We had an amazing turn out at Meet the Teacher night! We had over 700 families in attendance. It was great to see new and returning families! Please read this newsletter for important information regarding the first few days of school.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: August 14th: Parents may walk their child in on the first day of school only.

We will open our doors at 7:30 for parents and students. Families may enter from the front entrance for the first day. Car riders can still be dropped off using the car rider line if needed.

• Families with students who need to eat breakfast may head to the cafeteria and will be released to classrooms at 7:50.

• Families that would like to arrive at 7:30 but do NOT want to have their child eat breakfast-we will invite you to wait in the gym until 7:50.

• All families may head to classrooms at 7:50.

• Please be patient with our staff and allow teachers the time to prepare for students. We will have everyone wait in the gym or cafeteria until 7:50. Please do not go to classrooms until then.

We hope that opening the doors at 7:30 will allow families time to arrive and enter the building.

Parents will not be able to walk their child to class after August 14th.

Ongoing procedures for car riders from the first day (students not walking in with parents) and on:

We know that many parents will park and walk their kids to their classroom on the first day of school. We also understand that some parents will need to utilize the car rider line on the first day, and not enter the building. Both options are available for the first day.

If utilizing car rider route for am/pm routes-please use map, posted below.

• Cars must enter the line from the WEST side of Morton Ranch High School.
• Car rider line begins on Franz, circles around to MRE, and then exits the same way.
• Do not block any driveways for MRHS or MRJH. Staff members need to be able to enter/leave their campus.
• You may see other vehicles driving by the "car rider line." These are usually employees (we will encourage them to use their emergency hazard lights to pass).
  
• Please allow staff members to utilize this line to get to work.
• Parents/students must remain in the car line until greeted by a staff member near the gym.
• DO NOT release students along curbs around the school. Please keep our Mavs safe and away from traffic.

Any child being picked up in a car should have a parent utilizing the car rider line.

Walkers-students will exit the near the fence (by the portables) on Mason Manor Drive at the north section of the building. Walkers are NOT students that get picked up in a car in this driveway. This driveway is reserved for special education and daycare transportation. Parents may walk to this area to meet their children. Students that have a form on file to not be released will wait inside of the fenced area.

If your child is a bus rider- Download Smart Tag TODAY:

The district is asking that all parents download Smart Tag. Information is being updated often. If your child's bus is not listed, keep checking back. We will verify all buses for children before they leave campus. Smart Tag is linked to your child and will update you (make sure you allow notifications in app). Front driveway of MRE is reserved for BUSES.

We know that the first day is exciting! Please limit your time in the classroom on the first day so that our teachers can begin their day. Things may take longer, but please remember our students and staff are learning and practicing new routines to ensure SAFETY. We will update any changes in weekly newsletters. Thank you all for your patience.

Our tardy bell rings at 8:10. We will give a lot of GRACE these first few days, but just do the best you can to arrive safely to MRE.

We can't wait to see you all!

Lori Maurer

Principal

As a reminder, beginning this fall, the SmartTag mobile app will replace the web-based Parent Portal previously used by our school district. Parents may download the app via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.\

Through the app, parents can be notified when their child’s bus is on its way to pick up, or drop off, at the student’s designated stop. It also provides instant updates about delays, route alterations, or emergencies.

Also, important to know is that Katy ISD bus tracking is now based on route IDs, rather than bus numbers. This enables parents to track the route of their child’s bus even when a bus has been physically replaced by another bus.

Should you have any questions about your child’s bus route, please contact smarttaghelp@katyisd.org or 281-396-2724.

MRE follows the Mid-Tier start time which means our instructional school day is 8:10-3:20 p.m.

Calling all Pre-K and Kinder parents!

We invite you to join us for our annual Tears & Cheers event in the library after you drop your child off in their classroom Wednesday morning. We will be serving fruit, pastries, juice and coffee from 7:50-8:30am. Stop in and say hello as we all celebrate this exciting new school year together!

Students may choose to bring their water bottle to school (refillable thermos). Students that enter the campus with coffee, juices, milk, etc. will be asked to finish their drink in the cafeteria. The only "open" drink in classrooms is water.

Students that enter the building with donuts, fast food breakfast, etc. will be invited to finish their food in the cafeteria.

We love our new carpet and want to keep it in great condition by avoiding these treats in the classroom.

Katy ISD requires all volunteers serving on or off-campus during or after the

instructional day to register with the district through its Raptor security system.

