Exley Weekly Update

Sept 10 - RDR mandatory Meeting

Sept 13 - Last day to make changes to your child's Privacy Code

Sept 19 - Fall Pictures

Sept 20 - Student Holiday/Campus Professional Learning Day

Sept 26 - 2nd Grade PE/Art Night 5:30-6:30pm

Oct 01 - 1st day of afterschool RDR

Is your child in 3rd, 4th or 5th grade? Do they enjoy helping their community? Do they have a love of running? Is reading one of their favorite activities? Well, joining our Exley Read, Deed, and Run Program in the 2024-2025 school year sounds like it's just for them!

RDR stands for Reed, Deed, and Run. 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade students accepted into this program commit to reading 26 books, running 26.2 miles and completing 26 good deeds. Half of the runs and deeds are completed after school with RDR Staff on select Tuesday's, and the remaining half are completed at home under parental supervision. This is a yearlong commitment.

A parent meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 10th for all interested parties. This meeting is mandatory for any parents with a child in 3rd, 4th or 5th grade interested in participating in RDR. Attendance at the meeting does not automatically indicate acceptance into the program. All students must complete an application, sign a permission slip and have a parent in attendance at the mandatory meeting on 9/10/24.

If you have a child interested in participating in the Fall of 2024 and they are in 3rd, 4th or 5th Grade, please save the date and plan on attending our mandatory RDR meeting on Tuesday, September 10th.

Hope to see you then!

We ask you to give us the first few weeks of school to put our cafeteria structures and routines in place. This year we will begin to allow lunch visitors on September 3rd.

Lunch visitors will need to register in advance using our new SignUpGenius form below. We will continue to ask parents to limit their number of lunch visits as our space is limited. Our SignUpGenius form will have 20 slots available per lunch period and parents will only be able to sign up for one visit per week.

As usual, KISD limits lunch visitors to parents/guardians/grandparents (with form on file), and younger non-school aged siblings. Paper forms will be sent home the first day of school and will need to be returned to the front office. Grandparents will not be allowed to eat with your child unless this file is returned.

Strollers will be left in the designated stroller lot prior to entering the cafeteria.

Videos and photos may not be taken during lunch as not all students at Exley are allowed to have photos taken.

All lunch visitors will leave the cafeteria and exit through the front office before students are dismissed. Please do not follow the line back to the classrooms.

As a reminder, lunch time is a time for students to socialize with their classmates and continue to build peer social skills. Per district guidelines, visitors are not allowed to sit at the classroom tables.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DAEA722A4FCC16-50465599-kinder

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DAEA722A4FCC16-50471062-1stgrade

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DAEA722A4FCC16-50500073-2ndgrade

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DAEA722A4FCC16-50503331-3rdgrade

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DAEA722A4FCC16-50504994-4thgrade

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DAEA722A4FCC16-50513088-5thgrade

In accordance with Texas Education Code 28.004 and Senate Bill 9, 5th grade students will receive instruction on the required health TEKS specific to abuse and violence prevention.

Under Texas statute, parents must choose to “opt-in” for their 5th grade student to participate in lessons that address the topics of abuse and violence prevention.

On September 2, 2024, parents/guardians will receive information via email on how to view the associated lessons and record their decision for student “opt-in” of these lessons.

Below are the windows for both the parent opt-in and when lessons will be taught:

Parent Opt-In Window: September 2nd – September 30th

Instruction Window: November 4th – December 20th

The fall 2024 Scholastic Book Fair will be October 21-October 24. Please make sure you’ve opted your child in so that he/she can participate in the book fair during the instructional day. Parents and guardians continue to have (2) means to opt-in their child for book fair participation:

1. Completing the online new student enrollment & registration process.

2. Completing the required online Return to School Enrollment updates process.

Parents may also go to the Instructional Resources Information website, https://www.katyisd.org/Page/4310 to opt-in their child to participate in the campus book fair. Students won’t be able to shop the Book Fair if they are not opted in. All students are automatically opted out unless their parents opt them in. Please do not forget to do this so that your child can shop our Book Fair.

Our car rider drop-off routine begins at 7:50 a.m. For your child’s safety, we ask that there are

no drop-off's/students out of the car prior to this time. The bus drive, on the side of the

cafeteria/gym, is a “BUS DRIVE ONLY” in the morning and afternoon. Do not drop off or pick up your child from this drive or block this drive. It is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS for children and/or parents to maneuver around parked buses.

The car line will stop at the sign in our front drive indicating: Drop off and pick up line forms here. Cars will not pull up beyond this point until staff comes out and waves the line to move up at 7:50 a.m. Cars will stay in a single file line in the right-hand lane and allow JEE staff and safety patrol to unload the cars as they pull up to the front of the school. At 8:10 a.m. our tardy bell rings and instruction begins. Students must be in the classroom when this bell rings.

Children are expected to arrive at school on time and are expected to be in their classroom by 8:10 a.m. Any child entering the building after 8:10 a.m. will be considered tardy. If your child reports to school after the 8:10 a.m. tardy bell, he/she must report to the office before proceeding to class. Please plan for extra time on rainy/bad weather days as our car rider line is longer on these mornings. Please note, too, that the closer it gets to 8:10, the longer the line can get, so arrive early to ensure your child is not late.

