Parent Newsletter: Fall Edition 7
September 28, 2020
Welcoming Back our Safety-First In-Person Students: 8th Graders Join us Monday!
For those families who have opted for in-person instruction, we’re excited to start phasing back the return of our students. The district has a lot of information about the plan on their website at www.springisd.org/reopen but we wanted you to know the details for our campus.
We also wanted to let you know that the district is offering more flexibility for students to move from remote to in-person instruction. Rather than having to wait until the end of a grading period, parents will be able to make the switch at any time, keeping in mind that we may need up to two weeks to adjust staffing and arrange bus transportation. Students always have the option to move from in-person to remote learning.
Should you wish to make a learning option change, please fill out this form and then give us a call or email us.
*Attention 8th Grade In-Person Students w/Electives 1st/5th Period*
As you enter campus during arrival, please report to the cafeteria to find your 1st (A-Day) or 5th (B-Day) period teacher. You will remain with your teacher during breakfast and will be walked to your class at your teacher's guidance.
Please note that this only applies to students who have an Electives course during first period. Please find the name card with your teacher's name. If you do not see your teacher or a name card for your teacher, please report to class.
There will not be a virtual morning meeting for either grade level this week. Please enjoy a pre-recorded morning meeting here. All virtual students will report to their 1st class at 10:30.
Arrival, Dismissal, and Designated Hours for Bus Lanes
Parents, please be advised that when dropping or picking up your students, we ask that you please join the line in the left lane, as we will not allow students to cross the street to enter your vehicle if parked in the parking lot, as this is a safety hazard.
In addition, please be mindful of our Bus Lane Hours when picking up or dropping off students between the hours of 9-9:30 A.M. and 4:30-5 P.M.
The RIGHT lane is for buses ONLY during the listed hours.
Thank you for adhering to our procedures and ensuring each of our students are safe.
Tips to Encourage Children to Wear Masks and Keep Them On
Wearing a mask is hard for a lot of people, and can be really hard for children. Masks are one of the best ways to prevent the spread of coronavirus. But even if a child knows they are supposed to wear a mask to school, and keep it on all day, it can take some practice and positive reinforcement to get into the habit. Here are some tips:
Designate a child as the class "mask monitor." While in the classroom and when leaving the room, have them check that everyone has their mask on.
Consider making a game out of who can wear their mask the longest without touching it.
For younger children, while walking around the school during transitions ask your students to observe people. Were other people wearing masks? Were both their nose and mouth covered? Talk about what you should do when you see a person not wearing their mask properly.
You can offer a small reward for wearing the mask if necessary, such as a treat, homework pass or a special book to read. Set an expectation ahead of time for how they can earn the reward.
Riding the bus? Find Your Stop and Learn about Key Safety Information
As we prepare to bring back our Safety-First In-Person students in phases, we’ve updated our bus routes so parents can figure out their child’s stop.
Just visit our website and type in your address, school and/or grade to get the details. Spring ISD Transportation recommends all students arrive at their designated stop at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival time of the bus. It’s important that students maintain social distancing as they wait for their bus and then follow all driver directions once they board.
Students will be asked to wear their masks while riding the bus and to use hand sanitizer upon entering the vehicle. To maintain physical distancing, we will transport only one student per seat while we are operating in condition “Orange.”
Please check out our videos on all of our health and safety protocols here: www.springisd.org/reopen
Beginning of Year Make-Up Testing Continues Wednesday!
All scholars will participate in Beginning of Year baseline assessments. Student log in credentials will be provided by the 4th period teachers. We will also email the log-in credentials to parents and students.
The testing window will open soon, with assessments in the following subjects and dates:
- Make-Up Testing, Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Virtual Bell Schedule
Virtual Teacher Roster
Want to see your student’s grades and report cards? Log into HAC!
As we prepare to release progress reports and report cards this fall, we wanted to remind you how to check your child’s grades on the Home Access Center.
The key is to log into the myspringisd portal and into HAC. There you will find a Grades tab. When you click on that, you will see where to locate your child’s progress report (IPR), report cards and more.
Remember, the username and password you use to log into the portal is the same username and password for logging into HAC. Also, parents should log in using their credentials, not their student’s.
Staying connected with your child’s academic progress is a great way to ensure your student’s success in school. By monitoring and encouraging, you can help support your child’s performance.
See the attached handouts in English and Spanish for step-by-step directions.
Need your Home Access Center Password Reset? Click here to request a reset.
Need your student password reset? Click here to request a reset.
Help us Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Spring ISD is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month and recognizing the contributions of Hispanics by highlighting books that explore the Latino culture and by spotlighting the Hispanic community.
You can join the conversation by sharing your photos throughout the month using the hashtag #CelebremosSpring for a chance to be featured on the district’s social media accounts.
