The Mata Memo
May 10, 2022
Principal's Message
Greetings Mata Family!
First I would like to say on behalf of the Eduardo Mata Montessori School staff and teachers, THANK YOU! We were overjoyed with the appreciation you showed our teachers and staff during National Teacher Appreciation Week. Your kindness and thoughtfulness is appreciated! We have the best community ever!
This week our 3rd-8th grade students will take their first round of STAAR assessments. Everyone has worked hard for this moment, and our children are ready to show up and do their best! Please remind them to bring their devices to school charged every day until the end of the school year.
This is the time for us to reflect upon our work and how we've grown your children academically. This school year, there has been some heavy lifting on behalf of you, our teachers, and the students! Be proud of the work that they have done!
Check out the rest of the Mata Memo for important updates! If you are interested in summer camps and programs, pay special attention to the end of the newsletter. New camps are added every week!
Tomeka Middleton Williams
Principal
P.S. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @MontessoriMata
Calendar at A Glance
May 10th – STAAR Math (Gr. 3-8) & Algebra
May 11th – STAAR Science (Gr. 5, 7H, 8)
May 11th- School Nurse's Day!
May 13th– Field Day 2022!
May 14th – Mata PTA Beach Bash under the Stars!
May 17th– STAAR Reading (Gr. 3-8)
May 18th– STAAR Social Studies (Gr. 8)
May 24th - TAG Fair, PTA General Meeting, and Talent Show!
May 27th – Last student day
THANK YOU TO OUR PTA AND MATA COMMUNITY!
Our staff and teachers enjoyed Teacher's Appreciation Week last week! We would like to give a special THANK YOU to our PTA and Mata Community for helping to make this week so special for our staff! We appreciated it all!
LONE STAR CHALLENGE
Orchestra Performance
Site Based Decision Making Committee - Join Us!
The Site-Based Decision Making Committee is comprised of the campus principal, teachers, school staff, parents, business and community representatives. The SBDM's primary role is to collaboratively serve as an advisory council to the principal. To accomplish this, the committee meets and discusses school-related issues, activities, and initiatives. Recommendations and suggestions made by the committee should align with the campus improvement plan.
We are looking to fill parent member vacancies for the 2022-2023 school year. If you would like to express interest or nominate a parent to serve, email the SBDM Chair, Katrina Martinez at 4salmom@gmail.com. Induction of new members will happen the week of May 16, 2022.
Book Fair is May 5-12th!
MAY IS ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER MONTH!
AFTER SCHOOL DISMISSAL SAFETY
If you pick your students up under the Santa Fe Bridge, please note that this is not Dallas ISD property, and there is NO adult supervision. There are strangers and bikers constantly along that trail. If you are not arriving by 3:15, I encourage you to have your child picked up at the campus where they are supervised and safe.
Mata Field Day 2022
Mata Field Day 2022
We are headed back to Camp Wisdom for Mata’s field day. Camp Wisdom - Circle Ten Council is located at 6400 W. Red Bird Ln, Dallas. It will be a day of fun and excitement for all of our staff and students.
When: Friday, May 13, 2022
Buses will begin leaving Mata at 9:15 a.m.
Buses will leave camp around 1:15 to return to Mata
Who: All students in grades 1st - 8th
Things to consider bringing / wearing:
Cap, hat, or visor and sunglasses
Field day t-shirt, shorts or long pants
You must wear closed-toe tennis shoes
Sunscreen (put on before coming to school)
Insect repellent (put on before coming to school)
Refillable water bottle (please put your child’s name on the bottle)
Sack lunches will be provided by the cafeteria, however students may also bring their own lunch. Please bring in a disposable sack.
Volunteers:
Each homeroom class is allowed 3 volunteers to assist with running the activities and supporting their child’s class. If interested, please contact your child’s teacher.
Volunteers must complete the district’s VOLY clearance and return the chaperone form by Friday, May 6.
Transportation is not provided for volunteers. We encourage carpooling.
Non-Mata children (older or younger) may not attend.
Please return student permission slips to the classroom teacher by Monday, May 9, 2022.
Field Day Shirts will come home this week.
Mata Middle School - Level UP!
PTA is hosting an arcade celebration of our middle schooler’s leveling up. Current 7th& 8th graders RSVP here.