Parking spaces out front are not for parent drop-offs. Parents parking to drop off students will be asked to get back in their cars and return to the drop-off line. Parking spots are for those needing to come inside to conduct school business.

Thanks for your understanding and cooperation to ensure a swift and safe drop-off in the mornings for our students.

Do not park in the fire lane at any time (marked by red curb), block driveways in the neighborhood or in front of fire hydrants. Please obey traffic laws at all times.

The bus drive, on the side of the cafeteria/gym, is a “BUS DRIVE ONLY” in the morning and

afternoon. Do not drop off or pick up your child from this drive nor block this drive. It is

EXTREMELY DANGEROUS for children and/or parents to maneuver around parked buses.

Car Riders - Parents will be given a cardstock or plastic sign to use in order for teachers to

quickly identify students in the car rider lines. Place this sign on the visor of your vehicle each

day when you enter the car pick up line. This will assist us in expediting the process of our

parent pick up system. Replacement cards are readily available in the front office. If you do not have your card, you will be asked to park, come inside the school, present a picture ID, and

sign your child out. Several cars will be loaded at one time. Please drive to the station as

directed by the teachers on duty so that we may quickly load cars at dismissal time.

We ask that parents remain in their cars. Please do not park and walk across the pickup area to get your child(ren). This causes added congestion and delays and poses a safety hazard to the children and our staff. The front of the school has been designated as the PARENT DRIVE for picking up students at 3:20 p.m. Parents should not arrive prior to 2:45 pm. A SINGLE car line will be formed at that time. Please do not form a second line and block the entrance into our parking lot. At dismissal, teachers work with safety and security in mind, while loading students into cars. To ensure the correct person is picking up the children and for traffic safety, parents are asked to stay in their cars and go through the car pick up line to retrieve children.

Who is a Walker:

Walkers are students who walk from our campus to their front door.

We ask that you do not park in the staff parking lot or the neighborhood behind the school and walk your child to the car and then drive home. The residents living on those streets have requested we not congest this area with cars at dismissal. If your child will be getting in a car, they need to be a car rider, and you will need to get in the parent pick up line.

Pre-K to First Grade walkers: Must have a parent to meet them at the dismissal spot or be walking with a sibling 2nd grade or older.

Dismissal spots listed below:

Back Walker: Must live behind the school

Cross Walker: Must live in Shadow Bend, Lamp Light Village, Kelliwood Links or Ashley House

Apartments. These are students crossing Westheimer Parkway.

East Side Walker: Must live in Kelliwood Pointe or Kelliwood Terrace.

When weather is deemed inclement, a text message will be sent to those parents who

have subscribed to Remind letting them know. In this case, if your child has an inclement

weather dismissal plan in place, we will follow that. Please see our E-news on how to

subscribe to Remind.

For those students who are still walkers in inclement weather, they will not be released until staff deems it safe for them to exit the building or until a parent comes to the dismissal door and checks out the child with staff. Please note that is it is raining with no lightning and an umbrella will keep your child dry, we will follow normal dismissal.

Please make sure your walker always has an umbrella or poncho in his/her backpack.

If you need to check our child out early, you must come prior to 2:30 pm. Parents arriving after 2:30 pm will not be able to check their child out early.

Please be sure to bring your ID when checking out your child.

We are so excited to have our Exley Excellent Dad program back this year! Click the link below to see the dates we have available this year and sign up for a date that works for you. We have 4 slots for almost every Wednesday and Friday of the school year. We want to make sure as many different dads get the opportunity to come in and volunteer. Please limit the number of times you sign up to ensure everybody that wants to help has a chance. If you have volunteered for this program here before, please wear your shirt you were given. If you are new to our program, a t-shirt will be provided for you the morning of. We can't wait to see you at Exley!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044DADA92BA02-50782504-exley

Please register before you come to volunteer,

https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/NzAxOmVuLVVT

Exley is going digital and starting in 24-25 we will be using a new Electronic Change of Transportation Form.

The form will be used if your student is going home a different way than he/she normally does at the end of the day and/or to request a permanent change of transportation.

Form should be completed ONLY by the parent/legal guardian. Parents will be responsible for submitting the form by 2:00pm on the day when the change will be in effect.

Any change submitted after 2:00pm will NOT be processed and the student will be sent home as usual. Changes after the cut off time will need to be brought to the office in person and will need to be approved by an administrator.

Parents with multiple students will need to submit 1 form per child and will be required to upload a copy of a state issued ID that will be compared to the information on file for security reasons.

This school year, the SMART Tag web-based Parent Portal will be replaced by the SMART Tag app, which will send push notifications to registered mobile devices and tablets, providing parents with instant updates about delays, route alterations, or emergencies. Parents who already have a SMART Tag account will be able to use the same log-in information on the app. Parents may download the app via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Items left/forgotten at home will only be delivered at 2:00pm.

We ask that every effort be made to send the child to school with all items needed, including lunch, snack and water bottles, as we will NOT have a morning delivery this year.

