Stephens Stallions Newsletter
October 30, 2022
Coming Up at USE
- Monday, October 31st - Book Character Dress Up Day; Book Character Parade at 8:45am
- Tuesday, November 1st and 2nd- 4th Grade Field Trip (OLC)
- Thursday, November 3rd - Volunteer Workday
- Thursday, November 3rd through Sunday, November 6th - No Homework Weekend
- Friday, November 4th - Student Holiday - NO SCHOOL
- Thursday, November 10th - 5th Grade Field trip (Mayde Creek High School - Play)
- Friday, November 11th - PTA Spirit Night at Freddy's
Make sure you are connected to Stephens Elementary on Remind so you receive all of our updates! Click here to sign up today!
Book Character Parade - October 31st
All parents are welcome to watch the students parade. It will take place outside the building. Students will be showing off the book characters they love!.
Flu Season Reminders
Parents/Guardians:
With flu season hitting early this year, the clinic staff wanted to provide the families of Stephens Elementary with some important information regarding staying healthy during this flu season.
To prevent widespread flu in the school, we recommend that your child stay home from
school if experiencing flu or cold symptoms. To decide whether to send your child to school,
please consider the following guidelines:
Keep your child at home for treatment and observation if he or she has any of these
symptoms:
- Fever‐greater than 100°F and your child should stay home until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever. This should be determined without the use of fever‐reducing medicines (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen).
- Vomiting (even once)
- Diarrhea
- Chills
- General malaise or feelings of fatigue, discomfort, weakness, or muscle aches
- Frequent cough
- Lots of nasal congestion with frequent blowing of nose
To help prevent the flu and other colds, teach your children good hygiene habits:
- Wash hands frequently
- Do not touch eyes, nose, or mouth
- Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing. Using a paper tissue, throw it away and then wash hands
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
It is recommended everyone 6 months of age and older get a seasonal flu vaccine each year. Consult your family doctor for recommendations on which flu vaccine to get.
For more information on where to find a flu vaccine near you, use the link below:
https://www.flu.com/Vaccine-Finder#
For additional information please contact your healthcare provider or campus nurse.
Sara Burke, RN
Campus Nurse – Stephens Elementary
P: 281.234.0225
F: 281.644.1681
Kids Heart Challenge
Hello Stephens Elementary Families,
We have officially kicked off the Kids Heart Challenge adventure with the American Heart Association, and we need your help! Over the next few weeks students will be learning about their heart, raising awareness and funds for the American Heart Association. Our school's goal is to raise $3,500.00 in donations and for every student to complete Finn's Mission.
PARENTS – HERE’S HOW TO GET STARTED
Step 1. Visit our school’s Kids Heart Challenge page:
Step 2. Complete Finn’s Mission – this will be your map!
Your student will collect gems along the way, including their own Heart Heroes and more. You can check these out on the KHC letter your student brought home.
If we reach our goal of $3,500 then Coach O will dress up as a dragon!
Enhancing Educational Supports For EB Students
Katy ISD Tax Rate Election
Early Voting Oct. 24th - Nov. 4th
What is a TRE?
Katy ISD's Tax Rate Election is designed to generate additional revenue through the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) portion of the school district tax rate to fund teacher and staff pay raises. The TRE asks voters to sustain the current school district tax rate of $1.35. Sustaining the tax rate means that the tax rate residents are paying today, would be the same school district tax rate residents would pay, should the TRE pass.
ReThink SEL
NOW AVAILABLE FOR PARENTS TO USE
As part of the ever expanding ReThink SEL program, parents will now have access to lessons and learning your student is taking part in during the school day.
Using your parent login, you can:
Access videos for your own growth and for your child’s growth.
Help your child with social skills and goal setting.
Improve your child’s communications skills, decision -making skills and ability to relate to others.
To register for a free account, scan the QR code and complete the registration form.
Questions… please contact our counselor and Rethink Guru, Mrs. Oberg
If you missed the presentation from Rethink SEL at Family Fitness Night, click on the link below to watch!
SchoolStore Fundraiser
Hello Parents,
It isn't too late for your child to participate in our SchoolStore Fundraiser! Check out the link below to sign up - students can still earn their participation prize. This fundraiser is a safe and easy way for our school to raise funds for essential tools our students and teachers need to succeed. So far, students have raised just over $1,000 for our school and teachers have received almost $10,000 to spend on their classrooms.
The SchoolStore fundraiser is 100% online so there is NO face-to-face selling, handling money, or delivering products. Your participation will take less than 12 minutes, and there are exciting prizes to make it fun for the students.
