YMCA after-school care will allow ALL in-person learners to begin on Monday, October 5th. This program will be offered at their home campuses.
The YMCA will provide care for PreK-5 grade for those campuses with PreK students. YMCA care will be available for K-5 students at all other campuses.
The on-campus Y Afterschool program provides kids with supervised fun as soon as the school bell rings until 6:30 p.m. They offer enrichments, crafts, snacks, STEM activities, and more! For more information, or to register online, visit www.ymcagwc.org.
]]>Phase 3 will include 3rd, 8th, and 11th grade students selecting in-person learning. All students who selected in-person learning can return Oct. 5.
While the district continues to closely watch COVID-19, Leander ISD Superintendent Bruce Gearing, Ed.D. shares how we’re moving forward with phasing-in our third group of in-person learners. Watch a message from Dr. Gearing, offering his insight and appreciation for our #1LISD community. Click here to read the Phase-in Plan
In an effort to increase digital security during classroom meetings, Leander ISD is moving to a Zoom licensed account. You will begin to see changes in your account over the next few weeks. We will roll out these changes in phases to limit the disruption to classroom instruction.
Beginning this week, some students might be prompted to join the LISD Zoom account when signing into Zoom, and we request that they do so. The instructions provided explain how to join. This change will provide students easy access to signing into their Zoom account and allow them to continue to connect to meetings.
If you experience any complications, please call the LISD Information Technology Services help desk at 512-570-0566 or email Help.Desk@leanderisd.org.
Due to COVID-19 and UIL restrictions, we will have limited capacities in each of our athletic venues until further notice. Details regarding upcoming LISD athletic events and spectator information can be found on our LISD Athletics website.
Bus route information for eligible 2020–21 bus transportation is now available in TransFinder. Please check this site routinely over the first few weeks of school for routing updates.
The Transportation Department is using the Remind platform to communicate delay notifications and other important updates. Bus riders and their guardians have been added to a Remind “class” for their assigned bus route. More info
Daily self-screenings are an important part of minimizing viral spread for in-person learning. Your school will have a form for self-screening. If you or your student are symptomatic, please stay home. Here are our protocols for students who become symptomatic while in school.
With students returning to in-person learning, we will be notifying all families and staff of positive cases on your campus or in your building. If you or your student came into contact with the person with COVID, either your campus COVID team (for students or visitors) or human resources (for staff) will contact you directly and coordinate the next steps between you and the county health department. The county health department will be determining whether or not there is a need to quarantine. We will be coordinating with staff to work from home when possible (including teachers) during quarantines. Students will have the option to continue virtual learning during a quarantine.
Click here to read the Health Response Handbook
To prepare our elementary students for the upcoming phases of in-person learning, avoid using shared devices in our classrooms, and provide students the device aligned with our LISD classroom technology template, we want to give some guidance and instructions for technology use.
YMCA after-school care will begin on Monday, Sept. 28 for students attending Phase 3, in-person learning. This program will be offered at their home campuses.
The YMCA will provide care for PreK-5 grade for those campuses with PreK students. YMCA care will be available for K-5 students at all other campuses.
The on-campus Y Afterschool program provides kids with supervised fun as soon as the school bell rings until 6:30 p.m. They offer enrichments, crafts, snacks, STEM activities, and more! For more information, or to register online, visit www.ymcagwc.org
]]>In an effort to increase digital security during classroom meetings, Leander ISD is moving to a Zoom licensed account. You will begin to see changes in your account over the next few weeks. We will roll out these changes in phases to limit the disruption to classroom instruction.
Beginning this week, some students might be prompted to join the LISD Zoom account when signing into Zoom, and we request that they do so. The instructions provided explain how to join. This change will provide students easy access to signing into their Zoom account and allow them to continue to connect to meetings.
If you experience any complications, please call the LISD Information Technology Services help desk at 512-570-0566 or email Help.Desk@leanderisd.org.
