Davis Elementary Communication
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Calendar
October 17-21 PTA Scholastic Book Fair- Pirate Theme!
October 21 (Friday) 9 Weeks Spirit Assembly 8:30 am- Wear a Davis Shirt!
October 21 (Friday) PTA Fall Festival 5:30-8:00 PM
October 24-28 Red Ribbon Week! Davis is a drug free zone! See our daily activities listed below.
October 25 (Tuesday)Red Ribbon Week Assembly, sponsored by the Davis PTA! 8:30 for K-2nd and 9:30 for 3rd-5th
October 27 (Thursday) PTA Spirit Night at Panera Bakery- Come eat dinner at Panera between 4 and 8 PM and raise money for PTA
October 28 (Friday) First Ever Davis Reading Parade- details below!
November 11 (Friday) Veteran's Day Assembly 8:30 am
November 17 (Thursday) PTA Meeting 6:30 PM, 4th Grade Performance immediately following, History Fair open for viewing 6:00-7:30
November 18 (Friday) History Fair
November 21-25 Thanksgiving Break
November 30-December 2 Fifth Graders to Collin County Adventure Camp
December 19- January 2 Winter Break
Notes from the Principal's Office- Thank you to PTA and
Dear Parents,
What an amazing week at Davis! The kids have really enjoyed the Pirate Book Fair. Many thanks to Mrs. Cori Smith and the PTA for putting on an awesome fair. We hope everyone will join us for PTA's Fall Festival. Mrs. Alison Hansard has done a great job coordinating the Festival, and I know it will be tons of fun just like it is every year.
I hope you've noticed that our PTA is amazing. They do all of this stuff for our kids, like organizing the Fall Festival and the Spring Picnic, organizing our book fairs, and setting up (and paying for!) most of our assemblies. They were the main funding source for our Makerspace, and they are supportive of our teachers in fun ways throughout the year like lunches and treats. I hope I tell their officers often enough how grateful I am to have a PTA that is focused 100% on the kids and the school. They are great to work with day in and day out.
Have a great weekend!
Kristin Bishop
Davis Elementary Principal
Would you like to join a Davis Parent Advisory group?
As most of you know, I was lucky enough to receive a full scholarship to Harvard University's Parent Engagement Institute this past summer. Now it is time for me to put into place some of what I learned.
I would like to assemble a group of parents to help me reflect on the curriculum and learning at Davis. I am not looking for parents who are knowledgeable in the public education system or with an education background, nor am I looking for parents to come in and make suggestions. Our school district provides us with a great curriculum as our base, and the teachers have, over the years, asked to overlay other learning options and systems (such as technology and project based learning) to our kids. I would like our Parent Advisory Group to help us explore those new ideas, learn alongside the staff, and visit with the staff and I to let us know what you need from us as parents who want to support your children's educational growth.
I am hoping to make the Parent Advisory Group representative of the rich diversity in our community. At this time, I am only asking for a commitment of 3 group visits ( most likely an evening meeting) for this school year. We would most likely meet here at the school. If you are interested in participating, please let me know at Kristin.Bishop@pisd.edu Thank you for considering joining the staff and I in the learning process.
Volunteer at the Fall Festival!
Sign-Up Link:
Third Grade Needs Cardboard!
We are getting REALLY close to starting construction on our cardboard arcades. Please send in cardboard donations! Boxes work the best but you could also bring thinner pieces of cardboard such as cereal boxes, etc.
Thanks!
Mrs. Hicks and the 3rd Grade Teachers
Don't Forget!
Davis Elementary Reading Parade October 28!
Friday, October 28th
8:30 am
All family and friends are invited to gather around the perimeter of the school to watch our book characters on parade!
Please help your students choose a character from a book to dress as, and be prepared to parade! We welcome student-made costumes.
*Costumes may be worn all day as long as it does not disrupt student learning.
We will also welcome Future Dolphins (younger brothers and sisters!) to march in costume at the back of our parade line, as well as join us for a story in the cafeteria immediately after the parade.
Notes from the PISD Key Communicator Meeting
Thanks to Mrs. Haney for attending the Plano ISD Key Communicator Meeting. Key Communicators are parents from around the school district who bring back school district information to the parents at their representative school. The weekly newsletter email has three attachments explaining 3 ways to support Plano ISD!
PISD’s Ski Plano event is the primary fundraising event for the Plano ISD Education Foundation. This big event will be held on January 28th, 2017. Mark your calendars!
PISD Education Foundation’s Core Store – A store just for teachers, so that they do not have to use money from their own pocket for needed classroom items. A list of suggested items to donate is attached to the email that was sent.
PISD’s Top 10 Ways to Get Involved - Looking for a way to help our schools, but cannot seem to find a good fit? PISD has put together a list of their top 10 ways to volunteer. Take a look and maybe you will find something that’s just right for you!
Help Davis Earn $$$$ for our school!
Communication Reminders
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.
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:
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.
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?
Drug and Alcohol Prevention Information: “Did You Know” from PISD Family Services
Did you know…In 2015, approximately 24% of students under age 18 reported using electronic cigarettes or e cigs? These devices are made to look like real cigarettes and use flavored liquids that can produce little to no smoke. Students may refer to using an ecig as “vaping.”
See what the American Lung Association has to say concerning e-cigarettes.
http://www.lung.org/about-us/media/press-releases/e-cigarette-use-triples-in-nonsmokinr-youth.html
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/