Puster Elementary School
Principal Message
January 19, 2018

A Message from Kevin Parker
If you haven't ordered your 2017-2018 yearbook, you have until January 26 th , next Friday, to get yours at the $25 price.  After the 26th, the price will increase to $35.  You can order yours by going to  http://www.jostens.com .
 
Yesterday we had our annual Spelling Bee.   I am really proud of all of our 4th grade students who participated.  Not only is it difficult to spell the words, but to do it in front of peers, teachers, parents, etc. takes a lot of courage and composure.  We are very proud of all of our participants.  The winners were:
 
1st Place- Jayden Nakamura
2nd Place- Akhil Asher
3rd Place-Ian Lester
 
We also received the results from our PTA Reflections contest this week.  Puster had many great submissions.  The theme this year was "Within Reach".  Students could submit works of art in the areas of dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts.  Puster had a very good showing.  Here are the results for the elementary grades:
 
Primary (K-2)
Dance: Isabella Porter, PES
Literature:  Conor Vermie, PES
Photography: Riley McCarter, PES
Visual Arts: Lerin Davis, HES
 
Intermediate (3-5)
Dance: Addison McCaffity, LES
Literature: Audrey Morgan, PES
Music: Mary Sheridan, HES
Photography: Emersyn Runions, SCIS
Visual Arts: Marisa Green, SCIS
 
Our students are doing great things both in and out of the classroom.  We have great students supported by fantastic parents who are being taught by passionate teachers.  It is a great equation for success.



Pride in Puster!
Kevin

Please let me know if I can do anything for you. You can always reach me on my cell phone at 469-667-2280. 

Follow Mr. Parker on Twitter @peskevinparker and follow what's happening on our campus @pusterlearners.






Dates to Remember
January 22 - Chess and Choir
January 23 - Engineering K-1
January 24 - Engineering 2-4
January 25 - Watch Me Sculpt
January 25 - PTA Meeting and 3
rd Grade Program
January 26 - 4th Grade Bump UP Day at SCIS
January 31 - Starbooks Café
January 31 - Positive Proof ID Program
February 2 - Early Release at 12:00
February 2 - Reading with the Leopards
February 9 - Daddy/Daughter Dance

Foundation for Lovejoy Schools


Give to the Foundation via AmazonSmile
If you plan on purchasing items from Amazon.com, please consider visiting Amazon Smile. Amazon established AmazonSmile to give back 0.5% of the price of eligible AmazonSmile purchases to charitable organizations. When you are ready to shop, log in to your Amazon account by visiting the  AmazonSmile website for the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools. Once you have logged in, you will have access to the same products, same prices and same service you find at amazon.com. Thank you for your support of the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools.



Campus Information
Absences/Tardies
Please e-mail Kendra Card @ Kendra_card@lovejoyisd.net 
each day  that your child is absent. Absences accompanied by a doctor's note are considered excused.
Parents of children who are absent (unexcused) for 3 or more days or parts of days within any 4 week period will receive a letter from our office. A meeting/action plan may be requested for any child who is absent 10 or more days within any 6 month period.

Please remember that students need to be seated in their classrooms when the 8:00 a.m. bell rings. Otherwise, they are considered tardy
If you have questions or need more information regarding our district policy on absenteeism, please contact our Assistant  Principal,  Holly Haynes: 469-742-8227 or email :
holly_haynes@lovejoyisd.net.


Lunchroom Visitors
You are welcome to have lunch with your child throughout the year.  Please keep in mind that you may only bring food for your child to eat.  We have many students on campus with food allergies and this will ensure that students are not put at risk.  Also, just as in years past, we ask that only you and your child sit at the designated tables closest to the hallway windows.

Morning Drop Off
This routine will stay the same as in years past.  Cars will enter the north driveway and come to the back of the campus.  Either staff or Safety Crew students will be waiting to assist your child out of the car.  On the first day of school, students will go immediately to their classroom regardless of what time they arrive.  Beginning on August 22, students who arrive before 7:45 AM will report to the cafeteria (3 rd /4 th graders) or the gym (KG, 1 st , 2 nd  graders).  They will then move to their classes when the bell rings at 7:45 AM.


