The Prairie Pulse - September
DPES Family Newsletter
Please be sure to revisit for updates throughout THE MONTH.
Tomball ISD - Where we focus on the Social-Emotional well-being of our staff, students, and families, High-Quality Instruction, and Collaboration to ensure learning for all of our Tomball ISD students.
DECKER PRAIRIE -
Mission: Decker Prairie Elementary is dedicated to high levels of learning for all.
Vision: We will create an environment where everyone takes risks and collaborate respectfully through innovative learning.
Oct 8th - Early Release Day
- Please note your child needs to be in attendance so that they are present for instruction, assessments, and planned celebration of work.
- Dismissal bell 12:40
- Students will receive lunch - modified lunch schedule
Attendance Matters
- Attendance is CRITICAL to student success.
- Instruction upon return is not the same as when first instructed.
- The instructional day is packed and make-up time/work can be difficult for students.
- Attendance is also tied to our state accountability system and factors into all indexes.
Congratulations to our Lexia Summer Challenge Winners!!
ESL Spotlight
My name is Tricia Gonzalez. I am the new ESL Specialist at Decker Prairie Elementary. I am very exited to be here and to service our ESL population. I have already started working with the students and have grown very attached already. I am attaching our district ESL brochure to give you a highlight of the district ESL program. Please, do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the program.
Happy National Hispanic Month!
Sincerely,
Tricia Gonzalez
UIL Competition - Nominations needed
Dear Students and Families,
Our school district will be holding its annual UIL (University Interscholastic League) Competition on Saturday, February 12, 2022, at a location to be determined in the district. Second, third and fourth graders are invited to participate in this academic competition. The events they have the opportunity to participate in are: Number Sense, Spelling, Ready Writing, Creative Writing, Oral Reading, Story Telling, and Chess Puzzle Solving.
Students interested in participating, must be nominated by a parent or teacher using this electronic form by October 1, 2021. The UIL team will practice each week until the competition before school at 7:30 am or after school until 4:30pm depending on the coach’s schedule. Families are responsible for transportation. Once nominations have been received, a letter will go home with the student to inform parents of the coach and practice times.
The UIL rules state that our campus will only be able to have three students for each grade level compete in each of the events to represent our school. Therefore, each coach will hold auditions for the final team spots in November. If your child qualifies as one of the top five participants in the event, a letter will be sent home with the results after the pretest/try-outs, to notify you if they will be representing DPES at the tournament.
We are so excited to offer these activities this year and look forward to working with our amazing students!
Sincerely,
Kimberly Lambright
UIL Campus Coordinator
Click HERE for the nomination form.
BIRTHDAYS
We are NOT allowing birthday cupcakes.
If you are interested in sending a birthday treat, please a Pre-wrapped/Store-bought items to share.
Ex. Litte Debbie, Ding-Dongs, Twinkies, etc.
Picture Day RETAKES - October 29th!
Bike Safety was a Success! Ask your student what they learned during Bike Safety!
Do you want to be a Watch Dog?
If you are interested in joining Decker Prairie Watch Dogs, please sign up at:
COVID
Isolation and Readmission Criteria for a Positive Lab-Confirmed COVID-19 Student Students who test positive for COVID-19 must enter isolation.
Parents must notify the school nurse if their student is lab-confirmed positive via the District’s online reporting tool. In order for the student’s absence during isolation to be exempted, a student must provide to the school a physician’s note and a positive COVID-19 lab result. Individuals in isolation should meet the readmission criteria outlined below before returning to school. 3
● Isolation: Students must not come to school and should isolate themselves from others for a period of 10 days after symptom onset or a positive test date (whichever occurred first) in accordance with the Texas Department of Safety Health Services (DSHS) Exclusion and Readmission criteria for Schools and Childcare Centers.
● Return Criteria: Per CDC guidance, students can return to school after 10 days of isolation, if all symptoms are improving or resolved and the fever has been absent for at least 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication.
