Bee Cave Beehive

Aug 13

Meet the Teacher

• Kinder 9am - 11am
• 1st & 3rd 12:30pm - 1:30pm
• 2nd & 4th 1:30pm - 2:30pm
• 5th 2:30pm - 3:30pm

Aug 14

First Day of School!!

It is my great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to all of our new and returning families at Bee Cave Elementary School! There are so many reasons to celebrate our school, and it starts with you being a part of this community. Bee Cave Elementary is a learning community where everyone is loved, honored, and challenged. We look forward to growing our students through the social, inspiring, dynamic, and empowering aspects of being life-long learners.

Parents, I am thrilled that you have chosen Bee Cave Elementary as your child’s school. Our staff is highly-qualified, dedicated, hard-working, and committed to your child’s learning and development. Our teachers are proud of their profession. As a result, BCE truly is a great place for kids to grow each day. I know that the children we serve are nurtured and cared for by you, and they are your most precious asset. I want to thank you for sharing them with us each day.

The first day of school is Wednesday, August 14th. Doors open at 7:20am and all students report to their homeroom each day. Kinder parents are welcomed to walk their Kinder child to their room for the first week of school. First grade through 5th grade parents may walk their child to their room on the first day only. If this is something that you choose to do, please plan your good byes and hugs in a timely manner in order to allow the school day to get started. At 8am, Kinder parents are invited to the cafeteria for Tears and Cheers.

To ensure a successful first day for you and your child, please take a moment to review my Top 10+ Things to Know for the Start of School list:

Teacher placement emails will be sent out this afternoon at 4PM. Check your email a little after 4pm this afternoon for an email with your child’s teacher assignment for the 2019-20 school year. Parents with multiple children in a grade level will receive an email after the initial email to specify the teacher for each child.

Parents will also receive a separate email from their child’s teacher sharing important information about the teacher, classroom procedures, and what to bring for a positive start on the first day of school.

Please know that hours of careful and thoughtful consideration of student academic and social/emotional needs were looked at for the your child’s placement. At this time classrooms are at capacity and a move for your child results in displacing another child. Therefore, requests for classroom changes can not be considered. Thank you in advance for your support with this.

Come on out! Join us at BCE on Tuesday, August 13th to meet your teacher for this school year! School supplies that were pre-ordered online will be waiting in the classroom for you. All other school supplies may be brought to the classroom on Meet the Teacher. Students will visit the classroom and meet the teacher at the times listed below.

Kinder: 9-11am

1st & 3rd 12:30pm – 1:30pm

2nd & 4th 1:30pm – 2:30pm

5th 2:30pm – 3:30pm

Doors will open at 8:50 for our Kindergarten students.

We will have a variety of stations for you to visit to help create a smooth transition on the first day of school. Plan to visit the following stations:

· Car Riders: Visit our car rider table to obtain your car rider tag. You will receive two car rider tags (one for each car) as well as two backpack tags.

· PTO Volunteer : Members of our incredible PTO Board will be at this table to answer any questions that you may have. They will also have T-Shirts for sale.

· Extended Care: Staff will be available to answer questions.

· Planners: Planners will be for sale for grades 3-5. Planners are $6.50. Please have exact change. Cash and checks (made out to BCE) will be accepted.

· Food & Nutrition: The cafeteria lines will be open and staff will be available to answer questions.

· Counseling: Our AMAZING counselor will be available to answer questions and welcome everyone back.

· Watch Dog Dads: A Watch Dog Dad will be available to answer questions about signing up. We love our watch dogs!

We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!

The first day of school is Wednesday, August 14th. All students will report directly to their homeroom starting the first day. Parents entering campus after the first day will need to Raptor in through the front office. Front doors and the office will open at 7:20am.

Class Start Time: 7:40am

Dismissal Time: 3:00pm

Doors to BCE open at 7:20am. At 7:40am the tardy bell will ring. Beginning on Monday, August 19, after the tardy bell at 7:40am, students should enter through the front office then report immediately to the classroom.

· There are TWO drop-off locations in the morning, in front of the school and near the entrance by the gym. Both areas are manned by staff members. Please consider using the back as well, in order to keep traffic moving.

· If you are dropping your child off in the front lot in the morning you must park and walk you’re your child to the front lobby. Please do not drop-off students in the front parking lot. This causes additional congestion for parents needing to park, and is also a safety concern for students.

· If you would like to help your child with his/her backpack and give hugs in the mornings, we ask that you park rather than use the drop-off line. Parents should stay in cars, so we can keep the line moving.

· For drop-off and pick-up, please make sure you pay attention and pull all the way to the front of the line.

Thank you for your helping in ensuring morning arrival and dismissal are as safe and efficient as possible. We appreciate you!

Busing is offered daily in the morning and afternoon to Bee Cave Elementary for the 2019-20 school year. For more information, call Transportation at (512) 533-6070. Bus routes and estimated morning pick-up times can be found on the district website.

