PES Principal Message
January 26, 2023
Puster Families,
We continue to celebrate Barrett Owens during this School Board Appreciation Month. My link to our student interview last week was broken. Click here to try again. Our budding journalists did an awesome job!
Next week is going to be a busy week in the most awesome ways! Wednesday evening, we hope you can join us for our first Perot Science Night hosted by our PTO and our teachers.
Friday is a big day! Our 4th graders will be traveling to Sloan Creek to get a taste of 5th grade. See info below for details about Bump Up Day. Students will need to bring or purchase a lunch that day.
Friday is also the 100th day of school when our kinder students turn Puster Elementary into Puster Senior Center! We will let our kinder students do a little parade around the school to show off their geriatric outfits that morning.
Finally, our annual PTO-sponsored Daddy Daughter Dance will take place Friday evening. It is always so sweet to see our dads enjoying this special evening with their girls.
I can't wait to see our Puster families at some or all of the fun!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Puster Proud,
Holly
Upcoming Dates
February
1 - Perot Science Night @ PES, 5-7 p.m.
3 - 4th Grade Bump Up Day
3 - 100th Day of School
3 - Daddy/Daughter Dance 6:30-8:30
6-10 National School Counseling Week
8 - Progress Reports Go Home
14 - Valentine's Day Parties 2:00
16 - Early Release, 12:00 p.m.
17 - Student Holiday/No School
20 - Bad Weather Day/No School Unless Makeup Day is Needed
22 - School Bus Driver Appreciation Day
22-Starbooks Cafe
School Board Appreciation
Barrett Owens was appointed to the Board of Trustees in September 2019. In May 2021 he was elected to serve as President of the Board. Mr. Owens has lived in the Lovejoy district since 2005. He and his wife, Paige, have three children which currently attend Lovejoy schools. Mr. Owens owns and operates William Anthony Homes, a luxury custom builder and developer in the Lovejoy and north Collin County area and is Owner and President of Capacity Lending, LLC a residential mortgage lending company. Prior to William Anthony Homes and Capacity Lending, LLC, Mr Owens was a member of the board of directors and the Chief Lending Officer for First National Bank of Trenton, now Cap Tex Bank. Mr Owens has worked in Real Estate Construction, Finance and Development as well as investment management for over 20 years. Mr. Owens earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas.
In the community, Mr. Owens is a member of Chase Oaks Church. Mr. Owens is also active in youth sports and coaches baseball and softball with his son Cooper and daughters Jade and Macy.. He enjoys teaching kids the value of teamwork, sportsmanship, and the privilege of being able to participate in sports.
“It’s a privilege to serve Lovejoy and the amazing people that make up this community and school district” notes Mr. Owens. “This school district is special for many reasons and in many ways. I am excited to use my knowledge, wisdom and experience to help make it the best it can possibly be for our children. Lovejoy is turning out tomorrow’s leaders and our strategic initiatives and priorities continue to provide an environment of success. Our community leaders must stay focused and committed to ensure our students continue the legacy of success that has become Lovejoy” “One Heart One Lovejoy!”
Volunteers Needed
Please sign up here if you are able to help! Thank you!
Heart of the Teacher and Heart of Support
Crystal loves all of her students. She is a true example of a servant's heart. There isn't anything she won't do to ensure the success of her students. Crystal puts the needs of others before her own and she does so with a happy heart. She is truly called to serve students with special needs.
Linda Morelli - Special Education Aide
Linda is consistent and a role model for her students. Her students and coworkers know they can count on her in every way. Linda is a certified teacher and dedicates her skills to the work she does with her students. She is a well-respected and valuable member of our staff.
Paige Christiansen, Art
News from Mrs. George
Parents,
Just a reminder that school begins at 7:55 am. Students should be in their seats at 7:55 when the bell rings. In the event you are running late, a parent should walk the student into the front office to sign them in. Please let the office staff know if you have any questions.
Testing season is upon us. Students identified as English Language Learners will be participating in TELPAS assessment during a five week window in February. More information on specific testing dates will be coming soon.
STAAR dates for third and fourth grade are listed below. Please schedule appointments around these dates.
Notes from the Library
Library
Kindergarten, first and second grade are learning about the Caldecott Award, and will be noticing 10 new books that could be in the running for this year's award. Weare doing a K-2 PES mock Caldecott vote, and then seeing the medal and honor winners when they are announced after January 30th. Will we analyze and guess the winners? We shall see!
4th Graders have been learning about Lunar New Year and engineering a paper lantern that can hold a tea light.
Does your student want 24 hour access to books? Want access to Ebooks and audio books? Check out Sora by Overdrive. Students can login using their Classlink account. You can see what your student has checked out in Sora by following the directions in the graphic below.