Please refer to the district website for updates
Clinic
If your child will require medication administration during school hours, please note that all prescriptions must have a written/signed order from a medical doctor licensed in the state of Texas. Medication will not be administered without the correct documents.
Please contact the clinic in advance to drop off medication. Students should NOT be sent to school with the medication. Please contact the DPES nurse, Lance Culver, at 281-357-3134 EXT 3006 if you need to schedule a time to present documents and drop off medication for your child.
Opt In to Receive Alerts:
TISD 2021-22 Instructional Calendar
https://www.tomballisd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=306343&type=d&pREC_ID=708359
Our Counselor is here to help you!
- Questions about school supplies
- Family social-emotional needs
- Support through family hardships
- or just a listening ear
Please contact our counselor Zakiya Bircher @ 281-357-3134 ext 3076
The Caring Counselor
The Importance of Establishing Healthy Sleep Habits
Elementary School-Age Children
From ages two through nine typically need 13 to 10 hours per night. Too many children are not getting adequate sleep. We now know that chronic sleep deprivation has many consequences. Children who do not receive adequate sleep are not as attentive, are prone to be more irritable, can be hyperactive, and/or may appear flat in their mood. Bedtime difficulties can arise at this age from a child's need for private time with parents, without siblings around. Try to make a little private time just before bedtime and use it to share confidences and have small discussions, which will also prepare your child for sleep.
Establishing a Bedtime Routine
Here's a summary of a few ways that may help your child ease into a good night's sleep:
- Include a winding-down period in the routine.
- Stick to a bedtime, alerting your child both half an hour and 10 minutes beforehand.
- Allow your child to choose which pajamas to wear, stuffed animal to take to bed, etc.
- Consider playing soft, soothing music.
- Tuck your child into bed snugly for a feeling of security.
There isn't one sure way to raise a good sleeper, but every parent should be encouraged to know that most kids have the ability to sleep well. The key is to try, from early on, to establish healthy sleep habits.
Bus Transportation & SMART-tag
- TISD transportation website: https://www.tomballisd.net/apps/pages/business-services/transportation/FAQ
- Bus route information: http://www.infofinderi.com/ifi/?cid=TI05693839218
- Bus rider rules: https://www.tomballisd.net/apps/pages/business-services/transportation/bus-rider-rules
- Smart Tag information: https://www.tomballisd.net/apps/pages/smart-tag
SMART Tag
SMART Tag helps increase safety and security for students riding on a school bus, leveraging technology to improve student management and communications on school buses.
SMART Tag monitors student loading and unloading, providing real-time information to the Transportation Department, and you, the parent.
The SMART-Tag system includes a Parent Portal, which provides alerts to be sent to parents via email or text when your child is 10-15 minutes from their stop.
All TISD families who have already registered for bus transportation will be able to set-up access to the Parent Portal, step-by-step instructions can be found below.
For more information on the functionality of our new SMART-Tag system, please visit the TISD website - SMART-Tag
Transportation Changes
Should the need arise to change your child’s transportation at the end of the school day, you can:
send a note with your child that includes a parent's signature OR fax a note with your signature and phone number by 3:00 pm. No phone call or email transportation changes will be accepted. While this policy may cause some inconvenience from time to time, our number one priority is the safety of all our Decker Prairie students. We encourage you to call and confirm that your note or fax was received.
Any last-minute emergency transportation changes will require administrative approval. Without proper notification, your child will be sent home by their regular means of transportation. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.
If you need to pick up your child prior to 3:30, you must come inside the office and sign out your child before 3:30 pm, no later. After proper identification is established, we will call for your child to come to the office to leave campus. Decker Prairie students will only be released to the individuals whose name appears on the Release Form.
Please note that students who ride buses must ride their assigned bus. Transportation policy does not allow a student to ride home with another student unless the student has met the criteria for a transportation exemption. If you feel your child would meet this exemption, please contact the transportation department directly.
Car Rider Line
Drop-off:
- Have your student ready to exit the car. Backpack on, etc.
