Building a Legacy of Learning
August 25, 2019
Welcome Back Wildcats!
Dear Parents and /or Guardians:
I hope everyone had a great weekend! I also hope that everyone is relaxed, recharged, and ready to take on the new school year! We are thrilled to be starting the 2019 -2020 school year , and can't wait to see all of our new and returning Wildcats tomorrow morning!
Lamar Consolidated ISD's "Back to School Information" website is a great resource for you to reference for general back to school questions. Do you want to know what bus your child will ride? Do you need to complete beginning of the year forms? This website is a "one-stop-shop" for all back to school information. (https://www.lcisd.org/docs/default-source/students-parents-documents/general/2019-20-back-to-school.pdf?sfvrsn=2) In the event you are unable to find the answer to a question there, please feel free to contact the school so we can help.
Additionally, all Lamar Consolidated ISD families of new and returning students must complete beginning of the year forms. As of today 8/25, 95% of the forms are complete! Thank you for getting these done!
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.
For those who need access to a computer or the Internet, computers are available at Velasquez Monday – Friday, 7:15am – 3:45pm.
School Hours
7:30 a.m. - 2:40 p.m.
Front Office Hours
7:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Grades Kindergarten – Fifth Grade
7:00 a.m. 1st bell rings - Doors Open
7:00 – 7:20 a.m. – Students participate in learning activities in designated areas.
Breakfast is served – no breakfast after 7:25 a.m.
7:20 a.m. – 2nd bell rings. Students go to their classrooms.
7:25 a.m. – Announcements Begin
7:30 a.m. – Tardy Bell Rings
Students must be in the building and through the second set of double doors or they are considered tardy. Parents MUST park and bring their child into the building if safety patrol is not outside. This is for the safety of your child.
Pre-Kindergarten
Morning pre-kindergarten............. 7:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
7:30 students must be in the building or they are tardy.
Afternoon pre-kindergarten.........11:10 a.m. - 2:40 p.m.
11:10 a.m. Students must be in the building or they are tardy.
Upcoming Dates
As the excitement of starting a new school year approaches, we all know how busy everyone's schedules start to get. With that said, we want to make sure to share with you some important upcoming dates:
- August 26th - The First Day of School - Our doors open at 7:00 a.m. daily. On the first day of school we welcome all parents to walk their students to their classes. Only parents of Kindergarten and Pre-K students are allowed to walk students to class the first 3 days of school.The last day for Pre-K/Kindergarten parents to walk students to class is Wednesday, August 28th. Parents of PPCD/Pegasus students will work with teachers on drop off and pick-up. Our annual “Boo-Hoo/Wahoo” breakfast on the 1st day of school hosted by our PTO will be after morning drop off for Pre-K and Kindergarten parents in the Velasquez Elementary library.
- September 2: Labor Day Holiday (No School)
- September 5: Grandparent's Day Lunch for AM Pre-K, Kinder, 2nd and 3rd Grades
- September 5: Parent Orientation Night
5:30 p.m. General parent meeting with campus administration
Parent orientation session with your child's classroom teacher (Parents attend 1 session)
Session 1: 6:10 p.m. to 6:40 p.m.
Session 2: 6:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
- September 6: Grandparent's Day Lunch for PPCD/Pegasus, Pre-K PM, 1st, 4th, 5th Grades
- September 19: Watch D.O.G. Kickoff Night 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- September 24: Fall Picture Day
- September 26: Go Texan Day - Students dress in Country Western wear.
- September 27: Fort Bend County Fair Day (No School)
Be sure to read our Parent Handbook. A copy is attached to this newsletter as well as on our campus website at https://www.lcisd.org/campuses/velasquez/home.
It's going to be a memorable school year thanks to our faculty, staff, students, parents and community!
