HPES Parent Update
04/06/2020
From the Principal
Based on a recent extension of Governor Abbott's Executive Order, all Pflugerville ISD campuses will remain closed through May 1. This is a very fluid situation, and we are receiving continuous updates from health authorities. Additional school closures after May 1 have not been decided at this time, but we will inform parents as soon as any decisions are made. As we learn more from our governing agencies, we will also share more information.
Try your best to stay home, and keep yourself and your family healthy!
Warm Regards,
Lizbeth
Monday Morning Announcements
Click on the link to access our Monday mornign announcements: https://www.facebook.com/HighlandParkES/videos/1061942997539321/
Principal Read Aloud
Click on the link below to watch the read aloud- This week I will be reading " The Crayons that Quit!"https://www.facebook.com/HighlandParkES/videos/564827564392529/
Extend Grace
This is the message that we are receiving from our superintendent and other district administrators daily. I want to make sure that you hear this message as well. Distance learning is new to all of us, and we are having to figure it out as we go. Something I want parents to know: The district is not expecting teachers to take grades until the week of April 13! The purpose of last week and this week is to get the ball rolling and determine what distance learning plan works for each family. They realize that it will take some time, thus they are not expecting grades to be taken right now.
- Extend grace to yourselves, parents. You are juggling many things right now. We don't expect you to master multiple online learning platforms in a day. If some assignments did not get done, it is okay.This is just the second week. We will work together to figure it out.
- Extend grace to teachers. They have not all mastered online learning platforms either. This is a whole new way of teaching and will take some time for them to become proficient.
- Extend grace to students. Structure and consistency is always beneficial to children, and their whole routine has been thrown off! Work on establishing a structure for learning within your home. Reach out if you need support.
- Extend grace to the district. District staff are working very hard to find ways to support families. With over 25,000 students, it takes a lot of coordination, effort and time to coordinate any new district wide initiatives and changes. And we need changes due to our current situation.
Administrators are Dividing and Conquering
HPES Families, we appreciate all the support and encouraging words we have received as we roll out distance learning. Nothing can replace face to face interactions with our young bulldogs but we are excited to see them be delighted to continue to learn and achieve greatness under these unprecedented circumstances. With that being said we still have over 650 kids and 80 staff to communicate via email with daily. Our administrative team has decided to divided and conquer so we can make sure everyone is taken care of in a timely manner. See below our new communication guide (this will help you get your questions and concerns to the correct administrator):
Anna Vazquez: PPCD(Pegasus)/PK, and Office Staff
Lizbeth Ruiz: Kinder, 1st Grade, Intervention team
Gina Lochner: 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade
Jesus Olivas: 4th Grade,5th Grade, and Special Education team
If you reply to this HPES Parent Newsletter, please include your child's name and grade in your reply. We will then forward your email to the appropriate administrator.
Help your neighbors stay informed
We have many email addresses and families that are on this email list, however, if you hear that someone is not receiving my emails or district emails, please send their email address and name to me at lizbeth.ruiz@pfisd.net. Spread the word! The more informed we are, the better!
Curbside Meals Update-
Pflugerville ISD is providing free grab-and-go breakfast/lunch/ dinner meals to all PfISD students at ten locations across the district. Grab-and-go meals will be available for curbside pickup at the following times. Families can pick up meals curbside in the carpool lanes at the campuses listed below. Parents may pick up breakfast and lunch at the same time. For those who do not drive and need to walk to pick up the meal, you will be allowed to walk and pick them up to go. Access to enter the buildings will not be available.
- Breakfast: 8 - 9 a.m.
- Lunch: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
UPDATE STARTING APRIL 6
Texas Department of Agriculture recently adjusted requirements for parents picking up meals without children present. Pflugerville ISD will begin going forward with TDA guidance starting Monday, April 6.
What to expect at each meal distribution site:
1. Be prepared to present one of the following through the window upon meal pick-up:
- Official letter/email from school listing children enrolled
- Individual student report cards
- Attendance record from parent portal of school website
- Birth certificate for children
- Student ID cards
2. Parents may not receive meals for other children.
3. Each meal provided to parents on behalf of children must be documented by the organization.
- Pflugerville High School
1301 W. Pecan Street
Pflugerville, Texas 78660
- Dessau Middle School
12900 Dessau Road
Austin, Texas 78754
- Kelly Lane Middle School
18900 Falcon Pointe Blvd.
Pflugerville, Texas 78660
- Park Crest Middle School
1500 N. Railroad
Pflugerville, Texas 78660
- Westview Middle School
1805 Scofield Ln.
Austin, Texas 78727
- Copperfield Elementary
12135 Thompkins Drive
Austin, Texas 78753
- Northwest Elementary
14014 Thermal Dr.
Austin, Texas 78728
- Pflugerville Elementary
701 Immanuel Rd.
Pflugerville, Texas 78660
- Wieland Elementary
900 Tudor House Rd.
Pflugerville, Texas 78660
- Windermere Elementary
429 Grand Ave. Pkwy.
Pflugerville, Texas 78660
EDUCATING WITH ZOOM
Teachers and staff have the opportunity to use Zoom as a way to communicate with your child(ren) to provide instruction and support through technology. Zoom is a leader in modern business video communications, with an easy and reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, collaboration, chat, and webinars on mobile devices, desktops, phones, and room systems.