]]>Families who chose in-person learning for their students will begin returning to school starting on Sept. 8. During this first phase, the following students will be able to return to on-campus instruction.
All other students will continue to engage in Virtual Empowered Learning until we begin the next phase.
On Sept. 16, we will announce the final plan for Phase Two, starting as early as Sept. 21. Currently, in addition to hosting in-person learning for Phase One students, the goal is to welcome back students in:
We know in-person learning is critical for most kids and that limiting risk for our teachers, staff, and students during the global pandemic is non-negotiable. Please partner with us by reviewing our protocols in the Health Response Handbook and reinforcing the essential practices of wearing face-coverings (all students and staff should be wearing a mask), handwashing, and understanding our health screening processes with your family.
We will be turning on our automated attendance notifications for all students, including in-person and virtual, on Sept. 8. As with other Leander ISD messaging, we will send the attendance notification through Remind. To adjust your notification settings, please read this article about the district’s messaging system, Remind.
Bus route information for eligible 2020–21 bus transportation is now available in TransFinder. Please check this site routinely over the first few weeks of school for routing updates.
The Transportation Department will be using the Remind platform to communicate delay notifications and other important updates. Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8, all eligible bus riders – not just those in the phase-in plan – and their guardians will be added to a Remind “class” for their assigned bus route.
Please see this help article on removing yourself from this Remind class if you do not wish to receive transportation notifications. This article has information on setting your notification preferences, allowing you to receive a Remind message as a text, an email, or both.
You can find details on social distancing and sanitization on buses in our Health Response Handbook.
Daily self-screening for infections will be critical to minimizing viral spread for in-person school. Your school will have a form for self-screening. As a reminder, symptoms for COVID-19 include at least one of the following:
If you or your student are symptomatic, please stay home. Here are our protocols for students who become symptomatic while in school.
With students returning to in-person learning, we will be notifying all families and staff of positive cases on your campus or in your building. If you or your student came into contact with the person with COVID, either your campus COVID team (for students or visitors) or human resources (for staff) will contact you directly and coordinate the next steps between you and the county health department. The county health department will be determining whether or not there is a need to quarantine. We will be coordinating with staff to work from home when possible (including teachers) during quarantines. Students will have the option to continue virtual learning during a quarantine.
To prepare our elementary students for the upcoming phases of in-person learning, avoid using shared devices in our classrooms, and provide students the device aligned with our LISD classroom technology template, we want to give some guidance and instructions for technology use.
YMCA after-school care will begin Tuesday, Sept. 8, for students attending Phase One, in-person learning. We are offering this program at their home campuses. As we phase in, students will be allowed to participate in the Y Afterschool program if they are registered. The YMCA will provide care for PreK–fifth grade for those campuses with PreK students. YMCA care will be available for K–5 students at all other campuses.
]]>To prepare for the upcoming phases of in-person learning, avoid the use of shared devices in our classrooms, and provide students the device aligned with our LISD classroom technology template, we wanted to provide some guidance and instructions regarding your child’s first day back for in-person learning regarding technology.
PreK-1st grade students who were issued a Leander ISD Chromebook and will be returning for in-person learning will need to bring the device (and charger) with them on their first day of on-site instruction. The Chromebooks will be prepared for redistribution to the 2nd-5th grade students to align with our classroom technology templates. An iPad will be available and assigned in the classroom to each PreK-1st grade student. The iPad will remain on campus at the end of the school day as these students will not need a device at home for homework.
2nd-5th grade students who were issued a Leander ISD Chromebook and will be returning for in-person learning will need to bring their device to school fully charged the first day of on-site instruction. Students may leave their charger at home if they are able to get a full charge the night before. These students will bring their devices to school every day to use them in their classrooms and take them home at the end of the school day. Please discuss with your student how important it is to keep the device safe inside a closed backpack while they transport it from one location to another. They should never carry the device outside of a backpack or computer bag.
Students who do not currently have a Leander ISD Chromebook will have a device available to them for classroom use.
