Talon Talk

Welcome Summitt Community,

Welcome to the 2025-2026 School year! I can't believe it is already mid-August and we are welcoming back our new and returning Eagles on Tuesday!

We have a full four-day week ahead as we begin the new year! For those new to Summitt, this is the Talon Talk, a monthly newsletter sent to the campus and community, sharing upcoming events and happenings for the month ahead. This edition of the Talon Talk will cover everything you need to know for the first day of school and the upcoming school year.

I cannot wait to meet you all and kick off what is going to be an amazing school year! I look forward to seeing everyone on the first day of school!

Respectfully,

Ms. Placker

Interim Principal

At Summitt ES, we ensure high levels of learning for each student, engaging both heart & mind. Our school counselors and administrators look forward to working with you and your children.

August 19, 2025

Doors will open at 7:15 am

The school day will begin at 7:40 am

The school day ends at 3:10 pm

Please park in the lot on Brigadoon or on the street. Please do NOT park in the staff parking lot on this day and moving forward. Also, please don't park in the townhouse parking lot across the street because they will tow.

Students will go directly to their teacher's classroom, unless they need to eat breakfast. If your child needs to eat breakfast, then they will come through the front doors and go to the cafeteria. We will have plenty of staff on hand to guide students to the proper location.

Please see the map below with the location where you will drop off your child on the first day of school. This will be the only day that parents are allowed in the building during arrival. You can also review this Video Update 25/26 - Click here. for more information about arrival, dismissal, and our new office entrance.

Beginning Wednesday, August 20th, parents will need to go to the visitor entrance through our new secure vestibule if they need to drop off medication or speak to someone in the office. Per district policy, visitors are not allowed in the building during arrival or dismissal due to security reasons.

Our Annual Boo Hoo Woo Hoo will be hosted by our PTA. This will take place in the library at 7:45 am after drop off.

Dismissal will begin at 3:10 pm

Your child will either be classified as a parent walk up (PK-2nd), an independent walker (3rd-5th), bike rider, bus rider, After School Care, or Car Rider

We have made some minor changes to our dismissal locations for Parent Walk-Up locations.

Your Family will receive a Family Number. Family Numbers may have changed since last school year. You must have this Family Number visible on a sign provided by your child's teacher for Parent Walk Up or Parent Pick Up/Car Rider. Please do not add your child's name to the template for safety reasons.

Please note-If you are a Parent Walk Up (parking your car, walking up to the school to pick up your child) and have multiple Eagles to pick up, you may want to designate your oldest Eagle as a walker and have your child meet you and your youngest Eagle at the younger Eagle's Parent Walk Up Location.

Please reference the Arrival/Dismissal Procedures/Locations/MAPS linked above for specific pick-up locations and procedures. We would like to encourage our families to use the car pick-up line.

Also, cell phones are NOT permitted in a school zone. Please do not use your cell phone while in the car pick-up line. We need all drivers to have their full attention on the safety of our students.

Dogs are also not permitted on school property for safety reasons. Thank you for honoring this.

• The SECOND Day of School, Wednesday, August 20th:

  
  

  • Students can enter the building as early as 7:15am.
  • Students will report directly to the Cafeteria for Morning Assembly (Morning Assembly will begin on Day 2)
  • Students can have Breakfast in the cafeteria from 7:15-7:45am
  • Students IN ALL Grade Levels will enter through the doors of the entrance facing Brigadoon and will be directed to the cafeteria.
  • Parents will give confident hugs before students enter the building. (no visitors at this entrance)
  • Parents/visitors who need to speak to someone in the office must enter through our new secure vestibule entrance near the staff parking lot.
  • Any student who arrives after 7:40am will need to enter through the new visitor entrance to receive a tardy note before going to class.

Your child will engage in what we call "Summitt Base Camp" the first two weeks of school. Every Eagle will learn what it looks like and sounds like to Be KIND for the first two days. Day 3 and 4 will focus on what it means to be COURAGEOUS. Day 5 and 6 will be focus on COLLABORATION, days 6 and 7 will focus on INNOVATION and the last two days will focus on TENACITY and what it means to be a tenacious Eagle.

Our base camp curriculum also includes every Eagle reviewing expectations for the cafeteria, hallways, and playground. Every Eagle will go on a tour of our campus the first day or two of school, along with visiting our incredible library and other campus landmarks.

