CUSD Schools In Ladera Ranch Adopt Entire School District In Sour Lake, Texas; Learn How To Donate Now!

(LADERA RANCH) – Both Ladera Ranch and Sour Lake, Texas score an 81 for “livability” on www.areavibes.com – which qualifies them as “exceptionally livable.” Both are small towns in giant Southwestern states. Both are sunny and warm year round. Both place a high value on education.

While the Nation watched in horror the floods and devastation Hurricane Harvey caused in Texas, the City of Houston received a lot of attention (rightly so). Some of the smaller towns that suffered from Harvey’s wrath -- like Sour Lake, have remained quietly in the backdrop. Then Irma hit and the attention has been divided yet again.

Here’s a recent excerpt from The New York Times: (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/us/small-towns-harvey.html?mcubz=1)

Flooding and rain, topping 47 inches in some areas, pounded 50 counties in southeast and lower central Texas with a combined population of roughly 11 million people. The area includes more than 300 towns and smaller cities that felt the storm’s punishing force, even as Harvey was downgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday….many people in these remote areas are still in desperate need…. towns nearby that were struggling: Kountze, Silsbee, Sour Lake.

In response to the crisis faced by Sour Lake residents as a result of Hurricane Harvey, parents, students and teachers of CUSD schools in Ladera Ranch came together to adopt the entire Sour Lake school district in an effort to help keep the kids there focused on what will get them through – and always be there for them to help better their lives: education.

A CALL TO ALL FAMILIES OF CUSD SCHOOLS IN LADERA RANCH

The CUSD schools participating in the Hurricane Harvey Education Supplies Drive for Sour Lake Students includes: Chaparral Elementary School (a California Distinguished School); Ladera Ranch Elementary School; Oso Grande Elementary School; and Ladera Ranch Middle School (also a California Distinguished School). It is a combined effort of the members of each school’s Parent-Teach Association (PTA) members.

PTA MISSION: To promote the welfare of children and youth in the home, school, community, and place of worship; to raise the standards of home life; to secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth; to bring into closer relation the home and school, that parents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children and youth; to develop between educators and the general public such united efforts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social, and spiritual education.

We strongly encourage every parent to join our PTA. Relatives and friends can join, too. Be an active part of our winning Chaparral School Champion team by supporting our PTA Board, serving on various committees, and volunteering in the classrooms. It's very rewarding! If you would like to join the Chaparral PTA, please inquire at the school office. We will be happy to assist you.

CUSD LADERA RANCH SCHOOL’S HURRICANE HARVEY EDUCATION SUPPLIES DRIVE

From Nicole Lindstrom, Chaparral, and Daniella Hernandez, Oso Grande; Ladera Ranch Elementary and Ladera Ranch Middle School

Welcome Back to School! This 2017-2018 school year we would like to incorporate Kindness through a monthly activity instead of just the one week a year. This month our focus is on the families and students that have lost so much due to Hurricane Harvey. We are partnering with Oso Grande Elementary in hopes to make this a community effort.

We will be adopting a school district in Sour Lake, TX – one of their Middle Schools in addition to all the residents of this small town were flooded. This is a small community that is not currently receiving aid from the national organizations. School resumes for these students in Texas on Monday, 9/11 – we are looking to quickly provide these much needed items so these students can get back into the routine and resume learning.

Here are four ways you can help:

1. AMAZON WISHLIST SCHOOL SUPPLIES DIRECT DONATIONS

These school supplies will be shipped directly from amazon to our adopted schools and teachers in Texas.

Please click on this link and select the items and quantity you wish to donate: https://www.amazon.com/gp/regi...

Don’t forget to start at: https://smile.amazon.com/ref=s... Chaparral’s PTA link. Please select shipping to Kristie Rains. She is one of the school principals that we have been in direct contact with.

2. We can accept Amazon gift card and or cash donations to go directly towards the supply donations needed. We will use these funds to buy some of the larger bulk items from the list. Checks can be made to Chaparral PTA c/o Harvey Donation.

3. Purchase a book to donate at our Scholastic Book Fair. A book bin collection will be available. Our hope is to get Scholastic to help in donating shipping to Texas.

