Utopia ISD

Utopia ISD plans to resume normal school activities Tuesday morning October 27th. The buses will run as normal and the cross country team will participate at the District 31-A meet in Medina Tuesday morning.

Good morning everyone! I realize the decision to close school Thursday afternoon and suspend all school activities until Tuesday morning came to everyone unexpectedly. However, the safety of the children in Utopia will always be our greatest priority. By closing we allowed the custodial staff to perform a very complete and thorough cleaning and disinfecting of the entire campus and hopefully prevent any possibility of the virus spreading. As they say in show business though, “the show must go on”. Therefore, we have rescheduled the fall festival for Saturday, October 31. To prevent any conflict with the normal Halloween activities in the Utopia community, Buffalo Backers and Utopia ISD have cooperatively put together a slightly adjusted schedule of activities. The parade will begin promptly at 11:00 A.M. The carnival will begin at approximately 11:30 A.M. following the parade. The meal served by the junior class that normally occurs in the evening will be rescheduled to begin at 11:30 A.M. The senior cake auction will be conducted at 2:00 P.M. This will allow time for all of the normal Utopia community Halloween festivities in the evening. Please join us for a great day of fun and revelry.

The date for Tuesday is October 27th, not October 28th.

October 22, 2020 Dear parents and community members, Utopia ISD has been notified of a positive case of COVID-19 within the community. The individual was on the Utopia campus for a Volleyball game. For the safety and well-being of the students, faculty, and community and in an effort to prevent any spread of the virus we will be closing school and suspending ALL school activities beginning today at 2:45 PM. Normal activities will resume on Tuesday, October 28th, 2020. School buses will run at their normal time that morning. This afternoon school buses will run at 3:00. If parents are unavailable to pick up their children at that time at school or when the bus drops them off administration will be staying at the school to facilitate a late pickup. The fall festival will be postponed until Saturday, October 31st, 2020. Other details concerning other school activities including sporting events will be forwarded as soon as they are available. While school is not in session custodial staff will perform a deep and thorough cleaning and disinfecting of all areas. If you have any questions please contact Superintendent Michael Derry via email at mderry@utopiaisd.net or phone at 830-966-1928. Thank you again for your understanding! Michael Derry Superintendent Utopia Independent School District

The Junior High Cross Country meet that is scheduled for this afternoon has been postponed until Wednesday, October 28th.

Fall Festival Schedule

No School Monday, October 26, 2020.

VETERANS' DAY AT UTOPIA ISD

Medina will be hosting the Junior High Cross Country Meet this year at Deer Creek Camp on Wednesday, October 21, 2020. The girl’s race will begin at 5:00 PM and the Boy’s race will begin at 5:30 PM. Awards will be given under the pavilion at 6:00 PM. Awards will not begin until all coaches have had time to look over the results. Jr High Girls and Jr. High Boys will run 1.5 miles on a fan friendly course. The boy’s race will not start until 5:30pm. There are only 2 races and we won’t rush too much and will allow the scorers to make sure results are correct before posting for coaches to see first. Results will then be announced once all coaches have had time to review them. A concession stand will NOT be available at the Jr. High District Cross Country Meet. Awards will be given at the end of the meet for individuals and teams under the pavilion closest to the Starting Line. Deer Creek Camp is a great host and a great place and they ask that everyone stay off of the equipment found throughout the camp. Everyone is encouraged to peruse the visitors center and the camp store. Attendees are asked to please wear masks and/or face coverings. All Buses will turn into the first open gate after the river crossing. All Cars and spectators will go in the main entrance and turn right on the first road in the camp. There will be someone there to direct parking. Please show up and support our Junior High Cross-Country runners!!

This evening the Utopia chapter of the National Honor Society will conduct its annual induction ceremony. This is a huge honor for our students and we would like to invite any community members that can possibly attend. Please come out and support our students! The ceremony will be held in the school cafeteria at 6:30 PM on Thursday, October 15, 2020.

Good morning everyone! Currently Uvalde County has met the requirement to rescind the State of Texas mandatory mask mandate, therefore the mask mandate is no longer in effect within the county. The official stance of Utopia ISD is that students, faculty, staff, and visitors are still highly encouraged to wear masks, but the wearing of masks is not required. Social distancing and good hygiene practices are also encouraged. As a precautionary measure, water fountains on campus will remain turned off and hand sanitizer will still be made available. The custodial staff will continue to use effective sanitizing procedures throughout the campus on a daily basis. Thank you, Michael

CHANGE IN UTOPIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCHEDULE

WOW!!! A health inspection was performed at the Utopia ISD school cafeteria and it passed with a perfect score of 100! All credit goes to the wonderful staff that prepares breakfast and lunch for all of our students every day of school! Thank you Mrs. Theresa-Maria, Mrs. Mendoza, Mrs. Reyes, and Mrs. Prest for all the hard work you put in.

All tax collections and billings are now performed through the Bandera Tax Assessor/Collector's office. If you have any issues or concerns please contact that office at (830) 796-3731. The physical address is 403 12th Street, Bandera, Texas 78003. Thank you,

A bus will leave Utopia ISD at 4:15 PM for any 9th - 12th grade students that would like to attend the Fields of Faith event at Medina High School. Students need to bring money to eat at Sonic or Burger King afterwards. Mrs. Kay has permission slips available for anyone wishing to attend. The bus is expected to return to Utopia about 9:00 PM.

Monday morning Utopia ISD will have its six weeks breakfast recognizing Junior High and High School perfect attendance, all "A", and "AB" honor roll students. Please remind all qualifying students to attend! This event is for students only. Elementary awards will occur at 2:00 PM in gym "B". Parents are welcome to attend the elementary awards. Notes were sent home in backpacks on Friday to parents of all qualifying students.

The book fair at Utopia ISD will be happening October 19-24! Bring the kids and pick up some great new reading material!

Check out the six weeks awards assembly.

Utopia ISD is pleased to be able to offer a presentation by the Region 20 Educational Service Center entitled "Dangerous Teen Trends". Everyone thinks "It will not happen to my child", until it does. This session will provide an overview of current school age trends including drugs, alcohol, and internet safety. Learn what to look for , red flag behavior, and what to do when a child becomes involved. Please email Mrs. Kay at akay@utopiaisd.net to reserve your spot. This is a remote Zoom presentation, but we must have a minimum of 30 sign up to be able to host the presentation.

Parents, We are getting some vehicle congestion in front of the school during pick up and drop off times. We ask that when picking up or dropping off students please only use the circle drive if you intend to stay in your vehicle and immediately leave. If you plan to get out or park please use one of the parking spaces in the parking lot. This will help us keep our students safe and expedite the pick up and drop off process. Thank you so much for your help!