Bee Cave Beehive
8.27.21
Dear Bobcats,
The first of the year has been so exciting and so busy! We are so happy to have your children here in person with us. As we continue to navigate through the year, my goal is to continue providing you with helpful information regarding school happenings and changes in process and procedures.
This past week I have had common questions asked when COVID notifications have gone out to our families. The following is to provide clarification for you with the notification process:
THE PROCESS IN THE CASE OF A COVID POSITIVE
When there is a COVID positive case we:
Send a Self-Isolate letter to the Family of the COVID positive student (from the Principal)
Send a Classroom Notification Letter to the parents of the students in the class with the COVID positive case (from the Principal)
On the principals behalf, the district sends a Campus Notification Letter of a COVID positive case.
*** Please note, if you receive the campus notification letter and have NOT received a classroom notification letter, then the COVID positive case was NOT in your child’s classroom.
If you DO receive the Classroom Notification Letter, then you have the choice to quarantine your child or keep them in school and monitor them for symptoms, as outlined on page 5 & 6 in the LTISD Safe Return to in-Person Protocols. PLEASE do NOT send your child to school if they are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, have had a temperature, vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours.
INSTRUCTIONAL OPTIONS DURING QUARANTINING
There is NOT a virtual option for learning during quarantining. If you are having to or choosing to quarantine your child, you will have to contact your child’s teacher for assignments.
ABSENCES, SPECIFICALLY AS A RESULT OF QUARANTINING
If your child has tested COVID positive and has to quarantine their absences will be considered excused absences.
If you are choosing to quarantine your child for safety or close contact reasons, these absences will also be counted as excused absences. Please know that regardless if your child’s absences are excused or unexcused, the attendance system auto generates absence letters. We will address these on an individual basis.
Sincerely,
Principal Kellner
#bobcatsgrowbettertogether
9/6/21.....................Student/Staff Holiday
9/16/21..................Curriculum Night Asynchronous K-5
9/24/21...................Student Holiday/Staff Development Day
10/7/21...................End of 1st 9 Weeks
10/8/21...................Student Holiday/Staff Development Day
10/11/21.................Student/Staff Holiday
10/12/21.................Start of the 2nd 9 Weeks
LTISD DISTRICT UPDATES 8/27/21
Dear Lake Travis ISD Staff, Parents and Guardians,
After approximately three hours of public comment, the Lake Travis school board received several updates from senior staff and me regarding mask orders and pending litigation, COVID-19 positive cases in our schools, and a status report on our transportation services during a special called meeting held Thursday evening August 26. Upon returning from closed session, no changes were made to the District’s current mask optional protocol.
Perspective and emotions as they pertain to face coverings and the District’s response to COVID-19 varied greatly among our community as evidenced by the more than 100 public comments received during the meeting. As previously communicated, we are awaiting the results of legal proceedings challenging the authority of state, county and local officials who have issued conflicting orders regarding face coverings. In the meantime, we believe we are legally mandated to follow Governor Greg Abbott’s current executive order.
While we will continue to respect and support personal choice, we strongly encourage all staff, students and families to wear a mask while inside and on campus in an effort to mitigate current community spread of the virus. Furthermore, in accordance with our safety protocols, we encourage you to keep your child home if he or she is exhibiting COVID-like symptoms and consider getting him or her tested. Should your child test positive, please contact your campus accordingly. We have asked the same of our staff.
Additionally, in an effort to maintain a safe environment for our staff and students, we will continue to limit visitors from coming on campus. This will be re-evaluated following each change in our current stage under Austin Public Health’s COVID-19 RIsk-Based Guidelines. The health of our school community is of utmost importance, and we hope these measures will help to keep our schools safe and operational. We will continue to evaluate local conditions and trends frequently and may adjust our protocols accordingly.
On behalf of our school board, administration and staff, I appreciate your understanding and support.
