge congratulations to our team for setting the bar so high in their historic debut.

Boys Keep the Momentum Going! The Boys Flag Football team crushed their matchup with a decisive 36-8 VICTORY! Fantastic hustle, teamwork, and execution all around. Great job, boys!

Volleyball Battles to the Finish Our Girls Volleyball team fought with incredible heart and energy today. While they came up just short in a nail-biter against Intrepid (25-23), their grit and determination showed through every single serve. Amazing effort, girls—we are so proud of you!

We are officially sliding into the groove of the new school year, and the energy on campus has been incredible. Did you know? This year marks our school’s 20th Birthday! We can’t wait to celebrate two decades of learning, growth, and community with you all year long. Grab a quick read below for this week’s most important campus updates! But first, A quick celebration for all the hard work from 2025-2026 school year.

We are proud to share that our school has earned a B from the Texas Education Agency! This achievement reflects the hard work of our incredible students, dedicated teachers, and supportive families. Thank you for partnering with us in excellence!

Attendance Alert: Every Day & Every Minute Counts

The Reality Check

While our overall present percentage looks high at 96.97%, we are facing a critical challenge: 1 out of every 5 students (20%) is already chronically absent. In just two weeks of school, being chronically absent means a student has missed 2 or more days already.

The Math Behind the Absences

If this trend continues, a student will miss 20 full days of school this year. That equals:

• 20 days of lost instruction

• 160 hours out of the classroom

• 9,600 minutes of missed teacher support, labs, and group learning

  
  

Grade-Level Attendance Breakdown

How You Can Help Us Turn This Around

Building strong habits now sets your student up for success all year. Please ensure your child arrives on time every single day unless they are genuinely ill. Let's work together to bring those chronic absence numbers down!

This week, all students will complete the i-Ready Diagnostic Assessment. This mandatory test measures what your child already knows in Reading and Math, helping their teachers personalize instruction to target the exact areas where your student needs support or challenge.

How Parents Can Help Students Succeed

• Get a Good Night’s Sleep: Ensure your student goes to bed early the night before testing.

• Eat a Healthy Breakfast: Fuel their brain so they can stay focused throughout the morning.

• Arrive on Time: Prompt attendance ensures students start testing with their peers without feeling rushed.

• Encourage Effort: Remind your child to take their time, read carefully, and simply do their best!

Need to sign up for a route? https://kipptexas.org/transportation/#Request_Transportation

Our Transportation Services mission is to get our KIPPsters to and from school safely and on time.

Transportation Services is an extension of the classroom experience; therefore, we expect all KIPPsters to engage in best behavior practices while riding the bus. KIPPsters who choose to engage in unacceptable behaviors on a school bus create a risk for themselves as well as other students, the bus driver, the motoring public, and pedestrians.

We believe KIPPsters will always ride our buses responsibly and respectfully, always showing people outside our school that the students who attend our school are polite, respectful, and responsible.

Riding the bus is a privilege! Due to an increase in unsafe behavior, we are strictly enforcing bus conduct rules to keep all students safe. Students who engage in disruptive or unsafe behavior on the bus will face loss of bus privileges, including bus suspensions and removals. Please speak with your student about safe choices so everyone has a smooth ride to and from school. Please take a moment to look over the expectations and consequences.

A reminder as we establish our daily routines:

• Uniforms: Students must follow the campus dress code daily. (Bottoms & Pants Approved Colors: Bottoms must be solid Khaki, Blue, or Black. Strict No-Denim Rule: Jeans or denim material of any kind are strictly prohibited. Appropriate Length: All shorts, skirts, or skorts must be knee-length or longer. If uniform bottoms are too short, families will have to bring a change of clothes. If this has to be corrected twice, students will lose their priveledge to wearing shorts and/or skirts.)

• Backpacks: Clear or mesh backpacks are required on campus

We are officially a 1-to-1 campus! Every student has been issued a device and will be utilizing their own assigned Chromebook throughout the school day for learning. Please ensure your student does NOT take their chromebook home and ensure they are only using their own.

Reminder: Your student must be responsible for their own computer.

Broken Screen - $100

Damaged Keyboard (includes missing keys) - $40

Hinges - $80

Total Loss - $275