If you’d like to volunteer to chaperone please contact Ana Menendez at: anamenendez7@hotmail.com
We would love to provide our students with tons of nickels to use on games. Please dig around the house/car and send all those annoying nickels with your kids to school this week. There will be a box in the office Monday through Thursday, and we will be outside collecting at morning drop-off on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Adopt an 8th Grader
FREE Mata family movie night featuring Encanto with Spanish subtitles sponsored by PTA @Mata playground
May 14th doors & informal uniform swap @ 7p
Movie Encanto with Spanish subtitles @ 8p
Concessions are available Or Bring your own picnic
To volunteer please email ayala.lizzy@gmail.com
We will leave a basket in the office for the uniform swap you may donate any gently used (no rips, stains, or tears) grown out of uniform pieces. Leftovers will be donated
Mata PTA Meeting 5/24/22
Mata PTA general membership meeting refreshments provided. Come early for the TAG fair, stay after for the Mata talent show immediately following.
6th Grade Moving Up Skate Party
Mata PTA Invites All Current 6th Graders to an awesome 6th Grade “Moving Up” Skating Party.
All fees are paid for by Mata PTA. Dinner, drinks, and sweets are provided. Please wear school appropriate attire, and don’t forget to wear socks! If your child does not like to skate, we will have plenty of games and fun, so please come celebrate with us.
This is a drop-off party. For Mata 6th graders only. Parents will need to pick them up by 8 pm. A liability waiver is required - Filled out at the event.
2022-2023 Returning Student Registration
All students must register for next school year. Registration is completely online and can be completed by going to www.choose.dallasisd.org. Please complete registration as soon as you can! If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Sosa or Mrs. Leija in the front office.
Detailed instructions can be found in the Registration Guides below.
STAAR Information
Dallas ISD Parent or Guardian:
An important part of the spring semester is measuring how well students have learned the skills and concepts taught during the year so we can ensure they are prepared for the following one. The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, is an effective tool for measuring performance. The STAAR results will be used by teachers and schools to determine areas where additional instruction is needed so students are better prepared to master next year’s learning.
The bulk of the STAAR tests will take place May 10-20 for grades 3-8.
Dallas ISD began the transition to using the online version of STAAR in spring 2021, so our students will be ready when the Texas Education Agency switches to an online-only administration in 2023. The district has been working to ensure students are familiar with online testing platforms and are comfortable taking exams electronically. We are actively preparing students to be successful in this format through our current instructional models and all resources provided by the TEA.
The STAAR tutorials can be accessed at https://www.texasassessment.gov/practice-tests.html. We encourage all students to become familiar with the tools in the Cambium testing platform.
The TEA requires that all students complete STAAR exams on campus. By choosing to offer the STAAR online, Dallas ISD will also have a longer window during which schools can schedule each assessment.
Our school’s testing window for each of the 2022 STAAR exams is attached is above listed in the May Calendar.
Thank you for your continued support in ensuring our students’ success. If you have any questions about our school’s plans for STAAR testing, please don’t hesitate to call us at 972-749-7500.
Mata's STAAR Dates!
Steps to Volunteer at Mata
Mata's PTA Walking Group!
Summer Activities! - Updated Weekly!
Dallas ISD Summer Cool - For Remediation and Enrichment
Summer Cool is designed to meet the needs of the whole child. Students will experience a full day of activities ranging from reading and math content support to exposure to various extracurricular and enrichment activities. Transportation, breakfast, lunch, and participation incentives will be provided to students utilizing the face-to-face learning model.
Links:
Registration (K-8)
Dallas ISD Summer Breeze! and Summer Learning Guide
Please Click the Links below to Access the Summer Learning Guide for parents. It includes detailed descriptions of Dalla's Summer Offerings!
Enjoy!
Career Explorations Camp for Rising 7th and 8th Graders
Dallas ISD's Career Institute East is excited to inform you of two summer camp opportunities for your students. They are hosting a summer exploration camp for students during two different time frames. Students will get an opportunity to get a hands-on experience in:
- construction
- interior design
- cybersecurity
- health science
- team building
- industry partner engagement
Join PTA
Check out their webpage at https://matamontessori.com/
Sign up for the PTA newsletter: Click Here
Dallas ISD School Safety Protocols
Core 4
Parents, students, and community members can shout out a teacher, staff member, or Dallas ISD employee by visiting https://www.dallasisd.org/shoutout
Some of the top shoutouts will be spotlighted on social media, the Core 4 webpage, and in a monthly e-newsletter!
Action for Happiness Calendars
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.
The Mata Memo
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
Twitter: @MontessoriMata