As we start educating with Zoom, we want to share some rules with you and give you the opportunity to exclude your student from live interactions. All meetings will be held under district- established guidelines.
Click this link to see more details and fill out the form
Opt-Out Form link in English: https://forms.gle/RiduyPKn5KmA3qEQ9
In addition, some teachers have opted to use other district approved platforms such as Class Dojo, seesaw, classtag, and google classroom.
PARENT ADVICE FOR MONITORING TECHNOLOGY
Parents,
Monitor, monitor, monitor your children's access using phones and computers during these next couple of weeks and beyond. Adults outside of education, with bad intentions, may be using this unprecedented online access to communicate with children. Students will also be reaching out to one another to connect during these uncertain times and we are not available to assist in monitoring these interactions and conflicts that arise.
Suggestions for safe usage:
- You should be able to access your child's technology at any time.
- Check their last post, Tik Tok upload, Instagram dms and text, etc..., frequently.
- Check their stored photos
- Have online access in an open space such as the kitchen or living room - if a bedroom is the only option, the door should be open, and make the rounds frequently to check on their activity.
Sending a student into a closed bedroom for hours with an unsupervised laptop or cell phone can be very dangerous for children. Let us know how we can help!
TROUBLE PICKING UP FOOD OR PACKETS FROM ONE OF THESE LOCATIONS?
Please reply to the Highland Park Newsletter email. We will contact you to help find a solution so that your child will be able to get their meals and/or paper based learning.
If you know of someone else who might be having difficulty going to pick up the food or paper based learning, please let us know as well.
ELECTRONIC DEVICE ACCESS
If your student does not have access to an electronic device or Internet, please use one of the links below to apply for technology assistance.
Gifted & Talented Information
Current GT students have the option of continuing to work on their independent project from home. Students have already selected a topic and began their research during Pflex. Please contact Lydia Headley @ Lydia.headley@pfisd.net if you have questions.
Students nominated for the GT program will receive parent notification of results by mail. Letters will be going home by May 1st. Please contact Anna Vazquez @ anna.vazquez@pfisd.net if you have questions.
Section 504
All current 504 plans have been emailed to parents. You may contact Anna Vazquez @ anna.vazquez@pfisd.net if you have not received your child’s plan.
Special Education
Students currently served under Special Education will continue services. Our Special Education team is collaboration with our classroom teachers to ensure that we are best serving each student. Emails and ARD invitations will come from Miranda Barcena. Please contact your child's teacher or our Assistant Principal Jesus Olivas at jesus.olivas@pfisd.net if you have questions.
A Note from the Counselor; Anna Vazquez
A note from our Librarian; Ms. Reyes
Let's keep our students reading!! Click on the link below for some really great ideas in English and Spanish!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17QzoXavFZ_JgUDfkivGpF7qYD0PnvhkEpiDEkVIwuNE/edit?usp=sharing
Backpack Pfriends:
Students receiving Backpack Pfriends will have the option to pick up items Thursdays at any pick up location. You will need to verify your student’s name and campus to receive your items.
PRE-K & KINDER REGISTRATION
Based on current events, PreKindergarten and Kindergarten registration will not be held as originally scheduled for April 14-16. Registration for these grade levels will be rescheduled at a later date.
We encourage families to monitor the PfISD website, Facebook, and Twitter for updates
CANCELED EVENTS
Due to the ongoing circumstances the following events have been canceled:
- STAAR Testing
- Kinder Egg Drop
- Spring Concert/Choir
All scheduled activities related to Pflugerville ISD schools are cancelled during the school closure. This also includes all district and campus events and competitions.
Access Clever at Home
Clever is a portal that PfISD uses for students to access many educational resources.
Go to PfISD.net>student tab>clever. The login is your student’s “s” number and password. Most students have this memorized by this point. If not, reach out to your child's teacher.
Click on the link below to watch a video that will teach you how to access CLEVER from home!
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GwVgmDFWknECL6MzP5N3WT-DDO8haOvh
FREE ONLINE READING RESOURCE TO USE AT HOME
MYSTERY SCIENCE
Great news. Mystery Science has opened up all their videos for distance learning. Your student can look at which videos are of interest, and there are some fantastic ones. Happy viewing.
FREE HOME ACCESS FOR STUDENTS TO ABC MOUSE, ADVENTURE ACADEMY & READING IQ DURING SCHOOL CLOSURES
Age of learning is providing free resources while our campus is closed. All three programs can be used on tablets, computers, and smartphones. Click on the link below and follow the instructions.
https://www.ageoflearning.com/school_closure_pdf/ParentLetter_AofL_SCHOOL7581.pd
CHARACTER AND FITNESS VIDEOS AT HOME
We hope this resource serves not only as a helpful diversion while the kids are home, but also as an opportunity for families to engage in character-building conversations while also staying active at home.
http://www.boosterthoncharacter.com
(Access Code: home)
* There’s no cost to register
* 75 + streaming videos with character topics and fitness exercises (PBIS, SEL, STEAM, etc.)