Eagle Updates

• From Mrs. Barry
• Staffing Updates
• Counseling Update
• Who is my Child's Teacher???
• Welcome, New Parents!
• Meet the Teacher
• Register to Volunteer - Changes this year!
• Safety Protocols
• Reminder - No Cell Phones or Smart Watches!
• Campus Visitors
• After 3 - After School Care (2024-25 school year)
• MWE Calendar
• Mayor's Back 2 School Fest

PTA News:

• Save the Dates

In just a few short days, our teachers will be returning to campus. Soon after, our Eagles will be returning to the nest, as well. Though we all enjoy our summer break, MWE just isn't the same without the chatter and activity of our students. Our administrative and front office team has been back on contract for a while now, working to get everything ready for a successful school year. This year marks Meadow Wood's 60th anniversary. You'll be seeing references to this throughout the year! Our theme this year is "Building a legacy for 60 years!" One of the greatest things about our community is all of our current families who actually went to Meadow Wood themselves! I think that's a great testament to our the legacy we've built!

In this newsletter you will find a few updates and reminders, as well as some general information to help start the new year off right! If you have any questions, concerns, or specific issues that you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at lynne.barry@springbranchisd.com or 713-251-6200. It's going to be an amazing year!

Please join me in welcoming our new staff members:

• Jacque Hudson - Kinder Teacher: You already know Mrs. Hudson as our former Literacy Specialist, Ms. Pollpeter. Mrs. Hudson got married this summer (hence the new name) and will be joining kinder as the 5th member of the team.
• Amber Davis - 3rd grade Language Arts/Social Studies: If this name seems familiar, you are right! Ms. Davis is returning to MWE - she formerly taught 2nd grade. She will be partnered with Ms. Holybear.
• Diondra Arenas - 5th grade Reading: Ms. Arenas is coming to us from another Spring Branch School, where she supported language arts and science. She is excited to be at MWE and a part of the SHS feeder pattern!
• Claudia Hurd - 5th grade Writing: Ms. Hurd is coming to us from HISD, where she taught language arts. Ms. Hurd is an SBISD resident and is looking forward to teaching in the district in which she resides.
• Katherine Pearce - Health Fitness Coach: Coach Pearce has been at Valley Oaks Elementary in SBISD for the past several years and is making the move the MWE this year. She is experienced in health fitness and is thrilled to be partnering with Coach Harvey.
• Avi Ginsberg - Health Fitness Teacher: Coach Ginsberg finished the year with us as a long-term substitute in the gym. He will be returning as a full-time assistant.
• Suzanne Bass - Medically Fragile Teacher: This is another name that might sound familiar! Ms. Bass was our medically fragile teacher several years ago, and Nurse Nicole was her nurse! She left us to move up to the secondary medically fragile unit, and now is returning to elementary, to where she began this journey!
• Wendy Mafumo - Medically Fragile Nurse: Nurse Wendy is coming to us from Alief, where she has many years of experience, both in the medically fragile setting and in school clinics. She brings a great wealth of experience and knowledge with her to this position.
• Isabella Baralt - Front Desk: Ms. Baralt is a wonderful addition to our team! Some of you may know her as an MWE mom, and her kindness and skills make her an incredible asset at the front.

At this time, we have one opening for a 5th grade math teacher. We have found a wonderful candidate, and we have submitted her name to our HR department as a request for hire . As soon as we find out if she is approved, we will give you additional information.

As most of you know, due to district budget cuts, elementary campuses in SBISD lost their campus counselors. Instead, counselors are now based at the district level. Our PTA has generously funded our Community in Schools (CIS) position. Mr. Garrett Wolf will continue in the role. In addition, we WILL have consistent counseling support on campus. The district plan for us is as follows:

Meadow Wood will be supported by two counselors, Anne Ivy and Gladys Hollis. Ms. Ivy and Ms. Hollis will be on a two-week rotation schedule, where one will be at MWE each day for their 2 week window. They will perform all of the duties that our previous counselor were responsible for, including but not limited to, guidance lessons, responsive services, crisis management, community circle facilitation, character without question, gifted and talented testing, credit by exam, and 5th to 6th grade transition. Ms. Ivy and Ms. Hollis will collaborate with each other and Mr. Wolf to ensure all services and supports are seamless, efficient, and effective.