Here is all you need to do to participate:
1. Go to https://www.schoolstore.net/sid.t?0000360721 to sign up.
2. Send form emails inviting family, friends and co-workers to support your child.
3. Return the Envelope with the Student Prize Code (or write it on a piece of paper) to school for your child to get their fun participation prize.
Your participation will make a difference for our school and teachers!
Thanks,
Stephens Elementary School
Replacement ID's and Lanyards
If your student lost their ID and or lanyard, you can purchase one via Pay N Go.
Scan the QR code for purchase.
Our next volunteer workday of the 22-23 school year is coming up on Thursday, November 3rd. We invite you to register as a volunteer and help our teachers with projects that will benefit our students. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Katy ISD is excited to announce the implementation of the District’s Raptor Volunteer Initiative for the upcoming school year.
Beginning October 1, the district will require all volunteers serving on campus during the instructional day to register with the district through its Raptor security system.
Raptor ensures quick and easy volunteer registration allowing individual volunteers to create and manage a personal volunteer profile.
In addition, the Raptor Volunteer Initiative will:
- Provide an additional layer of protection for Katy ISD students, staff, volunteers, and campus visitors
- Unite all district volunteers into one Katy ISD volunteer community
- Measure and communicate the positive impact of Katy ISD volunteer organizations
The volunteer registration requirement will extend to all volunteers serving on or off-campus, during or after the instructional day effective January 4.
Join our volunteer community and register today!
Volunteer Application-English
Volunteer Application -Spanish
PurposeFull People Trait for October - Responsibility
This month students are learning about Responsibility on the morning announcements and through Ms. Oberg's guidance lessons. Responsibility means taking action and understanding the impact of your choices. During October, we are also learning about Anti-Bullying practices. Students are being taught ways to prevent and stand-up to bullying. It's everyone's responsibility, big and small to take an active part against bullying.
We have a limited supply of devices that may be checked out for home use for students that do not have access to a device at home. Please fill out the form below to let the library know you need a device. Devices must be returned at the end of the school year.
Review of Previous News
Our goal this year is to ensure that every student attends school regularly and is on time. We have had an excessive number of students arriving after the tardy bell rings at 8:30am. Students are expected to be in the building no later than 8:30am, as this is the start of instruction.
Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life.
We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. But, we also know that when students miss too much school— regardless of the reason – it can cause them to fall behind academically. Your child is less likely to succeed if he or she is chronically absent—which means missing 18 or more days over the course of an entire school year. Research shows:
- Children chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade.
- By 6th grade, chronic absence is a proven early warning sign for students at risk for dropping out of school.
- By 9th grade good attendance can predict graduation rates even better than 8th grade test scores.
Absences can add up quickly. A child is chronically absent if he or she misses just two days every month!!
New School Hours & Important Reminders
For the 2022-2023 school year , Stephens Elementary will see a slight adjustment to our bell schedule. The adjusted elementary bell schedule will help alleviate transportation challenges related to route times and driver shortages.
Parent Drop-off Begins: 8:10am (there is no supervision prior to this time)
Building Open to Students; Breakfast Service Begins: 8:10am
First Bell - Pledges, Morning Announcements Begin: 8:23am
Tardy Bell - Students arriving must sign in at the front office: 8:30am
Dismissal: 3:40pm
Transportation Changes: Transportation changes must be received in writing by 2:45pm. Please send an email stating the change desired to USECommunications@katyisd.org and include a copy of your photo ID.
Early Pick-up: Picking up students before the end of the school day will result in a partial-day absence. If your student has a doctor, dentist, or other medical appointment, please provide documentation from the provider to the front office upon return. Students needing to be picked up early for afternoon / after school appointments must be picked up prior to 3:10pm.
Volunteers & Raptor Registration
Katy ISD is excited to announce the implementation of the District’s Raptor Volunteer Initiative for the upcoming school year. Beginning October 1, the district will require all volunteers serving on campus during the instructional day to register with the district through its Raptor security system.
Raptor ensures quick and easy volunteer registration allowing individual volunteers to create and manage a personal volunteer profile. In addition, the Raptor Volunteer Initiative will:
- Provide an additional layer of protection for Katy ISD students, staff, volunteers, and campus visitors
- Unite all district volunteers into one Katy ISD volunteer community
- Measure and communicate the positive impact of Katy ISD volunteer organizations
Once registered and approved, individual volunteers can:
- • Submit and track hours via their volunteer profile for every Katy ISD campus at which they volunteer
- The system also provides quick and easy submission of individual off-campus volunteer hours
The volunteer registration requirement will extend to all volunteers serving on or off-campus, during or after the instructional day effective January 4.
Join our volunteer community and register today!