Afternoon Pick Up
Students will be dismissed at 3:05.  Car riders will be dismissed to the back of the campus.  Please have your car number visible so this procedure will go as smoothly as possible.  If you plan to walk up to the front door to pick up your child, we will ask that you wait outside until the bus riders come through the front door.  We will then release your child to you.  This ensures the buses get out in a timely manner, as well as, we know exactly who your child is leaving campus with.  The safety of your children trumps everything else we do at Puster.


PRE - K News
To see Pre-K News  click here

PUSTER NEWS

NEW! FOLK DANCING NIGHT AT PUSTER
Puster 3rd graders invite you to our first Puster Folk Dancing Night on Thursday, January 25th at 6PM. The grade level will share 5 different dances from around the world. There will be opportunities for audience participation, too. Put on your tennis shoes and we'll see you there! If you have questions please contact Anne_Tracy@lovejoyisd.net.

Notes from the Nurse:
If your child is or has been diagnosed with the flu will you please contact our nurse directly. 
We are in the peak of flu season. Please take a moment to review the flu facts. If you have any questions, I may always be reached at 469-742-8282 or by email janet_abramson@lovejoyisd.net
Thank you and Happy New Year
Nurse Janet 
Be Kind to the Earth, Be Kind to Others
More than 15 million tons of used textile waste  is generated each year in the United States, and the amount has doubled over the last 20 years. An average American throws away approximately 80 pounds of used clothing per person. On average, nationally, it costs cities $45 per ton to dispose of old clothing. Synthetic clothing may take hundreds of years to decompose. Nearly 100 percent of textiles and clothing are recyclable. (Read more here: https://goo.gl/atqhyj )

Many of us take time over the winter break to clean out drawers and closets. If you have clothing items and shoes that your kids have outgrown but are still in good condition, please plan to send these items to Puster when we return to school. We will collect the secondhand clothes and donate to friends and families in need. More information coming soon.

If your clothing items are no longer wearable, remember to look for a clothing recycle bin in the area. Retail businesses often have containers in their parking lots to collect clothing and textiles for recycling. Let's work together to keep clothing out of our landfills



SAVE THE DATE! First Annual Parent/Child Campus Campout
April 27-28, 2018 at Puster Elementary

We are excited to announce a new tradition at Puster Elementary where our families will have the opportunity to camp under the stars at our school!  This campout will allow us to spend quality time with our kids while raising important funds for our school district. So, pack your tent and sleeping bag and join us for dinner, outdoor activities, a glow party and movie under the stars!
Be sure to save the date because an adventure awaits!
Registration Fee: $150 (one parent/one child), $25 each additional child
Registration will begin in February.

Watch D.O.G.S. 100 DAD Challenge
Take a day or ½ day to be a hero for your child. Get your picture on the Puster Watch D.O.G.S. wall with your child.
Signup below for your day. Let's see how fast we can fill this up. 
 
What is WATCH D.O.G.S and how do you participate? 
Watch D.O.G.S. is a program that helps bring dads and other male role models into our school.  Dad's spend a day with their child at school and get to interact alongside the teachers, help with carpool, monitor hallways, help out in the classroom, help with specials...the possibilities are endless.
 
Each Watch D.O.G. dad will need a T-shirt that he will wear on the day he is volunteering at the school.  Your child/children may also want a "My Hero" shirt to wear that day too.  Below is the link to purchase your t-shirts.  
 
*Dads order the official "Watch D.O.G.S ®" t-shirt
*For your kids order the "My Hero" t-shirt
 
To participate in the Watch D.O.G.S. at Puster you must be an approved volunteer.  Please complete the Lovejoy ISD 2017-2018 Online Volunteer Application:
 
Go to  www.lovejoyisd.net , selecting "Parents - Parent Resources" from the top tool bar, and "Volunteer Application" from the right side of the page.
Please get your application in quickly to allow the district time to perform the background check prior to your volunteer day as a Watchdog. If you are not approved you will not be allowed to volunteer
 
If you have any questions you can contact Henri Friloux at henri.friloux@gmail.com or 972-365-5478. 



