The Stallion Stampede

Dear Stallion Families,

We are excited for our Student-Led Conferences that begin this week! Our Stallions have been working hard at setting goals, making a plan, and celebrating their success! During the conference, your child will have the opportunity to share their Leadership Notebooks with you as well as their recent data and goals. We hope you are able to join us! If you would like a separate time to meet with your child's teacher, please feel free to reach out to them through Parent Square to schedule one. Feel free to always reach out to your child's teacher throughout the year if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's education.

To the BEST of days,

Mrs. Putman

As a Leader in Me school, we use feedback from our students and teachers to identify strengths and weaknesses, monitor progress toward improvement and develop campus goals in Leadership, Culture, and Academics.

We would love to gather feedback from our families so we can use the feedback to make our school an even better place for students and families!

This survey typically takes about 5 minutes to complete and all questions relate to the experiences you and your child have at our school.

The survey can be taken from any computer, smartphone, or tablet with internet access. Please click here! Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey!

We are excited to kick off our monthly tradition of family fitness at Stark! One Friday each month, students will participate in "Fitness Friday" - running/walking laps around the school (similar to Turkey Trot). This is to encourage a love of physical activity and being outdoors!

Each class will be competing for a trophy each month! Parents are welcome to come join their child in the fun and run/walk laps around the school. Each lap earned will go towards your child's class!

Our first Fitness Friday will be THIS Friday, October 13th! Please see the schedule of times below. Please send your child with a water bottle and athletic shoes on Friday.

• Pre-K - 11:30 am
• Kinder -12:55 pm
• 1st grade - 12:05 pm
• 2nd grade - 1:45 pm
• 3rd grade - 10:15 am
• 4th grade - 9:25 am
• 5th grade - 8:35 am

Become a Leader in Me Family this year! Please complete at least one activity per habit so we can celebrate you and your child! In the newsletter there will be a new activity each week for you to choose from. To receive credit for the activity, we ask that you submit evidence of completion through this Google Form. Please submit evidence for Habit 2 by Wednesday, October 25th.

Understanding Habit 2:

Begin With the End in Mind means to think about how you would like something to turn out before getting it started. “I plan ahead and set goals. I do things that have meaning and make a difference. I am an important part of my classroom. I can make a difference and contribute to the vision and goals of my school and in my classroom. I look for ways to be a good citizen.”​

Activity #2: I’m Board...

Set out a new board game without any directions. As a family, try and figure out how to

play, possible rules, and how a winner is determined. Not having a goal to reach, or steps to get there, results in confusion and no direction.

This October, we will be hosting Student-Led Conferences. During these conferences, your child will share with you their Leadership Notebooks, learning, goals, and celebrations! They have all been working hard to prepare for this time so we hope that you will mark your calendars and join us from 7:30 am - 8:00 am on the following days!

• Pre-K - Tuesday, October 17th
• Kinder - Thursday, October 12th
• 1st grade - Monday, October 16th
• 2nd grade - Tuesday, October 10th
• 3rd grade - Tuesday, October 10th
• 4th grade - Wednesday, October 11th
• 5th grade - Thursday, October 19th

Please note: Student-led conferences will end promptly at 8:00 am. Please arrive in plenty of time to see your child's student-led conference. We will not let visitors in after 7:50 am.

This will be time for your student to share their learning with you. If you would like to request a time to meet with your child's teacher, please reach out to them through email or ParentSquare to schedule a conference.

We are so excited to welcome back lunch visitors beginning Monday, October 16th! Please help us by honoring the following expectations:

• Please arrive 5 minutes prior to your child’s lunch and enter through the office.

• All visitors will need to check in at the office with their driver’s license or state-issued I.D. A visitors pass will be issued and must be visible to all staff members.

• Once checked in, please go straight to the cafeteria and take a seat at one of the Parent Tables. Your child will join you when they enter the cafeteria for lunch.

• Remain in the cafeteria. Parents and visitors are not allowed in the hallways and other areas of the building.

• Guests must leave at the end of their child’s scheduled lunch time to make room for the next grade level. You may leave and return if you have another child that you are visiting for lunch.

• You may bring lunch for your child only. You may not bring lunch or share food with classmates or relatives. Sharing of food is prohibited.

• Parents/Guests may come for lunch one time per week per child. Each student can have two lunch guests at a time (once per week) due to limited space (a sibling under 2 is not considered a guest).

• Younger siblings must remain at tables at all times and not walk/wander around the cafeteria.

• Photos of your own child are allowed, however photos of other students or staff members are not permitted at any time.

• Please respect the cafeteria rules, expectations, and directives of staff on duty. Siblings visiting for lunch must follow safe dining procedures.

Thank you for following our visitor expectations and helping us provide a safe and pleasant environment for all during lunch. We appreciate your support and look forward to welcoming you back soon!