Home Access Center
Parents can log on to the Home Access Center to view their student’s grades, assignments and various other details about their school work. This is also how you can view your child’s homeroom teacher on Monday morning. There is also an edit feature where parents can update phone numbers and email addresses. This year, parents will be expected to electronically sign progress reports and report cards through Home Access Center. If you need assistance getting logged in, please see the attached directions below.
Cashless Campus Initiative
This year we will be encouraging the use of non-cash payments for many school events, spirit wear, and field trips. Payments will be accepted through Katy ISD's Pay N' Go service by linking a credit/debit card or bank account. There are no additional transaction fees when using Pay N' Go. Please contact the front office if you have any questions.
2022-2023 Free Campus Meals
We are pleased to inform you that Stephens Elementary is eligible to participate in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) school nutrition program called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The provision enables all students at CEP eligible campuses to receive FREE breakfast and lunch meals throughout the 2022-23 school year.
My student will be attending a CEP eligible campus this coming school year (2022-2023). What does this mean for my student?
All students attending a CEP eligible campus will receive a FREE breakfast and lunch during the 2022-2023 instructional school year. Students attending a CEP eligible school do not have to pay a fee or submit a Meals Benefits/Free & Reduced meals application in order to receive FREE meals. However, please keep in mind that a la carte options available through Katy ISD campus cafeterias are not eligible for the program and still require purchase through a Cafeteria Payments Pay N’ Go account.
Should you have any questions regarding your child’s CEP eligible campus and the availability of FREE meals for the 2022-2023 school year, please contact the Nutrition and Food Service Department at nutritionandfoodservices@katyisd.org or 281-396-6240.
Safety Reminder: Morning Drop Off
- Please drop off students by waiting in the drop-off line. Parking in the front is for parents who either have a scheduled appointment or need to conduct business on campus, not for drop-off. Having extra people crossing traffic in our drop-off line is hazardous.
- Please remind your students to exit on the sidewalk side of your vehicle and remain on the sidewalk.
- Be patient. We all have busy lives but safety is our top priority.
Reminder about Water Bottles
Water bottles that are sent to school for use during the instructional day should only be filled with water. Spills can happen and cleaning up sugary or colored drinks from carpets and furniture is more time consuming for our limited custodial staff. If water bottles are found to contain something other than water, teachers will hold the bottle and send it home at the end of the day. Students will be able to access drinking fountains for proper hydration when needed. Thank you for your cooperation.
Attention Parents of Car Riders - PM Dismissal
Before School Computer Lab - 7:40am
Students will be met at the front entrance by a staff member at 7:40am and will be supervised in the computer lab. Please be sure to arrive on time.
Dreambox & Reflex Math
*Before School Computer Lab will begin on Tuesday, September 6th*
Safety First!
- Transportation changes must be submitted to the front office before 2:45pm. You may send a note with your child in the morning or send an email to USECommunications@katyisd.org with your photo ID attached.
- Students needing to be picked up early for afternoon / after school appointments must be picked up prior to 3:10pm. Please bring your photo ID any time you are entering the campus.
- Car Rider Dismissal: Please practice courtesy and patience when picking up students in the afternoon. We form one line on the right side of the driveway in order to allow room for buses and daycare vans to use the left lane to enter the pickup area. Please do not attempt to use the left lane to get a better spot in line. Also, please do not block crosswalks or intersections. Finally, please pull up as close as you can to the car in front of you so we can reduce the backup onto Fry Road. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our students safe!
- Please slow down! While we are set back off of Fry Road, we care about our students and staff safety. Please limit your speed when driving on campus to 15mph.
Parent/Guardian Lunch Visitors
Please arrive 10 minutes before your assigned time to allow for check-in. Each parent/guardian may choose one day per week to eat lunch with their child. If there is additional demand, we may need to adjust this number. Thank you for your cooperation.
2022-2023 District Immunization Clinics
Katy ISD is offering school immunization clinics in August and throughout the 22-23 school year. These immunizations will be offered at the Katy ISD Educational Support Complex Professional Development Annex. See the dates and times below.
Edulog Bus Tracking System
The Katy ISD Transportation Department is excited to communicate that all 2022 – 2023 route buses are equipped with GPS systems. With the GPS systems, parents, campuses and transportation personnel are able to track buses in real-time through a downloadable application from Edulog. For parents and patrons having children who are eligible for transportation services in Katy ISD, the link below contains information on how to download the application. Our campus code is: 39554682.
Box Tops for Education
Stephens Elementary
Website: www.katyisd.org/campus/use
Location: 2715 Fry Road, Katy, TX, USA
Phone: 281-234-0200
Facebook: facebook.com/usestallions
Twitter: @usestallions