Huggins Paw Print
September 25, 2022
Huggins Elementary
Website: https://www.lcisd.org/campuses/huggins/home
Location: 1 Huggins Drive, Fulshear, TX, USA
Phone: 832-223-1600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HugginsHounds/
Can't Hide Our Hound Pride!
Howdy Hounds!
Although it is officially Fall....it sure does not feel like it just yet! However, we hope everyone enjoyed their Friday Fair Day! I want to send a special thank you to our FOH and everyone that came out to Sonapalooza 2022 at the Charger Football Game Friday night! What a great turn out underneath some Friday Night Lights! Just another example of how awesome our community is!
We had a fantastic House Pep Rally on Thursday! Our Hounds sure did bring the SPIRIT! Be sure to check out our Golden Paw Winners below!
We are excited to be starting a Huggins Student Council under the supervision of Ms. Martinez, Ms. Moss, and Ms. Jurkowski. Our fifth graders have been campaigning for our student council officer positions and we were proud to announce our winners Friday. All students participated in the voting process, giving us an opportunity to align our social studies learning objectives to the real world. In October, classes in third-fifth grade will be nominating class representatives that will also serve on our student council. We look forward to the contributions our student council will make to our school and community through acts of service.
On Friday, you should have received an email communication from me. I have copied the communication below. As I shared, I appreciate the feedback we have received over the past several weeks regarding our campus growth. There is no doubt that the success of our schools and students is a collaborative effort...and we want you to know that your voices were heard.
Please note that Progress Reports will go home on Thursday. As always, you can check your child's grades via Skyward.
Finally, just a reminder that picture day is Tuesday, October 4th. Information for ordering is below.
Here's to a great week!
Sincerely,
Bethany Cunningham
Principal
Upcoming Events
Monday, September 26th: Can't Hide Our Hound Pride: Wear Camo, FOH Meeting 6:00pm
Wednesday, September 28th: Purple Track Bond Town Hall Meeting 6:30pm - Fulshear High School
Thursday, September 29th: Charger Thursday, Progress Reports go home
Friday, September 30th: Huggins Spirit Day
Huggins Update
Over the past few weeks, we have been talking with families that have concerns regarding campus logistics, enrollment, etc. due to the tremendous growth in our area. We want to say thank you for making the time to meet with myself, the Superintendent and members of his staff to share your feedback and concerns. Feedback is a gift and constructive feedback is vital to our District’s ongoing development. Part of building trusting relationships is not only being open to receiving feedback, but also creating tangible goals to improve from that feedback.
As promised, administrators reviewed the feedback from the meetings and discussions and identified the following five starting points for improvement: Huggins Enrollment, Additional Teachers, Crossing Guard Request, Delayed Bus Routes, Building Capacity Concerns.
Huggins Enrollment
Of the 900+ students enrolled at Huggins, 92 students were originally zoned to Hubenak.
However, as of September 22, 2022, we are freezing Huggins’ enrollment. This means that no more additional students will be enrolled at Huggins Elementary for the 2022-2023 school year. As a result, Huggins will no longer serve as the overflow/transfer campus for new Hubenak students. In addition, current Hubenak students who have been zoned to Huggins will be given the opportunity to either remain here or transfer to McNeill Elementary.
Additional Teachers
Last week, Huggins welcomed Ms. Fyke, Ms. Garza, Ms. McBride, and Ms. Pineda to the campus. These teachers have started which resulted in smaller teacher-to-student ratios in Pre-K, Second, Third, and Fifth grades. We are wrapping up the interview process for fourth grade and are looking forward to naming a new teacher soon. We have added a second front office clerk and are conducting interviews for both clerk positions at this time.
Crossing Guard Request
Parents shared feedback that a crossing guard is needed at the intersection of F.M. 1093 and Charger Way. Our Lamar CISD Police Department has monitored the area and has determined that it is not a safe intersection to cross to be picked up before or after school, and we do not condone nor endorse students crossing that intersection to parents who may be waiting across the intersection to avoid school pick up traffic. So, while we are not placing a permanent crossing guard there, we will place an officer there periodically to deter students from crossing. In addition, all three secondary principals will send joint communication to their parents about how students are not allowed to cross at this intersection.