Students currently enrolled for transportation services have been provided with a SMART tag ID badge. Bus riders will receive their SMART tag ID badge in their homeroom on the first day of school. Please note, a SMART tag ID badge is required each time your child enters and exits the bus. However, rest assured, our drivers will not deny any student transportation services if the student does not have his/her badge present at boarding time. Information on how to obtain a replacement badge is detailed in our 'Frequently Asked Questions' posted under the 'SMART tag' section on the district’s transportation site.

The SMART tag system also offers parents a bus tracking feature through a secure Parent Portal. Parents can register to receive ‘SMART Alert’ text messages notifying them their child is 10-15 minutes from his/her bus stop. The portal may be accessed from any device with a web browser. Parents can also add or remove guardians authorized to pick up their child at school through the Parent Portal.

Parents or a designee must be at the bus stop to receive K thru 2nd grade students. If no one is there to receive the student, the student will be returned to the campus. It is the responsibility of the parent to see that the students who are returned to the school are picked up. Students returned more than three times a semester will have their riding privileges suspended.

We know you will have questions about the SMART tag system. Should you have any questions or concerns about the SMART tag system not addressed on our website, please contact the Lake Travis ISD Transportation Department at 512-533-6070, or via email at davisr@ltisdschools.org.

Consistent school attendance is critical for the development of your child. When they miss school, we miss them! The entire school day is needed to deliver the full instructional program. Students need to come to school and attend the full day unless they have fever, a communicable disease, or family emergency. Help us communicate the importance of daily attendance to your child and schedule necessary appointments around school hours. When an absence is necessary, report the absence using School Dismissal Manager. For questions regarding attendance concerns, e-mail the registrar, Pam Mylius-Anderson at myliusandersonp@ltisdschools.org. A note explaining any absence is required upon the student’s return to school.

Communication is a top priority for the BCE community. For classroom concerns, please begin by speaking directly to the teacher. Teachers have limited phone and email access while they are with your child. Our standard response time is within 24 hours. If a concern requires immediate attention from a campus administrator, contact assistant principal, Ashley Nauta at nautaa@ltisdschools.org or counselor Courtney Trimmer at trimmerc@ltisdschools.org When scheduling a meeting with Ms.Kellner, contact administrative assistant, Susan Hart, at harts@ltisdschools.org.

When visiting BCE, you will be greeted by our wonderful front desk receptionist, Leanne Hamilton! When visiting campus, have the following items readily available:

· Driver's License or Identification Card

· Purpose of visit

· Length of visit

· Destination(s) on campus

Visitors, other than a student’s parent or legal guardian, must have the written permission of the parent or legal guardian before they will be allowed to visit a student at school. For the safety of those within the school and to avoid disruption of instructional time, all visitors must first report to the campus main office. All visitors must sign in using the district’s Raptor system. After checking in, visitors will be given a badge to wear throughout the duration of the visit. Badges must be worn visibly on the shirt. Badges should be returned to the office when the visitor signs out.

· Visitations must be limited to areas approved during check-in.

· School-age friends or relatives of district students may visit only at lunch times and with the parent of the LTISD student. Guests are not permitted to shadow LTISD students during the instructional day.

· All visitors are expected to demonstrate the highest standards of courtesy and conduct. Disruptive behavior will not be permitted.

Join Us for Morning Assembly on Friday Mornings!

Morning assembly is held in the gym weekly on Friday morning at 7:40am. Our first morning assembly will be on Friday, August 23. Join our community of students for our morning routines and announcements!

Morning class meetings are an integral part of starting off our day. Class meetings are a dedicated time in the classroom to help build a community of empathetic learners and a sense of safety and respect grounded in the social-emotional health and well-being of the entire school community. Check out our Second-Step Curriculum!

Student Broadcast will be live Monday through Thursday mornings at 7:40am.

Student lunches will be offered each day for students who wish to purchase a school lunch. Students who bring a lunch may purchase a drink or snack a la carte through the lunch line. The Federal Lunch Program forms are available online here. Lunch accounts can be set up online at the “Online Meals Prepay” link. It is suggested that all students have an account with a few days credit on it in case lunches or money are misplaced or forgotten. Please visit the Bee Cave website to access the district’s Food and Nutrition (FANS) website to add money to your child’s lunch account, view your child’s purchases, access the daily menu, and to set restrictions for your child’s lunch. It is not permissible for the cafeteria and school staff to restrict your child’s purchases. Please take the time to review the FANS site and establish your child’s lunch account.

There is a section reserved at each table for students with food allergies. Students may invite a friend from class to sit in the reserved section during lunch.

Please note that your visit to lunch is time to spend with your child. Food may not be brought and shared with other children. For your convenience, we have cafeteria monitors who will assist the children in the cafeteria. Please report any concerns to the monitors at the end of the lunch period.

Students enjoy 30 minutes of recess each day. This is valuable time for your child to socialize and play with others. Parents are not allowed on the playground during recess.

