Caldwell Update
September 2021
Welcome Back!
Hello Caldwell Families!
Thank you for a great start to the school year 2021-2022! We are thrilled to have our students back in person learning this school year. In this monthly newsletter you will find important information about our school. We are here to help in any way possible. Thank you so much for helping us make this successful school year!
Ms. Massey
Hello from Mrs. Palmer!
It is an honor to serve our community as the assistant principal.
You are welcome to contact me any time.
~Mrs. Palmer
School Hours
Please make note of the breakfast, arrival, and dismissal times listed below for the 2021-2022 school year. Students are encouraged to arrive at school no later than 7:45 a.m. to give them plenty of time to eat breakfast in their classroom and to help them prepare for the day before announcements are made at 7:55 a.m. For your child’s safety, students may not arrive before 7:15 a.m. Our staff does not report for duty until 7:15 a.m. and outside doors are locked until then.
Children arriving between 7:15 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. will sit in their designated places by grade level: K-2nd in the cafeteria and 3rd-5th in the gym.
Attendance
School attendance is a priority at Caldwell Elementary. In order for an absence to be excused, notes must be submitted to the campus within 3 days of the absence. If a parent note is received after 3 days of the student returning to school, the note will be kept on file to document absences; however, it will not be coded in our system. If we do not hear from you about the absence, it is automatically unexcused.
MISD allows 8 parent notes to excuse absences per year. After that, they are kept on file but the absence is coded as “unexcused”.
The district sends out truancy warning letters at 3 and 7 unexcused absences. If your child reaches 10 unexcused absences in a 6-month period, the district may file truancy charges in a court of law. If your child reaches 10 unexcused absences in a 6-month period, the district may file truancy charges in a court of law.
If you have any questions concerning the attendance policy, please contact the Assistant Principal, Zoraya Palmer zpalmer@mckinneyisd.net or Maribel Lopez mlopez@mckinneyisd.net.
Dual Language Program Update
All 5th grade students participating in the Dual Language Two-way program will be taking the LAS Links online - Español to measure and monitor students' Spanish proficiency in listening and speaking. The assessment will take place the week of September 13-17, 2021.
Click here for MISD Elementary Bilingual Program Website.
Click here for our Dual Language Program Language of the Day Calendar.
Clothing & Grooming
Transportation Changes
Breakfast & Lunch
Tuesday Folders
Labor Day - No School!
Teachers' Conference Times
Teachers are available to speak or meet with parents/guardians during their planning times. Please feel free to email and/or call during the following times:
Kindergarten 12:10-1:00 PM
First Grade 1:15-2:05 PM
Second Grade 2:10-3:00 PM
Third Grade 9:05-9:55 AM
Fourth Grade 10:00-10:50 AM
Fifth Grade 8:10-9:00 AM
Specials 10:50-11:40 AM
Community in School ( CIS)
Hello, I am Amanda Nunez with CIS (Communities In Schools), and I am here to support our students and families. Some services that I provide are academic support in the classroom and enrichment groups. I also provide school supply assistance, angel tree assistance, resources for food, clothing, and bills. If you need assistance, I can be reached at anunez@mckinneyisd.net
and/or at 469-302-5584.
Visitors & Volunteers
Counselor's Corner
Hello Caldwell Families!
I am Ms. Mercado and I am the school counselor at Caldwell Elementary School. This will be my third year as the counselor and I am so excited for another wonderful school year! Students can request to see me by filling out a “counselor request form”, or ask their teachers to call or email me. Monthly guidance lessons will include learning about topics such as mindfulness, managing and expressing feelings, self-control, conflict resolution, growth mindset, kindness, career readiness and coping skills.
We are also excited to share that we will be implementing a new program schoolwide called “Character Strong.” This program is designed to effectively teach a wide variety of traits that will help all students be more successful in their academics and in their lives outside of school. Each month we will focus on a trait and start each day with activities or short lessons that models what each trait represents. The character traits we will be learning throughout the school year are courage, respect, perseverance, gratitude, honesty, kindness, empathy, responsibility and cooperation.
Please contact me anytime for outside counseling resources, 504 questions and information, questions or concerns involving your child or anything else that you need.
Check out this great article on back to school anxiety and how to help students manage their worries: Back to school anxiety
Mayra Mercado
(469) 302-5543
Nurse News
Welcome to Caldwell 2021:
Parents, just a reminder, water bottle filling stations are the only available water throughout the day, besides lunch. Please send a water bottle for your child to refill during the day to stay hydrated.
I will be starting vision and hearing screening for Kinder, 1st 3rd & 5th grade.
Please, contact the registrar or I when concerns over COVID-19 symptoms or contact. Attached is a quick parent fact sheet.
Jane Becker BSN, RN
PTO Update
Library Lowdown
My name is Amanda Humm and I'm the librarian. I am so excited to have the library open again this year! All students attended a library orientation and checked out books.
Kinder: 1-2 books
1st: 1-2 books
2nd: 2-3 books
3rd: 3 books
4th: 4 books
5th: 4 books
Please encourage your student to turn in their library books regularly!
If you want to contact me, my email is ahumm@mckinneyisd.net.
Upcoming Dates - September
6th - Labor Day, No School
13th - Garden Club
16th - PTO Meeting and Performance
17th - Friday Live
20th - 24th - College Week
21st - Grandparents Day
Caldwell Elementary
Website: https://www.schools.mckinneyisd.net/caldwell/
Location: 601 West Louisiana Street, McKinney, TX, USA
Phone: 4693025500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GibCaldwellElem
Twitter: @gibcal