WHB's Tiger Talk
August 2019 | Welcome to School Edition
Welcome to WHB!
Our campus thrives with support from our families; we invite you to come and join us for various events and celebrations throughout the year. We have many opportunities for our families to get involved at our campus. Volunteer opportunities include, but are not limited to: reading and working with students, supporting the office by completing tasks such as making copies and laminating class projects, and monitoring and participating in school events including, but not limited to field trips and PTO. Visit www.terrellisd.org/volunteer to learn more about becoming a volunteer. You may also find our campus calendar by visiting http://www.terrellisd.org/calendar-burnett.
The enthusiastic W. H. Burnett Elementary staff and I feel privileged to be part of this school family, and we look forward to welcoming all of our students on the first day of school (Wednesday, August 21). We thank you for your support and look forward to meeting you.
100% of Registrations Completed the First Week of School Is Our Goal!
First Day of School Supports:
- If you do NOT know your Parent Portal information, need to create an account, or need assistance trouble shooting, please go to the main office. Computers and personnel will be available to assist you through the process after classes are settled in the morning.
- If you need car placards or bus information, you will need to go to the front office; personnel will be present to assist you.
- If you have not yet completed the enrollment process, you may secure an appointment in the front office to do so.
First Day of School Need to Knows:
- You may escort your child(ren) directly to their classrooms starting at 7:30am. For those who are new to WHB, please know there is limited parking in the parking lot. You may have to park along the side streets and walk up to campus. Be aware of and follow the white directional arrows in the parking lot. You may NOT park in the bus lane or in the circle car drop off lane at the cafeteria.
- All PK3 parents must walk their children (if car riders) into the classroom on the first day of school.
- The first day of school is the only day that parents are to walk their children all the way to the classroom. Starting day 2 (Thursday), parents will need to drop students off in the car rider lines or students may ride the bus and be delivered directly to the campus front gate.
- Please be sure your child's teacher knows how your child is to get home each day: car rider, bus rider or day care (please list which day care by name). Read the "Traffic Flow" section below to know where to expect to drop off and pick up car riders.
- For those unfamiliar with first day car rider pick up, please be prepared knowing that the line will be long. You must remain in your car. You will want to bring your own cold water, and some vehicles have overheated while waiting in the long line. Again, please be prepared.
Traffic Flow
**Car rider parents: Be sure you have your color car rider sign to pick up your child. If you do not have a car rider sign, you will not receive your child at the car line; you will be directed to go to the front office to sign out your child and receive a new car sign.
Also, parents, our staff members are unable to unbuckle and buckle your child's car seat harness. Please be mindful of this as you deliver and pick up your students. Once a child has been placed in your car, there is a small area in which you can pull forward to assist your child to do so as you cannot get out of your vehicle in the car rider drop off/pick up area.
PK3 AM: Students are to be dropped off on the Medora Street entrance beginning at 7:30am. The PK3 AM class will be dismissed from the circle drive near the cafeteria starting at 11:15am. If your child is tardy, you will need to park in the school parking lot and walk your child to the front office and sign him/her in to school.
PK3 PM: Students are to be dropped off on the Medora Street entrance starting at 11:30am and will be picked up at the Medora Street entrance starting at 3:15pm. If your child is tardy, you will need to park in the school parking lot and walk your child to the front office and sign him/her in to school.
PK4 & Head Start: Students are to be dropped off in the circle drive at the cafeteria off of Rockwall Avenue starting at 7:30am and will be picked up from same location starting at 3:45pm. Gates will close at 8:10am for morning arrival and 4:00pm for afternoon dismissal. If you arrive after gates are closed, you will need to park in the parking lot and walk your child to the front office and sign him/her in to school.
Please obey all traffic signs as police officers are present and citations may be issued.
- No U-turns allowed within the school zone.
- If walking across Rockwall Avenue, use the crosswalk.
- Do not block the driveways along Rockwall Avenue or Medora Street when in the car line.
- Left turns out of the driveways are not permitted; always turn to the right.
- Never park in the fire lanes or in front of fire hydrants.
The teacher parking lot is not available to parents from 7:25 - 8:10am and 3:30 - 4:00pm due to the bus lane needing to be open for our school buses.
Early Sign Outs
If you choose to park and enter the building once dismissal has started, your child will be called after all of our car riders have been placed in their vehicles in line, usually around 4:00pm.
Goals & Focus
School Home Partnerships
Parents, you are your child's first teacher. We are here to partner with you as your child continues to grow and blossom academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally.
This time in your child's development is crucial as his/her brain is growing so quickly. As we work together your child will benefit tremendously from our partnership.
First, upon greeting your child after school, ask your child about their day and check his/her backpack. Read the items in the take home folder. Have your child describe the items and what they did in school during the day.
Next, read with your child. Each week there will be a nursery rhyme, song, or poem to read with your child. You may also read any books in their backpack or that you have at home. As you read, ask your child to participate by repeating the language from the book, describing the pictures/illustrations, and answering questions about the story.
Always stay in communication with your child's teacher. Each teacher has a Remind account through which they will send you updates and reminders weekly. Please be sure to get your child's teacher's Remind code to stay connected. If you have questions or concerns, the teacher is your first school contact. You can send the teacher a message via Remind, email, or call the school (972-563-1452) to get in touch with her.
Our campus calendar is posted on the Terrell ISD website, or click this link to see our scheduled events. We want you to be a part of our campus! So, be sure to secure your TISD Volunteer application and then once cleared, you can get your volunteer badge. Once you have your badge, you can come and support by serving in different capacities. You can come read with classes, prepare station materials, work with office personnel, be a chaperone on field trips, etc. When available, let your child's teacher know, and she will help connect you with different opportunities to volunteer.
