Eagle News

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to the start of a brand-new school year! I hope your summer was filled with rest, fun, and memorable moments with your loved ones. As your principal, it is my absolute privilege to welcome both our returning families and those who are joining our Eagle community for the very first time.

There is a unique energy that comes with the start of a new school year—a fresh page, new opportunities, and endless potential. Our dedicated teachers and staff have been working tirelessly to prepare classrooms, refine lessons, and create a safe, supportive, and engaging environment where every student can thrive.

This year, our focus is simple: helping every student soar to new heights.

What You Can Expect This Year

• Academic Excellence: We are committed to delivering strong, engaging instruction tailored to meet the needs of every learner.

  
  

• A Safe & Caring Culture: Building a school environment rooted in respect, kindness, and positivity remains our top priority.

  
  

• Strong Partnerships: We believe that education is a team effort. Your involvement, communication, and support make all the difference in your child’s success.

  
  

"Together, we give our Eagles the wings to fly and the courage to reach new heights."

Staying Connected

Communication is key to a smooth and successful year. Please make sure to check your email regularly, review our weekly updates, and connect with your child’s teachers. We invite you to join our parent organizations, volunteer when you can, and attend our upcoming school events. Parent Newsletters will go out twice a month, however we will send one weekly for the month of August as to not overwhelm parents all at once.

Thank you for trusting us with your children. I am confident that this is going to be an incredible school year filled with growth, achievements, and plenty of Eagle Pride!

Warmly,

Principal Tarpley

As we prepare for the transition into our new building next school year, we wanted to share a few important updates to campus systems and procedures. These changes are based on feedback gathered through Principal Coffees, CAC meetings, and family survey responses.

The following changes will be made:

1. To better support student behavior, routines, and learning on some of the most challenging days of the week, parent lunch visits will now take place Tuesday–Thursday only. This means parents will not be permitted to join students for lunch on Mondays or Fridays.

2. Additionally, due to the design and capacity of the cafeteria in the new building, family seating will be located outside only. Lunch visits will therefore be weather permitting, as rain, cold temperatures, or other weather conditions may impact outdoor seating availability.

3. We will also be adjusting our tardy time. Beginning next school year, students will be marked tardy at 8:00 AM instead of 8:05 AM. Breakfast in the classroom will continue to be served from 7:30–7:50 AM, with all breakfast items collected promptly at 7:50 to prepare for the start of instruction at 8:00. Arriving on time is incredibly important, as students who arrive late miss out on breakfast, morning meeting, social-emotional learning, and valuable instructional time at the start of the day.

As we continue preparing for the move into the new building, additional adjustments to systems and procedures may be made over the summer and communicated prior to the start of the school year.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

In order to ensure that our campus remains a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for everyone, we ask that you please review the following key safety guidelines from our campus safety plan.

Our Safety & Preparedness Protocols

• Crisis Planning: Each school year, all campus personnel review our comprehensive crisis management plan, which includes updated evacuation and emergency procedures.

• Practice Drills: Throughout the school year, students and staff participate in routine drills to practice procedures for evacuations, lock-outs, lock-downs, and severe weather.

Visitor & Volunteer Safety Procedures

• Visitor Badges: All visitors must check in at the front desk and wear a visible Visitor Badge on their shirt (placed near the collarbone area). Please remember to bring a government-issued ID each time you visit campus so we can check you in properly. No entrance to our campus will be permitted without a government issued ID.

• Badge Details: Your badge will list the specific area of campus or event you are visiting.

• Changing Locations: We love our volunteers! However, if your volunteer work or visit takes you to a different location than originally logged (for example, moving from the library to a classroom or cafeteria), you must stop by the main office to update your Visitor Badge.

• Staff Checks: Our staff members have been asked to help monitor visitor badges. If you are in an area not listed on your badge, staff will kindly redirect you to the front office for an update.

"The safety and security of our students and staff is always at the forefront of everything we do."

Thank you for your partnership and cooperation in keeping our Eagles safe every single day. Should you ever have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to the office.

To help keep our campus safe and minimize disruptions to instructional time, please review our procedures for visiting campus, checking students in and out, and attending school events.

🆔 Campus Visitor Policy

• Government-Issued ID Required: All visitors must present a valid government-issued photo ID and check in at the front desk every time they visit campus.

🚙 Student Check-In & Check-Out

• Signing Students Out: Only a parent, guardian, or designated emergency contact with a government-issued photo ID is permitted to sign a student out.

• Arrival for Pickup: To keep students safe and protect instructional time, students will not be called to the office until the authorized adult has physically arrived on campus. Please plan accordingly for off-campus appointments.

• Late Arrivals (After 7:45 AM): If your child arrives after 7:45 AM, a parent or guardian must walk them into the building entrance to sign them in. Please do not drop your child off at the curb.

⏰ Note Regarding Attendance & Tardies:

• 8:00-9:45 AM: Students arriving during this window are counted tardy.

• After 9:45 AM: Students arriving after 9:45 AM are counted absent for the day.

• We highly recommend scheduling medical or personal appointments at the end of or after the school day whenever possible.

🎟️ Event RSVPs & Fast-Pass Check-In

• Visitor Badges: Parents attending school events must check in at the front office to receive a visitor badge before entering the main building. Government ID is required to be presented.

• Pre-Printed Badges: To streamline entry for designated busy school events, we will send out event RSVPs in advance so our front office team can pre-print badges.

• First-Time Visitors: Please note that pre-printed badges are only available for returning visitors already in our system. First-time visitors must have their ID scanned in person at the front desk. Please plan accordingly to ensure you give yourself enough time to check in. The school only has one raptor system for check-in and there is often a long line of parents needing to check in.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in keeping our Eagles safe and focused on learning!

Please keep in mind that routine is important for your student & the staff. With that in mind, we understand that transportation changes are necessary sometimes. For that reason, we’ve outlined below the steps to take for making such changes.

** TEMPORARY (SHORT-TERM) **

If you need to make a change in transportation for a short time only (one or two days), please contact your child’s classroom teacher, and also notify the front office via phone or email: 512-414-2517 or houstonelementary@austinisd.org. You can also send a note with your child to give to the teacher at the beginning of the school day. NOTE: Any changes must be submitted to the office (including last minute phone calls on the same day) BEFORE 2:00 pm each day.

Check out our new Instagram page where we celebrate all the wonderful things happening under our school's new leadership! JHouston_AustinISD

August

• August 12th Campus Registration Day 8:00-3:30pm
• August 13th Campus Registration Day 8:00-3:30pm
• August 14th Campus Registration Day 9:00-3:00pm
• August 14th Join the PTA and Meet the Community 2:00-2:30pm
• August 14th-Meet the Teacher 2:30-3:30 pm
• August 18th-First Day of School 🎉

As we work every day to ensure our campuses are safe havens for learning, we also want to support safety in our homes. Per House Bill 121, I want to share a quick reminder about the importance of safe gun storage. We know that practicing safe storage—keeping firearms unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition—is one of the most effective ways to prevent accidents and keep our children safe.

Under Texas law, it is a legal responsibility to ensure that firearms are not accessible to children. Making a firearm accessible to a minor can result in significant legal consequences, but more importantly, it can lead to preventable tragedies. I encourage everyone to take a moment this week to review your storage habits at home. For free resources, including tips on how to talk to your kids about gun safety or where to find free gun locks, please visit SafeGunStorageTexas.com. Let’s keep looking out for one another!

I am beyond grateful to do this work alongside such a dedicated team. Let’s keep that collaborative spirit going as we head into a great week!