The last day of classes for Second Semester 2008-2009, is Thursday, June 4, 2009. Buses run as regularly scheduled and depart at 2:15 p.m. on this date. Classes resume for Klein ISD for the school year 2009-2010 on Monday, August 24, 2009.

Report Card Distribution:
Report cards will be mailed after June 11, 2009.

Summer School:
Summer school is offered in Klein ISD each year for elementary, intermediate and high school students. Students may recover credit to earn promotion through the summer school program. Additional special programs may be provided for enrichment or acceleration for eligible students, bilingual/ESL prekindergarten and kindergarten students, and students who have failed TAKS.

The schedules and locations of summer school may be found by clicking the summer school schedule article found on the scrolling bar on the district's Web page at www.kleinisd.net. Additional information may be obtained from Ms. Lauren Smith, the executive director of accountability and school improvement, at 832.249.4323 or lsmith@kleinisd.net.

Flyers concerning the district’s summer school program are available from school counselors. The site for both high school summer school sessions is Klein High School; the sites for intermediate summer school session 1 are Krimmel and Klein Intermediate; the site for intermediate summer school session 2 is Krimmel Intermediate; the sites for the elementary summer school sessions are subject to change, but may include Epps Island, Hassler, Kuehnle, McDougle, Mittelstadt, and Roth Elementary Schools. Refer to summer school flyers for registration information specific to the grade level and attendance area for your student.

Questions concerning summer school registration and courses for Fall 2009 should be directed to your student’s home campus counselor. This is true for all grade levels, K-12. More information is available on the district’s website www.kleinisd.net.

Verification of Enrollment Forms:
Verification of Enrollment and Attendance Forms that are needed to obtain a driver’s license are available from your student’s home campus – not this campus or central office. Contact your student’s home campus for summer office hours to obtain this information.

The faculty and staff of Alternative Classes wish your student success and a safe summer.

Is your child planning to acquire or renew a driver's license this summer? If so, please be aware that all applicants must show a "Verification of Enrollment and Attendance Form" to obtain a license. The information requested on the form is available only from the student's home campus. The information is not available at the Alternative Classes nor Klein ISD central office.

Parents may call the student's school for information about obtaining assistance with the "Verification of Enrollment and Attendance Form" before the summer break or during the summer.

High school telephone numbers are as follows: Klein High (832-484-4000), Klein Forest (832-484-4500), Klein Oak (832-484-5000), and Klein Collins (832-484- 5500).

Monday, August 24, 2009, is the first day of classes for school year 2009-2010. Monday, September 7, 2009 is Labor Day Holiday.

The 2009-2010 KISD Student Handbook contains a new guideline concerning attendance at the Alternative Education Classes. The approved recommendation states that a student assigned to the disciplinary alternative education program (Alternative Classes) will be required to make up days missed due to truancy and/or out-of-school suspension for disciplinary incidents before returning to his/her home campus.

Please phone Judy Brown in the Alternative Classes Attendance Office, 832-249-4804, before or on the date of your student’s absence. Send a note to the attendance secretary that specifies the dates and reason of your student’s absence whenever your student is absent from school. This note should be received in the attendance office within five days of the absence. Refer to the KISD Student Handbooks (high school handbook, p. 42-44; intermediate handbook, p. 28-30; elementary handbook, p. 22-23) for information on attendance requirements and absences.

Klein ISD and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office will continue the “Stay in School” program which is designed to increase school attendance. An explanation of the program is as follows:

Once your child has reached the legal limit of unexcused absences, a warning letter will be sent to your home and hand-delivered to your child in school. Within five days of receipt of this letter, you will be required to attend a conference at your child’s school, to discuss your child’s truancy problem and attempt to rectify it before criminal charges are filed. If, however, your child continues to incur additional unexcused absences, the school will file a case in the Justice of the Peace court, where you and your child must appear in response to the charges. Further, a more comprehensive program will be implemented, where your child must not miss additional school days and must submit to a social service evaluation and, where applicable, follow-up on social service referrals. Your child will be eligible for this program only one time. If your child deviates from the terms of the program, additional conditions will be added, such as attendance at a truancy camp and completion of community service hours. Non-compliance will ultimately lead to charges being filed against your child in a Harris County Juvenile District Court.

Families who need assistance in purchasing school supplies should call the Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM) to make an appointment for the required interview. The phone number to call for an appointment is 281-583-5600. Often a family needs services from more than one NAM program - the interview will determine the family's needs and which resources can best address their needs. School supplies will be distributed on August 15.

K. E. Kaufman is the director of KISD's disciplinary alternative education program. Mr. Kaufman opened Alternative Classes in January 1994 with a staff of 10 that included Speech Communications teacher Claudette Hunt and school secretary Mary McVeigh. Kevin Wood is associate principal. Counselor Colleth Punch joined the administrative staff in 2005. Counselor Marcy Wilson joined the administrative staff in August 2008, transferring from Klein Intermediate.

Twenty three teachers instruct students in the core academic areas of English Language Arts (English and Reading), Math, Science and Social Studies, as well as electives in the areas of Art, Computer Science, Health, Physical Education, Spanish, and Speech Communications.

A standardized dress code for students assigned to Alternative Classes was approved by Klein ISD Board of Trustees and adopted in 2004-2005. The dress code will remain effective 2009-2010 and will be enforced from the time students board the bus for transit to school until the student de-boards the bus at their assigned stop. Alternative Classes dress code for both girls and boys includes beige khaki pants worn at the waist (no shorts, Capri length pant, skirt, or dress), a solid color black, brown or white belt with a small belt buckle, a white shirt with a collar (no logo or writing) that is long enough to tuck neatly into pants at the waist (a white or light gray undershirt may be worn under the white collared shirt), and white or black shoes with corresponding colored shoelaces and a white or light gray sweatshirt (no hood, no logo or writing) for classroom appropriate outer wear. Shirts must be tucked into pants with the belt showing and pants must be worn at the waist on arrival to school. If a belt is not worn or a belt is loose, twist ties may be used to keep the pants at the waist. The dress code will be strictly enforced – campus isolated instruction or out of school suspension could be assigned on the first dress code violation.

On arrival to school, students must have shirts tucked in at the waist and belts on and fastened. As students enter the Annex building each day, they should be prepared to remove their belt, turn out all pockets from pants, and remove any metal objects that would cause alert from a metal detector. Metal objects should be turned over to designated Alternative Classes staff who supervise transit through the metal detector. Students must pass through the metal detector with palms up.

Students assigned to Alternative Classes are enrolled in the district's immediate response information system ("IRIS") through their home campus. District campuses utilize IRIS to get information to parents as soon as possible. Klein ISD partnered with the rapid communication system called IRIS two years ago. The system delivers emergency messages to parents individually by the communication method(s) of personal choosing. Should schools need to close early due to weather, for example, this system would notify you by your choice of home phone, cell phone, or email. In addition, schools may use the IRIS system to keep you up to date on important school wide information or changes relating to groups in which your child participates.

All students will be automatically entered into the IRIS system prior to and during the first month of school from the Klein student information system. Once the information is in the IRIS system, a test message will be sent. You will then be able to go to the IRIS website and change your information in the system or the way you wish to receive messages so it fits your preferences. You may also choose to remove yourself entirely from receiving emergency and informational messages from the system. Your Username will be kleinisd followed by your student’s ID number and your password is your student’s date of birth. You can find the student ID number on your student’s schedule. Examples for logon information are below.

Username: kleinisd41503
Password: 08261985

Parents can find out more information about IRIS by viewing the website, www.useiris.com. Contact information is available on this website should you have questions regarding the system or you can reach them by calling 281 263-6300.