4. Oso Grande will be doing a Backpack Drive starting on 9/11 ending 9/14. You can drop off a new or slightly used backpack to Oso Grande PTA.

Please help these students find some normalcy after such a devastating situation.

Here is the information of the schools we elected to adopt:

SCHOOLS

Lumberton, Texas Schools: 250 students

Sour Lake, Texas Schools: 538 middle students, 600 elementary students

TEACHERS

Approximately 26+ teachers lost their home. We will be adopting those teachers.
Let’s rally as a school and help as a community to show Texas that our Roots and Wings really soar here in Ladera Ranch!!

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HELP SUPPORT CUSD LADERA RANCH’S HURRICANE HARVEY DRIVE BY PURCHASING A BOOK THIS WEEK AT CHAPARRAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DURING ITS’ FALL 2017 BOOK FAIR – WILD WEST BOOK FAIR!

Anyone wishing to donate to the CUSD Ladera Ranch School’s Hurricane Harvey Education Supplies Drive can visit Chaparral Elementary School this week and purchase a book to donate to the collection the school is gathering now to ship to Sour Lake, Texas.

http://www.scholastic.com/book...

Chaparral students and families have been visiting the book fair all week during school hours. This Chaparral PTA-sponsored event will benefit both Chaparral and students in Sour Lake, Texas. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Chaparral by creating a fund for the school to purchase library books or other academic materials for students as the year progresses. The books selected and purchased by visitors for Sour Lake, Texas students will be shipped to Sour Lake next week.

The Fall 2017 book fair is called: Wild West Book Fair: Saddle Up and Read! Students have been excited to choose from a wide-range of bran-new book selections offered by Scholastic vendors.

Scholastic has been brining the tradition of book fairs to students for more than 30-years. It is a fun way for students to develop a love of reading while also supporting its school library to build a bigger selection of books that students can choose from all year long.

Visitors must stop in at the front office to sign in and get a badge in order to enter the book fair. The book fair is open all week during school hours from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Chaparral Elementary School is located at 29001 Sienna Parkway, Ladera Ranch, California 92694 Phone (949) 234-5349 https://chpes-capousd-ca.schoolloop.com/

Capistrano Unified School District
33122 Valle Road, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
Phone (949) 234-9200

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THE REALITIES FACED BY SOUR LAKE, TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICT PARENTS, STUDENTS AND TEACHERS AS POSTED TO THE HARDIN-JEFFERSON ISD WEBSITE FOLLOWING HURRICANE HARVEY

HARDIN-JEFFERSON ISD
Hurricane Harvey Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.hjisd.net/

ACADEMICS:

Q: When will my student be able to return to school?
A: HJISD students will return to school on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at normal school hours:
HS 7:55-3:10
CE 7:55-3:25
SLE 7:55-3:15

Q: Where will my middle school student attend classes?
A: Henderson Middle School students will be split between Sour Lake Elementary, China Elementary and Hardin-Jefferson High School on a temporary basis until a modular building campus is up and running. We anticipate using this split-student Middle School plan for approximately
5-6 weeks until we can reunite the Middle School in one location.

6th grade students will be split between the two elementary campuses. If you reside in Hardin County, your child will go to Sour Lake Elementary. If you reside in Jefferson County he/she will go to China Elementary.

6th graders at Sour Lake Elementary will report to the gym after they eat breakfast in the cafeteria. 6th graders at China Elementary will report to the cafeteria.

All 7th and 8th graders will all go to Hardin-Jefferson High School. Once they eat breakfast, they will report to the gym. Parent drop off and pick up for HMS will be lined up outside the high school gym on the right hand side. Buses for HJHS and HMS will be serviced from the HJHS bus loop.

Q: My child is homeless due to the hurricane, where can I go to get the
McKinney-Vento (homeless) application?
A: You may get an application from the campus or you may access the online application by clicking on the following link.
McKinney-Vento Application

Q: We lost most of our clothing in the flood. Will dress code be strictly enforced when students return on the 19th?
A: We are sensitive to the fact that some families will have difficulty adhering to the dress code as we resume class. We will temporarily loosen our dress code for those affected by the flood, but we ask that students please dress appropriately and that their clothing not be a distraction in class. If you havea specific need, please contact your campus principal with questions. You can also contact Belinda McDermand (409.981.6400 x 3302) to inquire about clothing that has been donated.

