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August 19 - September 30 - BOY Testing

August 31 - DEADLINES APPROACHING

• Returning Student Annual Update Due
• Immunization Deadline
• All students must be in dress code
• All students must have mesh or clear backpacks

September 2 - Labor Day - No School

September 5 - Vine Mentor Informational Meeting (District Event)

September 6 - Grandparents/Special Guests' & Goodies Day (7:15am-8am!)

September 4 - Picture Day

September 12 - Open House 5-6:30pm

September 16 - Student Holiday - No School

Booker Bengals,

We completed our second full week of school! Yippee! Our scholars and staff did a fabulous job! Our Beginning of the Year testing is complete for K-5th and PreK will complete their testing this week. along with any make ups for students who were absent. The next few weeks will be crucial for attendance, as our goal is to create academic goals for every scholar to ensure the highest level of success.

Parents, we need your assistance. Please make sure your child is at school and on time! We open our doors at 7:35 am for free breakfast! The bell rings at 8 am for our scholars and daily announcements start promptly at 8:05am. In order to maximize instructional time, it is imperative that your child has eaten breakfast and is ready to learn by 8 am. We understand that our car rider line is long. However, we have recognized that only half of our car rider students arrive before 7:45am. So, the earlier you arrive, the better chance you have for a quicker line! Parents, please help us out! Take advantage of our free breakfast program! This will allow students time to visit and eat with their friends and prepare for the day. Breakfast is not available after 8 am.

Friendly Reminders:

Don't forget to prepare, accordingly for the upcoming weeks! Parents, picture day is next week and Grandparents/Special Guest day is on Friday, September 6th. The following week we will have Open House! We look forward to seeing our scholars and community join us for these special events. Thank you for supporting us and we can't wait to celebrate you and all you do to help support our scholars!

As you all know this is a 3 day weekend! We want you all to enjoy the extra day and have some fun, but keep our bengals safe! Please keep an eye out on our scholars around pools, lakes, and/or beaches. Practice water safety and ensure supervision at all times!

Have a superfantastic weekend!

Sincerely,

Keisha Womack

Principal

Grandparents and Goodies

Who: Student and Grandparents (Or Special Family Members)

When: Friday, Sep 6, 2024

Where: Gym

Time: 7:15-8:00

Details:

• Students will enter the cafeteria with their grandparents

• There will be a sign-in sheet at the gym doors

• There will be refreshments such as donuts, fruit, juice etc.

• There will be a place to take pictures

• At 8:05 students are dismissed back to class

New backpack requirements:

Do to safety reasons, Booker is enforcing our new backpack requirement. All backpacks must be Mesh or Clear only!

Dress Code:

Shirts: - Red, White or Blue (Navy, Baby blue, or royal) solid shirts - No collar required

Pants: Blue jeans, Khaki or navy blue pants, skorts, shorts or dresses

No sagging pants or ripped or torn jeans.

Zipper jackets only - Any color

No hoodies unless dress code color - red, blue or white. Hoods may not be worn in school.

Smart tag ID or temporary ID - at all times!

Updated 2024-2025 Instructional Calendar

Dear Spring ISD Families:

We wanted to inform you of some recent adjustments to our instructional calendar for this school year.

Three days have been designated as Teacher Inservice Days, during which students will not attend school. These dates are:

• Monday, September 16

• Monday, November 4

• Tuesday, February 18

To help you plan accordingly, you can find the updated 2024-25 Instructional Calendar at www.springisd.org/calendars. We recommend printing it out and placing it on your fridge or another visible location as a reminder of these important dates.

We appreciate your understanding as we work to support our teachers with the professional development they need to continue providing high-quality education for your children.

We are waiting on more tags for our new scholars! In the meantime, please make sure to register!

Download the Parent App from the app store or scan the QR code, and register to take advantage of the SMART tag™ Parent Features.

Download for iPhone
Download for Android

Privacy and Data:

Our student ID cards are safe and secure. We use PVC cards with a passive RFID chip containing only a unique identification (UID) number. The UID in the chip is read by our card reader, and our system uses it to reference student information. The latest cloud technology, encryption, and security protocols ensure your child’s information is secure.

CAR RIDER PROCEDURES

Be Kind & Patient

Remain Calm

Refrain from using profanity or any threatening language, tone, or voice volume with other parents, or staff/students.

