MARCH 10, 2024
MARCH 17, 2024
Hello, Dolphin Families!
We hope you and your family have had an amazing Spring Break! School will resume as usual Monday, March 18. We're so excited to see everyone back at school tomorrow!
While we're headed into our final 9 weeks of the school year, we still have lots of learning to do, and we have tons of fun planned. Don't forget to double-check your calendar to make sure you have all the upcoming events marked down.
Heather Shorter
Principal
STEM Academy @ Donald Elementary
MARCH 2024
19 DNO @ CRAFT PIES
25 FIRST GRADE DONUTS WITH DOLPHINS @ 7:15AM
26 SPRING PICTURES
28 DONALD AFTER DARK
29 NO SCHOOL
APRIL 2024
1 NO SCHOOL
4 - 11 LITTLE LIGHTHOUSE
15 KINDER DONUTS WITH DOLPHINS @ 7:15AM
16 STAAR TEST: 3-5 READING
19 VOLUNTEER BREAKFAST
23 STAAR TEST: 5 SCIENCE
25 PTA MEETING @ 6:00PM
26 EARLY RELEASE @ 11:45AM
PICTURE DAY IS TUESDAY, MARCH 26!
Set your alarms a little earlier on Tuesday, March 26 because it will be Spring Picture Day! Students will be taking individual pictures before their scheduled lunch and recess to make sure photographers can catch everyone looking their best.
SEND NO MONEY TODAY! A proof will be sent home from the school with information on how to order in 3-4 weeks from the time photos are taken. If you love the photos, you can order a portrait package using the information sent home with the proofs. If not, the proofs can be returned to school.
CAMP INVENTION WILL RETURN TO DONALD THIS SUMMER!
Register at INVENT.ORG/CAMP!
Grades: K - 6th
Location: Donald STEM Academy 2400 Forest Vista Drive, Flower Mound, TX 75028
Date: June 10 - June 14, 2024
Time & Cost: 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM | $270
Register before March 27, and you can save $25 on your registration fee with code FUN25!
Camp Director: Kathy Hoffman hoffmank@lisd.net
REMINDER: CHILDREN MUST BE 5 YEARS OF AGE ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 2024 IN ORDER TO REGISTER FOR KINDERGARTEN
ARE YOU MOVING?
Parents,
It’s once again the time of year when we need to find out if your family will not be returning to Donald for the upcoming school year. If your child(ren) will not be returning to Donald for the 2024/2025 school year for any reason, please email our campus registrar, Julie Walters, at waltersj@lisd.net with the name of the school/district they will be attending.
Thank you!
Julie Walters
Phone (469)948-2401
Fax (972)350-9510
ORDER YOUR SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR THE 24/25 SCHOOL YEAR
CONGRATULATIONS, DISTINGUISHED DOLPHINS!
Friday morning, the Dolphins kicked off the day with a pep rally to bring our whole campus together! We started by practicing our FMHS Battle Cry before we reviewed all the hard work everyone has done over the first semester of the school year with a special focus on our character and mastery of the 6 Essential Dolphin Skills. Our vision at Donald is to make sure “Donald Dolphins are fearless problem-solvers who choose to face challenges with an open mind and a kind heart”. To reach this vision, we encourage all students to intentionally focus on growth within these 6 specific skills. We know if we make a positive SPLASH in our school, every small splash creates a ripple that extends to others!
DOLPHINS MAKE A SPLASH WHEN THEY ARE…
- Self Aware
- Persevering
- Leaders in Learning
- Able to Adapt
- Sharing Their Gifts
- Honest
During the pep rally, everyone at Donald got to celebrate 2 students from each grade level who teachers agreed had gone above and beyond to create a positive SPLASH in their classroom and throughout the school during the 3rd 9 Weeks.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR DISTINGUISHED DOLPHINS FOR THE 3RD 9 WEEKS OF THE YEAR!
5th Grade
Adi Harris
Griffin Seeley
4th Grade
Aleigh Niswonger
Dhruv Patel
3rd Grade
Emily Pawlowki
Pearse Cunningham
2nd Grade
Hope Grantham
Dylan McMahon
1st Grade
Nina Nguyen
Brooks Morrison
Kindergarten
Abigail Adams
Landon Hypolite
As a special surprise, we were also able to present 2 additional Distinguished Dolphins to the student body. This year, ESD has teamed up with teachers to recognize students who make a SPLASH beyond the end of the school day. Mrs. Hailey and her ESD staff wanted to recognize 2 students as well.
ESD Distinguished Dolphins
Olivia Hicks and Myles Dorsey
It was wonderful to hear nearly 600 Dolphin students cheering and celebrating the success of their classmates! We are so proud of these 14 students - and all the amazing Dolphins - we have at Donald!
KIDS HEART CHALLENGE WRAP-UP
Thank you to everyone that participated in the Kids Heart Challenge over the past three weeks. We are so proud to report that Donald fund raised $15,938.98 for the American Heart Association! 23 students reached sliming level (meaning they raised $250 or more for AHA) and they will get to dump slime on their teacher's head in the coming weeks! Our school's top fundraiser was our very own heart hero, August French, who fundraised $1154. Your support and participation in the Kids Heart Challenge makes a tremendous impact in helping millions of Americans through increased awareness of cardiovascular disease, lifesaving scientific research and critically needed education efforts.
We expect the remaining thank you gifts including jump ropes, playground balls, t-shirts, etc. will ship to our school in the next couple weeks. In addition to fundraising and jump roping, students learned important messages about how to live a heart healthy lifestyle, how to identify a stroke and how to perform hands-only CPR. This has definitely been an important, life-saving unit. Thank you again, Dolphins, for all your support!
CELEBRATING FUTURE CITY COMPETITORS
During our end-of-9 Weeks pep rally, Mrs. Emmett was able to present certificates to an amazing group of students who shined during the North Texas Future City Competition in January. Over several weeks, these students developed a research essay, physical model, and presentation of their city. Their hard work and presentation at the competition earned 3 awards including Best Model, Best Overall, and a special award for Best Green Design. Congratulations to the forward-thinking and future-ready Dolphins!
FMHS BASKETBALL APPAREL ON SALE
Check out all things Donald PTA by viewing the latest PTA Newsletter!
We would love to have you volunteer in our classrooms and at extracurricular events! To get started, JOIN the Donald PTA, and then complete your yearly VOLY Background Check. All volunteers must have a current VOLY Background Check, so if it has been a while since you completed this process, check in with the Donald Office Staff to see if you're approved!
DOLPHIN DADS
It's not too late to join this amazing team of men making an impact at our school! If you’re a Donald Dad or Grandad and are interested in joining the Dolphin Dads, make sure you have completed VOLY this year, and CLICK HERE to fill out the interest form!
DONALD NIGHT OUT @ CRAFT PIES
The LISD Recognize SomeONE program gives our staff and community members the opportunity to highlight the exceptional work the do. If a Donald staff member has made an impact on your student or family this week, please take a moment to Recognize SomeONE and let them know how much they mean!