Q : Will the students have to make up the instructional days that were missed
due to the hurricane?
A: The Texas Education Agency has granted blanket waivers for the days missed from August 28, 2017 though September 8, 2017. TEA is working individually with districts to possibly waive days missed beyond September 8th. We are currently working with TEA with regard to missed days from September 11, 2017 through September 18th. We will communicate those results in a future update.
Q : Were any of the students medications at the Middle School saved?
A: Unfortunately not. All student medications were lost in the flood. Please contact your physician and pharmacy for refill orders.
Q : Will homework/assignments be due as soon as we return?
A: No. There will be a grace period for all assignments, and teachers will work with students who were impacted by the storm to ensure no work is lost.

ATHLETICS:

Q: What are the plans for High School athletics?
A: Voluntary Volleyball Practice Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday from 5:30-7 pm at Lumberton

Voluntary Football Practice Monday to Thursday from 5-7 pm at field in China behind the City Hall

Thursday, September 14
Football Scrimmage vs Vidor
Pirate Stadium, 500 Orange Street, Vidor; combined Sub-varsity at 6PM; Varsity at 7PM; team will leave China at 4:30 PM (Voluntary scrimmage, if you need a ride call Coach Sloan)
Friday, September 15
Volleyball scrimmage vs Silsbee
Football scrimmage vs TBD (If Possible)

Saturday, September 16
Cross Country Practice Meet at Dayton

Thursday, September 21
Volleyball at Huffman
Junior Varsity Football at East Chambers

Friday, September 22
Varsity Football at Beaumont Kelly

Saturday, September 23
Cross Country at Lumberton

Q: What are the plans for Middle School athletics?
A: Middle school football will have a voluntary practice on Wednesday from 3-5 at the field in China. All games are on hold for now.

Volleyball will resume practice on Tuesday. Schedule for games is being adjusted at this time.

Q: Will we have a home football game this year?
A: Yes. We are targeting the Jasper game on Oct 6th as out 1st home game.
Confirmation on this coming soon.

TRANSPORTATION:

Q: We are currently displaced and staying in Beaumont due to the storm, will there be a bus pick up point in Beaumont?
A: We will have two pick up points in Beaumont for displaced students. One will be at Ritter Lumber on Hwy 105 and the other will be at Beaumont Municipal Athletic Complex on College Street.

Students attending Sour Lake Elementary will need to ride the bus located at Ritter Lumber. Bus #31 will arrive at the pick up location at 6:25am and depart for school at 6:55am. Busses will arrive for afternoon drop off at 4:00pm and stay until 4:30pm. Students not picked up will be returned to the HJISD Transportation Facility.

Students attending China Elementary will need to ride the bus located at the Beaumont Municipal Complex. Bus #32 will arrive at the pick up location at 6:25am and depart for school at 6:55am. Busses will arrive for afternoon drop off at 4:15pm and stay until 4:45pm. Students not picked up will be returned to the HJISD Transportation Facility.

Middle School and High School students can ride either bus.

Please call our Transportation Departments with any questions you have at 409-287-2929

Q: Which bus routes should our middle school students ride on? Do 6th graders need to ride special routes to get to the elementary school?
A: Students will be picked up and dropped off by their normal route bus. Their normal bus will deliver to their assigned location and back home. The only exception will be that if your student rode on buss 18 or 42, they will be picked up by bus 11 at your normal bus stops. That is the only bus number change.

Q: We are staying in an RV at our residence, will there be a bus pick up for my student?
A: Yes. Students will be picked up and dropped off by their normal route bus.

CHILD NUTRITION:

Q: Will my student be able to eat free meals at school?
A: HJISD was approved to serve free breakfast and lunches to all students through September 30th. After that, if a family is displaced and is qualified through the district’s homeless liaison, we can qualify them for free meals for the rest of the year. We will share additional details about this program after we start back.