LIBRARY NEWS
NEW! Author Visit
 
Children's author, Kate Klise, will be visiting Puster Elementary on February 23rd! Kate Klise has written many amazing books including the "Three Ring Rascals" series and "43 Old Cemetery Road" series.
 
She will hold an assembly for all grades and will be available for pictures and book signing afterwards. Several of her books will be available to purchase ahead of time and be delivered in time for her to sign your child's personal copy. If you would like to purchase through RevTrak, CLICK HERE to find some of her books and place your order today

NEW! It's time for Bookfaces!
To be entered into this month's book box drawing, students are encouraged to make a Bookface. Simply find a book cover with a face or a head, and take a photo of the student holding the book in front of his/her face. Imagine Abraham Lincoln's head on the cover of a book, held up in front of the child's face, and the child's shoulders and upper body in view. It's a pretty funny sight! Check out the Puster Facebook page for some examples, and we hope to have a picture or two on the Puster website soon.

Live Music in the Library!
We are thrilled to offer a special opportunity for our students and staff in the library. On the First Friday of every month from 7:30- 7:50 am, we invite students and parents to come in and listen to an acoustic musical performance. We hope to foster interest in and appreciation for music and the fine arts. We encourage you to attend with your student and model appropriate audience manners. Students and parents will be asked to listen quietly to the performance and applaud at appropriate times. These performances can be great practice runs for attendance at larger performances and venues. We will wrap up in plenty of time for students to be in their classrooms before the 8:00 bell.

Who will be performing? Good question! We would love to feature Puster families. If you or your family members are musicians and would like to play for our Puster community, please contact Mrs. Smithwick at alison_smithwick@lovejoyisd.net or 469-742-8277. We can't wait to hear from you. 





PTA NEWS

2017-2018 Yearbooks on Sale! 

The Puster yearbook for the 2017-2018 school year are on sale! Purchase your yearbook(s) by clicking here.
The price for yearbooks is $25 which is the same as last year. After January 23 , the price will increase to $35.
DISTRICT NEWS

NEW! January Student Nutrition Newsletter LInk:
https://1.cdn.edl.io/cGH4H0dgpCjXvoa5IIlrq5Fc0tXOmDXG XjUe00GFUNfXF16 j.pd f



NEW! PTA Reflections
 
The National PTA Reflections program encourages students of all ages and abilities to explore and be involved in the arts. Through the program, National PTA, Lovejoy Local and Council PTAs, and PTAs across the country invite students in Preschool through grade 12 to create and submit original works.  This year's contest theme was "Within Reach." The Lovejoy Council of PTAs is proud to announce the award recipients for the Council Level Reflections contest. Please click here for the listing.
 
Seventeen students received the Overall Award of Excellence and are advancing to the state level of the competition. Congratulations to:
 
Primary (K-2)
Dance:
Isabella Porter, PES
Literature:  Conor Vermie, PES
Photography: Riley McCarter, PES
Visual Arts: Lerin Davis, HES
 
Intermediate (3-5)
Dance:
Addison McCaffity, LES
Literature: Audrey Morgan, PES
Music: Mary Sheridan, HES
Photography: Emersyn Runions, SCIS
Visual Arts: Marisa Green, SCIS
 
Middle School (6-8)
Literature:  
Arya Raju, WSMS
Visual Arts: Jocelyn Kim, SCIS
 
High School
Film:
Jackie Carroll, LHS
Literature: Jack Czyz, LHS
Music: Ryan Schlimme, LHS
Photography: Major Friesland, LHS
Visual Arts: Mary Johnson, LHS
 
Special Artist
Photography:  
Gavin Lauter, SCIS



NEW! Mini Majestic Dance Camp  January 27th
 
Saturday, January 27
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Cost $60 (includes t-shirt)
Registration deadline is Thursday, January 25th
 
Lovejoy students in grades K-6 are invited to join the Majestics Dance Team. Spend the morning learning a fun routine with the Majestics, meet new friends and perform the routine for family and friends at a "Show-Off" which will be held at 11:00 AM. Click here to register and click here for additional information.
 
