Huffman Elementary
"SOARING TO REACH NEW HEIGHTS IN LEARNING"
Strong Schools. Strong Students.
GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT HUFFMAN
On Thursday night the Huffman Watch D.O.G.S, (Dads' of Great Students), kicked off the new school year with pizza and discussion about how they could volunteer at Huffman. Students love to see Watch D.O.G.S. during morning arrival, recess, in the Learning Commons, reading to students or just hanging out during lunch. If you are interested in serving as a Huffman Watch D.O.G. contact Wesley Ramirez at wescooling@yahoo.com or Brandon Watts at Brandon.watts@pisd.edu. Sign up today to be a be a Hero in the Hallways or to volunteer at your child's school: www.huffmanpta.org.
This past week the library rolled out its' new Learning Commons space with S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) activities. The Learning Commons provides an opportunity for students to explore the Four C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Collaborative and Critical Thinking Skills while applying skills they are learning in and out of the classroom. This past week students explored Coding, Board Games and Legos. Next week students will continue with Coding, Paperama on the IPADS- this is a folding puzzle activity, game station, and a Lego challenge.
Huffman's Pre-K is rolling right along, and we are so excited to have our youngest Hawks on campus. All other students in K-5 are mastering their routines and procedures, and valuable instruction is definitely in place with the highest expectations for student learning and success. Thank you for ensuring that your student arrives to school on time and is Ready to Learn by 7:45 a.m.
IMPORTANT DATES
Thursday, September 15
International Dot Day! Wear Dots. Click here to learn more https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/international-dot-day/
Huffman Spirit Night at Chuck-E-Cheeses (Preston/Park), 5:00-9:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 22
SAVE THE DATE for Huffman Back to School Bash; join us in celebrating new school year and friends; 6:00-8:30 PM: Food Trucks, Bounce Houses, Face Painting and More!
Friday, September 23
Plano ISD Night at the 2016 Plano Balloon Festival and Fun, Oak Point Park in Plano. Look for your child's Free Student Ticket in his or her school folder today and Monday. The ticket is good for Friday night only. Check out the Plano Balloon Festival website at www.planoballoonfest.org
September 26-28
Huffman 5th Graders at PISD Outdoor Camp
October 1, Plano International Festival
- 11:00 AM-5:00 PM
- Free Admission
- Haggard Park at 15th and Ave. H
- Fitness and Wellness Fair, Food, Music, Art, Dancing and Fun!
- For more information, visit: www.PlanoInternationalFestival.org
October 3-5 Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)
- 3rd Grade_ October 3-5 (30 minutes each day)- all students
- 4th Grade-October 3-5, (30 minutes each day) only new students to Huffman
- 5th Grade-October 3-5, (30 minutes each day) all students
For optimal student success, please ensure your child is well rested and hydrated prior to all testing.
October 10
Parent Teacher Conferences/Student Holiday
UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION IN THE PARENT PORTAL
Always keep all Emergency Contact Information with Student Health Information and Restrictions updated in PISD's Parent Portal at http://parentviewer.pisd.edu/. While you are there, please make sure you have electronically checked/signed the following documents:
- Emergency Information (Emergency contact information, student health information, restrictions, etc.)
- Truancy Warning Letter
- Student Policy Guide
- Student Information Release
- Contact your child's teacher with any additional information so that TOGETHER we may serve your child with the highest priority for safety, academic and personal success.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR PISD KEY COMMUNICATORS
Personal contact is one of the most effective communication methods when building support for our schools and district. With this in mind, we need three parents to represent Huffman Elementary as members of the 2016-2017 Plano Independent School District Key Communicators group.
What Do Key Communicators Do?
- Attend three evening meetings with the superintendent or other key staff to learn about programs, issues, initiatives and accomplishments. This year’s dates are: Tuesday, October 11; Thursday, February 2; and the final date is Tuesday, April 11.
- Share information from the meetings with other parents and school staff.
- Communicate district news and initiatives, which will vary from year to year, but could involve election information, Education Foundation programs, legislative issues and district planning.
- Receive occasional mailings from the district.
- Facilitate balanced and factual communications.
If you are interested in representing Huffman Elementary as a Key Communicator, please email Karen.lee@pisd.edu
STAY INFORMED AND CONNECTED!
Please be informed of the following methods for which Huffman Elementary and Huffman PTA will be keeping you up to date about the GREAT things that are happening at our school.
- Huffman eNews: This weekly broadcast is the primary method of communication for important and relevant information from both the school and PTA. Sign up for the Huffman eNews and district news at http://elist.pisd.edu
- Facebook: Join our "Huffman Elementary Facebook at "https://www.facebook.com/huffmanelementaryplano1 Facebook group for last-minute reminders about activities and deadlines, photos of school events, questions from our community and more!
Remind 101 Text for school updates and important messages from Principal Strickland. To sign up, please click HERE
- Huffman PTA Website: Visit www.huffmanpta.org to check out up-to-date information about PTA and school events and programs, a calendar of important dates, our online family directory, and much more.