Literacy
Reading is vitally important to all other aspects of life! As such, we ask that you partner with us in a couple of ways. First, read with your child(ren) EVERY day. This practice creates a positive life habit that supports increased vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
Students will have access to various reading materials that may be sent home as well. Encourage your child to maintain their daily reading logs to show how much they read outside of school. Also, we welcome visitor readers on campus! If you’d like to come read to our students, please contact Maria Barrientos via email (Maria.Barreintos@terrellisd.org) or by phone at 972-563-1452 to make arrangements to come read on campus.
We will begin the school year focusing on alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, and vocabulary development. Students will understand . . .
- Letters have different shapes. (some with straight lines, curved lines, etc.)
- There are upper and lower case letters.
- Letters represent different sounds.
- Letters make words and words make sentences.
Students will be able to . . .
- Rhyme words.
- Identify and read high frequency words.
- Segment sounds and syllables.
- Sequence events.
The more students read, the better their communication and writing skills become. We want to offer students the opportunity to share their creativity and knowledge and learn the power of the pen. To partner with us in growing their verbal and written skills, have your child speak with complete sentences, allow them to help you write your grocery list and/or letters to family and friends, and celebrate their effort when they write to share their ideas. Students at this age practice writing with different writing utensils such as pencils, crayons, markers, etc.
Attendance
I am so excited we are getting back to school. It is such a blessing to see all of our students each day! I love to see their smiles and watch their “lightbulbs” spark and burn bright. Please partner with us in making sure students are faithfully attending school. We want them here! Without them present we are not able to support their growth and facilitate their learning. Our campus goal is 98% attendance each day. We will be holding attendance competitions by classrooms and students will be rewarded for their individual perfect attendance as well. We understand students will not be able to attend school if they are running a fever. But as soon as they are fever free please bring them back so we can continue the learning momentum!
Parents, please also know that tardies and early pickups are counted towards absences as students are missing parts of their instructional day. We understand that there may be an extenuating circumstance that you may have to tend to; please know that the cut off time to pick up your child early is 30 minutes prior to dismissal. As always, the person signing out students must have their picture ID and have right to transport permission granted in our student database.
Attendance is vitally important to a student's academic success. When students miss 5 instructional days, a letter will be issued explaining potential loss of credit. When students accumulate 3 or more unexcused absences in a 4 week period, a parent conference will be scheduled to discuss truancy prevention measures. Parents, also please know that parent notes are limited to 3 notes per year to excuse absences; all absence notes must be submitted to the office within 3 days of the absence.
Stay connected with Remind
In efforts to keep you well informed, I invite you to join our communication outlets. You can text the code @whburnett to the number 81010 to subscribe to our campus Remind thread. This is how I as the principal communicate directly with parents to give updates, reminders, and special notices. (These messages can be translated to your language of choice through the Remind app. Click here to access the app.) Speaking of sharing, if you like to tweet on Twitter, follow us look for our tag #TigerPride to see the amazing things happening across Terrell ISD.
Please be sure you also sign up for your child's teacher's Remind account as well!
You may also use this method of communication to send updates about your child directly to the teacher, such as why they are absent, transportation changes, and notes about how they may be feeling.
PTO Membership & Support
To learn more about the different PTO positions please refer to the following website: http://www.ptotoday.com/officers-and-board.
Transportation
Bus: GoldStar Transit
If you need to address bus transportation changes, please be sure you send changes in writing. We will share changes with Gold Star Transit bus services.
Car Pick Up
At dismissal, drivers must have their car sign with student's and teacher's names listed to pick up their students. If you are missing your car sign, you will be asked to park in the parking lot and go into the main office to sign your student out with your picture ID to get a new car sign.
Day Care
Transportation Changes
Also know that all names of people you grant permission to pick up your child(ren) from school need to be listed in our student database. Please be sure you've updated this information on Parent Portal to expedite the pick up process in the office.
Thanks!
Child Nutrition & Family-Style Eating
- Students at WHB are able to have provided to them, at no cost to families, breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack.
- Breakfast will be served in the classroom staring no earlier than 7:45am and ending before 8:30am at which time the classroom's literacy instruction block will begin. (Students will be counted tardy after 8:14am.)
- Lunch times vary by classroom. This year we are introducing family style eating during lunch time. First, please understand this is now counted as instructional time as staff will be teaching direct lessons related to nutrition, vocabulary, and social-emotional learning including manners and turn taking. (Additional instructional time in response to House Bill 3 requiring a determined amount of instructional minutes for pre-kindergarten.)
- Here is an article from Head Start about family-style eating, if you'd like more information.
- Outside food will not be permitted to be brought to students or classrooms this year; this includes fast food from restaurants as well as home-packed lunches. Unless there is 504 or other medical documentation agreed upon by campus administration, all students are to eat the provided meal from the cafeteria.
- Regarding birthday celebrations, each student will receive ice cream at lunch on the first Friday of each month as we celebrate students whose birthdays are being celebrated that month. Parents, you are welcome to bring birthday goody bags (no edibles, including cupcakes) such as bags with party favors, to the campus after 3:15pm with a confirmed appointment with the teacher so that she is able to plan accordingly.
Students will learn to self serve.
Students will converse with each other.
Staff will model expectations.
Spirit Wear on Fridays
Contact Us
Email: melissa.nichols@terrellisd.org
Website: http://www.terrellisd.org/burnett
Location: 921 South Rockwall Avenue, Terrell, TX, USA
Phone: 972-563-1452
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrellisd/
Twitter: @TerrellISD