If you feel comfortable with your students using a personal device, they are welcome to bring their device with them to and from school every day. If you choose this option, we recommend that your student bring a Chromebook or iPad.
Thank you for helping us ensure that every student has access to a device while on campus.
The district’s Launch to Learning plan for in-person learning takes shape and an update to the Leander ISD dress code was adopted at the Trustees’ regular meeting Thursday night.
View the entire agenda | Watch the video
With the health and safety of students and staff as the top priority, Trustees approved a waiver to petition the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for an additional four weeks of virtual learning, paving the way for a modified district proposal to phase in on-campus learning. A percentage of students who wish to return to in-person learning may return to campuses Sept. 8 in accordance with recommendations from local health departments.
Under TEA guidelines, districts can start the year virtually for four weeks, plus an additional four weeks with Board approval. The district’s modified plan would phase in students who have chosen in-person learning to return to campuses beginning Sept. 8.
Phase 1 (Sept. 8 – Sept. 18) of the process will start with those with the highest needs, which include:
Phase 2 (Sept. 21 – Sept. 25) includes all student groups in Phase 1, plus:
Phase 3 (Sept. 28 – Oct. 2) includes all student groups in Phase 1 and Phase 2, plus:
All other students that chose in-person instruction will return on Oct. 5. Virtual Empowered Learning will continue for those that choose that option.
We will work within the guidelines of TEA’s directions and gauge community spread of the coronavirus. This step-by-step process will help the district towards its goals to:
“I appreciate the numerous emails from our staff, parents, and students – our LISD family sharing their hearts and concerns in this challenging time,” Board President Trish Bode said. “The board approval of the TEA waiver supports the district in a phased reopening as recommended by our public health officials. This option does provide the opportunity for teachers and staff to apply health guidelines with a smaller group of students, which will help pave the way as we move to more on-campus instruction as certain benchmarks are reached.”
The district is planning to provide extensive safety measures once in-person learning resumes on our campuses. Cleaning procedures, contact tracing, facility enhancements, and protective equipment are integral parts of the district’s COVID prevention and response plans.
The Board approved an overall property tax rate of $1.4184 for the 2020 tax year. The rate reflects a decrease of almost two pennies from the 2019 tax rate of $1.4375. In addition, the approved rate continues the Board’s strategy to reduce the debt service (I&S) rate by a quarter-penny.
Trustees considered four scenarios that included rate reductions due to tax compression for maintenance and operations (M&O) as passed in the last legislative session.
The Board updated the dress code to be more inclusive and protective of students based on race, culture, religion, and gender. A committee of students, parents, teachers, board members, and staff determined to rewrite the entire code as a means for reform.
Discussion during the Board meeting centered on the language protecting specific student groups from discrimination and subjective enforcement. The Board aligned language for protected groups based on its FFH policy which spells out our non-discrimination statement.
“We have had parents and students come to us and beg us to protect them from racism and discrimination,” Board Vice President Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia, Ed.D., said. “Our marginalized students have waited too long for their voice to be heard. I’m proud that we were able to make these critical updates and keep this conversation going.”
Each school year the Leander ISD Board of Trustees approves the Student Code of Conduct. Updates to the 2020–21 Student Code of Conduct reflect recommendations from the Texas Association of School Boards model and feedback from stakeholders. Because this is a non-legislative year, the only recommended changes are to the dress code.
The district will continue its complete policy review, including a possible update to the FFH policy.
National, state and local elections will take place Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. Williamson and Travis counties have made a request to use Cedar Park, Leander, Rouse, and Vista Ridge high schools and Deer Creek Elementary School as election sites. To allow for the large crowd and social distancing guidelines, the cafeteria or gym at each of the requested campuses will need to be used.
In the interest of safety and minimizing disruptions to the school day, Trustees approved a change to the academic calendar that will allow our campuses to be open to elections without the mixing of the voters with our staff and students.
The Nov. 2 professional learning day (a workday for staff and day off for students) is rescheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3. Students and staff will conduct a normal school day Monday, Nov. 2.
