CATCH THE WAVE
September, 2022
A Great Start to a New Year!
September Events
- September 1 - 3rd-5th Science MAP
- September 2 - Student holiday; teachers will engage in professional development.
- September 5 - Labor Day ... student/staff holiday
- September 6-9 - MAP makeups for students who missed testing or need to complete testing
- September 6-15 - mCLASS reading assessment administered to Kn-5th grade students
- September 6-7 - 5th grade students visit JA BizTown.
- September 8 - International Literacy Day! Staff/students encouraged to dress as favorite book character; students may participate in a Book Exchange in the library. More information to come...
- September 8 at 6:00 pm - Parent meeting for 5th grade trip to Camp Grady Spruce
- September 9 - Campus health screening (vision, hearing, Acanthosis Nigricans, Scoliosis)
- September 11 - Grandparents Day! We will celebrate on September 14th at 2:00 pm.
- September 12 - CCMR Day! Students/staff encouraged to wear their favorite college, career, or military shirt to show that we are focused on a bright future!
- September 12-16 - Scholastic Book Fair! Students will have the opportunity to purchase fantastic books at great prices!
- September 14 at 2:00 pm - Grandparents Day Celebration coordinated by PTA; grandparents will visit classrooms and have the opportunity to visit the Scholastic Book Fair!
- September 15 from 5:30-7:30 - PTA Community Awareness Night ... hope to see you there!
- September 19 - Surf's Up Day! Students/staff encouraged to wear beach attire to show that we are "Catching the Wave to Success"!
- September 21-23 - 5th grade students visit Camp Grady Spruce!
- September 23 - Students will practice Secure, Hold, and Lockdown drills under the supervision of GISD Security and the Garland Police Department.
- September 26 - All Star Day! Students/staff encouraged to wear All Star t-shirts to show that we are united in our goals for increased student achievement!.
MAP Testing
Each student is provided a RIT score, a projected growth goal, and a percentile score. The RIT score is an estimation of a student's instructional level. The projected growth goal is determined based on the student's performance and how much he/she should be expected to grow. The percentile score is based on how the child performed as compared to other students in the same grade. Percentile score performance follows:
- High performance - at or above 81st percentile
- High average performance - 61st-80th percentile
- Average performance - 41st-60th percentile
- Low average - 21st-40th percentile
- Low performance - below 21st percentile
Students who score below the 21st percentile are in need of intensive intervention.
Your child's MAP performance will be shared upon completion of GISD MAP testing. Your child's teacher will discuss the results at the parent-teacher conferences in October. Please reach out to your child's teacher with any questions or concerns.
Title I Program
- Increase academic achievement of students.
- Provide direct instructional support to students.
- Provide professional development to teachers.
- Promote parent education and engagement.
For more information, please view the following video.
Teacher Qualifications
Parents of students in Title I schools may request the following information about the
professional qualifications of their child’s teacher(s):
- Whether the State Board for Educator Certification has certified or qualified the teacher for the grades and subjects he or she teaches;
- Whether the State Board for Educator Certification has decided that the teacher can teach in a classroom without being licensed or qualified under state regulations because of special circumstances;
- The teacher’s college major, whether the teacher has any advanced degrees, and, if so, the subject of the degrees; and
- Whether any teachers’ aides or similar paraprofessionals provide services to your child and, if they do, their qualifications.
If you are interested in requesting information about your child’s teacher(s), you may
contact: Anel Gonzalez, Human Resources Certification Manager, at
AHGonzalez@garlandisd.net (972) 487-3096 or Connie Rodriguez, Human Resources
Certification Specialist, at CRodrig@garlandisd.net (972) 487-3056
Student Health Screenings
- Hearing/Vision - Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade students
- Acanthosis Nigricans 1 - 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade students. Acanthosis Nigricans is a skin condition that signals high insulin levels in the body. Screening for Acanthosis Nigricans can help identify students who run the risk of developing diabetes in the future. The screening involves looking at the back of the neck.
- Scoliosis - 5th grade girls. A scoliosis screening is a short, noninvasive test to determine if your child’s spine may have a curve that would need to be examined by a pediatric orthopedic specialist. The earlier scoliosis is diagnosed, the better.
If concerns arise through the health screenings, parents will receive a letter in the mail. If you have any questions regarding the screenings, please reach out to our school nurse, Abby Mollinedo, on Class Dojo or at amollin@garlandisd.net.
Student Meals
GISD is utilizing a fantastic new program, SchoolCafé , to assist families with the following tasks:
- Making payments
- Setting up auto pay
- Setting purchase restrictions
- Getting low balance alerts
- Submitting meal applications
- Viewing letters
- Viewing purchases
- Viewing menus
Breakfast is available in the cafeteria from 7:40 to 8:05 each morning. The cost of breakfast is $1.75. Our lunch schedule begins at 10:35 and ends at 1:30. The cost of lunch is $2.95.
Families who need help paying for school meals can apply for free and reduced meals. Our district participates in the National School Breakfast/Lunch program, a federally-assisted meal program available to students in school. Students who qualify will be able to have meals at school at a discount or for free, depending on need. Families must submit an application every school year to request approval for free and reduced meals.
Please click on the following SchoolCafé link to create an account. The free and reduced application form can be completed at any time.
Birthday Treats
- Store-bought cupcakes with napkins or individual treat bags. Please do not send a cake for the teacher to cut and serve.
- Treats should be carried by the student to class (if small enough) or the parent can deliver to the front office.
Treats will be provided to the class at the end of the school day.
Want to Volunteer?
News from our PTA
Letter from the P.T.A. President...
Hello All Stars!
It’s been a great first month of school! We have some exciting events coming up!
First off – Thank you to everyone who has joined PTA in support of our school. Your membership helps fund family programs and PTA initiatives that directly benefit our students and staff. If you have not yet joined, a membership is only $8. Members do not need to attend meetings or volunteer. We ask that every family has at least one membership. You can join here: https://abbett-pta-208495.square.site/
Our annual Watch DOGS Pizza Night is on 9/7. This is a free event hosted by Abbett PTA and our Watch Dog Committee. The Watch Dog program facilitates positive male role models volunteering on campus to interact with students and staff, demonstrating how important family engagement and involvement is. DOGS have the opportunity to volunteer for full or half days in a variety of activities.
We are happy to be hosting a family favorite on 9/14, Grandparent’s Day. All grandparents or Grandfriends are invited to join their students on campus for cookies and fun activities.
This month we will be hosting our Raise Craze fundraiser for the 2nd year. Raise Craze is similar to a jog-a- thon or read-a-thon in that money is fundraised when students receive donations from friends and family. However, with Raise Craze, students and families demonstrate acts of kindness as a way to pay forward the donations received.
Our hope is that Abbett families enjoy this fundraiser and that ripples of kindness will spread throughout our community as a result! With Raise Craze, traditional barriers to fundraising are removed in that acts of kindness are free to do, so everyone can participate! We will kick off this fundraiser on 9/12 with more details to come. Our September Family PTA Program will be on 9/15 with hosted Acts of Kindness and community building stations. This will also be our first general membership PTA meeting of the year.
PTA has a few open positions that need good people. If you would like to be a part of an award winning and nationally recognized PTA – please email us with your contact info. We have roles both big and small to accommodate working and busy parents. Email us at abbettallstartpta@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Tehra Dixon
22-23 PTA President