What's Coming up in the library?
3-4 graders have until February 10th to read 5 bluebonnet nominees if they would like to join the voting for the state winner and celebration. 3rd & 4th Grade
Celebration and Voting will be February 15 2023
How to vote and celebrate?
Read some of the books between now Fri Feb 10th .
-Fill out the Book Response to be a Texas Bluebonnet Voting Member in the library.
-Get invited to the party and voting after school FEB 15th Wednesday 3:00-4:00
Spring book fair: Feb 27-March 3
AUTHOR VISIT!
Read Across America Week: Feb 27-March 3
Library Volunteer sign up: Interested in shelving some books and helping keep the shelves tidy? Sing up for a day to come shelf, come anytime that! Sign up here! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4EACAA2DA7FDC25-peslibrary
Children's author Kevin O'Malley is coming to Lovejoy ISD!
Puster Elementary Thursday, March 2nd
Hart Elementary Friday, March 3rd
We are very excited to read his books and learn what it is like to write and publish original stories. If your student would like to have Mr. O’Malley sign a book(s), please purchase any of his books that you would like. Send them into the library and he will sign them on the day of his visit.
Thank you to the PTO for sponsoring this event
Miss B's Buzz
Attendance Updates
Attendance continues to be a top priority for Lovejoy ISD. It should come as no surprise that attendance has a direct relationship with student learning. Additionally, public school funding is provided by the State of Texas based on each district's average daily attendance (ADA).
Lovejoy has developed an Attendance Task Force consisting of staff, parents, and students to formulate ideas about how to positively impact ADA in our district. One suggestion is to update the community via weekly principal communication on the number of absences each campus has accrued YTD along with the budgetary impact of those absences. This information can be found below:
PTO News
GOOGLE FORM LINK TO RSVP:
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER:
Yearbook Announcements
Pre-order your yearbook at https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A01104988
NEW: Please send photos to be considered for Puster's yearbook to PusterYB@gmail.com.
Field Trip pics within 2 weeks from the event.
Classroom or Grade level pics within 2 weeks of date taken (specify grade/teacher)
The Yearbook is created as the year goes so if you submit your pictures late, those pages have already been completed and your pics may not be included. Thank you!
Attention 4th Grade Families,
It's time to create & purchase your 4th Grade Ad for our 2022-2023 yearbook. Recognition Ads are the perfect way to commemorate achievements and celebrate your child's upcoming graduation from elementary school. This year we are using Jostens DIY site to create our ads. Ads can be purchased by anyone including proud parents & family members (multiple ads per student are allowed).
1/2 page ad = $50
1/4 page ad = $25
To purchase your ad online, follow the link below. You'll need to create a login if you don't already have one. The site is easy to use and there are tons of template options!
https://www.jostens.com/apps/jcom/router.mvc?affiliateId=1792372
Puster Dads! We need YOU! Please see the following links for information regarding spending the day at school with your child:
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/9040D4FACAA2BAB9-puster
We look forward to seeing you!!
After School Opportunities
District News
Annual Bump Up Day to take place on February 3, 2023.
Sloan Creek Intermediate, Willow Springs Middle School, and Lovejoy High School will host 4th, 6th, and 8th graders on Friday, February 3, 2023 for Lovejoy ISD’s Annual Bump Up Day. Bump Up Day was created to assist students with transitioning to a new campus and to help generate excitement for the new experiences they will have. Students will travel to the campus they will be attending for the 2023-2024 school year and have the opportunity to tour the campus, ask questions, and eat lunch. Students will be able to charge lunch and any a la carte/snacks purchases to their lunch account during their visit to their Bump Up school. Please make sure funds are available in your student's lunch account. Lunch prices for students visiting Sloan Creek IS or Willow Springs MS will be $4.00 for a regular meal or $4.75 for a premium meal. Lunch prices for students visiting the high school will be $4.50 for a regular meal or $5.25 for a premium meal. A la carte/snack prices vary. Please refer to this document for specific pricing.
Lovejoy Robotics is hosting a tournament on Jan. 28th at LHS.
We are looking for volunteers to judge, be a scorekeeper and fill many other positions. We will train you if the position requires it. This is a great opportunity for any parents who have a child interested in joining the robotics programs at Sloan Creek, Willow Springs and LHS.
*If you are an engineer or work in another field related to robotics or engineering we need you to be a judge!!
Please reach out if you might be interested in judging to Tina Whitfill or Coach Strickland we will give you details about what judging entails.
Please contact Tina Whitfill 214-274-7384 with any questions.
Helpful Resources
Puster Elementary - The Place We Want to Be!
#PusterProud
Location: Robert L. Puster Elementary School, Stoddard Road, Fairview, TX, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PusterElementary
Twitter: @pusterlearners