McClatchey Messenger For Families
November 5, 2021
YouthTruth
Midlothian ISD has partnered with the national nonprofit, YouthTruth, to help us hear feedback from you about what we are doing well, and how we can improve.
From November 1 to November 19 the YouthTruth Family survey will be open and we want to hear from you!
Survey Comments From 20-21
Before you take our Family Survey, I wanted to share with you the results from our 20-21 survey. After we received the results, I reached out to our DME PTO to offer suggestions! Our PTO did just that. We have implemented many items to enhance the overall social and academic experience at our school.
Last year, our parents shared through the survey that they felt their children were safe at school. To add to our safety components, we have started to share with our families when we have a safety drill at school, so that families may discuss them at home to comfort their kiddos. We also have regular meetings to review safety protocols. We have many character lessons with our students to focus on our character pillars, so our students are developing healthy relationships with their friends. When discussing discipline issues with our students we view it as a learning opportunity for our students. We want our student to learn, grow, and move forward.
We will continue to communicate with our DME families through our weekly McClatchey Messenger, CANVAS, seesaw, and other social media outlets. We WANT you to be involved and informed.
As a school, we are continuing to add our resources for optimal student learning. Our top priority is to learn and grow students! As a staff, we take great pride in creating lessons that engage and encourage our students to take ownership of their learning. We also want to support our mission and vision of developing 21st. century learners. Through our professional learning communities, we discuss pedagogy, student data, and lesson design. Our drive is to meet our kids where they are and move them to their highest potential. Our staff and students are setting goals to reach the NORTH STAR!
Our survey revealed that our families want stronger relationships between home and school. We want our families to feel engaged and empowered to be a part of DME. We have worked with our PTO to bring fun-filled activities and involvement for our families. There are a lot of volunteer opportunities. Please reach out if you would like to volunteer in any area! It is our intention to join home and school. We need YOU to be successful. It feels great to open our doors this year! Come on in! You are welcome here!
By having our families involved at DME we are able to develop healthy relationships with all of our stakeholders. We want our culture to be inviting and warm for all. As a staff, we are doing monthly team building activities. Staff members lead the activities as they learn from the book, Power of a Positive Team. We are excited to have our parent/teacher conferences on Monday. As a team, we have worked to make each one of them are meaningful and that our students have played a role in what information is shared. We would love feedback after you have your conference!
We are dedicated to our DME families. We are striving and working for this to be the best year yet! This is our students second home, it should have all the feels of one. Please reach out to me with suggestions or concerns. You may also give staff shout-outs by clicking the form towards the bottom of this newsletter.
One more thing, we are in the process of applying to be a State School of Character. Many staff members and parents have helped guide this process. We will turn in our packet in mid-November. We will share with our DME families the awesome things we shared in our packet to apply soon. We will know after the first of the year if we qualified! We are so excited! This would be an honor for our school!
Thank you for partnering with us.
Stacy Germany, Principal
HOW ARE WE DOING?
PLEASE TAKE THIS 15 MINUTE ONLINE SURVEY HERE: ytsurvey.org/misdfamily21
Thank you for your feedback!
It is a gift that helps us continually improve.
Stacy Germany, Principal
KNOW THE DETAILS
- WHO
- One parent or guardian from each household is invited to take the Family Survey. See the "track progress during surveying" section below for information about how to follow along with progress.
- WHAT
- The anonymous YouthTruth Family Survey (located at: ytsurvey.org/misdfamily21) link gives parents and guardians the opportunity to provide feedback for their child's school in areas like culture, engagement, relationships, communication & feedback, school safety, and resources.
- WHEN
- The official survey window is 11-01-2021 through end-of-day 11-19-2021. Surveys are not accessible outside of these dates.
- The official survey window is 11-01-2021 through end-of-day 11-19-2021. Surveys are not accessible outside of these dates.
- WHERE
- Schools with in-person parent events - like parent/teacher conferences - that correspond with the survey window may wish to open computer labs, distribute laptops or tablets, or invite parents/guardians to take the survey on a smartphone while on campus.