Stay in your Car

No cell phone use while in the parking lot during arrival and dismissal time

Please do not speed in the parking lot

Please be patient with each other and our staff. We know it's extremely hot!

No CUTTING THE LINE - let's be respectful to each other!

STUDENT IDs

• Student IDs are mandatory.
• Student IDs will be a part of the dress code check.
• Every student will get an ID and they will be distributed within the first seven days of school.
• Bus riders must wear their ZPass IDs to ride the bus.
• All students, except our bus riders, will leave student IDs at school.
• Any student having to replace their ID badge, will need to pay $1 for a temporary badge each time one is issued.
• YOU MAY ALLOW YOU STUDENTS TO WEAR THEIR OLD ID's UNTIL NEW ONES ARE DISTRIBUTED

CAR RIDER SIGNS

• ALL PARENTS WILL NEED TO GET NEW CAR RIDER SIGNS THIS YEAR. It's a different color!
• EVEN WALKER PARENTS MUST HAVE A CAR RIDER SIGN FOR WEATHER DAYS WHERE A WEATHER ALERT HAS BEEN ISSUED.

(Even Walkers, Bike Riders, Day Care and Koala Kare families!)

• Teach your child their car rider numbers and remind them to listen for them to speed of the line!
• Each family will be given two tags.

WALKER PARENTS

Parents please make sure your child is prepared to walk by reviewing the tips below:

• Walkers will proceed south on Imperial Valley down the side walk

(Except students enrolled in special programs/or have extenuating circumstances)

• They need to know where their home is by learning their route and address.
• Know the best route to get home, walking.
• Plan for bad weather with having an umbrella/poncho in their backpacks.
• Have identified friends or family that walk with them.
• Know how to handle situations that involve strangers approaching them.
• Make your child learn your cell phone number and your full name for emergency purposes.
• Please send children with water bottles during the months of extreme heat.
• Make sure they have the key, keycode, or garage code to get in the house.

• Teachers are not responsible for waiting on walkers, regardless of their age or grade!

(This is considered circumventing the car rider line. Parents be mindful that our teachers will not be able to wait for students to be picked up. So, if you have a little one, you must be at the walker dismissal intersection on time.)

• Teachers will not allow students to get in cars parked or waiting in our car rider line.

(It is illegal to load and unload your child in any lane on Imperial Valley. This is a traffic violation and also considered child endangerment and this is also circumventing the car rider and causing unsafe conditions for our students and drivers in the community.)

As for any SEVERE WEATHER DAYS designated by Harris County, your child will not be released to walk. We will initiate our RAINY DAY DISMISSAL procedures and dismiss all walkers with the car riders. Therefore, parents you will need to proceed to the car rider line with your assigned Car Rider Number Tag to come and pick up your child from school on these days. You will proceed to the car rider line to avoid delay. So, please make sure you pick up your Rainy Day Car Rider Sign and keep it in your car. Remember, a rainy day does not count as a severe weather day so make sure your child is prepared!

We will be opening lunch visits in October. We want to get through our first 6 weeks to ensure we have all of our campus procedures solid before opening for visitors. We will have designated days for parent lunch visits that we will communicate to you in future newsletters. However, safety is our first priority and we want to ensure that we cover all bases to support additional visitors during the instructional day and that we have finished all Beginning of the Year testing, in case our student schedules change! We thank you for your patience and look forward to welcoming you back in for lunch visits! More info coming soon. So stay tuned!

Registration: Monday - Friday

7:35am - 10 am

12-2pm

You can also call for assistance 281-891-8750.

It's a NEW YEAR! Check out Spring ISD's new Student Code of Conduct to ensure your child is adhering to district policy. Please monitor your child's daily folder and their Wednesday folder for weekly updates. We want to ensure the safety and security of everyone on campus or visiting our campus.

Booker Admin

Spring ISD has adopted a new ID policy for all students this year. All students will be required to wear their ID badge at all times. It will be a part of their standardized dress code at Booker. Student IDs must be visible at all times! So, parents, we need your help! Dress code will be enforced each day. There will be no pull over hoodies allowed. Sweater jackets with hoods and zippers are allowed. Jeans must not be ripped, torn, stressed, or have designs in any way. Crocs and slides are not allowed, except for Dress Out Days, designated and approved by Booker Admin. Students will not be allowed to wear crocs or slides of any kind. To learn more about our dress code, please visit our website www.springisd.org/booker.