Brian Gibson,
William C. Velasquez Elementary Principal
Velasquez Parent Handbook 19.20
Lunch, Specials, and Recess
Breakfast/Lunch Updates
CEP
Velasquez Elementary now takes advantage of the Community Eligibility Provision non-pricing meal service option. This means that ALL students eat at no cost (breakfast and lunch) and free & reduced applications are not required. This does not include a la carte snack items or extras. We encourage you to make payments at https://www.schoolcafe.com/ if you want your child to purchase extras or a la carte snack items.Child Nutrition Bar Codes -New Procedure
In order for our cafeteria to run more efficiently in the mornings for breakfast and during lunch, we will be using student bar codes to easily scan students' code when getting breakfast and lunch. Teachers will keep their class' bar codes for lunch securely housed in their classrooms, and all students will receive a backpack luggage tag to affix to their backpacks for breakfast. Students will receive the backpack luggage tags the first week of school. If a student loses their backpack luggage tag it will cost $3.00 to replace.
Eating Breakfast or Lunch with Your Child/Dropping Off Lunch - New Procedure
On most days, you are welcome to eat breakfast or lunch with your child. If visiting for lunch, you will need sit at the end of the table with your child. You must park in the front parking lot and enter the front door to the office. You will be signed in using Raptor, and be given a pass to go the cafeteria. Due to rules pertaining to Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value, food brought in to the cafeteria may not be shared with other children. After breakfast or lunch, please say goodbye to your child in the cafeteria. This helps your child to transition quickly and allows them to be ready for learning activities as soon as they get to the classroom. Class lunch times are posted on the campus website. Breakfast is served 7:00 – 7:25 a.m. Parents dropping off lunch will be checked in at the front office and given a visitor’s pass for dropping off lunch. A grade level bin will be set up outside the cafeteria for you to put your child’s lunch in. Please make sure your child’s first and last name and grade level is placed on their lunch. Lunch duty teachers will check grade level bin before entering the cafeteria. If there is no lunch in the bin for your child, teachers will ask the student to get a tray lunch. The lunch schedule is posted on our website for your reference. If you are bringing lunch for your student, you need to have it in the bin before your child’s lunch period begins. Also, if you are having lunch with your child ensure you are on time, because students will leave the cafeteria on schedule.
2019 - 2020 Spirit Shirt Sales
The on-line store to order 2019-2020 spirit shirts has now closed. All shirts ordered will be delivered to the campus in early September. We'll inform you on how parents/students will receive shirts once they arrive in early September.
Morning Transportation Update 19.20
Morning Transportation
Following these procedures will assist students being dropped off safely and in a timely manner. Drop off is ONLY at the front of the school in the drive through lane. Students should not be dropped off on the side of Macek Rd. next to the bike racks or the grassy area. There is no adult supervision in this area and it is very dangerous. Entering in the back of the school interrupts the flow of the buses and is prohibited.
Front Drop Off:
· Drop off is only at the front of the school. For safety reasons, you may not drop off your child along side the school. Only buses and daycare vans may drop off at the back of the school.
· Stay in line and in your car. Parents may no longer park in the visitor parking lot and walk students across to the front door. This is for safety reasons.
· Pull up to the next numbered “Paw” or person located on the drive and sidewalk.
· Parents should be ready to let children out of the car as soon as you stop. Use of your cell phone is prohibited. Please help keep all students safe, and do not use your phone in the drop off line.
· Safety Patrol and adults assist the younger students to the door. Staff and Safety Patrol assist the students to the correct location once they are inside the building.
· As soon as your child is safely out of the car; pull forward and exit the line.
Walker Rainy Day Dismissal Changes for the 19-20 School Year
· If there is inclement weather, and you do not want your child to walk; make sure you notify the office by 2:00 p.m and indicate a change in transportation. If the weather becomes inclement at dismissal, walkers and bike riders will become car riders. We'll place on sign on the 2nd grade back door notifying parents walker students are in the car rider line and Great Wood Lakes students will remain in the car rider dismissal area. If parents walk to the school to pick up their child/ren on days where inclement weather happens AT dismissal, you MUST have a car rider sign with your child/ren's First/Last name and grade level to check your student out.
Parent Canvas Sign-In
Contact Information
William C. Velasquez Elementary
Sandra Glenn, Assistant Principal
Website: https://www.lcisd.org/campuses/velasquez/home
Location: 402 Macek Road, Richmond, TX, USA
Phone: 832-223-2600
Facebook: facebook.com/VelasquezES
Twitter: @VelasquezElem