Copy Davis Elementary Communication
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Calendar
September 15 (Thursday) 5th Grade Parent Info Meeting for Adventure Camp 6:30 PM
October 10 (Monday) Parent Conference Day (Student Holiday)
October 17-21 PTA Scholastic Book Fair- Pirate Theme! Theme days will be published soon!
October 21 (Friday) 9 Weeks Spirit Assembly 8:30 am
October 21 (Friday) PTA Fall Festival 5:30-8:00 PM
November 21-25 Thanksgiving Break
November 30-December 2 Fifth Graders to Collin County Adventure Camp
December 19- January 2 Winter Break
We all Get a Little Overheated Sometimes- A Note from Mrs. Bishop
Parents,
Have you noticed lately that the temperature is slowly lowering outdoors but somehow it's still crazy humid? We've had a few questions this week about why the kids don't go outside for recess every day. Our district says that once the temperature/heat index reaches 95 degrees, we need to stop outside activity. Our kids play HARD, so I can certainly see why this precaution is in place. Even at 93 or 94 degrees, we had a lot of sweaty hot faces and trips to the nurse to "get checked out." Thankfully, some of our classes are able to go out at their scheduled recess times, while other grade levels are trying to squeeze in an earlier outside recess when they can. It is certainly not best case scenario, but we know it is temporary. Fall will be here shortly.
So that gave me my idea for my principal comments for the week. Do you ever get overheated as a parent? You know the feeling when you've told your child for the 50th time to please put on his shoes, but he's staring at an R2D2 poster or counting his shoelaces? (I really, really hope this is not just in my house...) Every time, I feel my neck get tense and my cheeks start to warm up, and these overheated feelings occasionally lead to parenting moments that are not my proudest. As the teachers have been learning about social emotional learning, we came across an interview with the director of The Momentous Institute here in Dallas. One of the things she said really stuck with me as a parent. She said that often times as adults, we tell, tell, tell kids how we want them to behave, be respectful, be patient, but then we turn around and do the exact opposite when they are acting in a way we don't want them to. I took that thought, and mixed it with something I learning at the Parent Engagement Institute this summer- all parents love their children. Sometimes, we may all show it in different ways, but we all love our children. And our children love us. Somewhere between the idea that the love is unconditional and the idea that I need to practice what I preach, a little of that parenting weight lifted off my shoulders. I use the feeling of that weight being lifted to remind me to take a little breath when that "overheated" feeling starts to take over. I give myself permission to take the time to be patient, to be respectful, and yes, to behave myself. I cool off. So far, so good. I hope it works for you too.
Just a few communication reminders. This newsletter will be sent weekly via email to all parents with an email address listed on the child's contact information, which can be updated at parentviewer.pisd.edu . We will also send the link to this newsletter to the Davis_Dolphins Facebook page and through the Remind text message service. To receive text messages from Davis Elementary, please text @4hhkb to 81010. Text messaging charges and fees may apply.
As always, the front office staff- Mrs. Bowen, Mrs. Perez, and Nurse Montgomery are ready to assist with any needs you have. Also, our assistant principal Mr. Gibson, as well as our counselor Mrs. York and are available as well. I, too, am more than happy to visit with you to assist with any celebrations or needs that may arise for your family.
Sincerely,
Kristin Bishop
Davis Elementary Principal
Interested in Volunteering at Davis Elementary?
· Volunteers are needed for field trips, Field Day, class parties, library assistance, and other areas.
· Please fill out the Volunteer Application located at:
Are you interested in being a Key Communicator for Davis Elementary?
Each year, Plano ISD forms a Key Communicators Group of parents from all district schools.
Are you interested in representing Davis Elementary at the PISD Key Communicators meetings? If so, please contact Mrs. Bishop at Kristin.bishop@pisd.edu
What Do Key Communicators Do?
Attend three evening meetings with the superintendent or other key staff to learn about programs, issues, initiatives and accomplishments. This year’s dates are: Tuesday, October 11; Thursday, February 2; and the final date is Tuesday, April 11.
Share information from the meetings with other parents and school staff.
Communicate district news and initiatives, which will vary from year to year, but could involve election information, Education Foundation programs, legislative issues and district planning.