These Summitt traits make up our Summitt pledge that we say every day in Morning Assembly to affirm ourselves as Summitt Eagles.

Each morning, our school day will begin with a school-wide Morning Assembly in the cafeteria and gym. Students will sit by grade level and our campus leadership team, counselors, librarian, teacher and student leaders take turns facilitating.

Every Assembly includes a morning message, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Texas Pledge, a Moment of Silence, and our Eagle Pledge. On Friday's we sing our school song. We hope your child will join us at 7:30am daily!

First Day of School

August 19, 2025

Labor Day Holiday

No School, September 1st

Back to School Night

Thursday, September 4th

Student Holiday

No School for students, September 22-23

Student Holiday

No School for students, October 10th and 13th

Parent/Teacher Conference Day

Monday, Oct 20th (No school for students)

Student Holiday

November 4th-Election Day

Fall Break

November 24-28th

Winter Break

December 22-January 5 (Students Return on January 6th)

SMART PHONES/SMART WATCHES

Effective this school year, House Bill 1481 requires all Texas school districts to prohibit the use of “personal wireless communication devices”—defined as any wireless electronic communication device, other than one issued by the school for instructional purposes, that is capable of transmitting or receiving data.

Items that must now be turned off and put away on Austin ISD campuses from bell to bell: Personal cell phones, Tablets, Gaming devices, Smart watches, Bluetooth headphones or earbuds, Fitness trackers that can send or receive messages, Personal (non-district-issued) computers (laptops and Chromebooks)

Please review this flyer for more information.

Through the Everyone:1 initiative all AISD students are able to receive an assigned device for use at school and home from Austin ISD.

• Students in grades PK-K will be 3:1 (classroom devices)
• 1st-5th grade students will receive Chromebooks and chargers. All devices will stay at school.

More information, including a handbook about AISD’s Acceptable Use Policies, device care and tips, and replacement fees can be found at https://www.austinisd.org/technology/everyone

Each campus has a campus student device manager. Summitt’s device manager (DM) is Denise G. Richey. She can be reached at denise.richey@austinisd.org. Teachers and other campus staff can also support and know how to direct students when assistance is needed.

Please note that AISD has updated the guidelines for replacement of lost chargers and accidental damaged/lost devices for consistency across all campuses. An overview of the updates can be found below, and more information is available in the Everyone:1 handbook and website.

• First lost charger is replaced from campus stock.

• Second and beyond are charged $15/per charger (subject to updates) OR student replaces it.

• First incidental damage or lost device is replaced from campus stock.

• Second and beyond are charged $50/per device (subject to updates).

Additionally, students and families can check out AISD’s Family Technology Resources website for additional tips, including Technology Use Tutorials for Students. https://www.austinisd.org/technology/family-technology-resource

We wanted to let you know of a medication policy that AISD has implemented. Prescriptions AND over-the-counter medications will require BOTH a written parent authorization form AND a written order from a U.S./Texas Licensed practitioner (a doctor).

The order must include:

• The patient name
• medication name
• strength
• dose
• delivery route
• frequency
• date from June 2025 or later
• signature by practitioner

The only medications students may carry and self treat are for anaphylaxis, asthma or diabetes-and these all require the full packet from the physician and be provided to the health room as well.

We will not be able to accept any medications on campus until all required paperwork is received. We apologize for the late notice, but this policy was recently finalized and shared with us this week. Please call the health room at 512-414-4246 if you have any questions or concerns.

Summitt Health Team

Students will be participating in PE 3 days a week and attend Music and Art 2 times a week. Please make sure your child wears tennis shoes on PE days. It is also highly recommended for them to wear closed toe shoes for recess as well.

Students will go to recess daily and have a thirty-minute lunch time.

Bus information

Families whose students are eligible for transportation will receive their bus information by email or letter. The district’s “Bus Stop Finder'' can be used to identify the nearest bus stop to your home. Families whose students have special services will receive their information in person from their bus teams.

“Where'sTheBus” App for Families

AISD’s transportation team offers families the “WheresTheBus” app, which provides timely information about the location of their student’s assigned bus only, including when it will arrive at their stop.

The free app is available on any device with internet access (smartphone, tablet, personal computer, iPad)—and takes less than five minutes to install. Instructions are available at https://www.austinisd.org/transportation.

Thanks to funding from the Texas Legislature, students approved for reduced-price meals will receive both breakfast and lunch at no cost during the 2025–26 school year.

