Principal's Corner
Hello Texan Families,
The 24-25 school year is fast approaching! I am eager to begin my second year at Old Town Elementary as Campus Principal. As this new school year begins it feels right to transition to my new last name, Mrs. Limas. Of course I will still reply to Ms. Velasquez though! In the upcoming weeks, my focus will be supporting our staff and the campus as we all prepare to welcome our students. Let me tell you, I can’t wait! Our halls are lonely without the voices of our students! As we begin to host more campus events, I look forward to connecting with several students and families and hearing about the many different summer adventures.
Our Campus Teachers have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming year. From Professional Developments to conferences, they have gone above and beyond to make sure we are ready to give the very best to our Texans.
One conference I would like to highlight is the Solution Tree Conference that a team of 8 Texan Staff Members attended in San Antonio Texas. Teacher and Campus Leaders spent three days learning about systems and processes that we can put in place/ grow to support Old Town as we become a Professional Learning Community. Our work this year when we approach curriculum will be centered around 4 questions.
What do we want students to learn
How will they learn it?
What are we going to do if they don’t?
How are we going to enrich and extend student learning?
There are several updates and upcoming events for you to be aware of and to add to your calendars! I am excited that we will be posting Team Features of grade level teams and Campus Staff so you become familiar with all the faces eagerly awaiting for the start of the year.
Summer can also be a wonderful time of reflection and dreaming! As a campus principal this time of year reminds me so much of my own mother! She watched while I carefully selected each of my school supplies and I knew she was anxious each time I made a transition within the school. No matter the grade level of your Texan, there is always an exciting transition at play- As a student you could be starting Kindergarten for the first time, transitioning from from a primary grade level to an upper elementary student, attending school in a new country for the first time, or even being allowed to finally walk home after school! All those moments that can make a parent hold their breath for just a moment. I want you to know that I am always ready to listen to how I can support your child as they attend Old Town Elementary. I encourage you to reach out to me at amber_velasquez@roundrockisd.org or by phone at 512-428-7600, if you would like to connect prior to the year beginning.
Here’s to a wonderful year, Texans!
Allison Keathley introduction:
Howdy Texans! This year marks my 6th year here at Old Town, but my very first year as your new Assistant Principal! I am excited to begin this journey at a place where I have always felt at home. You can reach me by email: Allison_Keathley@roundrockisd.org or by phone:(512) 428-7600. This year is going to be great and I look forward to partnering with you and serving our students, teachers,and families!
See you soon, Texans!
Remind Information - stay informed!
Remind is a free, safe communication tool that our campus uses to relay messages quickly and efficiently to our staff and members of our community. We would like to encourage parents to sign up to receive information pertinent to Old Town - for example: late buses, start delays, phone lines not working, etc. This will be a wonderful tool to help us all stay connected. Visit the website to learn more https://www.remind.com/administrators
Sign up for Old Town’s Remind account by texting @acbd9d to the number 81010. Be sure to sign up as a parent!
Welcome Walk (August 8th) will be for Prek4, 1 - 5 grade students.
All Kinder families were sent a letter regarding the first week and their separate Meet The Teacher Night. Information is also posted on our website and social media accounts. The letter can also be found here: Kinder Connection Camp
PreK 4, 1st - 5th grade students will receive a visit from their teacher anytime between 4:00-7:00 pm as long as you are in our attendance zone. Students that attend OTE on a transfer will receive a phone call welcoming them to their new classroom.
If you are not going to be home during our scheduled Welcome Walk or prefer that we not visit, please contact the campus at 512-428-7600 by noon on Monday, August 5th, so teachers can take your address out of their route. This small gesture is greatly appreciated when preparing their routes.
PreK 3 students will receive a call from their teacher, not a visit because not all students are zoned to our campus. Pre-K 3 will receive special communication from the campus about Meet the Teacher and Supply Drop Off.
Supply Drop Off (August 12th) from 10:00 am-11:30 am
Teachers will be eagerly waiting for your child to come and see their classroom, take a walk around campus, drop off supplies, and visit with our amazing PTA in the cafeteria. This event will be the open time for families to come into the building prior to school starting due to security and safety protocols that will be in effect starting on the first day of school.
If you are unable to attend Supply Drop Off during the scheduled time, please reach out to your child’s teacher directly so you can be informed of first day information and more!
Safety!!!
Safety will remain a top priority for all our students and staff members. All adults on campus are required to badge in at the front office through Raptor (please have your ID on hand). On the first day of school, families will be allowed to enter the building to walk their child to class. Campus visitors who walked their students to class during morning arrival will be asked to leave by 7:35 AM to allow for the First Day fun to begin in each classroom. This will be unique to our First Day only. On the second day and in the days moving forward for the year, we kindly ask that goodbyes take place prior to students entering the building. We have several Texan families learning our safety rules for the first time. Please be patient and kind to staff members as we support our students and community with following our safety protocols. We will have multiple staff members at the front and back doors to greet you, your child, and help them get to their classroom safely! If you are a first time parent with an incoming PK or Kinder student or are a new family to OTE, I can assure you that your child will be in great hands and we will love them through the tears of leaving care takers. It is very important that your child’s teacher knows how they will go home, especially on the first day so we can plan for dismissal accordingly. More information on arrival and dismissal to come next week.
***** If students arrive past the 7:35 am start time, please plan to park and bring your child into the building to sign him/her in because our doors lock promptly at 7:35 am.
Playground:
We love our amazing and inclusive playground at OTE and seeing children laughing and playing together is a great sight. Please know that the playground is closed to the public during school hours for student and staff safety. We also have an agreement/contract with the YMCA that they are provided an hour for students that attend the YMCA to play on the playground. This hour is also closed to the public and their designated time will be set closer to the start of school. We want to ensure student safety and that the adults on duty have eyes on all our students while they are in our care. Please refrain from bringing younger siblings/children to the playground during the school day. Pass the word on to a neighbor as well if they are not enrolled at OTE and would not have knowledge of this information.
About Old Town
Email: oldtown_master@roundrockisd.org
Website: https://oldtown.roundrockisd.org/
Location: 2200 Chaparral Drive, Round Rock, TX, USA
Phone: 512-428-7600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rrisd.oldtown
Twitter: @OTESchool