Katy Virtual Academy

Email: KVA@katyisd.org

Phone: 281-234-2060.

To remain a KVA student, there is NO action needed on the part of the parent/guardian. Your child will remain in this learning environment until you opt him/her out. Again, if your intent is to have your child be a KVA student for the 2nd grading period, there is no further action to take!

Students who opted for the Katy Virtual Academy (KVA) learning option will continue with their KVA schedule through the end of the current six-week (secondary) and nine-week (elementary) grading period. Campuses have worked extremely hard to balance in-person and virtual classes as well as implement all campus phase 1 safety protocols.

Secondary – submission window to change your child’s current instructional delivery option is closed.

Elementary – submission window will be open September 21-October 2. The change in instruction will begin on Oct. 19 (the first day of the second grading period).The commitment link will be available on your student’s campus home page.

Reminder - all opt-in changes are in effect at the beginning of the second six-week (secondary) and nine-week (elementary) grading period. Changes to instructional delivery settings can result in a change in your child’s teacher(s) and daily schedule.

Reminder – if you would like your child to remain in the instructional delivery setting he/she is currently in, there is NO action needed on the part of the parent.

If you have any questions regarding the next opportunity to change your child’s learning option for the second grading period, please email KVA@katyisd.org.

If there is a need for a change in your child’s learning option due to a medical hardship, please email your concern to medicalhardship@katyisd.org. Pending the decision of the review committee, students will remain in their current learning option that was elected prior to the start of the school year on August 19.

KVA CTE students enrolled in Floral Design, Principles of Human Services, Culinary Arts I, and/or Cosmetology I are required to pay a course fee. Lab supplies and materials are purchased solely using the course fee. All course fees for KVA students must be paid on Katy ISD Pay N Go. Instructions on how to access the fees can be found here: Pay N Go Course Fee. Parents may request a course fee waiver by completing and submitting a Course Fee Waiver form. Forms can be requested from the campus and/or CTE instructor.

Floral Design and Principles of Human Services will have lab supplies that will need to be picked up at various times throughout the six weeks. Teachers will communicate with students and parents the dates, time, and location of lab item pickup, as well as how the labs will be submitted for evaluation and assessment. At-home labs can begin the second six weeks, September 28, 2020. KVA students enrolled in these CTE courses are required to pick-up lab supplies to complete their assignments at home.

Due to TEA and UIL restrictions regarding seating capacity, we will be allowing no more than 50% capacity into each of our venues until further notice including:

• Varsity Football at Legacy & Rhodes Stadiums
• All Sports at All Campuses

Out of courtesy for other patrons, we are asking spectators to leave at the conclusion of the contest. Doing so will open seats for parents of the next game.

At all venues:

Spectators are expected to wear masks or face coverings at all times.

Spectators are expected to maintain social distance from other family groups at all times.

Spectators are expected to complete self-screening prior to entry. Instructions will be posted at all entry gates.

Questions? athletics@katisd.org

The Katy ISD Legacy Parent Academy is a series of informational sessions specifically designed to assist parents by building awareness of a range of social-emotional and academic topics that impact our students and our campuses district-wide. Academy participants will gain factual knowledge pertinent to each topic while also learning strategies and proven techniques to assist in supporting students.

http://www.katyisd.org/parents/Pages/Legacy-Parent-Academy.aspx

Session # 1

Warning Signs & Symptoms of Suicide, Dealing with Suicide, and Managing Speaking with Children about Suicide

Date and Time:

September 23, 2020

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Presenters: Leslie Meeks, LMSW, Andrea Ortiz CHANGES - Westpark Springs; The Jason Foundation

Session Description: Most suicides are preceded by warning signs. Participants will learn how to recognize and respond, and how to discuss suicide with children at age-appropriate levels.

​Location: Zoom

https://zoom.us/j/93173776368

Passcode: LPA92020

FALL

REGISTRATION:

Registration for AP exams is now open until October 25, 2021 at 11:59 pm. Students who are

enrolled in an AP class during the fall semester MUST register to take AP exams by the

deadline on October 25th. This includes Miller and KVS students as well as summer KVA

students.

To access the entire letter for full details, click here.

Katy ISD will continue to administer the PSAT/NMSQT®, which helps students prepare for future SAT testing and provides entry into the National Merit® Scholarship Program for students who meet the criteria.

