The Mata Memo
August 23, 2022
Principal's Message
Dear Mata family,
We are so happy to have your children back in school with us! The first week of school went really well! We are grateful for the responsibility of ensuring our students receive a solid academic foundation and are lucky you chose us to take care of your kids.
We saw amazing things in classrooms, in hallways, and throughout the campus! Our staff members are keeping the vision at the forefront and creating high expectations for our students. We are excited about this year, because the way you've started, our students have no choice but to learn, achieve, and grow!
Tomeka Williams
Principal
School Hours
School Starts at 8:00 AM.
Students are dismissed at 3:15 PM.
The earliest you may drop off is 7:30 and we ask that all students are picked up by 3:30 PM.
Calendar at A Glance
District Wide Calendar - Click Here
August 23rd - PTA General Meeting 6:00 PM in the Cafeteria
August 25th - SBDM Meeting
August 30th- Auditions for the Musical 4th-8th Grade Only - Forms must be turned in prior.
Sept. 5th - Labor Day, No School
Sept. 8th - Cub Scouts Recruitment Meeting 7:00 PM
Sept. 7th - Show Up! Shining the Light on Attendance “Show up shining your light with your favorite neon colors”
Sept. 13th - Open House - 5:00PM - More info coming soon!
Sept 14th - Show Up! DISD with a Western Twist "Show up wearing your favorite western attire"
Sept. 14th - Girl Scouts Recruitment Meeting 6:30 PM
Sept. 16th - Community Coffee with the Principals 8:30 (Virtually)
Sept. 21st - Show Up! Dress Up! Represent your Culture "Show up dressed in clothing from your culture.
Sept. 28th - Show Up! Character Celebrity Day! Show up dressed as your favorite celebrity or book character!
Congratulations to Mata Montessori!
As recognition, we received $1,000 to be used to order safety-related items for our campus!
Orchestra News!
All 4th grade students will be visiting orchestra class during specials music time for the first two weeks of school. After that time, if they are interested in joining the class, they will have the opportunity to sign up.
Returning upper elementary and middle school orchestra students will need to return completed district paperwork as soon as possible in order to reserve a school instrument.
I am looking forward to a great school year! Please email if you have questions.
Ms. Powers - JPowers@dallasisd.org Also, please sign up for orchestra Remind.
Join Esports!
Mata Musical Try Outs!
Message from Specials Teachers
This year, all specials teachers will be using the same communication form for instances of classroom discipline. This google form encourages students to self-reflect and self-regulate when they are struggling to either respect themselves, others, or the environment. We hope this will streamline communication between specials teachers and parents and more easily open the means of dialogue between parents and the specials teachers. If there is a learning moment with your student, you will receive a copy of the completed google form to the email on file in Powerschool. We hope this will keep you informed of the area of growth for your child and the ways we as specials teachers are addressing their learning moments. Please reach out with any questions, all the specials teachers emails can be found on the Mata website, https://www.dallasisd.org/domain/9266
We are always here for communication and encouragement! Don’t forget to join our Remind groups as well! See below!
2022-2023 Specials & Elective Remind Codes
Counselor's Corner
Parent Involvement Policy and Parent Compact Meeting
Join us on August 25th, during our SBDM at 5:00 PM as we review and revise this upcoming year's Parent Involvement and Parent Compact.
Let your voice be heard!
Únase a nosotros el 25 de agosto, durante nuestro SBDM a las 5:00 p. m. mientras revisamos y revisamos la Participación de los padres y el Pacto de padres del próximo año.
Attendance Awareness Month!
Join Cub Scouts!
Join Girl Scouts!
Check Out Ms. O'dell's class working on the Cosmic Chart!
Check out Mr. Bennett's Middle School Students
School Supplies for 22/23
Thank you!
Drop Off and Pick Up Information
- Please drop off Pre-K-K students on the La Vista drive nearest the library. Students will report directly to their homeroom class. 1st- 6th Grade students may be dropped off at the main entrance. 7th -8th Grade students may be dropped off at the cafeteria entrance.
- Prek-K students will report directly to class. Staff will be available to help students transition to their classroom. Our 1st-3rd grade students will report to the gym, 4th-6th will report to the auditorium, and 7th-8th grade students will report to the cafeteria between 7:30-7:45 AM. All students arriving after 7:45 will report directly to class.
- If you have multiple children, you may drop them off at the site for the youngest child.
- For safety, the back drive will be closed in the mornings.
Students must wear uniforms (white, hunter green, or navy blue polo shirt and black, navy, or khaki uniform bottoms.) Students must wear athletic shoes, loafers, dress shoes, or other closed-toe, closed-heel shoes. Closed-toe and open-heel mules are allowed.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided, however, students may bring their lunch if they choose. Please send ready-to-eat meals. (A microwave will not be available for student use.)
After School Pick Up:
Carpool Pickup will be at the main entrance nearest the office. You will be given a carpool sign to use at pick-up daily. Please be patient with dismissal procedures and traffic, as we will be working to ensure the safety of all students.
Prek-K will be dismissed outside the main entrance beginning at 3:10.
1st-3rd will be dismissed from the door by the auditorium at 3:15.
4th-6th will be dismissed at the back of the school near the compass on the new drive at 3:15.
7th-8th will be dismissed at the back of the school near the middle school pods at 3:15.
Students in grades 4-8 will join with their siblings outside the main entrance.
Traffic flow:
All cars will proceed down LaVista Dr. to the furthest entry past the school building. You will make a right turn into the drive nearest the apartments. You will remain in your car and show your sign to Mata staff. We will call for your child as you drive around the wraparound drive. Keep your child's tag showing until your child(ren) is brought to your car. When leaving the drive, turn left to circle under the bridge and proceed to the traffic light.
