JWL's Tiger Tid-Bits
August 2018
Welcome Back!
At J.W. Long, we live by eight expectations:
• We will value one another as unique and special individuals.
• We will not laugh at or make fun of a person's mistakes nor use sarcasm or putdowns.
• We will use good manners, saying "please," "thank you," and "excuse me" and allow others to go first.
• We will cheer each other to success.
• We will help one another whenever possible.
• We will recognize every effort and applaud it.
• We will encourage each other to do our best.
• We will practice virtuous living, using the Life Principles.
Our campus is open to our families; we invite you to come and join us for various events and celebrations throughout the year. We have many opportunities for our families to get involved at our campus. Volunteer opportunities include, but are not limited to: reading and working with students, supporting the office by completing tasks such as making copies and laminating class projects, and monitoring and participating in school events including, but not limited to lunch/recess, field trips, and PTO. Visit www.terrellisd.org/volunteer to learn more about becoming a volunteer. You may also find our campus calendar by visiting http://www.terrellisd.org/calendar-long.
The enthusiastic J. W. Long Elementary staff and I feel privileged to be part of this school family, and we look forward to welcoming all of our students on the first day of school (Monday, August 20). We thank you for your support and look forward to meeting you.
Remember, at J.W. Long each student excels in every subject every day by displaying Tiger PRIDE!
Respect for others
Integrity
Determination &
Enthusiasm!
100% of Registrations Completed the First Week of School Is Our Goal!
First Day of School Supports:
- If you show confirmation of your registration being complete on Parent Portal (phone screen or print out), you may escort your child(ren) directly to their classrooms.
- If you know your Parent Portal information and simply need to complete the registration forms, please go to the red tables in the cafeteria. Computers will be available for you to use.
- If you do NOT know your Parent Portal information, need to create an account, or need assistance trouble shooting, please go to the yellow tables in the cafeteria. Computers and personnel will be available to assist.
- If you need car placards or bus information, you will need to go to the front office; personnel will be present to assist you.
- If you need to complete your lunch forms online or add money to your child's account via debit/credit card, please follow the signs to the computer lab reserved for you to do so.
Goals & Focus
Growth Mindset
Our brains are fantastic machines; I am in awe of how our brain works. As we grow and develop we must overcome difficult tasks through the learning process. However, our perspective of HOW we work through the difficult tasks can either help or hinder our progress. If we choose to make self-destructive comments such as, “I can’t,” or “This is too hard for me,” well, then it will be. But, if we say, “I can do better,” or “I haven’t mastered this yet,” then we are training our brains (and hearts) to not give up or allow frustration to be our guide. Instead, we choose hope, tenacity, and grit to overcome and grow stronger. Students find various school-related “things” difficult: social interactions, boundaries, specific subjects, independent work, time management, etc. Here at JWL we will be practicing the growth mindset and teaching our students that they CAN and WILL be successful; it just takes time, practice, and fortitude to keep working toward their goals.
Balanced Literacy
Reading is vitally important to all other aspects of life! As such, we ask that you partner with us in a couple of ways. First, have your child(ren) read 20 minutes EVERY day. This practice creates a positive life habit that supports increased vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Research shows that children who read 20 minutes daily score in the 90th percentile on standardized tests compared to children who read only 5 minutes per day score in the 50th percentile. Read with your child. Students are able to check out library books from our campus library, and teachers have various reading materials that they send home as well. Encourage your child to maintain their daily reading logs to show how much they read outside of school. Also, we welcome visitor readers on campus! If you’d like to come read to our students, please contact Julie West via email (Julie.West@terrellisd.org) or by phone at 972-563-1448 to make arrangements to come read on campus.
The more students read, the better their communication and writing skills become. We want to offer students the opportunity to share their creativity and knowledge and learn the power of the pen. To partner with us in growing their verbal and written skills, have your child speak with complete sentences, allow them to help you write your grocery list and/or letters to family and friends, and celebrate their effort when they write to share their ideas.
Attendance
I am so excited we are getting back to school. It is such a blessing to see all of our students each day! I love to see their smiles and watch their “lightbulbs” spark and burn bright. Please partner with us in making sure students are faithfully attending school. We want them here! Without them present we are not able to support their growth and facilitate their learning. Our campus goal is 98% attendance each day. We will be holding attendance competitions by grade level and students will be rewarded for their individual perfect attendance as well. We understand students will not be able to attend school if they are running a fever. But as soon as they are fever free please bring them back so we can continue the learning momentum!