We ask that no parents visit for lunch until after the first two weeks of school. The first two weeks are spent with our staff assisting students with lunch account information, seats in the cafeteria, lunchroom etiquette, and arrival and dismissal routines. This time is sacred for us to establish routines in the lunchroom.

Nurse Hicks is our full time nurse at BCE! She will assist you in keeping your child’s medication locked and stored in the nurse’s office. Refer to the Student Handbook for specific information on medications at school.

For your convenience, Bee Cave Elementary uses School Dismissal Manager (SDM) to make life easier on you and the school faculty when it comes to making dismissal changes for your child(ren). The purpose is to enable you to easily and securely inform the school regarding your wishes for your child at dismissal time. This SDM system will provide a more organized and efficient tracking system for end of day dismissals. The system is dependable, easy to use, and can be updated by parents and guardians from the convenience of your device.

Through the on-line dismissal management system, you can:

· make temporary dismissal routine changes no later than 1:45pm on the day of the change,

· report student absences,

· schedule after-school activities such as scouting, enrichment classes, taekwondo, etc.

Through School Dismissal Manager, you can quickly and easily log in and update instructions when your child(ren)’s dismissal transportation needs to be changed. Just click on the day for which you are making a different arrangement and note the change instructions. The School Dismissal Manager notifies the school of your updates so that it is no longer necessary for you to phone the school, send notes, or send email to inform the school of your transportation changes.

To ensure the seamless implementation of this system, we will provide you with additional information, and an email will be sent to you directly from School Dismissal Manager on Monday, August 19th. The email from School Dismissal Manager will contain important instructions and your personal login credentials. Once you receive your credentials, please use them to log into the new system so that you can begin to familiarize yourself with it and to verify the default “transportation”.

Parents of bus riders will also designate their child’s bus rider information in School Dismissal Manager to ensure teachers have all students correctly placed on the bus.

Thank you for accessing SDM early to ensure a smooth transition home for your child(ren) prior to the first day of school!

Student birthdays are celebrated at lunch. Each student will receive a birthday coupon for a treat intended to be redeemed in the cafeteria. Parents, grandparents, and family members are welcome to join their student for lunch. For students whose birthdays occur on a non-instructional day, they will receive their coupon on another instructional day. Summer birthdays who occurred in July or August will receive their birthday treat coupon on Monday, August 19th. Students who have summer birthdays in May or June will receive their treat coupon in May of this school year.

Food Allergy Management Plan (FAMP)

As teachers and staff begin to prepare our classrooms for another great year of learning and teaching, student wellness and safety are at the forefront of our efforts.

A state law passed in 2011 requires school districts to adopt and administer a policy for the care of students with diagnosed food allergies at risk for anaphylaxis. In response, Lake Travis ISD developed a comprehensive Food Allergy Management Plan which is implemented annually in various environments throughout our campus. Our Food Allergy Management Plan has been in place for several years. However, beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, additional measures were implemented to best support students and reduce the risk of exposure to common food allergies.

These include:

Birthdays will no longer be celebrated in the classroom with food. Students celebrating a birthday will receive a coupon for a treat to be redeemed at our school café. Parents, grandparents and other family members are welcome to join their child for lunch. Students whose birthdays occur on a non-instructional day will receive their coupon on the next available instructional day.

On designated ‘party days’ (winter party, end of year, etc), the following general procedures will be implemented in classrooms where one or more students have been identified as having a severe food allergy:

· Food brought into the classroom must be store-bought or purchased from the LTISD Food and Nutrition Services Department. Other than fruits and vegetables, food must be delivered to the classroom in its original packaging.

· Teachers and/or paraprofessionals assigned to the classroom will monitor the food brought in by students/parents for the identified allergen. Students/parents will not be allowed to bring in food with the identified allergen listed as an ingredient.

· To review the District’s Food Allergy Management Plan in its entirety, please visit our Food and Nutrition Services Department website.

We are excited to implement these important measures that will best support our students.

BCE PTO offers enrichment programs, host community events, appreciate teachers, and funds tens of thousands of dollars of recurring annual expenses towards continued support of our BCE students!

Please join me in welcoming our 2019-2020 PTO Board:

President: Tiffany Greenberg

Vice President: Miko Tachibana

Treasurer: TBA

VPs of Fundraising: Sarah Savage

VP Membership: Jennifer Johnson

Secretary: Meagan Gafford

And, on behalf of the 2019-2020 PTO Board, THANK YOU to all parents for supporting our school with your time and resources. We truly have the best community here at Bee Cave Elementary!

Volunteering at BCE is the best way to get involved, meet new people, and directly impact your child's school experience. Check out all of our volunteer opportunities and sign up for the areas that interest you. Thanks in advance for your support of BCE! It’s going to be another amazing year!

Website: https://www.ltisdschools.org/Domain/12
Location: 14300 Hamilton Pool Road, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-533-6250
Twitter: @BCEBobcats