We want to be respectful of the volume of communications our families receive. Moving forward, the district will send Board Briefs through Remind, as well as our usual website and social media postings. To receive Board Briefs through Remind, please join the @LISDbriefs class for direct communication or text @LISDbriefs to 81010.
]]>The district’s Launch to Learning could soon be entering a new phase, while an update to the Leander ISD dress code was among the topics during the Trustees’ agenda review meeting Thursday night.
View the entire agenda | Watch the video
The reopening of schools for in-person learning is on our entire Leander ISD family’s hearts and minds. To collect feedback from our students, teachers, staff, and families, and be transparent regarding what we are hearing, we are launching a Thoughtexchange survey to gather input.
Please click here to submit your feedback and to see the feedback from our community. We are collecting input until Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 11:59 p.m. so we can report back to the Board on Aug. 27 for a possible decision.
For more details about our re-opening plan, please click here.
With the health and safety of students and staff as the top priority, Trustees considered the district’s proposal to petition the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for an additional four weeks of virtual learning. This will allow the district to begin phasing in students that wish to return to in-person learning Sept. 8 in accordance with recommendations from local health departments.
Under TEA guidelines, districts can start the year virtually for four weeks, plus an additional four weeks with Board approval. Should the Trustees vote to approve the timeline Aug. 27, the district’s plan would phase-in students who have chosen in-person learning to return to campuses beginning Sept. 8.
This phase-in process will start with those with the highest needs, which include:
All students that chose in-person instruction would return by Oct. 5. Virtual Empowered Learning will continue for those that choose that option.
We will work within the guidelines of TEA’s directions and gauge community spread of the coronavirus. This step-by-step process will allow the district to:
“Our staff has done a phenomenal job with our virtual empowered learning as we navigate through these challenging times,” Board President Trish Bode said. “A phased reopening as recommended by our public health officials does provide the opportunity for teachers and staff to apply health guidelines with a smaller group of students, which will help pave the way as we move to more on-campus instruction as certain benchmarks are reached.”
The district is planning extensively to provide extensive safety measures once in-person learning resumes on our campuses. Cleaning procedures, contact tracing, facility enhancements, and protective equipment are integral parts of the district’s COVID prevention and response plans.
During the meeting, Trustees discussed staff health and safety, the rising positivity rate of COVID-19 in the two counties, and the possibility of keeping all students in remote learning if viral spread does not subside.
“We will start, continuously improve, fight for every kid, and never give up,” Superintendent Bruce Gearing, Ed.D. said. “Our goal is to open and stay open as long as possible, prioritizing and working to minimize the health risks for our teachers, staff, students, and families.”
Trustees heard presentations from the district finance team and its debt strategy partner to discuss the 2020–21 tax rate. The Board considered four scenarios that included rate reductions due to tax compression for maintenance and operations (M&O) and the continued strategy to reduce debt service rates by a quarter-penny. The Board will consider action on a tax rate at their Aug. 27 meeting.
A panel of students, parents, teachers, board members, and staff revised and rewrote the district’s dress code, which the Board will now review before possibly amending it and adopting it at the Aug. 27 regular Board meeting.During the routine policy review of our student dress code, the Board of Trustees asked for the committee to review the policy for overall improvements.
Each school year the Leander ISD Board of Trustees approves the Student Code of Conduct. Updates to the 2020–21 Student Code of Conduct reflect recommendations from the Texas Association of School Boards model and feedback from stakeholders. Because this is a non-legislative year, the only recommended changes are to the dress code.
The district’s Council of PTAs boasts more than 11,000 members across 43 campuses, and is a crucial component of community-focused education. As a year in review, PTA leadership marked multiple milestones and successes in its mission to give every child a voice.
Likewise, the Leander Educational Excellence Foundation excelled in its mission to support campuses and families, especially during the current pandemic. From helping meet the basic needs of students to innovation grants for teachers, LEEF’s contributions to the district continue to be impactful.