Parents, please also know that tardies and early pickups are counted towards absences as students are missing parts of their instructional day. We understand that there may be an extenuating circumstance that you may have to tend to; please know that the cut off time to pick up your child early is 3:15pm. As always, the person signing out students must have their picture ID and have right to transport permission granted in our student database.
Attendance is vitally important to a student's academic success. When students miss 5 instructional days, a letter will be issued explaining potential loss of credit. When students accumulate 3 or more unexcused absences in a 4 week period, a parent conference will be scheduled to discuss truancy prevention measures. Parents, also please know that parent notes are limited to 3 notes per year to excuse absences; all absence notes must be submitted to the office within 3 days of the absence.
Stay connected with Remind
In efforts to keep you well informed, I invite you to join our communication outlets. You can text the code @jwlongelem to the number 81010 to subscribe to our campus Remind thread. This is how I as the principal communicate directly with parents to give updates, reminders, and special notices. (These messages can be translated to your language of choice through the Remind app. Click here to access the app.) Speaking of sharing, if you like to tweet on Twitter, follow us look for our tag #TigerPride to see the amazing things happening across Terrell ISD.
PTO Membership & Support
To learn more about the different PTO positions please refer to the following website: http://www.ptotoday.com/officers-and-board.
Transportation
Bus: GoldStar Transit
If you need to address bus transportation changes, please contact the campus at 972-563-1448; we will contact Gold Star with the given changes.
Car Pick Up
Please refer to the map posted below regarding which lane to drop off & pick up your students.
Walkers, Bikers, & Day Care
No parents are to walk up to the doors of the building. Walkers will be escorted to their respective areas by staff members. Students may only be walkers if they live in the adjacent neighborhoods (Creekside Estates or Town North), and we have a written note from parent giving permission for student to walk to specific address (their home) in these neighborhoods.
Day Care
If your student rides a day care van, please write a note to your student's teacher with the full name of the day care facility.
Transportation Changes
Also know that all names of people you grant permission to pick up your child(ren) from school need to be listed in our student database. Please be sure you've updated this information to expedite the pick up process in the office.
Thanks!
Child Nutrition
- Student meal accounts: Parents will need their student's ID number to set up their Lunch Money Now account. Please call the Terrell ISD School Nutrition Department at 972-563-7504 for help with this process. To access menus or complete a meal application, please go to http://www.terrellisd.org/school-nutrition.
Lunch Visits
- We will be using the first two weeks to learn all procedures and expectations in the cafeteria and will open for lunch visitors starting September 4th. Parents are not to stay for breakfast times as we have all students needing to sit and eat their breakfast before the instructional day begins.
- We encourage parents and guardians to join their student for lunch from time to time. Due to limited space and for the safety of our students, parents/guardians are to eat with ONLY their child at the reserved visitor tables. Thank you for your support and understanding.
- Also note that occasional lunch drop offs are understood as students may forget their lunch from time to time. If dropping off a lunch for your student please do so before their scheduled lunch time. If your child does not have a lunch at their scheduled lunch time, we will have them get a lunch through the cafeteria line. Lunch time is an extremely busy time in the front office; when lunches are dropped off, a contact is made to the teacher's classroom. The teacher is to have the student retrieve his/her lunch on the way to the cafeteria. You may also contact your child's teacher via Remind message to confirm the child has received their lunch.
School Uniforms
- Any solid color polo or button-down collared shirt are allowed. Large logos are not permitted.
- Bottoms must be khaki, navy, or black. Bottoms include pants, skorts, capris, knee length skirts or shorts are allowed. Jogger style, skinny fit, and cargo style pants/shorts are not allowed.
- On PE days, students need to wear closed toed shoes, preferably tennis shoes.
Spirit Wear on Fridays
Contact Us
Email: melissa.nichols@terrellisd.org
Website: http://www.terrellisd.org/jwlelementaryschool
Location: 300 Creekside Drive, Terrell, TX, United States
Phone: 972-563-1448
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrellisd/
Twitter: @TerrellISD