How to Receive Free or Reduced Price Meals

• Direct certification through state-funded benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
• Direct certification through enrollment in foster care; migrant, homeless, or runaway programs; Head Start or Early Head Start programs.
• Determined eligibility by creating an account and completing an Austin ISD free or reduced-price meal benefits application at www.SchoolCafe.com/AustinISD. Paper applications are also available at schools.

Students not eligible for free or reduced-price meals may purchase healthy, tasty school breakfast and lunch meals at a minimal cost. You can easily use SchoolCafé - One app for all your school meal needs:

• View daily breakfast and lunch menus for our school.

• View nutritional information, ingredients, and allergens for each menu item.

• Make prepayments for additional servings of food or healthy a la carte snacks.

• Set a la carte restrictions.

• Apply for free or reduced-price meals.

Meal Prices

Breakfast:

• Full Price - Elementary Schools: $1.90
• Full Price - Middle & High Schools: $2.15
• Reduced-Price (All Levels): FREE
• Adult/Guest: $3.50

Lunch:

• Full Price - Elementary Schools: $3.40
• Full Price - Middle & High Schools: $3.65
• Reduced-Price (All Levels): FREE
• Adult/Guest: $5.25

Families may submit meal benefit applications anytime during the school year. The information households provide on the application will be used for the purpose of determining eligibility. Applications may also be verified by the school officials at any time during the school year. AISD follows the Texas Department of Agriculture income guidelines to determine if a student is eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Any family that does not receive a letter and feels they should have, or wishes to decline benefits may contact Austin ISD Food Service at 512-414-0251.

Food Allergies and Special Diets

Our cafeteria can accommodate food allergies and special dietary needs with a completed Request for Dietary Accommodation Form. Food Service also offers reasonable accommodations within federal guidelines for dietary preference, i.e. milk alternatives, gluten free bread, and vegan accommodations. Caregivers may submit dietary preference requests in writing to our cafeteria manager, in advance, to allow time to review and order any alternative products.

Help Your Family and Your School with SNAP

Need help buying food for your family? Apply today for the state-funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at www.yourtexasbenefits.com. SNAP not only helps your family, but it also benefits your school. The more students who receive SNAP benefits, the more funds available to schools for education, meal programs, and more.

Other Resources

• AISD Meal Programs
• AISD Food Service Initiatives
• Request for Dietary Accommodation Form
• AISD Wellness Policy FFA (Local) (Regulation)

• Includes District guidelines surrounding food in the classroom, celebrations involving food, food fundraisers, and rewarding with food.

• AISD Wellness Policy Overview & Celebrations, Rewards, Fundraising Alternatives: ENGLISH / SPANISH

• AISD Food Service Employment Opportunities

Unless your grade level teacher provides a date later in September, we are hoping to begin allowing lunch visitors the week of September 2nd. This depends on when our new check-in system is installed and activated. Once this occurs, you may begin coming to campus on Wednesdays and Thursdays to have lunch with your child.

• You will need to bring your driver's license and sign in at the front office.
• You will wait for your child in the hall by the cafeteria line entrance.
• You and your child will go out to the blue picnic tables towards our Blacktop/Playground and eat at "Eagle's Landing" under the trees. If it is raining, then tables will be set up in the hallways.

• Your child should return to the cafeteria to join their class by the end of their lunch time.
• Please do not walk your child back to class.
• Please remember to go back to the office to sign out.

• Join our Summitt PTA! Visit https://summitteagles.org/ for more information! (serve on committees, write grants, volunteer in the work room, support campus fundraisers, etc.)
• Donate gift cards in $10 increments for the campus using this link to use as prizes and incentives during teacher meetings and events throughout the year. Or donate snacks for the lounge for staff to use as a pick-me-up during the school day.

• Summitt WATCH DOGS Attention all Fathers/Father-figures of Summitt students: Are you interested in spending a day at school, interacting with the students, being a positive role model, and providing an extra set of eyes & ears on campus? Sign up with the Watch D.O.G.S. Program & be your student’s “Hallway Hero” for the day!contact: summittwatchdogs@gmail.com for more information

• Become a Room Parent

• CAC (Campus Advisory Council)-meets the last Monday of each month at 3:30 pm. If you are interested in serving on our Campus Advisory Council, please check out this link for more information and to complete the application portion.

  https://www.austinisd.org/advisory-bodies/cac

• Parent Advisory Council with our counselors