It is important for us to communicate with you. If you would like to meet with any administrators or teachers, please be sure to contact us in advance to schedule a meeting so that we can best serve you. Often times we are in classrooms meeting with our students and providing strategic instruction, meeting with our staff, or attending off-campus meetings.

We appreciate you scheduling an appointment, in advance with the campus secretary in order to avoid a long wait or a return to trip our campus.

Thank you for understanding, it is greatly appreciated.

Parents,

The state of Texas has a mandatory Attendance Requirement of 90%. Please know that under the Compulsory Attendance Law, all students must be in attendance at least 90% of the time they've been enrolled in a public school. In order to receive credit for a final grade for a class, a student is required to attend class 90 percent of the days a class is offered regardless of whether the student's absences are excused [see FEA] or unexcused.

TEA ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS

Appointments & Excuses

If your child has a doctor's appointment, please try to schedule it after snapshot at 9:30am. Any student who arrives after 9:30am is counted absent, regardless of what type of appointment it is. However, it is recommended that in this instance, you still provide the documentation for any medical appointments to ensure the absence has been resolved versus left unexcused. Unexcused absences do not tell the story. But doctors' notes and parent notes do! Please submit doctor's excuses and parent notes within three days of the absence.

Early Pick Ups

Parents we understand that circumstances do arise. However, in the past few years, we have noticed that our early pick ups have increased, substantially. Many of you express that it is due to the car rider line. However, early pick up causes students to miss instruction and fall behind. We will be closely monitoring early pick ups this year. Please make sure you are submitting all documentation for outside therapy, appointments, etc. that involve you having to pick up your child(ren) early.

Koala Kare is available for before and after school care on campus. Check it out! https://www.koalakare-llc.com/

Tardies

School starts at 8:00AM. We have free breakfast each day and students can arrive as early as 7:35am! Students who are late, enter the room frustrated or off task, causing a disruption to the instructional day. Help our scholars learn meaningful lessons about life and work, by getting them to school on time to assist them in getting a GREAT START!

All students are to wear dress code each day. We will have designated days for students to wear free dress code. For example, students get to dress in any attire representing Hispanic Heritage on Thursdays.

We will also start our new Attendance Rewards and free dress code days will also be a part of the Attendance Incentive Program. So, always check out our Booker Brief to find those opportunities for FREE DRESS CODE DAYS.

If your student is not participating in the designated event for free dress code, then he/she must follow Booker's dress code!

Your child will be issued a chromebook for school use only. They will be assigned a chromebook and students must take care of that chromebook. Talk to your child about not allowing others to use their chromebooks or borrow their charges. All chromebooks will remain at school, due to the number of damaged chromebooks and lost cords and the cost. Thank you for your patience and cooperation!

Voter Approval Tax Rate Election on Nov. 5 ballot could increase funding for Spring ISD by $20 million annually

After being approved by the Spring ISD Board of Trustees in early August, the district will include a Voter Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE) on the upcoming Nov. 5 ballot.

The measure proposes a tax rate of $1.1569 per $100 of property valuation for the 2024 fiscal year, a 5-cent increase from the current rate. This would cost the average homeowner an extra $7 per month, generating about $20 million for the schools on an annual basis and allowing the district to eliminate its budget deficit and provide teacher and staff raises.

Homeowners who are receiving a homestead exemption for disability or are age 65 or older would not see an increase above their tax ceiling as a result of the VATRE.

The proposed tax rate, if approved by voters, would provide critical funding for teacher and staff salaries, including a 2% across the board raise for all staff. Starting teacher pay would increase from $60,500 to $61,500 per year, and targeted adjustments would be made for teachers with 5-15 years of experience, putting it in line with other local school districts.

With no increase in the state’s per-student allotment since 2019 and an inflation rate that has hit 17%, many school districts, including Spring ISD, have had to look to tax increases to generate needed funding.

Voters will have the chance to vote on the measure on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

HEAT PROTOCOLS (For All Athletics Events, Recess, and Student Outdoor Activities)

Spring ISD follows the recommended Texas UIL policy for conducting practices, conditioning workouts, walk throughs and games in all sports during times of extremely high heat and/or humidity for all athletic events, recess, and student outdoor activities.