- For virtual survey administration, please see the below "prepare for and administer the survey" section for several ideas, resources, and best practices.
- The Family Survey URL is ytsurvey.org/misdfamily21.
- WHY
- Valuing parent and guardian input by inviting these family members to share their perspectives can support family engagement efforts, which have been shown to contribute to a range of elements of student achievement, including increased attendance, improved grades, and social skills. Research suggests that efforts to improve school culture and student achievement should be informed by family and staff perceptions as well as student perceptions. Making informed decisions requires hearing diverse perspectives from these integral groups of stakeholders.
- Valuing parent and guardian input by inviting these family members to share their perspectives can support family engagement efforts, which have been shown to contribute to a range of elements of student achievement, including increased attendance, improved grades, and social skills. Research suggests that efforts to improve school culture and student achievement should be informed by family and staff perceptions as well as student perceptions. Making informed decisions requires hearing diverse perspectives from these integral groups of stakeholders.
- HOW
- The Family Survey is online, and is available to take in English, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, or French (by selecting the language of choice from a drop-down menu in the survey itself).
- The survey is compatible with any internet-enabled device, including desktops, laptops, Chromebooks, tablets/iPads, and any mobile device that supports any of the following standard up-to-date internet browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge.
- The standard survey (without additional topic modules or added custom questions) typically takes respondents about 15 minutes to complete. Each additional topic module adds about 5 minutes in length.
- The survey must be completed in one sitting.
Student Youth Truth Survey
- Our students in grades 3-5 will also take a student youth truth survey. Please read about it below.
- If you would prefer for your child not to participate in the survey, please fill out the google form below.
- Survey Details:
- WHO
- Students in the following grade level(s) are eligible for surveying:
- Dolores McClatchey Elementary : 3,4,5
- YouthTruth recommends surveying as many students as possible to give everyone a chance to have their voice heard (most schools survey at least 75% of students).
- Students in the following grade level(s) are eligible for surveying:
- WHAT
- The anonymous YouthTruth Student Survey gives students the opportunity to provide feedback about their overall experiences with school in areas like belonging & peer collaboration, engagement, relationships, culture, etc.
- WHEN
- Surveying can take place anytime between 11-01-2021 through end-of-day 11-19-2021. Surveys are not accessible outside of these dates.
- WHY
- Research shows that student perceptions are empirically linked to academic outcomes. YouthTruth allows educators to hear directly from students about how they are experiencing school. YouthTruth data can be used for strategic planning, DEI initiatives, monitoring how big changes - like new curriculum, technology, or learning models - are affecting students, and for professional development, just to name a few use cases.
Student Youth Truth Opt-Out Form
Please fill out a new form for each child in your family if you are opting out.
Veteran's Day Assembly
On November 11th wear.....
Please click below if you are planning on attending our Veteran's Day Assembly
Veteran's Day Assembly Opt-Out For Students
Veteran's Day Hero
Volunteer Background Checks
A background check is necessary to go to classrooms to volunteer, field trips, or work with students.
You do not need a background check to eat lunch at our school
We would love to hear from you!
Staff Shout-Outs
Would you like to honor a staff member?
We would love for you to share the impact they are having on your child and/or
family! Click the button below to submit a staff shout-out!
Do you want to volunteer in our cafe? Sign up below!
PTO HEROS
H.E.R.O.s 2021 / 2022
McClatchey is calling on all fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers, uncles, and other father figures to come volunteer at Dolores McClatchey Elementary! Our goal is to partner with positive male role models who can demonstrate by their presence that education is important!
We would like for each of you to commit to at least one day out of the year but you can volunteer as much as you would like.
There are various ways a McClatchey H.E.R.O. can contribute to fit many different schedules:
Open car doors in the morning/afternoon
Serve at Muffins with Mom
Assist with McClatcheyfest, Field Day, or any other assigned activities where they actively engage with students.
Click Below To View McClatchey PTO Website
We celebrated our November Birthdays with Sonic drinks!