Steiner Ranch Elementary School Assistant Principal Britteny Clifford was announced as the new principal at the campus. Read more about Clifford’s hiring
Dr. Shawn Miller will lead LISD’s newest high school, joining the Glenn High School community after serving as a principal in Wylie ISD. Read more about Miller’s hiring
The reopening of schools for in-person learning is on our entire Leander ISD family’s hearts and minds. To collect feedback from our students, teachers, staff, and families, and be transparent regarding what we are hearing, we are launching a Thoughtexchange survey to gather input.
Please click here to submit your feedback and to see the feedback from our community. We are collecting input until Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 11:59 p.m. so we can report back to the Board on Aug. 27 for a possible decision.
For more details about our re-opening plan, please click here.
]]>It’s been a long journey from March until now, and we thank you for your patience with us as we navigate these challenging times. The district has worked hard to gain your trust, be transparent, and give families the most current information possible, but we know it can be overwhelming.
As the school year begins, LISD newsletters will be less frequent because families will be communicating more with your student’s teacher(s) and campus. We want to step back and let our heroic educators do what they do best: help our precious children learn, no matter the circumstances.
We are excited to welcome back (virtually) on Thursday! In this newsletter, you’ll find information about:
Facial coverings provide a barrier to viruses to protect themselves and others. All students and staff will wear facial coverings during arrival, dismissal, transitions, and within classrooms. Facial coverings must be worn over the mouth and nose, and the face-covering must be made out of material that adequately blocks the transmission of air and droplets (no valve/vented masks). Students requesting a medical exemption will need to work with their school’s nurse. Staff members will need to work through human resources (HR).
The first three weeks of the 2020–21 school year (Aug. 13–Sept. 7) will be entirely online, with all students in Virtual Empowered Learning. If we are able to continue with our plan to open Sept. 8 for in-person learning, families were able to choose between in-person and virtual. That process closed on Aug. 6 at 11:59 p.m.
Schools are working to connect with individual students who have not submitted a choice. Each school will have a process for updating selections at the grading period changes. Please look for communication from your student’s school.
Beginning this week, ahead of the start of the 2020–21 school year, Remind will replace SchoolMessenger as the bulk notification platform used by Leander ISD to connect with families and students through text, email and phone broadcasts.
By switching to Remind, all LISD communications will consolidate into a single platform, with Remind being a convenient tool to view messages from the district and your student’s principal and teachers.
Remind provides the district a text message focused delivery platform, which we’ve seen to be the most effective way of communicating directly with the most families. Each user can set their notification preferences, including selecting email instead of, or in addition to, a text message.
Remind’s robust mobile app and web-based platform create a one-stop shop for parents to keep track of messages relating to their students. While the mobile app and web platform are the best ways to utilize Remind, we do not require you to download the app. You will still get text messages or emails without signing into Remind.
For information on how to get started, please check out the LISD’s Remind support page.
Tired of preparing meals at home? Looking for creative and healthy options? Child Nutrition Services (CNS) is here for you!
Got questions? Call us at (512) 570-0670 or visit the CNS website.
With the first three weeks of the school year completely online, we know back-to-school looks different this year. In an effort to assist our families with planning for the start of this school year, we created the 2020–21 Leander ISD Back-to-School Checklist.
We’re excited to connect with our students and families at virtual open houses over the next several weeks. Please join us!
Each campus will be sharing details about these events with our families through email and/or on their campus websites. We look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones!
District committee applications are open from Aug. 3 through Aug. 17. To learn more and apply for a place on the Districtwide Educational Improvement Council (DWEIC), Community Curriculum Advisory Committee (CCAC) and/or the School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC), please visit the Committees page.
]]>We are excited to welcome back (virtually) our students one week from today! In this newsletter, you’ll find information about:
The Student Selection for in-person and Virtual Empowered Learning (VEL) closes at midnight tonight.