Receive occasional mailings from the district.
Facilitate balanced and factual communications. Principals should appoint parents to serve in this position who are open, positive and committed to sharing information with others by using a factual, fair and balanced approach.
PACE (Plano Academic and Creative Education) Referral Process
PACE provides services for student who require academically gifted enrichment services and have demonstrated a need for advanced, differentiated instruction. If you have a child you feel is in need of possible gifted services, please notify your child’s teacher or Mrs. Seymour, Davis’ Gifted Specialist.
· Students in grades K-5 in need of assessment must have their referral packets turned in by December 7, 2016.
For more detailed information and access to the referral packets, please refer to the following link:
http://www.pisd.edu/parents/advanced.academics/gifted.pace/index.shtml
Contact Mrs. Seymour with any questions at: Julie.seymour@pisd.edu or 469-752-1033
Davis Elementary PTA Store is now open ONLINE!
2016 -2017 Spirit Wear & PTA Memberships are now available for purchasing online https://squareup.com/store/davis-pta ! This is our current inventory of shirts, so only the sizes listed on the site are available.
Once the order is placed, your child will receive the shirt(s) at school within a few days. Please be sure to include your child’s name/grade/teacher in the notes section of the check-out page.
FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL
At Davis Elementary, parents are welcome to walk their child to class in the morning. Parents will check in at the front office and have their driver's license scanned to receive a visitor badge. All visitors wear a recognizable visitor badge to aid in keeping our children safe.
School begins at 7:45 a.m. Supervision begins at 7:00 in the cafeteria and gym for children who need to arrive early, and students can walk to their classroom at 7:30. Breakfast is available from 7:15-7:40 in the cafeteria. Our school day ends at 2:45. Please make sure you've communicated with your child's teacher about how he or she is getting home in the afternoons.
Sign up for TEXT Messages from the Davis Elementary Front Office
What is a Makerspace?
Carpool Notes!
What is InfoCenter?
Plano ISD has implemented InfoCenter, allowing you to better control how you receive communications from your school or district. The following is a guide to help you get started.
What is InfoCenter?: InfoCenter provides access to all the messages and information sent by your organization. Accessible from any internet-enabled device, InfoCenter visually displays and organizes alerts, notifications, and attachments for easy review and reference. InfoCenter also allows you to customize how you receive communications from PISD (campus and district).
How do I sign up for InfoCenter?: Signing up for InfoCenter is easy. Using the email address that you have on file for your district (emergency card), follow these three steps:
1. Download the InfoCenter by SchoolMessenger app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Market. You can also access the InfoCenter web portal at https://infocenter.schoolmessenger.com/
2. Click the “New User” button, enter your email address, and create a password. An email will be sent to that address with a secure token. Note: If you receive an “already claimed by another user account” error message that means you’ve already created a SchoolMessenger account via another SchoolMessenger product, such as Contact Manager. Simply follow the “Return to login” link and login. Use the “Forgot your password” link if needed.
3. After authenticating via the token sent to your email, return to InfoCenter and sign in using your email and password.
What’s in InfoCenter?:Once you’ve created your account, the records associated with your email address will be linked automatically. You can then:
- View the records associated with your account.
- Review the last 30 days worth of messages for all your associated records.
- View your contact information, and configure how you’d like to receive notifications.
Important Things to Know:
- Regardless of how you choose to receive notifications, all messages associated with your records will be retained in the InfoCenter inbox for 30 days.
- You can opt into receiving Device Notifications (Push) under Notification Preferences. When choosing to receive Device Notifications, a badge or alert will appear when you receive new communications from Plano ISD.
Our provider, SchoolMessenger, makes the security and privacy of your data a top priority. As one of over 100 approved signatories to Student Privacy Pledge, you can feel ensured that your student’s information is safe and will never be sold, rented or shared.
Do you love FUN?
Davis Dolphins use Social Media!
Follow the Davis Dolphins on Twitter at @Davis_Dolphins and #DavisGrows
Follow the Davis Dolphins on Facebook at Davis_Dolphins
Follow the Davis Elementary PTA at https://www.facebook.com/groups/daviselementarypta/