Sincerely,
Paul Norton
Superintendent of Schools
VISITORS
Per the communication from Mr. Norton above, we will not have visitors on campus at this time. This means that we will not have parents join children for lunch and we will have no volunteers at this time. Previously scheduled in person parent meetings like GT meeting, library volunteer meeting, PTO meetings will be held virtually. ARDs and 504 meetings will continue to be offered virtually, but parents requesting in person meetings for ARD or 504 meetings can certainly be accommodated. Field trips and assemblies are on hold at this time as well.
Morning Assembly/ Morning Announcements/Morning Class Meetings/Student Broadcast
BCE School Hours
Class Start Time: 7:40am
Dismissal Time: 3:00pm
Communication with Bee Cave Elementary Staff
Communication is a top priority for the BCE community. For classroom concerns, please begin by speaking directly to the teacher. Teachers have limited phone and email access while they are with your child. Our standard response time is within 24 hours. If a concern requires immediate attention from a campus administrator, contact assistant principal, Ashley Nauta at nautaa@ltisdschools.org or counselor Courtney Trimmer at trimmerc@ltisdschools.org . When scheduling a meeting with Principal Kellner, please contact her administrative assistant, Susan Hart, at harts@ltisdschools.org.
LUNCH INFORMATION
Kindergarten.......11:35 - 12:05
1st Grade............10:25 to 10:55
2nd Grade...........11:00 to 11:30
3rd Grade............12:05 to 12:35
4th Grade............12:40 to 1:10
5th Grade..............1:10 to 1:40
Please visit the Bee Cave website to access the district’s Food and Nutrition (FANS) website to add money to your child’s lunch account, view your child’s purchases, access the daily menu, and to set restrictions for your child’s lunch. It is not permissible for the cafeteria and school staff to restrict your child’s purchases. Please take the time to review the FANS site and establish your child’s lunch account. It is suggested that all students have an account with a few days credit on it in case lunches or money are misplaced or forgotten.
BIRTHDAYS
To celebrate Bobcat birthdays, the classroom teacher will provide the student with a special birthday ticket that entitles him/her to a free, yummy, healthy treat from the cafeteria during lunchtime. (Summer birthdays or birthdays falling on other days that are not school days will be recognized so that no one is left out of the fun!)
We are mindful of parents' concerns about food being shared which is why we celebrate with the special lunch treats in the cafeteria in lieu of cupcakes, cakes, flowers, gifts being distributed in the birthday Bobcat's classroom.
CLASSROOM PARTIES
Want to be in the know? Want to be first in line for fun? Then tell your Bobcat's classroom teacher that you want to be a Class Parent. As a Class Parent, you are included in helping to organize classroom events.
Usually parents are contacted by the classroom teacher and/or Class Parents when it's time to have a class party. Our class parties are held on our official food exemption days. Therefore, it is permissible for the students to enjoy fun snacks, games, and gifts that make those days such fun.
Our food exemption days for possible class parties/celebrations are: October 21, December 15, February 4, February 11, May 26, and May 27.
CAMPUS SECURITY
Safety and security is our top priority. We believe relationships are critical to successful schools, and ultimately, our families and students are the best partners in keeping our campuses safe. Our principals and school administrators investigate every reported tip or threat. We work with law enforcement and take quick and appropriate action, including notifying families, if there is a valid danger on campus.
We ask all of our families and students to please share any information regarding school or student safety by either directly contacting a school staff member or by using the Cavs Who Care Tip Line, our anonymous alert system. As LTISD grows, we will continue to explore and collaborate with other school districts to find new ways to improve safety and security at our campuses.
Standard Response Protocol
A critical ingredient in the safe school recipe is the classroom response to an incident at school. Weather events, fire, accidents, intruders and other threats to student safety are scenarios that are planned and trained for by students, teachers, staff and administration.
LTISD is expanding its safety program to include the Standard Response Protocol. The SRP is based on these five actions: Lockout, Lockdown, Evacuate, Shelter and Hold. In the event of an emergency, the action and appropriate direction will be announced on the PA system.
Students and staff will be trained and the school will practice these drills over the course of the school year.
