Oak Hill Observer

Hello, Wonderful Oak Hill Community! As we approach the start of the new school year, I wanted to give everyone an update on our preparations for welcoming back our beautiful students in just a few short weeks. If you are new to the Oak Hill community, welcome! We can't wait to get to know you this year. To our returning students and families, we are so excited to see you again and hear all about your summer adventures. I've got a good feeling about this year!

As I'm sure you've seen, there are staffing shortages for schools all over and the challenge is real. We got some good leads from the recent letter we sent and are still working on staffing. I'll share more information about our teachers and staff after school begins. We have some outstanding folks leading our classrooms this year and I am so looking forward to the good work that we'll do together this year!

In addition to staffing, another area of concern for many is general school safety. Maintaining a safe and positive learning environment for our students is our top priority. This means that we'll continue with some of the practices we put in place during the pandemic and change a few as well. It is important to us that our safety protocols are in place AND that our students, families, and staff continue to feel a positive and welcoming environment each day. Please see the section below for more details on safety during the school year.

We are looking forward to an outstanding year! Our dedicated teachers have been hard at work, even over the summer, thinking about new and exciting lessons for their students and our new essential area schedule with PE every day. Not only will our students benefit from daily physical activity but will actually receive even more art and music instruction than they have in previous years! Just to note, students should wear tennis shoes to school everyday as they will have PE class Monday through Friday.

We hope everyone can join us on August 11th from 11:30-1:00 pm for Meet the Teacher. You can drop off supplies, get first day information, walk your student to their classroom and then go outside to enjoy an ice pop and see friends or meet new people. Please note that the classrooms will not be fully decorated as our teachers will have been in training for 3 days prior to the 11th. PTA will be in the cafeteria, so be sure to stop by and pick up your school shirt if you ordered one, join the PTA, learn about volunteer opportunities and donate to our no hassle fundraiser. Since parents are not allowed on campus for arrival or dismissal, which includes the first day of school, this event will be your only chance to see your child's classroom and meet their teacher.

The Oak Hill Observer is our school newsletter. This year we will be sending them out on Fridays and unless timely information needs to be shared, they will come out every other week. If you are new to Oak Hill, the newsletters will automatically come your way after the first day of school. Please know that not all of the weekly newsletters will be this lengthy! Take a moment (or several) to read through the different sections for information about school safety information (including arrival, dismissal and visitors on campus), first day information, and COVID Health and Safety Updates. Please take note of the upcoming dates below as we gear up for the start of the year.

You will hear from your new teacher on Wednesday, Aug 10th at 3:30 by email. Be on the lookout! We cannot wait to see you on August 15th to kick off an AMAZING year at Oak Hill Elementary School!

• August 8th: Teachers and Staff Return
• August 10th: Teacher welcome emails to Students/Families (3:30pm)
• August 11- Meet the Teacher 11:30-1:00
• August 15 - First Day of School! (Yes, it's on Monday!)
  
• September 5 - Labor Day Holiday (No School for students/staff)
• September 28-29 - Parent/Teacher Conference Nights

Classroom Teachers will send a welcome email to students late the afternoon of August 10th to the email address parents provided during registration. Please make sure you have updated your email in the parent portal if it has recently changed. On Thursday, August 11th from 11:30am-1:00 pm we welcome all students to come meet their teacher. We ask that you limit your classroom visit time to 10-15 minutes and be mindful of the number of people in the room. Please know that requests for classroom changes will only be considered under very rare circumstances.

August 15th, 2022

Here is a quick outline of some things to expect on the first day of school. This list is not exhaustive but does cover major points you will need to know for the first day of school.

SAFETY:

First and foremost, safety is our priority. Due to recent events, beginning on the first day, parents and guardians will not be allowed to walk their child to class per district guidance. Volunteers and visitors are always welcome after arrival, but they must always sign in at the front office first (you must have your license ready to scan).

REGISTRATION:

• Please do not wait until August 15th to register! Our registrar, Ms. Cardona, is on campus from 7:15-3:00 to assist you before August 15th!

• If your child is not fully registered, they will not be placed in a classroom until that process is complete. Make sure you to turn in all required documents.

• On Aug 15, our front office staff will begin helping with new registrants or those that need assistance finishing registration at 8:00 am.

• We ask that you wait until 8:00 am so that our staff can help with arrival, we can avoid overcrowding in the office and allow our staff and students to start their day.

ARRIVAL:

In the morning:

• NOTE: School starts at 7:40.

• We will open our doors at 7:10 am for breakfast.

• ALL students get dropped off at the main building prior to 7:30am.

• if your child is being dropped off by car, you will enter into the front drive. Please pull up along the front drive and there will be staff to open doors and welcome your student inside.

• There may be tears and that is ok! We promise that your student will be loved and well taken care of and will come home with lots of fun and exciting stories from the day!

