Dear Lake Travis ISD Staff, Parents and Guardians,

As you may recall, in March, we released a parent questionnaire to gauge interest in a potential virtual campus option for the 2021-2022 school year. We received approximately 2,800 responses via our Google Form, of which roughly 70% indicated they did not have an interest in pursuing a virtual campus option. Parents who indicated an interest in a virtual school option shared various concerns which would ultimately prevent them from enrolling their child in a virtual campus including:

• limited options for programs and courses that are not conducive to an online environment;
• commitment to a semester or to a full school year;
• restriction from participating in UIL events;
• requirements to participate on a physical campus as needed; and
• requirements to apply and meet certain skills or criteria.

Because of these concerns, coupled with the fact that we do not yet know if either the legislature or the Texas Education Agency (TEA) will allow us to provide virtual learning next year, Lake Travis ISD will not offer a virtual campus option for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Furthermore, with increased access to vaccine administrations for our staff and students, lower transmission rates of COVID-19 in our classrooms, the improvement of conditions overall, and because TEA has not approved a remote learning at home option for the 2021-2022 school year, we will return to in-person instruction and activities for all staff and students this fall.

In closing, we are aware that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidelines yesterday regarding face coverings as they pertain to fully vaccinated people. At this time, neither the CDC nor TEA have revised their safety guidance for K-12 schools. Accordingly, we will continue to follow our current COVID protocols until further notice. As a reminder, our school board is expected to make a decision regarding our COVID face covering protocols at its May 19 regular meeting. This will include discussing our plans for summer school and summer programs, along with our plans for the 2021-2022 school year. We will notify you of our school board's decision and their continuing efforts to prioritize the health and safety of our staff and students.

Thank you for your continued patience, understanding and support.

Sincerely,

Paul Norton
Superintendent of Schools

The 2021-22 school year will be here before we know it, and the West Cypress Hills staff is busy planning for next year. While there are still some unknowns, one thing is for certain! New and returning TIGERS will be welcomed on August 18.

If you, or someone you know, have an incoming Kindergartener and/or are planning to enroll a student at any grade level, please make sure to fill out the enrollment packet online. West Cypress Hills has the most amazing staff, and we want to continue to hire the most highly qualified candidates. Because staffing allocations are based on current enrollment numbers, we need to have accurate numbers moving into the fall to staff our grade levels appropriately.

Enrollment packets can now be completed online. However, if you do not have access to a computer, hard copies of the enrollment packet are available for pick up. If you have any questions regarding enrollment, please reach out to our Registrar, Becky Wright, at 512-533-7500 or wrightr@ltisdschools.org.

Melanie Beninga

Principal, West Cypress Hills Elementary School

Pre-ordered yearbooks were delivered to our remote 5th grade students and to in-person learners last week. Please be sure your student's name is on, or written inside, your yearbook, for students are invited to bring their yearbooks to school the week of May 24 so that they can gather any desired autographs.

Remote students are invited to pick up their pre-ordered yearbooks from the front desk through May 28.

If you did not pre-order a yearbook and would like to purchase one, they will be sold from the front desk Friday, May 21, through Friday, May 28, on a first-come, first-served basis until we sell out of yearbooks. The cost is $36, and we can accept payment in exact-amount cash or your check for $36 payable to Balfour.

As we approach the completion of the 2020-21 school year, the LTISD Food and Nutrition Services (FANS) Department has begun to settle all meal accounts that have a negative balance. Beginning May 17, 2021, students will not be able to charge a meal or a la carte items that would incur a negative balance. Therefore, starting May 17, if a student's purchase will lead to a negative balance on his/her account, the student may be given an alternate meal. Please use this opportunity to replenish your child's MySchoolBucks.com account so that your child can make his/her desired meal selections at the Cafe.

Please remember, to avoid a service fee, prepayments are accepted in cash or check at your campus Cafe. To ensure proper account credit, cash prepayments must be delivered to the Cafe in an envelope labeled with the student's full name and student identification number. Checks should be made payable to LTISD.

Students currently receiving meal benefits (free or reduced price meals) will continue to receive those benefits without interruption.

To help ensure that our Tiger families stay safe, please read the Daily Symptom Screening information that I provided below and keep your Tiger(s) home even if only one symptom is present. Please send your Tiger(s) to school wearing fresh clean face masks. We will help them to sanitize their hands as they enter the school and help them to keep hands sanitized throughout the school day.

We are one team, one family. Let's work together to keep our family healthy. Please feel free to contact me any time you have questions or concerns.

Hello 5th Grade Parents and Guardians.

We are working on our 5th Grade Promotion and want to keep you informed on what it will look like this year. While keeping in line with district COVID protocols, it was a priority for myself, 5th grade teachers, and district leadership to provide parents a way to be included in the “5th grade send off.” With some out of the box thinking, we have a plan that will allow parents to participate in the send off portion of the day's activities. Below is an approximate schedule for May 28:

• 7:20 - 7:45 Pictures and fun in the classrooms

• 7:45 - 8:30 Classroom celebrations

• 8:30 - 9:15 Baby and 5th grade photo slideshow in the Cafe

• 9:15 - 9:35 5th grade walks the halls of school one last time

• 9:40 - 10:05 “5th grade send off”--see info below

• 10:05 - 10:10 Students assemble in the Cafe for parent pick up

• 10:10 - 10:25 Parents may check out students early

We would love to have parent involvement in the “5th grade send off.” If you choose, parents will line up on the Sabino Drive opposite the school. Students will walk out the front door of the school, walk down the sidewalk, turn left on Sabino Drive, and reenter the building near the bus loop. The students will stay on the sidewalk closest to the school and not be permitted to cross the street. Parents can snap photos, make signs, and wave and cheer from the other side of the street.

Parents, we ask that you stay on the sidewalk off Sabino Drive opposite the school. There are designated parking spots for parents in the school lots. Parking on Sabino Dr. will not be permitted. We encourage parents to carpool with their family members as parking will be limited. If you elect to parallel park on Cypress Ranch Boulevard, please be sure to park only on the pavement. Please do not park on the median, for there are sprinkler heads located in all of the medians.

There are two options for parents to check out their student(s) early. If you drove, you may use the car line to pick up your 5th graders. The second option is to walk to the back of the school between the kindergarten playground and the back parking lot to pick up your student to walk home. Students will be released to a parent or guardian. If your child is riding home or being picked up by another 5th-grade parent, please indicate in SMART tag the parent name.

We want to encourage our remote students to join us on the last day for activities but we understand there are a variety of comfort levels when it comes to entering the building. If you were to send your remote student to school, the following protocols will be in place to ensure student safety. Remote students will enter through the library entrance. Students will sanitize their hands upon entrance to the building. Students will participate in their class's virtual activities from the computer lab and will join their peers in the cafe for the slideshow. Students will be seated two to a table facing forward. During the parade through the halls, students will be masked. In preparation for the official send off, remote students will gather in the computer lab and exit the building through the library. Remote parents will utilize the same early pick up methods as in person students. Those choosing to participate in activities from home are welcome to do so.

We are working on yard signs to be placed in the front of the school for photo opportunities.

Thank you for your partnership and helping make a very different year memorable.

Melanie Beninga

Principal, West Cypress Hills Elementary School