We have had a great first three weeks of school. Thank you for your patience as we have worked through long car rider lines and bus rides. We continue to get better every day with your support.

Remember that students and staff have a holiday on Monday, September 2 for Labor Day.

Starting on Tuesday, September 3, parents are welcome to have lunch with their child(ren). When you come to school for lunch, we have a parent table in the cafeteria. We ask that you meet your child at that table. We view this as a special time for a parent and child. Make sure to have your ID to sign in at the front office.

Also starting on September 3, we are asking that parents use the car rider line to drop off students instead of parking and walking them to the doors. This is a safety issue and we want to ensure that all students are safe. Parents will not be allowed in the main part of the building at this time, too.

PM Pre-K should be dropped off at the back of the building for lunch. There are people on duty starting at 11:45 to greet you and take your child.

Parent forms - If you have not signed and returned all of the forms sent home, please take time over the long weekend to take care of that. If you need another copy, please let your child's teacher know and we will get them for you.

Watch for information coming soon about ordering yearbooks and school shirts. Shirt orders will be a one time sale only as we do not sell them throughout the year. Please consider purchasing one as we do ask the students to wear them on specials occasions like field trips.

Below is a link to an online "parent suggestion box." These will be looked at every week or on an as needed basis. If you have anything you would like to compliment our school on or any specific concerns you think need to be addressed, please feel free to complete the form at the link. It is an anonymous form with an option for you to register your name. If you do not give a name or email address, you will not hear a follow up as we will not know who to contact. However, the concerns will be addressed in the appropriate committee meetings.

Hello! I hope everyone has had a great start to a new year. Please note the following for a safe and successful school year:

~ All medications must be checked in to the clinic by a parent. Students may not transport medications on the bus or bring it in themselves. This is for child safety. In the event that a child brings in medication, the parent will be called to either pick it up or sign it in. No medication will be administered without the proper procedures.

~ Vision, hearing, height and weight assessments will start early this month. If your child does not pass the vision or hearing test, then a referral form will be sent home with the student. Please seek medical advice so that your child will have a successful year. Remember that this is only a “general screening” so if you or your teacher are concerned please seek medical attention for a thorough exam.

~ Please encourage your child to eat breakfast every morning. A healthy breakfast fuels kids' minds and bodies. It is essential that families kick-start their bodies every morning from their overnight fast. A balanced breakfast containing at least 3 of the food groups fuels the brain and body with energy, and gets your child ready for the day. A balanced breakfast includes two grains, one fruit, one serving of low- fat dairy and possibly a meat (protein.)

~ Finally, please go over good hand washing skills and hygiene with your child. There are always viruses around every little effort helps to keep them healthy.

Have a great year!

Audra Sims, R.N.

We will host our Title One/Parent Information Night on Thursday, September 19. Mark your calendars as this is a great opportunity for you to hear from your child's teacher and learn about grade level expectations.

The evening will start at 6:00 p.m. with a short Parent Informational meeting in the cafeteria and then parents will be dismissed to the classroom to meet with teachers and hear about grade level expectations. Students are welcome to come if you cannot secure a sitter but must stay with parents at all times.

If you have any tips about safety and security that need to be reported to the CISD Police Department, they have two options to use are anonymous reporting tools. Please help us stay safe by reporting any concerns you might hear.

Attendance at school is vital for the learning process. We have brought back our NEAT Club this school year. Each nine weeks students earn prizes for being at school every day during the nine weeks and being on time. Please help your child earn those prizes by having them at school daily.

All of the different modes of transportation are getting better. Continue to be patient with buses and car rider as we work to make the process quicker and smoother.

CAR RIDERS - We are asking that starting on September 3, all parents use the car rider line in the morning just like the afternoon. Avoid parking and walking students to the front door so that we can ensure safety for all. Afternoon car riders continue to follow the map below and enter the line off of Oak Ridge School Road. This has worked amazingly well the past week and we anticipate it will continue.

BUS RIDER SIGNS - All PK and Kinder parents have a Bus Rider sign (much like car rider sign) to retrieve your child from the bus. If you do not have one, please let your child's teacher know so that we can get you one. Any adult with the sign will then be allowed to retrieve your child off the bus at their official stop.

WALKERS - Remember that in order to be a walker from school you must live in the area that does not receive transportation, the one mile no bus radius. You should have received a letter to sign allowing your child to be a walker. Also, you received information about Remind 101 for walkers. This will be utilized to notify parents in the event of bad weather that students will not be walkers. The decision is made at 2:45 and once that decision is made, it will not be changed.

The student handbook can be accessed online at www.conroeisd.net under the Parent/Student tab. Once you establish a Parent Access account, there is a place to electronically sign that you have reviewed the handbook. Please take time to create that account, if you have not already done so, and then sign electronically that you have reviewed the handbook. If you would like a paper copy of the handbook, please drop by the front office and notify us of that. We will be happy to get you a paper copy with a receipt form.

All communication from the school will be electronic this school year. In order to stay well informed, please ensure that the campus has your most current email address on file.

All SMS messages received from the Conroe ISD District Office and your child's campus will begin with "Conroe ISD:" and come from the subscribe code 67587. If you have not yet opted-in to receive SMS messages, you can do so at any time throughout the school year by texting "Y" to 67587.

We have an amazing PTO. They are always looking for volunteers so please consider being a part of this organization that helps our school in so many ways. The cost per family is $5. They will be at Meet the Teacher and will be sending home paperwork to join prior to that night.

More information can be found on their website at the link below:

https://oakridgeowlspto.com

Each year, in order to volunteer at ORE, parents and other family members must complete a volunteer application with the district. Please take time to complete that using the link below.

Just a reminder that Free/Reduced lunch status must be applied for yearly. The sooner you apply will hopefully ensure no interruption. You can apply online at the following link https://www.myschoolapps.com/. If you need assistance, Virginia Vera, PEIMS/registrar, will be happy to assist you.

Students who were on free/reduced last school year will continue on until September 26. If a new application hasn't been submitted and accepted, students will be required to pay full price starting September 27. In order to prevent interruption, please make sure you have submitted a new application this school year.