Eagle News

As we head into the weekend, I want to take a moment to wish our Houston families a safe and restful few days ahead. With a winter storm expected to impact the Austin area, please take extra precautions to stay safe and warm. Limit travel if possible, dress in layers, and check on family members, neighbors, and pets who may need extra support during colder temperatures.

We will continue to monitor weather conditions closely and will communicate with families if there are any updates that impact school operations. Thank you for your continued partnership and care for our school community.

Stay safe, stay warm, and take care of one another.

Principal Tarpley 🦅

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

JANUARY - School Board Recognition Month

• • Jan 1st - Happy New Year!
  • Jan 5th - Staff Development Day - No School for Students
  • Jan 8th - Principal Coffee, 8-9
  • Jan 12th - CAC Meeting
  • Jan 16th - PK3 Head Start Parent Meeting, Parent Room, 8:00
  • Jan 19th - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Student & Staff Holiday, No School
  • Jan 20th - PTA Meeting

• • • Feb 2nd - CAC Meeting
    • Feb 2nd-6th - School Counselor Appreciation Week!
    • Feb 3rd-6th - STAAR Stand Alone Field Test, Spanish RLA Only, (3rd-5th Grades)
    • Feb 5th - PK3 Headstart Parent Meeting
    • Feb 12th - Principal Coffee, 8:00
    • Feb 16th -No School Students and Staff - Presidents Day
    • Feb 16th - SRO Appreciation Week!
    • Feb 17th - Parent Conference Day - No School for students
    • Feb 17th - PTA Meeting, 5:30
    • Feb 23rd-27th - Food Service Appreciation Week!

Our school is a place where children should feel safe, supported, and focused on learning. Recently, we have noticed that disagreements or conflicts occurring outside of school are beginning to carry over into the school environment and impact our students.

We kindly but firmly ask that outside conflicts remain outside of school. When adult disagreements enter our campus or affect student interactions, it can create unnecessary stress and distract from learning. Our students look to the adults around them to model respect, calm problem-solving, and cooperation.

Moving forward, we are committed to fostering a harmonious, respectful environment for all children. We will not allow conflicts between adults to interfere with the daily operation of the school or the emotional well-being of our students. If concerns arise that involve school matters, we ask that families work directly with administration so they can be addressed appropriately and privately.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep Houston Elementary a positive, safe, and welcoming place for every child. Together, we can model the kindness, maturity, and respect we want our students to carry with them beyond our campus.

School Report Card

Dear J. Houston Families,

The Texas Education Agency has released School Report Cards for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. This information will help you understand how your school is doing in terms of testing, class sizes and college, career and military readiness, among other items.

Please see the attached report cards to learn more about the following information:

• How our students performed on the STAAR tests

• How ready our students are for college, careers, and the military

• Details about our student enrollment

• Average class sizes

• Information on our financial spending

• How our school compares to the rest of the district and the state.

• Data for different student groups, like race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status

• Results from at least the past two years.

The School Report Cards are attached to this email, and can be found online at TEA School Report Card. 2024 and 2025 School Report Cards will be available on the district website no later than February 6, 2026.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about this report card. Thank you for your continued support of our school.

Sincerely,

Alexandra Tarpley

Principal

Houston Elementary

Enclosures
2024 School report Card

2025 School Report Card

School Report Card Definitions

We’re excited to share a positive update on our new school building! Construction continues to move along smoothly and remains on schedule. Exterior finishes are nearly complete and are expected to wrap up within the next week. Window installation will also take place over the coming week.

Interior work is already underway, with plumbing, electrical, and HVAC/duct work completed, allowing crews to move forward with classroom and learning space construction. Everything is progressing well, and the building is really starting to take shape!

At this time, we are still planning to transition into the new building over the summer, with an anticipated opening on the first day of school. We’ll continue to share updates as we move closer to the finish line.

If you haven’t had a chance to see them yet, please take a look at the renderings and photos attached—it’s exciting to see what’s ahead for our Houston Eagles!

Austin ISD enrollment for the 2026–2027 school year is opening soon! Families can find important dates, deadlines, and enrollment steps on the district’s official enrollment page. This year’s process includes multiple application and registration rounds starting in January 2026 for program applications and general transfers. Austin ISD

We encourage all families to visit the Austin ISD enrollment website for details on how to enroll, transfer, or apply to programs. Keeping up with these dates will help you secure your child’s spot and access the opportunities that best support their learning.

Our records indicate that some families have incomplete Declarations of Residency or have not yet submitted required proof of residency. If this applies to your family, you will receive a letter in your child’s backpack today outlining the specific document(s) that are missing.

Please review the letter carefully and submit the outstanding items needed for 2025–2026 enrollment. All required documentation must be received by Friday, January 9, 2026 to remain enrolled at J. Houston Elementary.

If the required documents are not submitted by the deadline, your child may be withdrawn from school.

Please note that enrollment for the new school year will also require a new application, approval of documents, and proof of residency, even if your child is currently enrolled.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the front office.

We want to partner with families in helping students use the right language when talking about social concerns. Not all unkind behavior is bullying, and understanding the difference matters.

• Rude behavior is usually unintentional (interrupting, saying something without thinking).

• Mean behavior is intentional but happens occasionally (teasing, saying something hurtful once).

• Bullying is intentional, repeated behavior meant to hurt someone and involves a power imbalance.

We encourage families to help students describe what happened accurately and to talk through appropriate ways to respond. When concerns arise, our counselor and staff are here to support students in learning healthy communication, problem-solving, and how to seek help when needed.

We are currently seeing an increase in students experiencing vomiting, rashes, and strep throat–like symptoms at school. To help keep all students and staff healthy, we ask that you please monitor your child closely for symptoms.

Please keep your child home and consider contacting a healthcare provider if they are experiencing:

• Vomiting or diarrhea

• Fever

• Sore throat with fever or rash

• Unexplained or spreading rashes

• Any illness that prevents them from participating comfortably in school

Students should be fever-free for 24 hours without medication and free of vomiting before returning to school. If your child has been diagnosed with strep throat, they must be on antibiotics for at least 24 hours before returning.

Thank you for your partnership in helping keep our school community healthy. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the school nurse.

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.