Delayed Bus Routes
As of this week, we have hired an additional driver for the Huggins routes. Now, all of the routes are covered thus eliminating the need for comeback routes unless there is a driver absence.
Building Capacity Concerns
During the meeting, parents shared concerns about Huggins’ common areas/facilities’ abilities to accommodate the number of students currently enrolled. In addition, a concern was shared regarding the capacity of the cafeteria at Fulshear High School.
What are the code requirements for restrooms on a campus?
The building code requires one toilet/urinal/sink for every 50 people and one water fountain for every 100 people. Huggins has 32 toilets/urinals, 28 sinks and 10 water fountains. This means that the campus is in code compliance regarding these utilities.
When was the last time the fire marshal inspected the campus?
September 19, 2022
Is there another inspection scheduled?
They inspect about every 30 days.
What is the capacity limit for common areas such as the cafeteria/gymnasium, etc.?
The building was designed for a classroom capacity of 716 students. In addition, the gym was designed for 322 students and cafeteria was designed for 202 students at a time. The total student capacity in the physical building at one time is 1,240. All principals must schedule lunches and PE classes with the capacity limits in mind.
What is the status of a traffic study for the campus?
The traffic study is now in progress.
Fulshear HS students are eating lunch on the floor.
When district leaders visited the campus during peak lunch times to verify this claim, they found that there is enough seating in the cafeteria to accommodate students assigned to each lunch. However, it is true that several students are choosing to eat lunch communally on the floor outside of the cafeteria. Again, this is a choice as there is available seating at tables.
It is important that we keep our lines of communication open. We have a FOH Meeting scheduled for Monday. September 26th at 6:00pm. We will be reviewing the information in this email, and answering any additional questions you may have. In addition, please join us for the Purple Track Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, September 28th in the Fulshear High School Auditorium at 6:30pm to learn more about the LCISD Bond 2022.
Picture Day - Tuesday, October 4th
Order before Picture Day to receive free shipping to the school. Order online at https://inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/69489BF.
Online ordering is available before and after Picture Day. Shipping and handling charges may apply to orders placed after Picture Day.
Snacks in the Cafeteria
Starting Sept 12th, the cafeteria staff will began selling snacks during lunch. Students will be able to purchase items that meet smart snack USDA’s Food and Nutrition requirements. Attached you will find the Ala carte price list. Parents can make adjustments to their child's lunch account to determine if their child can purchase snacks at lunch.
Huggins Car Line
Pre-K and Kindergarten SmartTags
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. 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’s name is printed on the front of the card, and there is no student information stored on the card.
Students must have one or more Transportation Release Guardians listed within the students Smart Tag Parent Portal.
To ensure the safety of the children, parents/guardians or an authorized person is encouraged to be at the bus stop each day when their child is picked up and dropped off.
· Drivers will only release a student to approved guardians at the stop and must be in possession of a picture ID so the driver can verify release authorization via the Smart Tag system. If a driver is unable to verify release authorization the student will be returned to campus.
- Parents must register this information within their students Smart Tag profile via the Smart Tag Parent Portal.
- Parents are also responsible for keeping the information current.
- Parents/guardians and children should know their route number, school name, and stop location.
- Children in grades Pre-K/KG (i.e., Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten) MUST be received by an adult, parent, or authorized receiver at the designated bus stop and designated time. This could be an older sibling.
- Parents should be at the stop ten (10) minutes prior to bus arrival.
- Individuals receiving a Pre-K/KG student from a bus, will need to be in possession of a picture ID so the driver can verify release authorization via the Smart Tag system. If a driver is unable to verify release authorization the student will be returned to campus.
- Should there be no one at the stop to receive a PK/KG student, the child will be taken back to the school for the parent to pick up.
- Should this occur more than twice in a semester, the third occurrence may result in the child losing bus riding privileges.
LCISD Beginning of Year Forms - Action Needed
For the 2022-23 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 only updating information that has changed from last school year, while also helping us maintain accurate information in our student information system. Instructions, important dates and technical assistance regarding the online forms can be found by clicking here. Included on this page is a link to reset your Family Access username/password if you have forgotten it.
Online forms will be available through the Family Access Center starting Aug. 1 and all forms need to be submitted no later than Sept. 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, Aug. 17th if all online forms have been completed.
For those who need access to a computer or the Internet, computers will be available on campus Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. starting August 8th.