• We do ask that as parents, if your child is upset, to understand that sometimes it is harder for the student if parents linger. We respectfully ask that you say your goodbye, then allow our teachers and staff to assist to make sure your student has an amazing day!

PK and K Arrival:

• Since parents will not be allowed inside the building, PK and K teachers will be outside waiting to greet their new learners and parents. We will have multiple staff members ready to escort students to their supervised classrooms to begin their day.
• While students await for their teacher, they will be supervised by and get to meet one of our amazing essential area teachers or counselors.
• You will need to drop your PK/K student off at the annex side door between 7:30 and 7:45 so that the teachers can return to their classroom by 7:45 and begin the day of learning with their new students.
• At 7:45 PK/K teachers will be replaced by other staff members to receive students arriving late. We know on the first day things may take a little longer and it will be much busier than normal days. We appreciate your patience!

DISMISSAL:

In the afternoon:

• Students will have staggered times for dismissal. We will start releasing students around 3:00 at the beginning of the year as it generally takes longer to learn the systems.

• All students waiting to be picked up by car will wait by grade level cones and be called once their guardian is present to pick them up

• if your child is being picked up by car, you will enter into the front drive. Please pull up along the front drive, stay in your car, and wait for your student(s) to be called. Make sure you display your car pick up sign in the window.

• If your child is being picked up by you walking up to building, you must pick up at the gym door. There will be staff helping and calling names for students to be dismissed to guardians. On the first day, this area tends to be VERY busy and many times your child has not been dismissed yet to this area. PLEASE be patient!

• All students who are not picked up by 3:20 will be guided to the office while parents are called.

We ask for grace and patience as we navigate through the first week or two. In all interactions, staff and parents alike, we are modeling valuable life skills for our students and children. We are always happy to help and assist and we appreciate your understanding and support as well.

Arrival:

• The front doors will open for arrival and breakfast at 7:10am. Staff will be stationed at all entry doors during arrival.
• We will continue to have a secure morning arrival with families/caregivers saying goodbye before students enter the building. Parents/Caregivers may walk students to the front porch of the main building or to the side gate of the annex to give hugs and say goodbye. Staff members will be outside and inside ready to greet, welcome, and support our students as they enter the building.
• IMPORTANT: There is NO parking in the drive in front of the school or in the annex car lane between 7:00 - 8:00 am. These lanes are reserved for drop off only. If you'd like to walk your child to the front door, please park on the street (School Rd. ONLY) and walk to the drop off area together. Parking is NOT ALLOWED on Patton Ranch Rd. Thank you!

Exterior Doors/Gates:

• I will complete a safety walk of our campus next week, noting each exterior door and locking mechanism.
• All exterior doors will remain locked at all times during the school day, including doors that lead to the playground areas. Portable classroom doors will also remain fully locked all day.
• All gates to the OHE grounds will be locked from 7:45-3:10 daily.
• Staff will check each exterior door every evening and morning to ensure they are locked and secure.

Interior Doors:

• All interior classroom doors in the annex will remain opened but locked throughout the day. This allows students to be able to go in and out for the restroom and not get locked out of the classroom.
• The interior double doors to the main building classrooms will remain locked throughout the day.
• The interior door to the teacher work room will remain locked throughout the day.

Dismissal:

• We will continue to split dismissal locations between the annex and the main building.
• PreK and Kinder students will be escorted to the front porch by their teachers.
• 1st - 5th Grades will be escorted to the front porch for dismissal.
• Bus riders will be escorted by their teacher to their bus during dismissal.
• IMPORTANT: Families, please keep the bus lane on the side of the school clear.

Visitors:

• Visitors are welcome at Oak Hill!
• The main front doors are the only entry doors to the campus for visitors. The door buzzer/office communicator is on the left side wall by the front doors. Please push the button to communicate with the office and, once verified, we will buzz you in to the building.
• All visitors MUST sign in at the front office upon arrival AND sign out at the front office when leaving. Please remember to bring your photo ID with you every time when visiting campus.
• IMPORTANT: Families, please do not ask a staff member to hold a side or back door for you to enter the building. All students, parents, and visitors must enter through the front entry doors. Thank you!

Staff Training, Campus Drills, and Threat Assessment

• Our staff will be trained on safety prior to students entering the building.
• We will review safety plans and practices throughout the year.
• We will continue to hold all required safety drills with out students. Most of the drills will be announced drills so our students aren't surprised or alarmed by them.
• Oak Hill has an established threat assessment team comprised of administration, counseling and teaching staff. All members of the team have received Threat Assessment training from Texas State. Licensed Mental Health Providers and School Resource Officers are on call to assist when needed.

Phew! I know that's a lot to digest, but wanted everyone to know we're prepared for a strong, safe, and productive year.