If riding a bus, please send information regarding your child's bus stop and location to the teacher. Bus pick-up is located on the main drive parallel to Grand. Please do not park in this driveway.
We offer afterschool care through the YMCA. Please see the flyers below for details.
Bus Transportation
Need Uniform Assistance: See below!
You may request one free uniform per student if needed.
Ecollect Forms are accessed from your PowerSchool account. No separate login is necessary. Forms are tied to your child’s record and can be accessed from the Forms link in the left navigation column. To access the forms, you will need a PowerSchool Parent Account with all your students added to it.
GETTING STARTED
- Go to https://dallasisd.powerschool.com/public/home.html to log in to your PowerSchool Parent Portal Account.
- Once logged in:
- select a student from the tab on the top left then,
- Click on the Forms tab on the left side
- f the page.
3. You will then see what forms you have for that student.
NOTE: You can only look at the set of forms under one student at a time. If you have more than one student in the district, you will have to go to each student tab to complete forms for each student.
4. When you begin, all your forms will have a status of Empty. Once the form is filled out, press the Submit button at the bottom of the page. Your form will be submitted and reloaded.
Students with a banner that shows Eligible for Uniform proceed to fill out the form.
- If the form submission was successful, a pop-up window will appear thanking you for the submission.
6. Once you are done with a form and submit it, that status will change to Submitted when you go to Forms.
Please reach out to Ms. Gunter or Dr. Lopez if you need assistance.
Safety Letter from the Principal
Dear Families:
Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! As a new journey begins, we want you to know the safety and well-being of all students and staff remains our top priority. School safety is everyone’s shared responsibility—now more than ever.
The district recently launched a comprehensive safety plan to help further protect schools. Thanks to the guidance of task forces including students, parents, staff and community members, this plan features a multi-level approach to school safety.
While campus safety checks and training occurred this summer, the following procedures are always in place to protect our schools:
● All exterior doors are locked, and all visitors must be granted access.
● Every visitor must be cleared by the school’s main office and visibly wear an issued visitor sticker.
● Students, staff, and visitors are instructed to never hold the door open when entering the building, including leaving doors propped open.
● Campus staff conduct safety checks on all exterior doors at least twice a week, which exceeds the Texas School Safety Center’s requirements.
● All 7th- 8th grade students follow a clear or mesh backpack guideline.
● Monitored security cameras are located at our school.
Because 4.6 million children in the U.S. live in households with guns that are both loaded and unlocked, school safety is an effort that begins at home. This year, families will hear more about the Be SMART campaign launched to raise awareness on secure gun storage—storing guns locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition. Though these measures may seem inconvenient to some, we believe they are vital to helping keep our schools and children safe.
As always, if you become aware of any signs of disturbing behavior or suspicious activity on or around campus, please call 911 immediately and then contact school administrators. Together we can help foster a safe, enriching environment where all students can learn and succeed.
For more information on Dallas ISD’s comprehensive safety plan and resources, visit dallasisd.org/safeschools.
Sincerely,
Ms. Tomeka Middleton Williams
Principal
Eduardo Mata Montessori School
A Message from our PTA President
Dear Eduardo Mata Montessori Parents,
We are so excited to welcome you and your family to the start of the 22-23 school year! Mata PTA is a nonprofit organization focused on improving the education, opportunities and welfare of our students through facilitating engagement and cooperation among parents, teachers, and the community. We would love for you to join us this year in strengthening our campus. Our first meeting is in-person on August 23rd at 6pm.
Last year some of our highlights included: our first ever Rainbow Color Run, purchasing Albanese Montessori Materials, Trunk or Treat, Reflections art contest, Teacher Appreciation events, Loteria Night, Movie Night and Health events like National Walk to School Day, affordable spirit wear, Virtual Sweetheart Read and Popsicles on the Playground. This year we can’t wait to partner with you on bringing back so many more fun and engaging events.
In addition to our direct impact here at Mata, as a PTA we also join forces across the state and country with other PTAs to advocate legislatively at the state and national level for public school funding, student health and safety. https://www.txpta.org/legislative-priorities. Members of PTA also have discounts to top attractions, shows, vacation destinations, car rentals, hotels and more at www.txpta.org/member-perks
No volunteering is required and PTA membership is open to all: Parent/ guardian/ extended family/ community members. Membership is yearly from 8/1 to 7/31 and can be done 24/7 online at matamontessoripta.membershiptoolkit.com or returning this attached envelope with $10 cash or check to the front office PTA box. Of that $10, $4.50 is remitted for our state and national dues and $5.50 goes to providing engagement and enrichment here at Mata.
We would also like to invite you to visit http://linktr.ee/mataPTA for quick access to important parent links such as our website and membership portal, spirit shop, lunch menus, Friends of Mata service and social club, and our parent info form.
Sincerely,
Nadine Durrenberger
Mata Montessori PTA President
Mata Montessori School's Vision and Mission
Vision Statement: To provide an academic foundation which allows our students to be successful life-long learners.
Mission Statement: To provide an authentic Montessori education by focusing on educating the whole child academically, socially, and emotionally for all children.
Mata Montessori School's Key Actions
- Maintain a climate and culture that fosters academic excellence.
- Improve quality of instruction and student achievement through an aligned Montessori curriculum.
- Actively engage parents in education in meaningful and relevant ways.
Eduardo Mata Montessori School
Email: matamontessori@dallasisd.org
Website: http://www.dallasisd.org/Page/2376
Location: 7420 La Vista Drive, Dallas, TX, United States
Phone: (972)749-7500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MataMontessori/?fref=ts
Twitter: @montessorimata