Eagle News

This month has been full of joy and community at Houston! We were thrilled to welcome Mother Goose to campus, bringing stories to life and creating magical moments for our youngest learners.

We also want to extend a huge thank you to our families for making our Thanksgiving Feast such a wonderful success. This year, we welcomed nearly 300 guests in addition to our student meals—a tremendous increase from last year’s 19 guests! Your presence, support, and positive feedback mean so much to us.

Lastly, we are looking for canned donations to help support families in our communities. Our hope is to help some families during our fall and winter break that may be struggling to provide food at this time. If you are able to provide can of food, please send it with your child to school. Your gracious donation will be put to good use. Thank you!

We are grateful for our amazing Houston community. Together, we continue to make memories and traditions that our students will cherish.

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/No School for students
• 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

At Houston, we value strong partnerships with our families. When questions or concerns come up, the fastest way to get accurate information is to connect directly with your child’s teacher first. They are closest to your child’s daily learning and can often provide immediate clarity or support. Many situations can be resolved quickly with a conversation, and we are always here to listen, clarify, and partner with you. If additional help is needed after speaking with the teacher, our grade-level administrators are always happy to assist. Dr. McGrew is the grade level administrator for 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade and Mrs. Tarpley is grade level administrator for PK, Kinder, 4th and 5th grades.

Thank you for helping us keep communication clear, positive, and student-centered. We truly appreciate your collaboration and partnership!

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 ]

Lost & Found Reminder

Our lost and found is overflowing with sweaters, jackets, and other clothing items! Please take a moment to check for any items your child may have misplaced. All unclaimed items will be donated after Thursday, November 21, 2025. Don’t miss the chance to reclaim your child’s belongings!

Health Notice: Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

Our school nurse, Nurse Candi, shared that Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFM) is on the rise in our community. This common illness is highly contagious, so we encourage families to take extra precautions:

• Remind children to wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces and allow disinfectants to sit for about 10 minutes before wiping.

• Wash hands after using cleaning products.

According to the health department, students should stay home only if they have a fever or open blisters that cannot be covered. If your child has mouth blisters that make eating or drinking uncomfortable, please keep them home and provide comfort measures or consult your healthcare provider.

Thank you for helping us keep our school community healthy!

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.