Registration is being held the first week in August! If you know a family who still needs to register, please have them reach out so we can support them in the process. For more information on registration, please click HERE.

District Update:

Beginning in June, Food Service resumed pre pandemic operations, affecting which schools and students are eligible for free meals. The Department of Agriculture pandemic-related waivers that allowed us to provide free meals for all students, as well as free summer and afterschool meals at any school, expired at the end of the 2021-22 school year.

• All students will no longer automatically receive free breakfast and lunch.

• Students may be determined eligible for free or reduced-price meals through a variety of ways, outlined below.

• Beginning on the first day of school, students will dine using their current meal status - free, reduced-price, or paid. There is no 30-day grace period like in the past.

• We encourage families to complete a meal benefit application prior to the start of school to avoid accruing any negative balances.

• Students may add funds to their account by bringing cash to the cafeteria or caregivers may make online payments through their SchoolCafé account. Online payments are subject to a processing fee.

• If students exhaust their meal accounts, they may charge meals at any meal service as follows:

• Students in elementary and middle school may charge up to three meals.

• Students in high school may charge up to two meals.

• Once a student reaches their charge limit, if the account is not replenished, the student shall receive a courtesy meal, their choice of the available menu items for that day. We do not pull trays or provide an alternative meal. There is no limit to the number of courtesy meals a student may receive.

• We will notify caregivers of any negative meal account balances.

• 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.

Free Meal Eligibility:

Students may receive free meals by meeting one of the following criteria:

• Directly certified through state-funded benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

• Directly certified through foster care; migrant, homeless, or runaway programs; Head Start, or state-sponsored pre-K programs.

• Determined eligible by completing a free or reduced-price meal benefits application.

Meal Benefit Applications:

• We encourage online meal benefit applications for quicker and more efficient processing. Online applications will go live in July, accessible by creating an account at www.SchoolCafe.com/AustinISD.

• In August, schools will have paper applications available.

The following arrival and dismissal procedures are our daily procedures. This EXCLUDES the first day of school. Please see the information above about for first day procedures.

Arrival and dismissal at Oak Hill can be hectic, but if we all follow these simple guidelines, we will be able to manage the traffic smoothly and safely.

MORNING ARRIVAL:

Main building:

The main building will be open beginning at 7:10am. From 7:10-7:30, ALL students should be dropped off at main building and go to the blacktop (1st-5th grades) and the cafeteria (PK-K), where they will be supervised until they are released to classrooms at 7:30a. Students eating breakfast should go straight to the cafeteria. The classroom hallways will open at 7:30 am. Students need to be into their classrooms and ready to begin promptly at 7:40. The circle drive will have staff to greet cars. Parents may walk students to the door (front porch) or gate (side entrance), but not into the building.

Annex building:

The annex doors will not open until 7:30 am. Annex students should be dropped off at main building prior to this time, following instructions above. Students in the annex will then be escorted to the annex at the appropriate time. PK/Kindergarten students should be walked or driven to the annex side door if they arrive AFTER 7:30 am. Students need to be in their classrooms and ready to begin promptly at 7:40. Parents may walk students to the side gate, but not into the building.

FRONT CIRCLE DROP OFF

• There is ONLY one line of traffic for drop offs at the front porch.

• Please do not go around other cars. There should be one line exiting out of the circle drive.

• Watch for pedestrians at all times.

• Pull all the way forward.

• All cars need to pull forward so student helpers/staff can open car door.

• Students should exit car through door closest to school and walk along the sidewalk.

SIDE OF SCHOOL DROP OFF

• If dropping off on the side, stay to the right and drive along the sidewalk.

• Watch for pedestrians at all times. MANY students and adults are crossing the parking lot in this area.

• Pull all the way forward and stop where directed by staff.

• Students should exit car through door closest to school and walk along the sidewalk.

• Annex drop off: pull all the way to the annex building to drop off. DO NOT PARK IN THE DROP OFF LINE.

PARKING/WALKING IN

• Park ONLY in the non-numbered spots in back parking lot or along School Road. There is no parking allowed along Patton Ranch Road or in any drop off lane.

• The area along the sidewalk curb in the parking lot MAY NOT be used for parking.

• Adhere to the traffic flow rules when entering and exiting parking lot and be courteous.

• When students enter the main building prior to 7:30, they will wait in the cafeteria (PK-K) or on the blacktop (1st-5th).

• Say your goodbyes to your child at the main door or side gate and allow them to proceed by themselves to their classrooms.

AFTERNOON DISMISSAL (3:10pm):

CAR RIDER

• Form 2 lines of traffic.

• First cars in either lane should pull completely forward and stop in front of crosswalk.

• Display car pick up tag in front window on visor or dash. ID’s will be checked if no tag is displayed. Parents with no ID will need to be verified in the office.