The district will offer two testing days to accommodate students:

October 14, 2020: 11th grade Face-to-Face and KVA students and 10th/11th grade registered homeschooled students for the PSAT/NMSQT®

• 9th, 10th & 12th will remain at home and engage with assigned asynchronous lessons.
• KVA students may ride district transportation to and from their campus on their scheduled PSAT date.
• KVA parents may pick up their KVA child prior to the end of the school day.
• KVA students may opt to stay at the campus and ride the bus home after school hours; however, students will be placed in a large room setting.
• Before and after school programs/practices will remain on schedule.
• Homeschool students must register with attendance zone home campus. Both 10th and 11th graders will test on October 14, 2020.

October 29, 2020: 10th grade Face-to-Face and KVA students for thePSAT/NMSQT®

• 9th,11th & 12th will remain at home and engage with assigned asynchronous lessons.
• KVA students may ride district transportation to and from their campus on their scheduled PSAT date.
• KVA parents may pick up their KVA students to transport home prior to the end of the school day.
• KVA students may opt to stay at the home campus and ride the bus home after school hours; however, students will be placed in a large room setting.
• Before and after school programs/practices will remain on schedule.

For Parents of Kindergarten Students:

Information for parents wishing to have their child screened for the KISD gifted and talented is provided on the links below. The links below will provide access to the letter to parents, information on how to refer your child, and typical characteristics of a gifted learner.

Online parent checklists are available from your child’s KVA teacher and are due by October 2nd, 2020. Please contact your child’s KVA teacher or your child’s campus Challenge teacher by September 21st to get the link to the checklist.

Click on the language link (English Spanish) to access the information listed above.

5th Grade GT Referral Information Update:

Reminder: The deadline for submitting the parent checklist for referring your child for GT services is Wednesday, September 23rd. An online checklist is now available for your convenience. Please contact your child’s KVA teacher or your campus Challenge teacher for the link specific to your child’s campus.

*Updated*

Through an extended waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), Katy ISD is providing free meals to all students beginning, Monday, September 21. On-campus and virtual students can receive breakfast and lunch at no cost through Dec. 31, or pending available funds through USDA and TDA.

All students are eligible for one breakfast and one lunch per day per federal guidance. For example, if the student eats breakfast and lunch at school, the student is not eligible to pick up meals at the Grab ‘N Go sites.

Free and reduced meal applications must still be submitted for the 2020-2021 school year to determine benefits after the waiver ends. Visit schoolcafe.com/KatyISD to apply online.

Katy Virtual Academy Students

Free curbside meals, breakfast and lunch, are available to students participating in virtual learning, as well as children 18 and under, who are not enrolled in Katy ISD.

Participants are able to pick up breakfast and lunch meals, curbside from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Meals are packaged to be heated and eaten at home. Meals are to be picked up a day prior to the intended use. Pick up is available at these sites:

• Morton Ranch HS
• Mayde Creek HS
• Cinco Ranch HS

Curbside meal service at Seven Lakes HS ended on 9/18.

*IMPORTANT*Please remember, the Texas Department of Agriculture policy now requires parents picking up meals without a child present to present documentation for each child. (Accepted documentation is official letter/email/electronic school application, student report card, student ID card, attendance records with student’s names, or a birth certificate. Only one form is required.) You can find your Student’s ID number in the Home Access Center, by selecting the ‘Registration’ icon. Under Demographics, you will see your student’s ID displayed. Click here for more information.

For more information, please visit the Katy ISD Food Services webpage.

The Katy ISD Nutrition and Food Services Department would like to remind parents/guardians that the District offers free or reduced-price meals to families that qualify. It is important for eligible families to apply, as eligibility information impacts school funding. More information, including the application can be found on SchoolCafe.

• A new meal benefits application must be submitted each school year for families that may qualify for receiving free or reduced-price meals.
• One meal benefit application is needed per family.
• To expedite the approval process, we highly recommend that families submit an online application at SchoolCafe.com.
• Parents/guardians are responsible for all meal account charges prior to being approved.

As a friendly reminder, Katy ISD offers Pay N' Go, which allows convenient ways to make payments for cafeteria meals, set low balance email notifications, schedule auto-pay, pay activity fees, and various other campus and district related services.