- Students are to exit CURBSIDE - and are NOT to go around cars.
- Older students may open the door once cars are stopped and staff motion to get out.
- We also encourage them to shut the car door and then quickly move to the opposite side of staff and painted yellow line.
- Staff will assist with younger students.
- Parents form two lines that transition down to one.
- Please have your child ready to exit the car.
- Staff is available to assist with doors and car seats as needed.
- We ask that you do not attempt to switch lanes.
- When exiting, you have the opportunity to exit left or right.
Pick-up-
We begin dismissal at 3:50 pm.
- We ask that parents are in the car rider line at this time - 3:50 pm
- As our line ends, we will close our gates.
- If parents arrive after this time, they will need to report to the office to check their student(s) and this will be considered a late pick-up.
We ask that you show the staff your car rider tag each day prior to your student loading.
- Last, we also will only load students curbside for safety reasons. Vehicles will form two dismissal lines in the Parent Drive once inside double gates.
All vehicles will be required to have a “Car Rider Tag” viewable to staff. (available at Meet the Teacher)
The lead cars will pull up to the stop sign for loading.
Refer to the diagram below for guidance.
Ten vehicles will be called. Five will be loaded and dismissed at a time.
Students will be loaded on the curbside only for safety reasons.
After your student is loaded, there is an option to pull into the left turn lane (which is left turn only) or the right turn lane (which is a right turn only)
Vehicles without a Car Rider Tag - For our student’s safety please be prepared to park and come into the front office to show identification (driver’s license).
Students will be released only when cars have assigned car rider tags.
We appreciate your patience as we unload and load our students each day. Remember that we are working with children who may need assistance and our goal each day is to ensure that every child returns home safely.
- We ask that you do not attempt to switch lanes.
- When exiting, you have the opportunity to exit left or right.
Our goal is to move students and parents through the car rider line as safely and as expeditiously as possible with the least amount of frustration for parents!
Please note that the front of our building is our bus loop and prioritized for buses. We encourage any parents dropping students off, to use the car rider line for the safety of all.
As always please be mindful during drop-off and pick-up times of walkers.
Walkers
Parents will wait for students outside the Parent Drive Gate.
Students will be escorted by a staff member to the gate for dismissal.
Parents will show a “Walker Pass” (available at Meet the Teacher) to staff member (similar to showing car rider tag) to identify themselves. (Walker passes only given to those nearest school based on address.)
For our student’s safety please be prepared to show identification (ID or driver’s license) to staff members or to the school office, should a different staff member be present to supervise walker dismissal.
Students will only be released to parents/guardians or emergency contacts.
Walker Passes - provided to families living within a predetermined area/distance from school.
Every Wednesday is DECKER SPIRIT NIGHT at Lindo!
Decker Prairie PTO
Child Nutrition - District Menus
We are excited to announce for the 2021-22 school year ALL Tomball ISD students will receive FREE school meals, regardless of eligibility! #DestinationExcellence
More info from Child Nutrition: https://www.tomballisd.net/apps/news/article/1469018
Upcoming Dates
NO Lunch Visitors - The district will continue to reassess as we move forward throughout the year.
Every Wednesday - Lindo Spirit Night
- September 24th - TISD Patriotic Show - TISD Stadium
- October 8th - Early Release / Parent Conferences
- October 11th- Student Holiday / Staff Workday (Parent Conferences)
Technology Help
All DPES Families - Stay Updated!
Join our Twitter - @TISDDPES
Decker Prairie Elementary
Principal - Brenda Blackmon
Pk-2nd grade Asst Principal - Tammy Sebesta
3rd-4th grade Asst Principal - Justin Pluckhahn
Email: cynthiawallace@tomballisd.net
Website: https://dpes.tomballisd.net/
Location: 27427 Decker Prairie-Rosehill Road, Magnolia, TX, USA
Phone: (281) 357-3134
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TISDDPES
Twitter: @TISDDPES