Russell Lee Elementary Austin, TX
Roadrunner Rundown: Summer 2023 Update
Greetings Roadrunner Families,
I hope that the summer has been going well for all members of your family! Here on campus we are continuing to prepare for the arrival of all of our staff whom are scheduled to return to work on Friday August 4th.
The purpose of this newsletter is to provide updates to help with planning for back to school with information on Meet the Teacher, supply lists, and to preview some opportunities to get involved on campus next year. There are also reminders related to school hours, the district calendar, and arrival and dismissal procedures.
Stay tuned for more announcements as the school year approaches and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Caitlin Sileo
Principal
Save the date for Meet the Teacher! Friday August 11th at 2:30pm-3:30pm
Class lists will be made available on this day. UPDATE 8.9: School supplies may be dropped off on this day in your student's classroom.
If you are not able to attend Meet the Teacher in person, contact information for your child's teacher will be shared on August 11th via email.
If you are new to Russell Lee Elementary this year, WELCOME! You have questions, we want to get you answers.
Following Meet the Teacher at 3:30pm, we will be hosting a new family orientation in the Auditorium to review campus procedures, introduce the Leadership team and Office staff, as well as field general questions from the group to assist your family in their transition to our school. We encourage all families to transition to the Meet the PTA event following this gathering to continue to meet more members of the community.
Incoming Kindergarten Families: you are invited to a gathering on July 29th from 9:30am until 11:00 am at the Russell Lee Elementary Playground. Come join us and get to meet some of your future classmates, fellow Kinder families, and possibly your new teachers! All are welcome and please email secretary@russellleepta.org to RSVP.
This year, we will continue to utilize the platform ParentSquare for internal school communications and announcements. Currently registered families only will have access to this platform as the school year begins. Homeroom class lists are rostered through our student information systems. Families will have access to campus newsletters, grade level updates and PTA announcements all through the Parentsquare platform to streamline communications on one application regardless of student grade level.
For those of you interested in learning more about this communication platform, here is a Getting Started video for caregivers. ParentSquare notifications can be tailored to your own personal preferences and many families opted-in for a "Daily Digest" email for all announcements to be in the same place.
Our on-campus Childcare Program is now a part of the Third Base Program managed by Austin ISD. More information can be found at their webpage, including the parent handbook outlining policies and procedures for their Aftercare program. Our licensed site supervisors roles will continue to be filled by Stephanie Ledesma and Jessica DeLaCruz and they can be contacted at stephanie.ledesma@austinisd.org and jessica.delacruz@austinisd.org.
The following programs are located locally here by the campus and do pick up in the afternoons. Their contact information is located below for your convenience.
Spilled Milk Social Club (512) 317- 6408
Hancock Recreation Center (512) 978- 2335
Our school day begins each day at 7:40am and ends at 3:10pm. Our doors are open for students to arrive beginning at 7:15am.
During morning arrival and afternoon dismissal, parents will not be permitted to enter the building. This is a districtwide commitment to ensure safety throughout all campuses. Staff will be on duty at both the Hampton Road entrance and Harris Avenue entrance to greet students and assist wherever needed during arrival. Students arriving between 7:15 and 7:30 who do not choose to eat breakfast will wait in grade level clusters in the auditorium monitored by an adult before being released to their classrooms.
In the afternoon, grade levels will dismiss from outside of the building at designated spots highlighted on our dismissal map. Students who attend Lee aftercare will report directly to the cafeteria and students who attend Spilled Milk and Hancock Recreation will be escorted by staff to their transportation.
Parents and caregivers will be permitted to visit campus after checking in with the front office through our Raptor system. We will begin to permit parents to have lunch with their students following the first two weeks of school so that routines and procedures can be established. There will also be other volunteer opportunities throughout the year to support our school, staff and students. We appreciate your support in keeping our students safe while in our care.
We encourage online meal benefit applications (for free or reduced price lunches) for quicker and more efficient processing. Online applications have gone live and are accessible by creating an account at www.SchoolCafe.com/AustinISD. Paper applications will be available in the front office as well.
All campuses will offer healthy à la carte Smart Snacks available for purchase. Students may purchase using cash or funds on their SchoolCafé account. Parents may set à la carte restrictions on a student's account by contacting their café manager.
Our cafeteria manager, Loren Wyatt, will be returning to work in August and his email is leecafe@austinisd.org .