The first three weeks of the 2020–21 school year (Aug. 13–Sept. 7) will be entirely online, with all students in Virtual Empowered Learning. Starting Sept. 8, students can choose between in-person and virtual learning. We are asking families to tell us their preference so that we can efficiently prepare our campuses. In order to assign teachers and students into classrooms and minimize change, we need parents and guardians to select their choice by TONIGHT at midnight.
Schools are working to connect with individual students who have not submitted a choice. Each school will have a process for updating selections at the grading period changes. Please look for communication from your student’s school.
Beginning next week, ahead of the start of the 2020–21 school year, Remind will replace SchoolMessenger as the bulk notification platform used by Leander ISD to connect with families and students through text, email and phone broadcasts.
By switching to Remind, all LISD communications will consolidate into a single platform, with Remind being a convenient tool to view messages from the district and your student’s principal and teachers.
Remind provides the district a text message-focused delivery platform, which we’ve seen to be the most effective way of communicating directly with most families. Each user can set their notification preferences, including selecting email instead of, or in addition to, a text message.
Remind’s robust mobile app and web-based platform create a one-stop shop for parents to keep track of messages relating to their students. While the mobile app and web platform are the best ways to utilize Remind, we do not require you to download the app. You will still get text messages or emails without signing into Remind.
For information on how to get started, please check out the LISD’s Remind support page.
As the 2020–21 school year approaches, our Child Nutrition Services (CNS) team is continuously working to ensure that our students continue to have healthy and delicious meals during Virtual Empowered Learning (VEL) and beyond. Throughout emergency COVID-19 food service beginning in March and continuing through the summer, CNS served nearly 200,000 meals! The fact that there were so few interruptions to the services our families depend on is due to the strict adherence to safety protocols.
Here is how we plan on continuing our support for Leander families and virtual learners:
Apply online at https://www.mymealtime.com/Apps/SignIn or download a printable form online on the CNS website.
Easily make payments to your student’s account through My MealTime on iPhone (My MealTime) or Android (My MealTime) for free!
Find our menus and mobile ordering features online! Download free now for iPhone (Nutrislice) or Android (Nutrislice)!
Order ahead for multiple-day meal service at one pick-up time that works best with your family’s schedule! Download Nutrislice or order online at https://leanderisd.nutrislice.com/.
Locations: All 9 Middle Schools Service: 10:30 – 11:30 AM Begins: August 13, 2020
When in-person learning returns in the future, CNS has got your back. We have thoroughly vetted numerous feeding models for all grade groups & various food packaging options to ensure the continued safety of our students and Leander family.
Got questions? Call us at (512) 570-0670.
With the first three weeks of the school year completely online, we know back-to-school looks different this year. In an effort to assist our families with planning for the start of this school year, we created the 2020–21 Leander ISD Back-to-School Checklist.
We’re excited to connect with our students and families at virtual open houses over the next several weeks. Please join us!
Each campus will be sharing details about these events with our families through email and/or on their campus websites. We look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones!
To deploy devices more efficiently to our elementary families and to aid traffic congestion, the Friday, Aug. 7 Chromebook deployment has moved to Henry Middle School, which will flow through Vista Ridge High School. There will be no Chromebook deployments at Pleasant Hill and Grandview Hills Elementary Schools.
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., elementary families will enter at the North entrance of Henry Middle School and proceed through the HMS campus to Vista Ridge.
Our teachers have never needed the support of our community more than the upcoming school year. It takes all of us to make a great year happen, and we are actively recruiting substitute teachers ahead of the start of school.
As a substitute teacher for LISD you may:
Extensive safety measures are in place at each campus and applying is quick and easy.
You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers to help you make the best decisions for your family in our Launch to Learning 2020–21.
We know that our community will still have questions; if you are unable to locate your answer, please feel free to submit your question using the Let’s Talk button on our Launch to Learning site.
District committee applications are open from August 3 through August 17. To learn more and apply for a place on the Districtwide Educational Improvement Council (DWEIC), Community Curriculum Advisory Committee (CCAC) and/or the School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC), please visit the Committees page.
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