Absences
Consistent school attendance is critical for the development of your child. When they miss school, we miss them! The entire school day is needed to deliver the full instructional program. Students need to come to school and attend the full day unless they have fever, a communicable disease, or family emergency. Help us communicate the importance of daily attendance to your child and schedule necessary appointments around school hours. When an absence is necessary, report the absence using School Dismissal Manager. For questions regarding attendance concerns, e-mail the registrar, Pam Mylius-Anderson at myliusandersonp@ltisdschools.org. A note explaining any absence is required upon the student’s return to school.
A message from our nurse, April Hicks
Nurse Hicks is our full time nurse at BCE! She will assist you in keeping your child’s medication locked and stored in the nurse’s office. Refer to the Student Handbook for specific information on medications at school.
When to Keep your Bobcat Home from School
Please keep your child home from school if any of these conditions exist:
- Temperature above 100 degrees F
- Vomiting or diarrhea
- Eye redness and/or drainage
- Undiagnosed rash anywhere on the body
- Severe sore throat or headache
- Persistent untreated cough
- Head lice that has not been treated
It is important to remember that schools are required to exclude students with certain illnesses from school for periods of time as identified in state rules. For example, if your child has a fever over 100 degrees, he or she must stay out of school until fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications. In addition, students with vomiting or diarrheal illnesses must stay home until they no longer are vomiting or have diarrhea (without the use of medications) for at least 24 hours.
Students with bacterial pink-eye must be treated with antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school. Consult with your physician for information about how long to keep students home from school for other illnesses.
If your child is diagnosed with a communicable illness such as flu, strep throat, pink-eye, chicken pox, staph/MRSA infection, any reportable illness, or any vaccine-preventable illness, please let your school nurse know.
LTISD COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
The Lake Travis Independent School District (LTISD) continues to respond and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The health and safety of our school community is of utmost importance as we continue to closely monitor COVID-19 conditions in our community. Please refer to our Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Instruction Plan that will be in effect for the 2021-2022 school year.
On August 6, 2021, the District announced a temporary online learning option for LTISD students in grades K-6. This opportunity is only available for in-District students. Online learning will be available at least through the fall semester and will be reevaluated and extended as necessary.
The District will continue to implement a number of strategies to address the impact of COVID-19 on student learning and mental health. This includes the use of evidence-based interventions to address learning loss and investments in additional support for students’ social emotional learning and behavioral needs.
Our special COVID-19 health and safety protocols may be viewed here.
Updated 2021-2022 LTISD Instructional Calendar
A HUGE thank you to our BCE PTO!
* snacks for our teachers
* luncheons for our teachers
* ongoing support for instructional materials
* cut and do for teachers
* organizing parent pick up for fundraiser and other items
* coffee for teachers
* pies for teachers
* holiday bfast
* holiday cookie grab
* keeping our marquee up to date
* organized the spirit nights with vendors
* Bobcats Cook
* support with the One Community, One School, One Book
* organization and support the Book Writers Contest
* organization and management of The BCE Talent Show
* organization and preparation of the daily treats for Teacher Appreciation week
* organization and finalizing of the outdoor classroom fence
* our fall fundraiser that raised money towards our new sound system in the gym. (The sound system is installed and ready to go for the fall. Sound absorption panels are on the way for the gym as well!), and
AND SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much more!
WE APPRECIATE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From Our Amazing PTO
Dear Parents,
The BCE PTO newsletter is automatically sent out to everyone who has an active account on our PTO website, bcepto.com. If you haven't yet registered or need to update your information, please do! You won't want to miss out on all the important updates for PTO meetings, volunteer opportunities, fundraisers, and more!
Need Tech Support? Here is where to go.
Skyward Questions skyward@ltisdschools.org
Schoology schoology@ltisdschools.org
Technology issues - password resets, computer issues 512 533 6545
Technology webpage https://www.ltisdschools.org/Domain/27
TEA on Minimum Standard Health Protocols on Visits to Schools During Campus Closures
https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/health-safety-discipline/covid/minimum-standard-health-protocols-for-school-employees-in-school-building-during-campus-closuresBee Cave Elementary
Website: https://www.ltisdschools.org/Domain/12
Location: 14300 Hamilton Pool Road, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-533-6250
Twitter: @BCEBobcats