Bethke Bison Bulletin
August 4, 2023
Bethke Elementary
Website: katyisd.org/campus/cbe/Pages
Location: 4535 East Ventana Parkway, Katy, TX, USA
Phone: 281-234-4200
Facebook: facebook.com/BethkeElementary
Welcome to the 2023 - 2024 School Year!
Welcome to the new school year! We are so excited to welcome back our students who are returning, as well as our new Bison. We ask for an abundance of patience these first few weeks as we get our students used to the routines of day to day activities such as arrival/dismissal, lunch, etc.
You can stay up to date on all of the latest campus activities through this Friday newsletter, as well as our website and Facebook. We also invite you to join our PTA, as they do many great things for our staff and students.
Please allow your student to go home by their normal means of transportation on the 1st day of school, as we begin teaching them processes and procedures. This continuity helps set the stage for the days ahead.
We will be sending our a "transportation edition" newsletter next week to help you navigate arrival and dismissal procedures.
We look forward to growing academically with your child this year! - Principal, Kara Morgan
Parents may walk students to their classrooms on the FIRST DAY of school only, August 16, 2023. Doors open daily at 7:50 a.m.
Meet the Teacher Procedures and Information
- Join us for Meet the Teacher!! Our littlest bison and special programs have a morning time slot so that we can pay extra attention to those groups who have likely not seen our building yet.
- Teacher names will be visible in HAC on the morning of Meet the Teacher.
- Enter through the side of the building by the staff parking lot - Gym doors!
- Purchase HOUSE T-shirts for $20 to wear on Mondays and PTA spirit wear!! CASH is accepted for this event only.
- Come hungry - Food Trucks will be here for our evening group!
- Meet the Teacher is a come and go event. Bring your student's school supplies. If you pre-ordered supplies from the PTA, they will be delivered to classrooms.
- All students will be issued a dismissal tag with a unique number. If you would like to exchange them for one sibling tag, you may do so in the gym at Meet the Teacher.
Procedural information for the year
- Please report student full day absences by 12 p.m. using this online link on the day of the absence. Please contact our attendance clerk, Danielle Wachter with any questions. DanielleEWachter@katyisd.org
Early Check-Outs
- Anyone checking a student out must be on the child's enrollment notification as a parent/guardian. In the event that you need a person on your emergency contact list to pick your student(s) up, a note from the parent/guardian is required to be sent to school with the child with a copy of a valid and unexpired ID. For emergencies, an email sent from a registered email with a copy of the ID may be emailed to cbecommunications@katyisd.org. The latest time you may check your student out is 2:45 p.m. Anyone arriving after this time will not be able to check students out, as we begin staging our students for dismissal.
Late Arrivals
- If your student(s) arrive after the 8:10 a.m. bell, your student is considered tardy. Late students MUST be escorted into the building by a parent/guardian and signed in using the QR code in the front vestibule using your phone or the provided device. Once the form has been completed, the front office will call your student inside to enter the building and proceed to class. Please bring your valid/unexpired ID with you for processing the tardy.
Lunch Visitor Information
- Lunch Visitor Sign-Ups will begin the week of September 4, 2023 to ensure that our students have their routines in place.
- NEW THIS YEAR! Grandparents may join students for lunch (up to 2 visitors per student). Parents MUST complete the link above from a parent/guardian email account to allow permission.
- Due to space limitations, only 2 visitors per student are allowed. This included non-school aged students (under age 5 and not enrolled in a Katy ISD school). No photos or videos may be taken. No food may be given to anyone except your child.
- Visitors will sit at the designated visitor table.
- Lunch and Breakfast account money can be added through Pay N Go. Click below to access Pay N Go.
School Supply List
Upcoming Events
August 16- First Day of School! - Welcome back. Parents may walk students in on the first day of school only. CHEERS and TEARS in the library from 7:50 a.m. until 8:30 a.m.
House Update
Bethke is excited to continue utilizing the House system this school year. We have some exciting new things headed our way, thanks to the BETHKE PTA. More information to come!
Katy ISD Information and Reminders
Volunteers and Raptor information
Katy ISD’s Raptor safety protocol requires volunteers to register (or re-register) annually thus creating a new volunteer profile each year. Our 2023-2024 school year volunteer registration process launched on July 1. The link is included in the district’s PowerSchool student enrollment and is readily available via campus eNews and on district and campus websites.
Learn more about the Raptor Volunteer Initiative on the district’s website.
NEW SMART TAG ID SYSTEM- 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR
This school year, a new SMART Tag bus rider ID system will be rolled out across Katy ISD school buses to help monitor the ridership of eligible bus riders. The system will enable parents, bus drivers, and school administrators, to review in real time, when and where a student is picked up or dropped off by a school bus.
Student identification (ID) cards for eligible riders will include the SMART Tag ID information. Buses will be equipped with a tablet that will read each student’s ID every time they enter and exit their bus. Parents and guardians will also have access to the SMART Tag Parent Web Portal — a cloud-based platform that will enable them to monitor their student’s ridership and bus route.
Parents and guardians of eligible bus riders will receive additional information about the Smart Tag ID system via the email address they have on file with the district. The Smart Tag ID system replaces Katy ISD’s Edulog Lite App.
Our student ID cards are safe and secure. We use PVC cards with a passive RFID chip containing only a unique identification number (UID). The UID in the chip is read by our card reader and our system uses it to reference student information.
2023-2024 Instructional Calendar
ACCESS TO 2023 STATE TESTING RESULTS USING THE FAMILY PORTAL
As in previous years, the state assessment outcomes will provide families with detailed information about their student’s areas of strength, as well as any gaps in learning. Parents can access the state’s Family Portal for assessment results by using their child’s Unique Student Access Code. Parents may utilize the Parent Directions To Access State Testing Results (ENG./SPA.) document located on the Katy ISD Department of Research, Assessment, and Accountability website. Final test results will be available in the Family Portal by the end-of-day listed in the chart below:
NEW TECHNOLOGY PARENT TRAINING WEBINARS
Technology is holding technology training webinars and will be offered to our district parents/guardians the following dates and times:
Join via Zoom.
Tuesday, August 8th 6:30 PM - https://katyisd-org.zoom.us/j/86998557618
Thursday, August 10th 6:30 PM - https://katyisd-org.zoom.us/j/87918904308
Tuesday, August 15th 1:30 PM - https://katyisd-org.zoom.us/j/85044057853