The Panther Press

Greetings Morgan Families!

We are very excited to start our second year! This year's theme is "Glow On: Morgan Panthers Glow for Success! Our team has worked hard to bring our theme to life while planning out every detail to provide a safe, exciting, and thriving learning environment for our Panthers. We are proud to be Morgan Panthers, and we can't wait to see everyone soon!

As we head back to school this year, we know safety is at the forefront of everyone's mind. Keeping our Panthers safe has always been a top priority. Safety will continue to be an essential focus as we work with our teachers and staff during professional development in the next couple of weeks. Rest assured knowing our team is here to support our families and keep our Panthers safe while they are at school in our care.

In this communication, you will find information on Beginning of the Year forms, upcoming events, a general traffic overview, morning arrival procedures, and afternoon dismissal guidelines. You will also find an update on onsite after school care and information for lunch visitors. Lastly, a few general reminders will be shared.

Sincerely,

Dr. Brian Gibson - Principal

Jana Simoneaux - Asst. Principal

We are pleased to share that Morgan will now have after school care provided by the YMCA on our campus. Need more information? Contact Tylan Blades at Tylan.Blades@ymcahouston.org or (281) 341-0791

For the 2022-2023 school year, all required Lamar Consolidated ISD beginning-of-year forms must be completed online through the Skyward Family Access Center.

Offering these forms digitally allows you the convenience of not only updating information that has changed from last school year, while also helping us maintain accurate information in our student information system.

Online forms will be available through the Family Access Center starting August 1 and all forms need to be submitted no later than September 16th. Your student’s schedule will not be available online through the Family Access Center until all of the beginning-of-year forms are completed for your student and after the campus has released schedules. Student schedules will be available online on Wednesday, August 17th if all online forms have been completed.

Instructions, important dates and technical assistance regarding the online forms can be found at https://www.lcisd.org/students-parents/family-access/beginning-of-year-forms

The entrance and exit onto the campus grounds are located right off of 1093, directly in front of the Weston Lakes subdivision.

Four temporary traffic signals will be utilized to control east and west-bound traffic on 1093 and traffic coming to/from Weston Lakes until the permanent ones are installed.

Transportation

All cars, school buses, and daycare vans will turn off 1093 onto Fulshear School Rd.

Once on Fulshear School Rd., daycare vans, busses, and staff will enter at the staff entry/exit point off Fulshear School Rd.

Parent Drop Off

Parents dropping students off during morning arrival/afternoon dismissal will continue to drive up Fulshear School Rd. and turn left onto School Hill Road.

Cars will then go all the way to the end of School Hill Rd. and turn left to enter the “parent entry” as illustrated on the traffic flow map.

Cars will enter the path in a single file line. The path opens into two lanes, and vehicles will need to merge as they get closer to the point of student drop-off in front of the school. (Please see traffic flow map below)

Car Rider Arrival Guidelines

• Our doors open at 7:00 am. Please do not drop off your child before then as we do not want them left unattended.
• Please drive all the way up to the first drop-off point where a staff member/safety patrol student will be ready to receive cars. We ask that your child is ready when it is time to unload. This includes having their Morgan lanyard w/Smart Tag on, water bottle/lunch kit and backpack on.
• For safety reasons, we are not able to unbuckle safety restraints.

• All students will exit the car on the passenger side.
• Please stay in a single-file line and refrain from passing any vehicles.

• For safety reasons, the only place parents/guardians are permitted to drop students off is at the “parent drop off” in the front drive of the school, where staff and safety patrol will be positioned daily to help students exit safely from cars. Please help us keep our students safe by adhering to this guideline.

• The staff and visitor entrance will be coned off beginning at 7:00 am during morning arrival daily. For the safety of everyone, parents are not permitted to park in the front parking lot and walk students up to the front door. The staff and visitor entrance will be coned off at 7:00 am during morning arrival daily. A staff member will be stationed there to assist parents who might need front office assistance.

