We will see you soon!

Sincerely,

Karen Lee

Principal

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL - PLEASE READ!

Parents will be allowed to walk their children to class only on the first day of school from 7:15 AM - 7:40 AM. For any students that arrive after 7:40 AM, the staff will be escorting students to the classroom, if needed. Parents will not be allowed to enter.

Special Note for Parent Information Night (8/24)

Skaggs PTA is happy to offer childcare on a first come, first served basis to those families who would not otherwise be able to attend Parent Information Night. Please RSVP using this form if you need supervision for your child.

JOINING YOUR CHILD FOR LUNCH

As in the past, the cafeteria will be open to parents after the Labor Day weekend. Starting September 5th, you may join your child for lunch.

Please go to plano.voly.org to fill out an application and have your back ground check. You can volunteer be a camp counselor, field trip parent, mentor or tutor, party parent, and much more. VOLUNTEERS MUST RE-APPLY EVERY SCHOOL YEAR.

PACE provides services for students who require academically gifted enrichment services and have demonstrated the need for advanced, differentiated instruction. PACE at the elementary level is a weekly pull out program in which students are removed from the general education classroom to work under the guidance of a gifted specialist. The time spent in the PACE program will vary according to the grade level of the student. For more detailed information about the PACE program, please refer to the following link:

https://www.pisd.edu/giftededucation

Students in K-5 are assessed in the first semester (fall) to determine placement in the second semester. District-wide CogAT tests administered to first, third and fifth grade students are part of the data used to determine the need for gifted services for these three grades. All other grades will be administered the district approved battery of PACE assessments in the fall.

Students may be referred for gifted services by teachers, parents, principals, counselors, or by the students themselves. Students are assessed at their home campus during the school day.

Referrals must be completed by the appropriate deadline listed below.

ELEMENTARY REFERRAL DEADLINES for PACE ASSESSMENT

K – 5th grade referrals are due October 20, 2023. (5:00 PM)

Students new to Plano who received gifted services in a previous district should contact Kyla Ahnemann (kyla.ahnemann@pisd.edu) to submit assessment scores from your previous school for review and consideration.

Students may only test once a year.

For more detailed information about the PACE program, please refer to the link below. Online referral forms will be available at this site at the beginning of each school year. If you prefer a hard copy, please contact the campus gifted specialists, Kyla Ahnemann (kyla.ahnemann@pisd.edu) or Sarah Tudor (sarah.tudor@pisd.edu).

https://www.pisd.edu/giftededucation

Dress Code

There is no uniform required at Skaggs. Children should be dressed appropriately for their age and the weather. Sneakers or athletic shoes are required for PE. Please WRITE their name in their coats/jackets so they can be returned if lost. For specific details on PISD’s dress code please visit https://www.pisd.edu/Page/1756.

Lunch/Snacks

• Please send a water bottle and a snack with your student each day.
• Your student is welcome to buy lunch in the cafeteria or bring a packed lunch from home. Funds can be added to your student’s lunch account via schoolcafe.
• Households who wish to apply for free or reduced-priced meals will need to complete an online federal meal application for the current school year. Benefits do NOT carryover from the previous year.
• Meal prices, menus and other important information can be found at Food and Nutional Services homepage.

Absences

If your child is going to be absent from school for any reason, please:

• Email their teacher and Wanda Bradford (wanda.bradford@pisd.edu) – OR -
• Call the Child Safe Line by 8 am to report the absence (469-752-3300, option 1 for English and then 3 to report student absence).

Please send a written note or an email to Wanda Bradford (wanda.bradford@pisd.edu) explaining the absence within 3 days of the student’s return to school. The email should include:

• student's first and last name
• grade
• homeroom teacher
• dates of absence
• reason for absence
• parent “signature” (first and last name)

EXCUSABLE reasons include personal illness, family emergency, religious holy day, etc. Vacations, trips, working (including modeling), are NOT excusable, even if prior notification is provided.

SEEKING PARENTS & COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO DEVELOP GOALS TOGETHER

Excellence is best achieved through a shared vision and cooperative effort of students, their families, staff, and the community. We invite you to help support this goal by serving on School Based Improvement Committee (SBIC) for Skaggs. These representatives work together to analyze various data and develop goals that will positively affect school performance.

Meeting dates will be: Aug. 30th, Jan. 31st, and May 15th from 3:00-3:45 PM.

If you're interested, please sign up here - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZvbxUTPKXDlNpwtqlp_UUDQUmPhURzYNPjYwdEIXe88xrwg/viewform. We strive to have a minimum of one parent representative for each grade.