Parents bringing in lunch will need to Raptor in and take the lunch down to the lunch table outside the cafeteria. It is the responsibility of the child to pick up the lunch.

Items to be delivered at 2:00pm may be dropped off on the counter in the front foyer. Please label each item with the child’s name, grade and teacher.

Balloons, flowers, and other things that may cause distractions in the classroom will not be delivered unless approved by an administrator.

KATY ISD POLICIES FNCE (LEGAL) and (LOCAL)

Telecommunication devices are defined as items such as, but not limited to, cell phones, smart phones, smart watches, electronic readers, and laptops with the capability of sending and receiving messages or information, and any related accessories (including but not limited to wires, headphones, and ear clips.

Elementary students in Pre-K, K, and 1st grade shall not possess a telecommunication device during the instructional day (8:00 am to 4:00 pm), while riding to/from school on District transportation, during tutorials or detention, or while participating in a school-sponsored extracurricular activity on or off school property. For example, an elementary student performing at a PTA meeting or on a field trip to the zoo may not be in possession of a telecommunication device; however, an elementary student could possess a telecommunication device at an event open to the public (in which the student is not performing) such as at a carnival or a sporting event.

Elementary students in grades 2-5 may possess telecommunication devices; however, these devices shall be turned off and not visible at all other times during the school day on school property, including on school transportation.

Students who do not follow the responsible use guidelines and campus telecommunications expectations will be assigned a consequence in accordance with the Discipline Management Plan and Student Code of Conduct which includes, but is not limited to, confiscation of the device to a centralized location followed by parent communication and pick up.

Children are expected to arrive at school on time and be in their classroom by 8:10 a.m. Any child entering the building after 8:10 a.m. will be considered tardy.

Staring this year, parents/legal guardians of students arriving to school after the 8:10 a.m. tardy bell, will be asked to park and accompany the student into the building and report to front office to sign in.

Please plan for extra time on rainy/bad weather days as our car rider line is longer on these mornings. Please note, too, that the closer it gets to 8:10, the longer the line can get, so arrive early to ensure your child is not late.

Did you know....
If your child screened last year or the year before AND had a positive test score(s), that score(s) is good for 2 years and your child will not need to retake that particular test?
5th Grade Parents: GT in JRHS/HS is different from Elementary. You can screen your child for any combination of Math, Science, Social Studies and/or ELA. And if they have a positive score(s) from the last 2 years of screening, they may be only 1 measure away from placing in a GT class for a subject in 6th grade!

We are celebrating a Culture of Kindness at Exley Elementary and we want to invite our amazing JEE families to participate! Our wonderful JEE students and staff model acts of kindness every day. At school this year, both students and staff can share how others are kind to them through a Culture of Kindness QR code. We want our families to be able to participate, too. If you scan the JEE Parent Culture of Kindness QR code, you will be directed to a Google Form which will ask you a series of questions and give you the opportunity to share an act of kindness from a JEE staff member. We will be sharing this JEE Parent Culture of Kindness QR code in our newsletters, our JEE social media accounts and in our JEE entryway so everyone who wants to join in, can. We will be sharing 1-2 of these shout-outs each day on the announcements to celebrate kindness each and every day. Thank you so much for participating.

Parent/Guardian Culture of Kindness

We are excited to announce that all of our 3rd-5th grade students will receive a Chromebook this school year. The Chromebook will be checked out to your child and will remain theirs until 12th grade. The district plans to replace or update old Chromebooks as they age.

Problems with Chromebooks
We encourage all students and parents to submit a Help Desk ticket if your child’s Chromebook is damaged. This process is very easy. You will need to log into your child’s My Katy Cloud account. Navigate to the Chromebook Hardware Support tile. From there, click on “Help Desk” and then select “Submit Ticket.”
Fill out the required information, select the appropriate option from the dropdown menu, or describe the hardware problem you are experiencing with the Chromebook. After submitting the ticket, you’ll be able to track its history and see updates regarding the Chromebook through this application.

Class 1:1 Device Insurance Updates:
We encourage all parents to consider getting insurance for their child’s Chromebook. The $20.00 Chromebook insurance for your child’s Chromebook is optional. If you selected "NO" for device insurance during the Annual Student Update or New Student Registration, you can change your selection to "YES" by emailing changemyrequest@katyisd.org . The district will then add the $20.00 Chromebook insurance fee to your child’s Pay N’ Go account. You will need to log into your child’s Pay N Go account then go to submit fees. You will have until 9/13/2024 to pay in full to be insured. New students to the building will have 30 days from the date of enrollment to get chromebook insurance.

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.

Parents, we will be using the same texting notification process as last year to get last minute info out to you for situations like inclement weather dismissal or other last-minute news that is

timely in nature. If you signed up last year, you should still receive the notifications. If you have not signed up and would like to receive these text notifications, please sign up following these directions:

How to sign up for JEE-'s notifications:

Text @jee124 to (707) 549-6860 or Email jee124@remind101.com

Remind101 Inc., a safe way for teachers to text message or email students and parents.

Standard text message rates apply. Learn more at www.remind101.com.