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Welcome back, Roadrunners!

Dear Roadrunner Parents,

We are very happy to have you and your child/children as a part of the Castle Hills Elementary Family.  As a Leader in Me Lighthouse and Arts Integration School, we develop strong leaders and learners.  Please visit our school website https://www.neisd.net/castlehills for the most updated information this summer.   

We are very excited about a NEW school year and look forward to having our students return to school.  As we begin to invite some visitors and volunteers on our campus, we will continue to keep health and safety in mind.  We will continue to get protocol updates from the North East School Board.

Here is some important information for the next school year that we do know at this time:

 

  1. The first day of school for Castle Hills Elementary Roadrunners will be Monday, July 19, 2021.  The first bell rings at 7:20 am and the school day begins promptly at 7:30am.  The CHE instructional day is from 7:30am – 2:45pm.  

                                                               

  1. Campus supervision and arrival begins at 7:00 am daily. All students will go directly to the hallway area by their classroom, unless they are having breakfast. All students who plan to eat breakfast must arrive by 7:15 am.  Final bell is at 7:30 am. We place a huge emphasis on regular school attendance.  In fact, the Texas Education Agency holds schools accountable for attendance rates and attendance is part of our school report card.  We understand that some absences are necessary, and we will work with your child to make up the work they miss. Thank you for emphasizing the importance of regular attendance and being on time each day. Please call the attendance hotline at 210-407-1800 ext. 0 if your child is absent from school.

 

  1. To minimize classroom disruptions and maintain safety, we ask that parents drop all students off at the front door.  We do make exceptions the first day of school.  On the first day of school, parents of students entering kindergarten, first grade and students new to CHE, will be permitted to walk their child to class. The entire staff focuses on welcoming and transitioning each student for the school day every day.

 

  1. A welcome packet with important information (health form, calendar, lunch menu, PTA information, etc.) will be sent home the first day or two of school. Please review and return all required forms by the second week.  You will choose how to access the student/parent handbook, which is available online or as a paper copy.  Please make sure to read the student/parent handbook in full.  It includes important information about dress code, student code of conduct, grading and attendance.

 

  1. Everyone who enters the building must sign in at the front office. If your child is tardy or is picked up early, you must sign him/her in/out at the front office. For safety reasons, it is essential that we know who is on campus.  You must have a picture ID to sign in and wear a badge while you are on campus. 

 

  1. Good News! All North East ISD campuses will continue to serve free meals to all students in the 2021-2022 school year.  If you have any questions, please call the cafeteria at 210-407-1808.  The menu can be found at: https://www.neisd.net/Page/294.

 

  1. Lunch Visitors- for safety reasons, lunch visitors will be limited. To schedule a day to have lunch with your child, contact the school office.  When you come to have lunch with your child, it may ONLY be with your child.  There will be an assigned area for parents and guardians to have lunch.

 

  1. If you need to make an appointment with the principal, assistant principal, counselor, or teacher you may do so by calling the school office at 210-407-1800.

 

  1. Parking -you are welcome to park in the parent/visitor parking lot on the right side of the school as you enter. Please do not park on the grass, along the curb in the drive-through/student drop off/pick up area or in the staff parking lot.

 

  1. Our PTA is a strong component of our community! Please consider applying to serve on a committee or the executive board. To inquire, please email PTA President Lucy Reyna at president@castlehillspta.com.

 

  1. All volunteers must be cleared by the Department of Public Safety. Please visit the district website neisd.net and complete the volunteer form under the community tab. Parents are only permitted to help in the classroom and/or chaperone on field trips after receiving a volunteer identification number. 

 

  1. School Supply Lists are posted on the district and school website for each grade level.

 

  1. Please let your child’s teacher know at Meet the Teacher or send a note on the first day of school to the teacher informing him/her how your child/children will be transported home daily. If your child/children are eligible to ride the bus, a bus tag will be made for them.  We will attach the tag to their backpack.  If at any time they lose the tag, please let us know immediately so a new tag may be issued.  All students who ride the bus must have a bus tag or they will not be permitted to ride the bus.  Students who attend from the six feeder schools will be provided bus service to and from their district school.  Students who live in the Castle Hills Elementary zone will be provided bus service to and from the neighborhood area where they live.  All students attending by School of Choice will drop off and pick up each day.

 

  1. Change for going home - Whenever there is a change in the way your child is going home, we must be notified in writing or by phone by 12:00 pm. Verbal permission from the student will not be accepted. A written note ahead of time to your child’s teacher is preferred for all changes in transportation.  

 

  1. Students are walked to the car and bus lines at 2:45 If you wish to walk up to pick up your child, please arrange for your child to be a walker by contacting the front office and classroom teacher.  This will need to be in writing.  A staff member will walk them across the street to the Castle Hills Commons.  Please refrain from walking up onto the campus during dismissal.  This is for everyone’s safety and a smooth dismissal process.

 

  1. If you are picking up your child early, you must come to the office and sign him/her out no later than 2:30 pm, otherwise they will be dismissed at 2:45 pm.

 

  1. After School Program- If you would like for your child to attend the KIN program after school, please call the KIN program directly at 210-407-1811.

 

  1. Updating Information is very important. Make sure that all your contact information is updated in Skyward, our district information system.

 

  1. Grades- All grades are posted in Skyward each week. There will be a minimum of nine grades for each content area each nine-week period.

 

If at any time while attending Castle Hills Elementary School, you withdraw your child to attend your home school, but then want to return to CHE, you will be placed on the waiting list.  Parents must support and abide by the year-round calendar by making sure their children are in attendance.  Students attending Castle Hills Elementary from the feeder schools or through School of Choice may have their attendance privileges revoked or blocked by the principal for excessive absences or tardies, excessive discipline problems, major violations of the code of conduct, failing grades for the semester, and or lack of parental cooperation with the school’s policies and procedures.

We hope your interest in our program is a sincere commitment to Year-Round Education at Castle Hills.  Please call our school office if you have any questions 210-407-1800.

The staff will be excited to welcome your child to the “Castle” on the first day of school, Monday, July 19, 2021.

 

Sincerely,

Betsy Asheim, Principal

Castle Hills Elementary School

 

NEISD’s only year-round and elementary magnet school

A Leader in Me Certified Lighthouse School, Spring 2016