• Stay in your car at all times. Staff will call students to walk to their car when their car is in range of loading area.

• If parent is on sidewalk side, student will load from sidewalk.

• If parent is in second lane (closest to street), student will wait at crosswalk, cross when guard signals, and then walk down the center lane to load in car.

• Parents watch and wait for the guard to signal to pull forward.

• Students will sit in the designated holding area by grade level.

• Students should watch for their cars and listen for their name to be called.

• Remember that cell phones are not allowed while the students are actively being dismissed in the car lane.

PARENT PICK UP ON FOOT

• Park along School Road or in the non-numbered spots in back parking lot.

• DO NOT park in the bus lanes.

• ANNEX students will be dismissed to the front porch of the annex building.

• MAIN BUILDING students will go to the main gym and sit in their designated area.

• Parents will wait OUTSIDE the main gym door and students will be called using their pick up tag number.

• Parents must show their pick up tag to the staff at the door for pick up. ID’s will be checked if you do not have a tag.

• Please keep younger siblings/children next to you at all times.

• Use the sidewalk and paths to get back to your car safely.

BUS RIDERS

• Bus riders will be escorted to their appropriate bus by their teacher or another AISD staff member.

• If students need to ride a different bus, they must have a bus pass. A note must be sent to the main office to obtain this pass.

• For safety reasons, students will NOT be dismissed to parents from the bus line. Students will also NOT be taken off of the bus once placed on the bus, except by an administrator if needed.

OTHER REMINDERS

• For the safety of all, parents and students need to cross at the designated crosswalk. Do not cross through any traffic. Watch for cars and walk in all areas. There is a lot of traffic and many pedestrians moving around at dismissal. For everyone’s safety, please have your full attention on getting your children to their car safely.

• When dismissal plans change, send a note to teacher in the morning with the new information or call the office prior to 2:00pm. After 2pm, changes in transportation are not guaranteed to be communicated.

• Students who have not been picked up by 3:20 will be brought into the office.

• Remember that there is a $200 fine for talking or texting while driving in a school zone. Our front circle drive and side parking lot is part of the school zone beginning at 3:00..

• DO NOT PASS any school bus that has flashing lights and the stop sign displayed. Buses have cameras that will send you an automatic ticket for passing a school bus.

• We kindly request that you leave all dogs at home when dropping off or picking students up on foot. While your dog may be the nicest dog around, unexpected reactions from children, adults, and pets may occur.

Thanks for your cooperation and help in getting our students to and from school safely!

Masks:

With the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, students, staff and visitors are not required to wear face masks when on school properties, unless they have tested positive for COVID-19. Note: Per CDC guidance, individuals with a positive COVID-19 result will be required to wear a mask for five days after returning from quarantine/isolation.

• Masks are not required, but are encouraged at any time of the school day or in any school space.
• Masks are optional at all times.Face masks will continue to be provided for any student, staff, or visitor upon request.

• All students, staff, and visitors will be allowed to make their own choice.
  

Close Contact and Contact Tracing

• Campus administrators will notify all families of positive cases on the campus using a standard notification letter. Individual classroom letters will not be sent home.

• With masking now being optional, all students and staff at the campus may be considered close contacts when there is a positive case identified.

• Campus Administrators will not be required to track close contacts.

• Any asymptomatic individual (except those who have tested positive) may remain at school as long as they are asymptomatic.

Testing Availability

• Testing sites are located at specified district sites and can be found on the COVID-19 district webpage.

• All sites will accept insurance, medicaid, and self-pay.

• Site will be updated whenever vaccines are available.

• Temperature guidelines have been established in order to provide a safe and healthy environment for students participating in outdoor activities at Austin ISD.

• The listed temperatures, heat indexes, and wind-chill factors are designated figures for terminating and/or modifying outdoor activities including: Athletics, Fine Arts, PE, and recess.

• AISD_Temperature Weather Guidelines_2022-2023

Our campus has the opportunity to have a parent representative serve on the District Advisory Council (DAC).The District Advisory Council is a committee of parents, students, business and community representatives, teachers, principals, and other district staff. The formation of the DAC is required by state law (Texas Education Code, §11.251). Specific functions of the DAC include providing review and comment on:

• District Educational Program
• District Performance
• District Improvement Plan
• Student Code of Conduct
• District Staff Development Plan
• Waiver Requests to the State
• District Budget

Interested parent(s) shall submit the Standard Membership Application form / Spanish and the district advisory bodies coordinator will review all application(s). If more than one parent application is submitted per campus, placement on the DAC will be determined by DAC bylaws, Article IV: Section Five.

Website: www.oakhillelementary.org
Location: 6101 Patton Ranch Road, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-414-2336
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakHillElementary/
Twitter: @OakHillElem