SAVE THE DATES: SISD UPCOMING EVENTS
Download the Spring ISD Mobile App and Stay Informed
The app is available from Google Play or the App Store and allows parents and guardians to easily access important student information, including assignments, classes, grades, lunch balances and attendance. Parents can also update their contact information to ensure they receive important messages from the campus or district. This step-by-step guide will help get you started:
After downloading and launching the app, you can access your student’s information by selecting the “Student Info” icon.
Type in your “myspringisd” username and password. If you don’t know your username and password, contact your school.
Once you log in, you will see icons with your name and the names of your children. Select your student’s icon.
Now you will see lots of great information like your student’s classes, grades, assignments and lunch balances.
Click on your name, too, to make sure your phone number, text/SMS number and email address are correct. That way, you’ll be sure to get important campus and district information.
Lastly, make sure to set your alerts. You can get notifications including: missing assignments, class grade updates, assignment grades, and cafeteria balances.
That’s it! You’re ready to use our mobile app, which will help you help your student have a successful year! Questions? Check out: www.springisd.org/mobileapp.
Virtual Community Resource Fair Scheduled for Sept. 29
The Family Engagement Department will host a Virtual Community Resource Fair for district parents next Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Held online so everyone can participate safely, the event will feature a range of community agencies sharing information about services they provide for area families.
A partial list of organizations and agencies participating includes:
The Harris Center
Houston Food Bank
Community Health Choice
DentaQuest
San Jacinto Girl Scouts
Boy Scouts of America
Northwest Assistance Ministries
DePelchin
ATHLETE Training and Health
Family Houston
Houston Public Library
Cabo Dental
This will be a little different from past resource fairs, but we know there will be lots of great information available to support our families and students, and we appreciate your patience and flexibility as we utilize this digital gathering format.
To join the resource fair online next Tuesday, log on via Zoom using the meeting ID and passcode below:
Meeting ID: 980 1890 5876
Passcode: 187580
For more information ahead of the event, contact Ysabel Luna, Parent Engagement Specialist at 281-891-6685 or yluna@springisd.org.
Spring ISD Child Nutrition is excited to welcome back our in-person learning students! For those who have selected Empowered Learning At-Home, we still want to provide our families with meals. To better serve you, our Curbside Meal distribution will now be daily Monday-Friday from 4:30-6 p.m., where we will distribute breakfast and hot lunch for the next school day.
Curbside meals will be served daily at select Spring ISD elementary schools:
Anderson
Burchett
Smith
Marshall
McNabb
Hirsch
Jenkins
Cooper
Booker
Ponderosa
Eickenroht
Clark Primary
Thompson
Reynolds
Pickup will include one breakfast and one lunch per student.
Lunch entrees will be hot.
Meals are free for all children 18 and under.
Families may pick up meals at any open curbside site.
Meal service for Safety-First In-Person students
Each hot lunch will be packaged in hinged containers.
Breakfast will be grab-and-go or served in the classroom.
Menus will be flexible as we transition to cafeteria service and based on availability from vendors.
All meals are free for the month of September!
For more information, visit www.springisd.org/nutrition or follow us on social media at @SpringISD_Meals.
Attendance Matters So Make Sure Your Student is Marked Present
Everyone counts! Complete the U.S. Census by Sept. 30
Spring ISD wants to encourage all families who haven’t completed their 2020 U.S. Census to please do by Sept. 30.
According to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s office, over $30 million in funding is at risk if even 1% of Spring ISD residents are missed in Census 2020.
Completing the Census determines federal funding for government services that are vital, including Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and important school programs such as the National School Lunch Program. Census results also directly impact representation in Congress.
If just 1% of Texas residents aren’t counted in Census 2020, the state could lose hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 10 years in funding for social services and infrastructure programs.
It only takes a few minutes to complete! To fill out your survey online, visit the 2020 U.S. Census website.
Check out the District Tracker for the latest Data on COVID-19
Spring ISD is committed to providing parents accurate and timely information about COVID-19 in our schools and facilities.
Since the beginning of online classes on Aug. 17, the district has been tracking COVID-19 cases and is featuring that data on a special dashboard, located at www.springisd.org/covidtracker. The goal is to provide real-time information to our school community so that families and staff can have the latest data available.
Our tracker is updated whenever there is a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 in our district, with total cases within the past week and cumulative cases since Aug. 17, 2020 featured. Users can filter and hover to learn specific locations.
As part of our communications protocols, we’re notifying families whenever there is a positive case that involves students on a campus. The district is also reporting all of the data to the Texas Education Agency each week as required. The state is updating its website weekly.
In the coming weeks, the district is planning more improvements to the tracker to continue to refine and improve how it presents COVID-19 data so everyone can stay informed.