New research has found the gold standard for implementation of heat illness protocols is to use the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) as a means to track appropriate conditions for outside activity and therefore mitigate the chance of exertional heat illness.

Spring ISD Heat Protocols follow modified guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine in regard to:

1. The scheduling of practices at various heat/humidity levels

2. The ratio of workout time to time allotted for rest and hydration at various heat/humidity levels.

3. The heat/humidity level that will result in practice being terminated.

Recent research has demonstrated that as environmental temperature and humidity increase, there is an increase in the heat stress that is placed on the exercising individual. Exercise in the heat causes athletes to rely on evaporation of sweat from the skin as the primary method of dissipating heat that is produced by the working muscles. As humidity increases, the ability to dissipate heat through evaporation is further hindered, thus causing the body to have an increased body temperature, which increases the risk of EHS

A Wet Bulb Globe Temperature device is a measurement tool that uses ambient temperature, relative humidity, wind, and solar radiation from the sun to get a measure that can be used to monitor environmental conditions during exercise. Establishing WBGT guidelines that dictate modifications in activity (work:rest ratios, hydration breaks, equipment worn, length of practice) at given WBGT temperatures play a huge factor in helping to prevent heat stress.

Spring ISD Heat Temperature Table

Temp.

Heat Index

Spring ISD Outdoor Activity Guidelines for Students

Below

82.0

Below

80.0

Normal Activities – Little to no risk from expected heat. Recess is permitted.

82.0 – 86.9

80.0 – 90.0

Use Discretion – Minor risk from expected heat. Dress comfortably. Exercising in direct sunlight will stress your body after 45 minutes. Use effective cooling and/or adequate hydration. Recess and outdoor activities can occur.

87.0 – 89.9

90.1 – 105.0

Use Caution – Moderate risk from expected heat. Dress in light clothing (i.e. shorts & t-shirt). Exercising in direct sunlight will stress your body after 30 minutes. Provide a 4-minute break for every 15 minutes of physical activity. Use effective cooling and/or adequate hydration. Recess and outdoor activities may occur.

90.0 – 92.0

105.1 – 115.0

Use Extreme Caution – High risk from expected heat. No jackets, hoodies or heavy clothing while outside. Dress in light clothing (i.e. shorts & t-shirt). Exercising in direct sunlight will stress your body after 20 minutes. Physical activity should be limited to less than 20 minutes. Followed immediately by effective cooling and adequate hydration. Recess and outdoor activities are not recommended.

Above

92.1

Above

115.0

No Outdoor Activities allowed – Extreme risk from expected heat. Exercising in direct sunlight will stress your body after 15 minutes. Recess and outdoor activities are not permitted.

HEAT MEASUREMENT DIRECTIONS

To identify the WBGT temperature:

• Schools are to utilize the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) website.

1. Scroll down to map, type in your address

2. Scroll down to Flag Level Guidelines and choose KSI Region 3: Southern U.S.

3. Then click submit.

4. A chart will appear that will give you the forecasted WBGT temperature trends for your area throughout the week in intervals of 12 hours.

5. Use the WBGT calculation for the time of day and correlate to the Spring ISD Heat Temperature Table to determine allowable outdoor student activities

Note: Secondary schools can also obtain their current WBGT temperature from the Kestrel WBGT Measurements tool monitored by Campus Athletic Coordinator.

To find the Heat Index temperature:

1. Type in weather.gov in your search bar

2. Type in your zip code in the search box on the upper top left hand of the website

3. Click go

4. You will see the weather for the area. Next to the current bolded temperature scan the bolded titles and find the Heat Index for your area.

PROCEDURES FOR ACTIVITIES DURING EXTREME HEAT
Temperatures are often record breaking when school begins in August. Teachers and coaches are responsible for ensuring the safety of their students during any and all outside activities. The following procedures should be put into place to support the health and safety of all students during recess, P.E., athletic periods or any outdoor activities in alignment with the Spring ISD Heat Temperature Table (see above).

Recess & Outdoor Activities:

• Teachers will discuss the heat with the students.

• Teachers will remind students to get a drink of water before and after going outside.

• Teachers will not require students to stay outside in the sun, but will provide shade as needed.