- Huffman Elementary Website: http://k12.pisd.edu/huffman-elementary-school for school and staff information, event photos, and district resources
- PISD Resources: go to the parent portal at http://parentviewer.pisd.edu to view your child's attendance, test scores, grades, and to register for PASAR and summer school. Visit:http://paypams.com to pay for school lunches. Get your volunteer background check completed at http://pisd.edu/volunteer.
- Look and Listen for school and PTA information via our marquee in front of the school, phone messages from school and district, and emails from teachers.
2016-2017 PISD SCHOOL ONLINE CALENDAR
http://www.pisd.edu/common/calendar/calendar.glance.1617PlanoISD.shtml
TITLE I PARENT INFORMATION AND GENERAL OVERVIEW VIDEO
http://pisdtv.pisd.edu/communications/features/aQ4VwfT0MOeaOyGxjBwW
HOW TO FIND YOUR BUS INFO
From the Plano ISD Website: www.pisd.edu
- Parent Tab
- Bus Transportation
- Enter address
- My bus stop will display on the map and the bus number and pick-up time will display in YELLOW box.
- Be at the bus stop at least 10 minutes before arrival time to ensure that you don't miss the bus
- or enter http://www.infofinderi.com/ifi/?cid=ats04907638335
Postcards with busing info will be mailed to parents Friday, Aug 12th.
Bus Expectations: http://elist.pisd.edu/eNews/S_Bus_Expectations.pdf
PASAR (after school care for our students)
Register for after-school care at: http://www.pisd.edu/parents/program.pasar/index.shtml If you need care on the first day of school you will want to register as soon as possible. It generally takes a few days to get students into the system. Contact the PASAR Finance Office at 469-752-8915 with any questions you may have.
PLANO ISD ONLINE VOLUNTEER APPLICATION INFORMATION
Please complete your Volunteer Application Form today so you will ready to volunteer when the new school year begins. Volunteer applications for the 2016-2017 school year can be completed now at http://www.pisd.edu/parents/pta.volunteers/index.shtml. All volunteers must complete a new Volunteer Application each year.
WHAT’S COOKING IN THE KITCHEN
Main home page for FANS:
http://k12.pisd.edu/food-and-nutritional-services
Meal Viewer http://schools.mealviewer.com/ - You can now access all school cafeteria menus in the palm of your hand! We have launched our menus in MealViewer, an app and website that allows everyone to access all breakfast and lunch menus for every school in Plano. It even shows what major allergens are in each item, as well as nutritional info! The MealViewer app can be downloaded for free through both the App Store and Google Play for mobile phones, and can be accessed online at schools.mealviewer.com. You can also go to www.pisd.edu ->For Parents ->Food & Nutritional Services (FANS) ->Menus and Nutritional Information. From there you can click on the MealViewer logo and access online instructions.
Pre-pay for School Meals at www.paypams.com. Login to the site at least one week before the beginning of the school year. Balance transfers from year to year. Please direct any questions you may have to Huffman‘s FANS Manager is Heather McKissick at heather.mckissick@pisd.edu
CHECK OUT OUR AWARD-WINNING PTA
The 2016-2017 Huffman PTA Website is open and ready to serve you! On the website you can learn more about our outstanding PTA, see a list of our 2016-2017 PTA sponsored programs, view the PTA calendar of events, join PTA, buy school supplies, spirit wear and more at www.huffmanpta.org.
- Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HuffmanPTA
- Follow us on Twitter at @huffmanpta
GREETINGS FROM PLANO WEST SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
We are very excited to host the Annual Plano West Homecoming Parade on October 5, 2016 at 6:30 pm. We will begin staging on Yeary, slightly east of Brinker, at 5:45 for the parade, followed by a Pep Rally in the Plano West Competition Gym. Your student groups are invited to participate in the parade and attend the pep rally. We hope to see student groups, such as cheerleaders, PALS, Student Council, sports teams, bands, choir, clubs, etc., from all feeders participating or just coming to watch. Groups may decorate a float, walk with a banner, ride bicycles, etc. Floats must not be oversized and no wider than one traffic lane of a street. Floats must be driven by a parent driver. The theme is Blue Nation to further establish the unity across our community.
A map of the parade route and parking is attached. It is a short walk to the staging area just on the North side of Renner Middle School. We are excited to have everyone be a part of the Wolfpack!! Randy Hayes, Associate Principal, Student Activities, Plano West Senior High School, (469)752-9612
http://elist.pisd.edu/eNews/S_PARADE_ROUTE__CAMPUS_MAP_NEW.pdf
Best regards,
Toni Strickland
Huffman Elementary Principal
Like us on FACEBOOK at www.facebook.com/huffmanelementaryplano1
TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THE HUFFMAN ENEWS
To unsubscribe from the Huffman eNews or change your address, please go to:http://elist.pisd.edu