DONATIONS:

Q: How can we help out?
A: We have received so many phone calls and emails from people around the community and from other cities/states. We appreciate everyone considering us for donations. We ask that you please send any donations to Belinda McDermand. She will be coordinating drop off times and locations. Please send her an email at: belindamcdermand@hjisd.net

Additional questions may be submitted to socalmedia@hjisd.net

Hardin-Jefferson Independent School District's
520 W. Herring St, Sour Lake, TX 77659 | Phone: 409-981-6400

The Hardin-Jefferson Independent School District, with an enrollment of 2180 students, is a consolidated school district located in a predominately suburban area of Southeast Texas approximately fifteen miles west of Beaumont.

Enrollment : 2017-2018 2180 Students
Area Served 297.8 Square Miles
Counties Served Hardin and Jefferson

China Elementary (http://www.ce.hjisd.net/)

Sour Lake Elementary (http://www.sle.hjisd.net/)

HURRICANE HARVEY UPDATE- WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017

An update on district building damage: Sour Lake Elementary has damage to the Gym. We will be working diligently to ensure the gym is safe for our students prior to when we start back. China Elementary survived the storm with very minimal damage. Hardin-Jefferson High School did not receive damage from the storm. Henderson Middle School received the the most extensive damage in the district with two feet of water throughout the building.

Waiting to start school back until after making extensive repairs in a middle school facility that large would leave our students out of school for far too long. After much deliberation, the school board and administrative staff have come to the consensus that Henderson Middle School students will be split between Sour Lake Elementary, China Elementary and Hardin-Jefferson High School on a temporary basis until a modular building campus is up and running. We anticipate to use this split student Middle School plan for approximately 5-6 weeks until we can reunite the Middle School in one location.

Additional details will follow in the days/weeks ahead, but here is the structure of the start back plan:
6th grade:

Students who reside in Hardin County will go to Sour Lake Elementary 7:55-3:15
Students who reside in Jefferson County will go to China Elementary 7:55-3:25

7th and 8th graders will all go to Hardin-Jefferson High School 7:55-3:10. Once they eat breakfast, they will report to the gym. Parent pick up for HMS will be lined up outside the high school gym on the right hand side. Buses for HJHS and HMS will be serviced from the HJHS bus loop.

Our target student start back date is Tuesday, September 19th. Faculty and staff will return to campus on Monday, September 18th. We are hopeful we can make these restart dates as we would like for our students to get back to some sense of normalcy. If these dates change, you will be notified in advance.

HJISD was approved to serve free breakfast and lunches to all students through September 30th. After that, if a family is displaced and is qualified through the district’s homeless liaison, we can qualify them for free meals for the rest of the year. We will share additional details about this program after we start back.

Concerning athletics for the coming weeks; There will not be any competitions or mandatory practices until we return to school. Students and families should focus on recovery. Schedules will be adjusted and we will try to salvage what we can of the schedule. All homecoming events are cancelled until further notice.

Please stay updated via the HJISD website, Facebook Page, and Twitter Page. We will also share this information with the local media. We look forward to seeing all of you back on campus soon.

Hardin-Jefferson Independent School District is a public school district based in Sour Lake, Texas (USA). The district covers south central Hardin and northwestern Jefferson counties.
• Hardin-Jefferson High (Grades 9-12)
o The high school campus, newly built for the '09-'10 school year, sits along US Highway 326 next to its predecessor, now Henderson Middle School.
• Henderson Middle (Grades 6-8)
o Previously located in China where China Elementary now stands, the district relocated the middle school staff and students to the old high school campus in 2009.
• Sour Lake Elementary (Grades PK-5)
o Serving, largely, that of the district that lies in Hardin County (as well as some Nome residents), the campus sits along US Highway 326 south out of Sour Lake.
• China Elementary (Grades PK-5)
o Previously located in the center of China, the district instead allocated the old middle school campus (with considerable renovations) for use as the new elementary.

Henderson Middle School – http://www.hms.hjisd.net/

High School - Hardin-Jefferson High School

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