• Teachers will limit the amount of time the students are outside in the direct sun.

• Teachers will monitor and limit the amount of physical activity in the direct sun and provide frequent water breaks.

• Teachers will monitor the students closely for any beginning signs of heat exhaustion.

Physical Education & Athletics Classes:

• Coaches will limit the outside physical fitness endurance requirements on days when the Heat Index is in excess of 105°.

• Coaches will monitor the fluid intake of the students involved in outside activities.

• Coaches will limit outside physical activity to periods of 15 to 20 minutes, encouraging and allowing water intake as desired.

• Coaches will closely monitor the students for any beginning signs of heat exhaustion.

• For secondary schools, UIL Heat Stress & Athletic Participation Guidelines must be followed.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT DOCUMENTS

• Beat the Heat Flyer (Signs & Symptoms of Heat Stress)

• Texas UIL Guidelines for Heat Stress & Participation for Secondary Schools

If you have questions, please reach out to Spring ISD district contact below:

• Nursing and Health Services – Dr. Felicia Thomas, fthoma2@springisd.org

• Emergency Management Coordinator – Artilla Haughton, ahaughto@springisd.org

• Recess and PE – Lori Carrol, lcarroll@springisd.org

• Athletics – Coach Derrell Oliver, dolive4@springisd.org

• Performing and Visual Arts – Dr. Joe Clark, jclark@springisd.org

Parents...

We are looking for volunteers and parents who are interested in supporting our scholars and staff this year. There are many ways to get involved. You can get involved behind the scenes, holding a PTO Board Office, volunteering at campus events, or so many other ways. Please complete both forms below:

BOOKER VOLUNTEER FORM 24-25 Spring ISD Volunteer Form.

It is important to do both forms. One is tailored just for us and specifies what you'd like to do as a volunteer and the other application is a district mandate for all Volunteers in Schools.

Booker Volunteer Interest Form

Spring ISD Volunteer Website

Spring ISD VIP Volunteer application:

We must get you approved by the district before serving on campus as a volunteer. Booker's volunteer interest form is just a way that we can try to track our interested parents and community members on the district's spreadsheet and get them in faster! However, it is not the actual volunteer request form! So, please visit the VIP Website and complete the application! Please call the front office and let the front office know that you have been approve as a VIP for our district! This system will allow us to track your status and get you registered for next year. We would like to start developing our Parent Engagement Team interest to hopefully roll out BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS FOR BOOKER!

We are looking for all TYPES OF VOLUNTEERS:

• Creative Artists
• Workroom Helpers
• Behind the Scene Helpers
• Frontline Helpers Library Helpers
• Business Partners
• Career Day Speakers
  
• Board Members for our PTO
• Hall Monitors
• Lunch Duty & Dismissal Volunteers for our Baby Bengals
• Mentors
• Seasonal Prop/Stage Crew
• Photographers
• Creative Souls

SO THAT MEANS YOU! And YOU! AND YOU! So, sign up now. We would like to have a parent meeting to see the interest in starting a board! Stay tuned!

FOR ASSISTANCE: CALL (281)891-8750

PRESS 1 - REGISTRAR - Ms. Velasquez - dvelas1@springisd.org

PRESS 2 - ATTENDANCE CLERK - Ms. Yulissa Camacho ycamacho@springisd.org

PRESS 0 - RECEPTIONISTS - Ms. Enciso/Ms. Martinez

PRESS 3 - Counselor - Mrs. Ashleigh Foley - afoley@springisd.org - 281-891-8755

PRESS 4 - School Nurse - Ms. Shereka Kossie - skossie@springisd.org - 281-891-8757

FAX NUMBER: DIAL 281-891-8751

Website: https://booker.springisd.org/

Location: 22352 Imperial Valley Drive, Houston, TX, USA
Phone: 281-891-8750
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/booker.bengals.3
Twitter: @BookerBengals

The mySpringISD portal provides an easy platform for staff and families, where they can access all of their digital resources, including Schoology and the Home Access Center. The single sign-on option gives parents, students and staff instant access to all their online resources from any device and any location.

To get started, log on to my.springisd.org, and sign in by using your parent Spring ISD network login username and password.

If you forgot your log-in/username, please call our front office at 281-891-8750 for assistance.