You will get a more in depth introduction to Ms. Ivy and Ms. Hollis in an upcoming Eagle Updates. In the meantime, please give them a big Eagle welcome!

To find out your child's homeroom teacher, you will need to go into Skyward Family Access or into Canvas. These will be open for review on August 13th. As a reminder, other sources of information may not be correct, as we do not officially sync with these resources until that date, and class lists are not finalized until then. If you have any questions, please reach out directly to Mrs. Barry.

Sending your children to a new school can be daunting. We are excited that your child is becoming an Eagle, and we want to be sure you are comfortable and confident on the first day of school. To help with this transition, we have two opportunities for new parent orientation meetings. Please join us in our multipurpose room to have all of your questions answered, as well as to meet key members of our team and community, and to take a tour of the school. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Note: This is designed for information for parents. Though children are always welcome, they may not enjoy this session.

Join us for our annual Meet the Teacher event on Wednesday, August 14th, from 2-3 p.m. This is a come-and-go event. Kona Ice will be here selling snow cones on the bus ramp (sponsored by PTA), and you will have the opportunity to sign up to volunteer at MWE events!

SBISD’s 2024-25 volunteer application is now open!

Beat the back-to-school rush and apply today!

Click here for the volunteer application: English | Spanish.

As a reminder, all volunteers must register and gain approval before starting volunteer service each year. New this year, all 2023-2024 volunteer applications expired on June 30, 2024. All volunteers, new and returning, must be registered and approved for the 2024-2025 school year before beginning any volunteer activity.

Please note: Application processing may take up to 10 business days. Volunteers who apply using a valid email address should receive a confirmation email upon submission. Once your application is approved, you should receive an approval email from donotreply@raptor.com.

Thank you for being a Meadow Wood Volunteer!

We will continue the same safety protocols that were in place during the 2023-2024 school year. These are outlined in both the district and campus handbooks. If you have any questions about our safety procedures, please do not hesitate to reach out to our campus safety coordinator, Megan Watson, or Mrs. Barry.

As a reminder, per board guidelines, cell phones, smart watches, and smart glasses are NOT allowed to be used during the school day. Any telecommunications device including cell phones and smart watches brought on campus must be kept in the student's backpack during the school day and should be set on "silent," "do not disturb," or an equivalent setting. Any device with "AirDrop," "Nearby Share," or the like, should be set to "receiving off."

Exceptions may be made for medical reasons where the device is used to support the student's medical needs. In these circumstances, a written request must be provided to, and verified by, the school nurse.

Parents will be allowed to walk their child/children back to class on Thursday, August 15th, and Friday, August 16th only.

Beginning September 3rd, lunch visitors will be allowed on campus. Lunch visitors will need to show appropriate identification upon check in and should be listed on the student's emergency card.

August 5

New Parent Orientation - 7:00 p.m.

August 8

New Parent Orientation - 9:00 a.m.

August 12

Popsicles in the Park - PreK/Kinder - 6 pm

August 14

Meet the Teacher - 2-3 p.m.

Kona Ice for sale on the bus ramp

August 15

First Day of School!

PTA Meeting - 8:05 a.m.

August 21

Room Parent Meeting

September 2

HOLIDAY

September 3

1st day for lunch visitors

September 5

Watch DOGS pizza night

September 10

Curriculum Night - PreK, Kinder, 1st & 2nd - 5:30-6:30 p.m.

September 12

Curriculum Night - 3rd, 4th & 5th - 5:30-6:30 p.m.

September 25

Early Release - Students dismissed at 12:00 Noon

No lunch visitors, please!

September 30

First day for Watch DOGS

For additional information, go to our website: www.mwepta.com.

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