Once registered and approved, individual volunteers can:

• Sign up as a campus volunteer by completing the volunteer recruitment form

provided by your campus organization(s) or contact your campus volunteer

coordinator.

• 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

Volunteer Application - English

Volunteer Application - Spanish

It All Adds Up!

Thank you for volunteering in Katy ISD!

MRE LOGO "Est.2008"

THEME SHIRT for 24-25:

"6 Houses, 1 Ranch"

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) school nutrition program known as the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) enables all students at CEP eligible campuses to receive FREE breakfast and lunch meals throughout the school year.

For the 2024-25 school year, MRE has been designated a CEP campus.

All students attending will receive a FREE breakfast and lunch during the 2024-2025 instructional year. Students attending a CEP eligible school do not have to pay a fee or submit a Meals Benefits/Free and Reduced Meals application in order to receive free meals.

However, a la carte options available through Katy ISD campus cafeterias are not eligible for the program and still require purchase through a Cafeteria Pay N' Go Account.

The Library Media Specialist (Amy Maddox) and Library Clerk (MaryKate Copeland) will check devices out in the system, and campus staff members will assist in labeling devices and chargers and putting cases on each Chromebook. We will have an additional stations where students can log in to check device functionality and to allow their devices to receive updates.

Our campus Classroom Technology Designer will provide a student orientation to review Chromebook care and usage on Thursday, August 22. After their training, students will complete the required quiz in Canvas to demonstrate understanding of their responsibilities regarding district Chromebook use before they are able to take them home.

Click here for more information regarding Class 1:1: https://www.katyisd.org/domain/6152

Parents registering their students for the 2024-25 school year have the option to select the Class 1:1 Device Insurance Option. This option covers your student’s Chromebook device. All student fees, including the device insurance fee, will be sent to our Pay N’ Go system for payment on August 12th. You will be able to pay your insurance fee at that time.

Please note, this only applies to students in 3rd – 12th grades. For further information, please visit our Pay N’ Go website or for more detailed documentation, please view this Pay N’ Go Student Fee article.

If you would like to change your device insurance selection from NO to YES, please email changemyrequest@katyisd.org with your student’s Katy ID, name and campus and we will update your insurance option from NO to YES. Please note, you are only eligible to make this change and pay in full, 30-days after your student’s first day of attendance.

The vision shared by these Maverick-Educators has always been focused on three things: Strong Relationships, Authentic Experiences for Children, and a Quest for Lifelong Learning instilled within each and every Maverick. Thank you for joining us on this journey!

Website: https://www.katyisd.org/campus/MRE/Pages/default.aspx
Location: 2502 North Mason Road, Katy, TX, USA
Phone: 281-234-0330
Twitter (X): @MREMavs

School Colors: Purple & White

School Mascot: Maverick

Founding School Year: 2008-2009

Saddled with grit and determination to provide a legendary learning experience for a most deserving group of children, a posse of educators rode into town in 2008, aimin’ to leave their mark on the land called Morton Ranch.

The vision shared by these Maverick-Educators has always been focused on three things: Strong Relationships, Authentic Experiences for Children, and a Quest for Lifelong Learning instilled within each and every Maverick.

Relationships are everything at “the Ranch.” Connections among human beings are at the center of all decisions: who is hired, how teams are formed, how teachers begin their day in every classroom, why administrators spend most of their time engaged with colleagues and children, how community members are welcomed into the building, even how the front office furniture has been arranged. In order to impact others professionally or educationally, we must impact them personally. Until a student feels he/she is cared for in the schoolhouse, academic success is unlikely.

We encourage you to read more about our history!

We are THRILLED about our school theme this year at MRE: "Six Houses: One Ranch."

We cannot wait to share what we have planned for our new House System, ranch style!

maintain and strengthen the promises we have made to our children.

• We promise to read to you daily.

• We promise to make our school a place that is welcoming and safe.

• We promise to provide significant time for rich and relevant learning in all content areas.

• We promise to provide opportunities for discussion in order to grow your thinking.

• We promise to value mistakes as important learning steps, just as we celebrate progress along the way.

• We promise to be passionate about what we teach, modeling the life of a joyful learner.

• We promise to give you honest feedback about your learning.

• We promise to value who you are, where you’ve been, and where you are going.

• We promise to expand your view of the world and support you in realizing your dreams.

• We promise to honor, accept, and welcome who you are and what gifts you have to offer.

• We promise to cultivate positive values to make you a good person, friend, and community member.