Car Rider Dismissal Guidelines

• Please remember that the school day ends at 2:55 pm. All cars should be in line by this time so that we can effectively coordinate dismissal.
• Utilizing the same traffic pattern as morning arrival, please enter the car rider line on Fulshear School Rd.
• Please place your car rider tag on your rearview mirror with the number facing out. A staff member will be walking the line, recording your car rider tag number.
• You will pull up to the first available cone and the staff member will match the car rider number on your car tag to the number on the child’s transportation tag. If you are carpooling, you must have the tags of all the students you are picking up. We will not release any students without an official car rider tag.
• If you do not have the car rider tag, you will need to park and come into the building to check your child out in person, making sure you have valid identification.
• Check-out from the office will occur once the car rider line is clear.
• For safety reasons, we are not able to buckle safety restraints.
• Please do not attempt to pass another car while in the car rider line.
• Please stay in a single file line until you exit the driveway.
• If you arrive after all numbers have been inputted into the system, you will be advised to park and check your child out in the office.

Bus transportation is available for all students. Information on bus routes can be accessed through the Parent Portal.

Ensuring the safety and security of the students riding on buses is our highest priority. To facilitate and support this safety initiative, the District has implemented the Smart Tag system to promote and ensure a positive school bus riding experience for all Lamar CISD students. The SMART tag monitors student loading and unloading, providing real-time information to the Transportation Department, and you, the parent.

Students are issued Smart Tag ID cards with an electronic chip Smart sensor (please do not modify the ID cards, or place holes in the card). The student name is printed on the front of the card, and there is no student information stored on the card.

PK/KG students must have one or more Transportation Release Guardians listed within the student’s Smart Tag Parent Portal. Drivers will only release a KG student to approved guardians at the stop. Parents must register this information within their student's Smart Tag profile via the Smart Tag Parent Portal.

Missing Smart Tags:

If a student does not have his/her Smart Tag ID badge for five (5) consecutive days, the Lamar CISD Transportation Department will contact the school/campus or parent to request that a Smart Tag replacement card be purchased.

Replacement cards can be requested through the campus office. There is a $5.00 fee to replace Smart Tag cards. Replacement cards include the Smart Tag and clear plastic sleeves. A lanyard, badge reel, or zip tie are not included. When a student receives the maximum number of warnings allowed by the school, the student may be subject to disciplinary action which may include the suspension of transportation service.

Lunch Visitors

We'll be working hard with our Panther teachers and students on cafeteria procedures. We are excited to welcome parents to school to eat lunch with their child(ren). So that we have a smooth, safe, and efficient process for enjoyable lunch visits, we are asking that everyone follows all school check-in procedures.

Upon arrival, you will be required to show your identification in the front office to receive a Raptor badge. Only adults approved by the custodial parent/guardian and on the emergency contact list will have approval to eat lunch with a child. Anyone not on the emergency contact list will not be permitted to visit with the child at any time

Cafeteria Guidelines

Once in the cafeteria, all visitors must sit at the visitor table and wait for their child to join them.

School-age visitors (in district or out of district) will not be permitted to eat lunch. This includes students on a modified schedule, Elementary, Junior High, and High School.

• During the first week, we will be spending time learning new procedures and systems
• Only students eating with eligible visitors may eat at the designated table.
• Parents should bring food for their children only.
• Visits at lunch are limited to 30-minute lunch period. Parents should say their goodbyes at the cafeteria door and return to the front office to exit the building. Visitors should not expect to follow students out to recess or back to the classrooms.
• Parents are not allowed to remove their children from the cafeteria for any reason without permission from a staff member on duty in the cafeteria. A parent wishing to check out their child must do this through the front office.

Lastly, please be assured that Lamar CISD will strive to keep the following measures in place:

• Campuses will be cleaned and sanitized on a routine basis.
• Hand sanitizers will continue to be readily available throughout our campuses.
• Visitors will be expected to self-screen and monitor themselves for any illness.

During the 2022-2023 school year, all students will be charged for meals, including breakfast and lunch. Meals are no longer FREE for all students. If you would like to apply for a free or reduced payment, click the link below.

• Be sure to label all your child's personal belongings with their name (First and Last) and grade level. If your child leaves something behind here at school, we want to be able to organize it into our lost and found for quick identification.

• We teach our students organizational skills and responsibility by ensuring they have everything they need before leaving their classrooms at the end of the school day. Our classrooms may be locked, or teachers could have after-school meetings at the end of the school day, so we won't be able to accommodate students and parents going to classrooms to retrieve left behind items.