1-Mrs. Nelson
3- Mrs. Guynes
8- Mrs. Cleveland
10- Ms. Moon
17-Mrs. Hendrix
19-Mrs. Aldridge
20-Mrs. Webber
23-Mrs. Wadsworth
27-Mrs. Leath
Our Year At A Glance
Please read below about our year at DME. Please note the dates are subject to change.
DME Dates
Mark Your Calendar
House Meetings
The DME HOUSE system allows us to bring character lessons and team building activities to McClatchey Elementary. We also want to instill what it means to have purpose, passion, and pride. It is listed on the calendar so the students can dress in their house color on this day!
L.A.M.P. Time days are our learning about my passion days! PTO is partnering with us to create masterclasses. Students in grades 3-5 join the masterclass of their choice to learn about a passion. If you would prefer for your child to opt-out of these meetings, please email your child's teacher. Our k-2 students work in their hallways to learn about passions that their teachers are sharing with them.
College shirt day is a day to encourage our staff and students to represent their favorite schools!
Working lunch dates our days the principal will be in the cafe visiting with our students about one of our character pillars or sharing our book-of-the month!
November
11/1 Parent/Teacher Conference Day/Student Holiday
11/2 Pentathlon Begins each Tuesday 3-4
11/5 House Meeting
11/9 Working Lunch with k, 1, and 2
11/11 Veteran’s Day Program at 8:00 a.m.
11/12 L.A.M.P. Day, Progress Reports, Working Lunch with 3, 4, and 5
11/19 PTO Angel Tree Online
11/22-11/26 Thanksgiving Break
11/29 Student Holiday
December
1-3 PTO Holiday Store
12/3 House Meeting, All City Choir Performance at MHS
12/8 College Shirt Day
12/10 Angel Tree Gifts Due, L.A.M.P. Day
12/13 Working Lunch with k, 1, and 2
12/14 Working Lunch with 3, 4, and 5
12/16 Early Release-12:30p.m.
12/17 Winter Party Day/Early Release- 12:30p.m.
12/20-1/1 No School
January
⅓-¼ Professional Development/Student Holiday
1/5 Back to School
1/7 House Meeting, End of Second NIne Weeks
1/10 Working Lunch with 3, 4, and 5
1/11 Working Lunch with k, 1, and 2
1/12 College Shirt Day
1/17 No School
1/21 L.A.M.P. Day
1/26 PTO Donuts with Dudes
1/27 Fifth Grade Program
February
2/4 House Meeting, Progress Reports
2/9 Working Lunch with k, 1, and 2
2/14 Working Lunch with 3, 4, and 5
2/16 PTO Muffins with Misses
2/18 L.A.M.P. Day
2/21 No School
2/22 Student Holiday
March
3/3 Fourth Grade Program
¾ House Meeting
3/11 No School?-Bad Weather Make-Up Day, End of Third NIne Weeks
3/14-3/18 Spring Break
3/24 Spring Picture Day
3/25 L.A.M.P. Day
3/28 DME PTO Fest Week, Working Lunch with 3, 4, and 5
3/29 Working Lunch with k, 1, and 2
3/20 College Day
A;pril
4/1 House Meeting
4/7 Third Grade Program
4/8 DME PTO Fest 5:00p.m.-8:00p.m.
4/14 Progress Reports
4/15 No School?-Bad Weather Make-Up Day
4/21 Second Grade Program
4/22 L.A.M.P. Day
4/25 Working Lunch with 3, 4, and 5
4/26 Working Lunch with k, 1, and 2
4/28 Field Day k-2 8:00-12:00
4/29 Field Day 3-5 8:00-2:30
May
5/2-5/6 Teacher Appreciation Week
5/10 STAAR-3rd/4th/5th Math
5/11 STAAR-3rd/4th/5th Reading
5/12 STAAR- 5th Science
5/20 End Of Year Party Day
5/23 Kinder Awards/Program at 8:00, First Awards/Program at 9:00
5/24 2nd Grade Awards at 8:00 and 3rd Grade Awards at 9:00
5/25 5th Grade Honk-Out 8:00 a.m. Back Circle Drive
5/26 4th Grade Awards at 8:00, 5th Grade Awards at 9:00, Early Release-12:30
5/27 Early Release-12:30, Last Day of School