Loving our bus drivers to the moon and back!

KIPP TEXAS FAMILIES,

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a restful 4-day weekend and enjoyed the extra day off on Friday to Rest & Renew. My hope is that you are coming back energized, even more joyful, and ready to dive into our work for the next 2-3 week sprint before our Spring Breaks commence.

Happy National Bus Driver Appreciation Day!

Long before the sun rises this morning, I know a group of very special people who have already started their day with our KIPPsters at the center and our mission top of mind: our phenomenal bus drivers. I’m so excited to celebrate them today for National Bus Driver Appreciation Day. We have180 bus drivers who work with KIPP Texas, and they drive 231 routes and travel approximately 11,000 miles each day to ensure our Little KIPPsters arrive at school and return home safely. More than 10,000 Little KIPPsters hop on and off our buses every day and look forward to the warm greeting of our drivers to start their school day off well. 

Ms. Linda Thomas (pictured above) is one of our most tenured drivers, having transported our Little KIPPsters for more than 13 years! She has driven more than 170,870 miles and has no plans on stopping. I want to thank Ms. Linda and all of our bus drivers for safely bringing our Little KIPPsters to our joyful, academically excellent schools.

Student Lottery is February 28

Get ready, Team and Family. We are so excited to grow our Team and Family in less than a week as our 2022-23 Student Lottery takes place on February 28. We plan to announce more than 9,000 offers for open seats on Lottery Day. Families will be notified by 5PM via SchoolMint.

Here are a few frequently asked questions about our Student Lottery to guide you or a friend who may be eagerly anticipating this special occasion!

When will I know if my student has been accepted?

This year’s lottery for the 2022-23 school year occurs on February 28, 2022. That day, all families of applicants will be notified via text, and/or email. Keep your contact information up to date in SchoolMint.  There is no lottery event that parents must attend. Families may log into their SchoolMint account to see the status of their child’s enrollment starting at 5PM CST lottery day, and at any time after that. 

Yay! My student was accepted in the Lottery! What are my next steps?

Upon receiving an offer to attend KIPP Texas, families may accept their offer and start their registration process for the 2022-2023 school year. We ask all families to accept and register within one week of receiving their offer.  All offers will expire within 14 days. 

Please prepare by having the required documents ready to upload during registration:

  • Student Birth Certificate
  • Student Social Security Card, if applicable
  • Up-to-date immunization records
  • Parent/Guardian Government Issued ID
  • Proof of Residency
  • Proof of Guardianship, if applicable 

Families may accept their offer and register their child by logging into their SchoolMint account.

My student was placed on a waitlist. What’s next?

If there are not enough open seats available for all applicants, students will be placed on a waitlist. If and when seats become available at each KIPP school, we will notify families in the order of the waitlist.

Waitlists are dynamic! If a student is called off any of our waitlists, accepts the space and registers, and if that student has a sibling on the waitlist, the sibling is moved to the top of the waitlist with other siblings in the order of their general lottery number. This puts siblings ahead of any non-sibling waitlist students.

What should I expect? SchoolMint keeps track of where your student is on the waitlist. To see the status of your child after the lottery, log into your account here. Be aware that your student’s position on the waitlist may be affected by other students who accept a position and also have siblings on the waitlist. As explained above, waitlist siblings of accepted students are moved ahead of non-sibling waitlist students.

Can my student still apply after the lottery?

Yes, KIPP Texas accepts applications all year round! Applications must be received by February 14, 2022 to be included in the lottery. However, all applications received after February 14, 2022 will be placed on the waitlist in the order in which they are received.

Needs Assessment

An important goal at KIPP Texas is to build our student’s social-emotional learning skills. So that we can better achieve these goals, we would like for you and your students to please complete an anonymous online survey that has been emailed to you from Panorama Education on February 15 and again today, February 22. Please check your inbox and/or junk email folders for this email. This survey will ask to have your students self-reflect on their well-being, school environment, and strengths and skills, which will provide our schools and teachers with more information on how our students are doing. If you encounter any issues, please contact Panorama Education directly at support+kipptexas@panoramaed.com or contact the social worker or school counselor at your child’s school.

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I hope this is the start of a fantastic school week. If you have an opportunity, please show appreciation for our bus drivers today and every day! Have a great week, families!

With gratitude,

Sehba Ali