Lunch Schedule:
Pre-Kindergarten - 10:00 - 10:30 am
Kindergarten - 10:05 am - 10:35 am
1st Grade - 10:40 am - 11:10 am
2nd Grade - 11:15 am - 11:45 am
3rd grade - 11:50 am - 12:20 pm
4th grade - 12:25 pm - 12:55 pm
5th grade - 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm

The Janie Stark Library will host a Scholastic Book Fair from October 23-26, 2023. Students will preview the fair with their teachers. Family Night is Tuesday evening, October 24th. Parents may consider purchasing their student the Scholastic eWallet which is similar to a gift card. The eWallets can be purchased on the link below:

https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/janiestarkelementary

Fall Book Fair hours are listed below:

Monday Hours: 7:15am - 3:45pm.

Tuesday Hours: 7:15am - 3:45pm. and Family Night: 5:30pm - 7:00pm.

Wednesday Hours: 7:15am - 3:45pm.

Thursday Hours: 7:15am - 1:00pm.

Thank you for your support. All proceeds benefit the Janie Stark Library.

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Smith

Librarian

Janie Stark Elementary

WHEN: Tuesday, October 17 from 4 – 6 p.m. (come & go)

FOR: Family Friendly (geared towards pre-school through 2nd grade)

COST: Free!

Bring your young and school-aged children to trick or treat and experience the Manske Library’s “Boo-Ville” area during this come and go event. Wear a costume and come to trick or treat at the Gilbert House, School House, Caboose, Queen Anne Victorian Cottage, and more! Characters will be on hand to distribute candy on a first-come, first-served basis, and to pose for pictures with your little ones.

The PTA online store is currently taking online orders for PTA memberships and Stark Spirit Wear! Please click here to order online.

All spirit wear will be sent home with students. No shipping is available. Spirit Wear deliveries are made once a week.

This year Janie Stark PTA will be participating in PTA Reflections Program. Reflections has been a staple arts program for over 50 years across the nation. Through the efforts of local PTAs and PTAs around the nation, millions of students have used this outlet to show their creativity in different areas of dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography, and/or visual arts. Students can enter their submissions in one or more areas and will be judged by Janie Stark PTA the end of October. The top entries will then to move on to State Reflections and then to Nationals.

To see examples of entries awarded by Texas PTA in the past years visit 2022-2023 Reflections Gallery.

Click the link to learn more about the program rules in English or Spanish.

We are so excited to see our Stallion’s talent this year and will be posting them on our Facebook page when the competition is over.

Janie Stark PTA

For the 2023-2024 school year, the school meal rates are listed below. Families can apply for free or reduced rates with the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) based on eligibility.
​
Lunch prices for the 23-24 school year are as follows:
Breakfast $2.25
Lunch $3.50

Please click here to apply for our Free and Reduced Lunch Rate for the 23-24 school year. Please apply as soon as possible. If you qualify, the district will notify you and your child will receive free or reduced lunches for the 23-24 school year.

If you need a paper application, please call our office at 972-968-3300 and we will assist you in the application process.

The 2023-2024 Janie Stark yearbooks are on sale now! Purchase your yearbook today for special pricing!

Ordering and personalizing your child's yearbook is easy!

Click here: https://buytheyearbook.pictavo.com/PictavoSchool/FindSchool

Enter the Janie Stark school code: 716358

Yearbooks are $22.00 until November 17th and only $8.00 if you want to add your child’s name to the front cover. You can also purchase personalization ads for an additional price.

Purchase your yearbook today before pricing increases on November 17th!

Yearbooks will be delivered to Janie Stark the week of May 13, 2024. Order today so your child does not miss out!

Are you and your family needing another car tag for dismissal?

Please click here to complete the Google form and order additional car tags. Please note that we will only print additional car tags once a week on Wednesdays, so your patience is appreciated. We will get you the additional car tag on Wednesdays when it is created.

Friday, September 15th-October 15th

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage

Monday, October 9th

No School

Friday, October 13th

Fitness Friday

October 23rd-27th

Red Ribbon Week

Scholastic Book Fair Week

Tuesday, October 24th

50th Day of School!

Book Fair Family Night (6:00 pm-7:00 pm)

Thursday, October 26th

2nd grade Program

Friday, October 27th

Early Dismissal (11:40 am)

Coffee with the Principal and PTA President (7:45 am-8:45 am)

PTA Movie Night (6:00 pm)

Tuesday, October 31st

Book Character Day!

Website: https://cfbisd.edu/schools/elementary-schools/stark-elementary/
Location: 12400 Josey Lane, Farmers Branch, TX, USA
Phone: 972-968-3300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janiestarkelementary/
Twitter: @JanieStarkElem