• Our doors open at 7:00 am. School starts at 7:30 am; however as, long as the car line is running, we will not be counting tardies.
• If you arrive after the bell rings at 7:30 am, for safety reasons parents will need to park and come in with their children to get them checked into the front office. This will allow us to get our staff into the building to begin their very important work of teaching our Panthers. Please remember that breakfast is served from 7:00-7:30. If your child is eating breakfast at school, please drop them off in the mornings with enough time to allow them to eat in the cafeteria, as all students are required to be in class by 7:30 am. Thank you for your assistance in ensuring a successful and productive learning environment for our students.
• In order to minimize interruptions during instructional time, classroom deliveries will only be made at 10:00 am each day. Items that may be delivered at this time include snacks, birthday treats, and library books. Exceptions to this policy include eyeglasses and coats. All homework assignments will be placed in the teacher's mailbox for pick up at the teacher's earliest convenience. All items brought to school for delivery must be labeled with the student's name and teacher's name.
• Balloons, flowers, gifts, and party favors, etc., for students are not to be delivered at school at any time as they can cause a disruption in the classroom.
• Any changes in the normal transportation of your child must be stated in writing with a parent/guardian signature. We ask for everyone's help in not making changes frequently. However, we understand that unexpected changes will need to happen in rare cases. These can be called into the front office by 2:00 pm. We are not able to process changes after 2:00 pm. This includes parents that come to the campus without prior notice to pick up their child. Any change in transportation arrangements for any student requires a note to the teacher. Make sure you write your child's first and last name, teacher's name, and indicate the date (s) for the change and how the child is going to get home. We ask that parents not email the change since there may be times that a teacher is not in attendance or does not have a chance to read their email.

August

August 8th PK/Kinder Orientation (Parents Only) 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

August 13th- Lamar CISD Back to School Block Party

August 16th- Meet the Teacher (Come and Go -5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)

August 22nd- First Day of School

September

September 6th - Labor Day Holiday

September 8th - Spring Creek Spirit Night

September 15th - Parent Orientation

Session 1 5:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

Session 2 6:00 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

Watch Dogs Kick Off Night 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Follow our Friends of Morgan on Facebook and the website by clicking the buttons below. Friends of Morgan is our Parent Teacher Organization that will support the faculty, students and parents of Morgan Elementary.

Since we are a new school, they are currently working through the process for being able to fundraise to provide amazing opportunities for our Morgan Panther staff and students.

We love volunteers! As we work to build our volunteer base and systems, FOM will be working with the campus to coordinate volunteer activities. More information to come.

Contact Information: friendsofmorgan1@gmail.com

Below, please find the Morgan Elementary Parent Handbook. (Updated August 2022)

This handbook has been designed to give you a quick, brief list of answers to questions, which

may arise, concerning Morgan Elementary School’s operational procedures.

Our campus wide newsletters will supplement the information herein, but if procedure or policy questions are still unanswered you may refer to the Elementary Student Handbook or contact our school to clarify these concerns.

Students can wear the clothing of their choice, as long as it conforms to the LCISD Dress Code Policy. Access the dress code policy in the LCISD Elementary Student/Parent handbook. (Dress and Grooming: Pages 34-36)

Spirit Wear Days

Mondays - Themed Day - Panthers Glow for Success

Fridays - Charger Fridays - wear your Charger spirit wear or grade level Friday shirts.

We will update our page as often as possible to share as much as we can about Morgan and the achievements of the students and staff, as well as other relevant campus and district information.

Please click on the PDF below to access the Morgan Elementary Facebook page policy.

Messages for school staff will not be checked or responded to on Facebook. If anyone would like to reach school staff, please do so by calling the campus or emailing the appropriate staff member for assistance. Our campus phone number will be posted soon.

Dr. Brian Gibson, Principal bgibson@lcisd.org

Jana Simoneaux, Asst. Principal jsimoneaux@lcisd.org

Jill Medve, Counselor jill.medve@lcisd.org

Catherine Noriega, Administrative Assistant catherine.noriega@lcisd.org

Email: bgibson@lcisd.org
Website: https://www.lcisd.org/campuses/morgan/home
Location: 32727 School Hill Road Fulshear, Texas
Phone: 832-223-6200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletcherMorganES