Principal's Message
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Dear Parents,
As the 2021-2022 school year comes to a close, and on behalf of our staff and administrators, I want to express our thanks and appreciation for the opportunity to partner with your family while we have all worked together for your children’s growth in education. We’ve seen many successes and I know it is because of the hard work and dedication we all make to our students of Morningside!
In this letter is a “run-down” of things to remember for the summer as well as beginning year information for the fall of 2022. Feel free to share this information with any new neighbors who may move into our area over the summer.
In case you have not ordered school supplies for next year, the ordering deadline is May 30th, so you still have some time to order online. For those who choose to purchase supplies on their own, copies of the list will be posted on both the LISD and Morningside websites throughout the summer. I also post a copy on our outside bulletin board at the main entrance of the school. Those students who purchase school supply packages this spring will have their supplies delivered to school at the beginning of August and will be ready for pick-up by parents on Meet the Teacher Night. Be sure to keep your online receipt for pick-up.
Summer office hours: Our office is closed on Monday, May 30th for Memorial Day and on Fridays starting June 3rd through July 29th
Between May 26th, 27th, and 31st; June 1st – 3rd and June 6th – 9th, we will have regular summer hours at Morningside from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closing for a one-hour lunch sometime between 11:30-1:00 each day. There may be a few days where we are out of the building due to meetings. If that occurs, a note will be posted on our front door. Ms. Shelton will be available at school from May 26th – June 9th. After June 9th, Ms. Shelton will be off contract. After June 17th, I will be off contract as well. Our school will be closed from June 18th – July 18th, during which time we will not answer emails as we are off contract for the summer.
We will re-open our offices for next school year on July 18, 2022, when administrators are back on campus.Our office hours will be from 8:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. daily, with a one-hour lunch sometime between 11:30-1:00 each day. Stay updated during the summer by checking our website for updates and information regarding anything related to the 2022-2023 school year.
****Although our entire staff reports back to campus on August 2nd, our office will NOT be open on that day as all staff, including office personnel, will be involved in our Back to School Professional Learning and in-service meetings. We will resume normal hours beginning on Wednesday, August 3rd.
All Registration/Enrollment is now conducted online via our Skyward System. There are specific portal links you can use to upload needed paperwork. Parents are welcome to call our office if there are questions regarding the enrollment process. Please phone our attendance clerk, Mrs. Maribel Torres, at 469-713-5970. If you need to drop off any hard copies of information, you may do so on the following days and times.
May 26th-27th & May 31st-June 8th…......8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. & 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., Closed for lunch 11:30-1:00.
July 20th-21st ……………………….........8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. & 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., Closed for lunch 11:30-1:00.
July 25th-28th……………………….….....8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. & 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., Closed for lunch 11:30-1:00.
August 1st, 3rd-5th, 8th-9th ……….…….…8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. & 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., Closed for lunch 11:30-1:00.
August 10th ………………………..…….(First Day of School) beginning at 7:30 a.m.
** Please make arrangements to conduct any business on the days we are open as stated above, especially if you are registering your students for school. The earlier you register your children, the faster we can get them assigned to a class for the fall.
**For incoming kindergarten students and/or students new to LISD – the enrollment process is not complete until online forms are complete AND parents upload the required documents (proof of residence, birth certificate, immunization records, social security card-if available, and we make a copy of the parent’s driver’s license or picture ID). We will not place students in classes until all enrollment procedures are completed.
We will have our “Meet the Teacher and Bring Supplies Night” from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Monday, August 8th. If you complete the registration process for your child by Friday, Aug. 5th at 12:00 noon, we will do our best to have your child placed in a class by Meet the Teacher Night. If your registration process is completed after August 5th, but before the first day of school, we will have your teacher assignment for you on the first day of school. Please keep in mind, a great deal of thought goes into assigning students to classes and therefore we will not guarantee it will be done on the same day that you register.
Our Parent University nights will be scheduled as outlined below. This is an evening set aside for PARENTS ONLY to learn about how your child’s teacher conducts his/her classroom. Please make a note of these dates on your calendar now so you won’t miss this important night. This is your opportunity to get your questions answered right at the start of the year.
Monday, August 22, 2022 5:00-5:45 p.m. 4th Grade
6:00-6:45 p.m. 2nd Grade
Tuesday, August 23, 2022 5:00-5:45 p.m. 1st Grade
6:00-6:45 p.m. 3rd Grade
Thursday, August 25, 2022 5:00-5:45 p.m. Kindergarten
6:00-6:45 p.m. 5th Grade
School Hours (Same as the 21-22 school year): For elementary students, our hours will be 7:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day. Our doors will open at 7:15 a.m. for drop off in the mornings and students must be picked up no later than 3:15 p.m. in the afternoons. Breakfast will be served from 7:15-7:35 a.m. Please check the LISD Child Nutrition Dept. on the district website for breakfast and lunch menus and prices as well as how to get assistance with reduced or free lunch.
Wednesday, August 10th - First Day of School….Kindergarten parents are allowed to walk their children directly to class for the first day of school only. Beginning Thursday, August 11th, all students will either walk to class on their own, or will be escorted by school personnel if they need assistance. Please adhere to these guidelines as this is done for the safety and welfare of our students and to assist them in becoming independent learners.
Before school begins, ensure that your child(ren)’s immunizations are all up-to-date. See your physician for your specific needs. Also, please note that any medication that will be needed for more than 5 days (prescription or over the counter) will require a Medication Authorization Form to be completed and signed by your child’s physician. Medication is not to be transported to and from school by students. Parents must drop off and pick up all medication. Nurse Chella Brown, R.N., will be at school on August 8th from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. during Meet the Teacher Night and will have Medication Authorization Forms available. She will also be able to accept any medication you would like to drop off at this time. If you have any questions related to Health Services or the Health Room (i.e. medication policy, immunizations, etc), please email Nurse Chella at: browncm@lisd.net
All those new to our school/district who plan to attend events or volunteer at school MUST complete a Volunteer Criminal Background Check with our district. Please make plans during the summer to apply online at www.lisd.net so that you may be eligible to serve as a campus volunteer in early fall. A campus volunteer is defined as anyone who comes on campus to assist our office, the teachers or students; attend events/assemblies on campus; have lunch with your child; attend field trips, class parties, etc. It takes approximately 2-3 weeks for the applications to be processed if you wait until the fall when the volume is high. Therefore, apply early so you don’t miss out on any activities with your children, especially those that occur in the early fall. Applications are now required to be completed YEARLY.
Our Student Handbook for 2022-2023 (both the district elementary version and our campus specific addendum) will be posted on our website by the time school begins in the fall. It will serve as a great resource for you and your child throughout the school year. The campus addendum is a “working document” which means updates can occur to the handbook if important things arise which would require a change in our guidelines. We will do our best to keep you informed in a timely fashion should any changes occur.
Arrival and Dismissal…We will revert back to using the system we had in place for arrivals and dismissals during the 20-21 school year (pre-Covid). Please use the following information to determine where you should drop-off and pick-up your child(ren) each day.
- All those driving their children to and from school will use our back driveway for BOTH drop off in the morning and pick up in the afternoon. At Meet the Teacher Night, each NEW family will be given a numbered tag to hang from a rearview mirror, which will indicate your family’s number for pick-up. All children in the same family will use the same number. If you would like to have an additional tag, one may be purchased for $3.00/tag.
- The procedure for arrival will be as follows. Parents will drive their car and enter through the south (smaller) lot and take the lane that goes around the school. All children will be dropped off when the vehicle they are traveling in is within the “loading zone”. Students will go directly into the building through the gym entrance. Once inside, they will go to the gym or to the cafeteria if they need to eat breakfast. After unloading students, parents will continue to follow the driveway, which will meet with the larger (north) lot on our campus. Parents will veer to the right and then exit the parking lot to the right.
- The procedure for dismissal will be as follows. All children in grades K-5 who are “car riders” will go to the gym when the bell rings. As in the mornings, parents will enter through the south (smaller) lot and take the lane that goes around the school. When your vehicle is in the “loading zone”, teachers on duty will use walkie talkies to call the students from the gym using the family car tag number. Once the students are outside and their vehicle is in the loading zone, they will load their car. After loading students, parents will continue to follow the driveway which will meet with the larger (north) lot on our campus. Parents will veer to the right and then exit the parking lot to the right.
- Students who ride the “yellow school bus”, the special education bus or day care vans will exit through the cafeteria and meet their specified vehicle in the north (larger) lot. The special education bus and the school bus are usually at school by 2:45. When our 2:50 bell rings, students who ride those buses will be dismissed from class and go directly to their buses. Students who ride day care vans will meet in the cafeteria with the duty teacher and wait until their van arrives before being dismissed outside.
- Students who walk or ride their bikes to school may enter the building between 7:15-7:45 a.m. in the morning through our front door, cafeteria door or gym door depending on the direction from which they come to school. Car riders should not be dropped off in the front parking lot closest to the main entrance, as this is not a designated arrival or dismissal area and there are no teachers on duty in this area. If a parent needs to conduct business inside the office, then that parking lot may be used.
- In the afternoon, walkers and bike riders will be dismissed at 3:00 p.m. through our gym doors or front doors near the office, again depending on the route they need to take home.
- Our smaller, front parking lot will be reserved each day for those parents who need to pick up their students for appointments, or those who have conferences or business to attend to at school. There will be no drop off or pick up at the front unless the student is tardy in the morning (arrives after 7:45 a.m.) or is being picked up late in the afternoon (after 3:15 p.m.). If your child is tardy, a parent must come in with their child to report the reason to the front office staff.
Please check our school website over the summer as we will post information there as needed. Our website address is: http://morningside.lisd.net . Also, follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @MorningsideES
Again, I want to thank you all for an incredible and crazy school year! Relax and enjoy your summer and time with your children. We will see you back with us on Wednesday, August 10, 2022 by 7:45 a.m. sharp!
End of Year/Beginning of Year Parent Letter
Happy Summer!
Rita Bacque, Principal
- All those driving their children to and from school will use our back driveway for BOTH drop off in the morning and pick up in the afternoon. At Meet the Teacher Night, each NEW family will be given a numbered tag to hang from a rearview mirror, which will indicate your family’s number for pick-up. All children in the same family will use the same number. If you would like to have an additional tag, one may be purchased for $3.00/tag.