If you have any question please visit our website, email us at NutritionFoodServices@KatyISD.org or call us at 281-396-6240.

Katy ISD Nutrition and Food Service Department

Click here to read the USDA Nondiscrimination statement.

To Access more of NAMI's information and resources related to suicide, please click the link below:

https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Common-with-Mental-Illness/Risk-of-Suicide

Warning Signs

Here are a few other warning signs of suicide:

• Increased alcohol and drug use
• Aggressive behavior
• Withdrawal from friends, family and community
• Dramatic mood swings
• Impulsive or reckless behavior

Suicidal behaviors are a psychiatric emergency. If you or a loved one starts to take any of these steps, seek immediate help from a health care provider or call 911:

• Collecting and saving pills or buying a weapon
• Giving away possessions
• Tying up loose ends, like organizing personal papers or paying off debts
• Saying goodbye to friends and family

With safety being the number one priority for Katy ISD, the District has launched our new ‘COVID-19 Case Dashboard.’ As a District, we want to ensure that you have access to the information and tools you need in order to make timely decisions about your child’s schooling, health and well-being as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Dashboard provides daily updates on the number of overall self-reported COVID-19 positive cases throughout the district, and by campus. Families and staff can review the Dashboard at any time by visiting the Katy ISD website homepage and clicking on the COVID-19 Case Dashboard icon.

The Dashboard is populated by data that is submitted by students and staff who have self-reported a positive COVID-19 test result through Katy ISD’s COVID-19 Self- Reporting App in the MyKaty Cloud.

For more information on Katy ISD’s COVID-19 Case Dashboard, or the COVID-19 Self- Reporting App, please visit the District’s Smart Restart webpage.

*NEW* Katy ISD’s annual College and Career Night will be held Wednesday, October 14, 2020, from 6:00PM-8:00PM. This date was confirmed by the Texas Association of College Registrars and Admissions Counselors (TACRAO). Per TACRAO’s recommendation due to COVID-19, this year’s event will be virtual.

A short video demonstrating how to access and navigate the virtual College and Career Night can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaOXWLzjviA&feature=youtu.be.

Students will be able to register for Katy ISD’s College and Career Night through GoToCollegeFairs.com beginning Tuesday, September 29, 2020.

Be virtual learning ready!

• Know your Katy ISD username and password. If you do not know this information, click here for help
• Go to the Home Access Center (HAC) and view your schedule
• PreK-4th grade students will need their parent/guardian to login to the HAC
• 5th –12th grade students can login to the HAC using their student credentials
• Launch the Google Chrome browser on your device

If using a personal device, make sure it is up to date, click here for help.

• Go to MyKaty Cloud: https://mykaty.katyisd.org
• Ensure you have Webpass enabled, click here for help
• Find Canvas (under the Elementary or Secondary tab on MyKaty Cloud):
• Click on the course that contains the name of your first class (refer to schedule in HAC).
• Be on time to each course throughout the day, as attendance will be taken. Your teacher will have instructions for you about content and an online meeting link.

How to Access Them

Elementary and secondary students can access a temporary ID badge via the Student ID App available on the MyKaty Cloud. Families received an email on Friday, August 14 with instructions on how to access and use the Student ID App.

Secondary campuses will soon communicate additional information about specific dates and times when secondary students will receive their permanent student ID.

Parent Tech FAQs

http://www.katyisd.org/dept/technology/PTH/Pages/Parent-Tech-FAQs.aspx

Parent and Student Knowledge Base

http://www.katyisd.org/dept/technology/PTH/Pages/Knowledge-Base-for-Students-and-Parents.aspx

Technology Help Desk Contacts for Parents/Students Support Inquiries

• Online: Katy ISD Tech Help
• Or, click “Help” in Canvas
• Or, call: 281.396.7400 (6:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)
• Or, e-mail: parenttechsupport@katyisd.org

“How to Guide” for Parents on the Home Access Center (HAC)

Need to know how to view a report card, student grades, or other information?

Check out our “how to guides” on the Home Access Center, or click below.

• Home Access Center (HAC) User Guide (English)
• Home Access Center (HAC) User Guide (Spanish)

The Resource Guide provides an in depth review of virtual learning from various perspectives, in addition to information regarding instructional delivery, learning tools, resources and technology assistance.