You may contact Becca Supan (214.938.6385) or Sophie Wissman (214.929.8138) with questions.
 
Thank you for supporting the Majestics.


NEW! Elementary and Intermediate School Appreciation Night
January 26th
The Lovejoy Girls basketball team invites you to join them for Elementary and Intermediate School Appreciation Night. This event will be held on Friday, January 26th during the team's home basketball game against Wylie East. JV will play at 5:30 PM and Vasity will play at 7:00 PM.  We hope to see you there to help us fill the stands in support of the Lady Leopards. 





Lovejoy K-6 Talent Show
The Lovejoy High School Junior Class invites Lovejoy K - 6 students to register for its upcoming fundraiser talent show. The show will take place Thursday, February 15th at 5:30 PM at Lovejoy High School in the auditorium, with rehearsals on Thursday, February 8th at 5:00 PM. The cost for single acts to perform is $25, and group acts is $50. Admission to the event is free. All proceeds will go to support Prom.
For more information and to register, click here . Please note, only the first 40 acts to register will be accepted, so don't delay.



Free Girls Lacrosse Try-It Practices 
January 22nd and January 24th
Lovejoy Lacrosse will host two free try-it practices for all Lovejoy girls in grades K - 8. The practices will be held on Monday, January 22nd (at Lovejoy High School), and Wednesday, January 24th (at Willow Springs Middle School). The try-it practice times will be as follows for both days:
 
Kinder/2nd graders
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
 
3rd/4th graders
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
 
5th/6th graders
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
 
7th/8th graders
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
 
No lacrosse experience is necessary and there is no need to register. It will be a fun, no pressure environment where Lovejoy girls can try lacrosse and parents can learn about the Lovejoy Lady Leopards Lacrosse program. For additional information, please visit the Lovejoy Lacrosse website at www.lovejoylacrosse.com .





Lovejoy High School Music Theatre 
Presents The Sound of Music
 
Climb every mountain, ford every stream, and follow every rainbow to Lovejoy High School to see Lovejoy High School Performing Arts' musical,
The Sound of Music. The musical is considered one of the masterpieces of modern musical theatre and marked the culmination of the epic Rodgers and Hammerstein collaboration. It will be presented January 18th - 20th at 7:00 PM in the Lovejoy High School Auditorium.
 
Based on a true story in 1938 at the town of Salzburg, Austria, The Sound of Music is a story of love, family, and a life with music. Maria (played by Senior, Hannah Hansen), a young postulant, is too high-spirited for the religious life of a nun, so she is dispatched to serve as governess for the seven children of the widowed Captain von Trapp (Senior, Jack Supan), a family that Maria slowly begins to fill with joy, laughter, and music.
 
The Sound of Music is a show for everyone, and includes beautiful inspirational music and characters whom audiences will adore, such as Captain von Trapp's "wealthy and sophisticated" would-be fiancée Baroness Elsa Schräder (Senior, Raegan Vaughn); the von Trapp children: Liesl (Junior, Marcie Sawyers), Friedrich (Willow Springs 8th Grader, Aidan Abramson), Louisa (Freshman, Grace Felton), Brigitta (Freshman, Catherine O'Brien), Kurt (Sloan Creek 5th Grader, Brock Bernal), Marta (Sloan Creek 5th Grader, Rachel Dobbs), and Gretl (Puster Elementary 4th Grader, Sophie Brooks); as well as Captain von Trapp's great friend and music producer Max Detweiler (Sophomore, Zachary Joyner).
 
The Sound of Music offers beloved and iconic songs such as "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," "Edelweiss," and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," filling the show and audience with both heart-warming and heart-wrenching emotion for this timeless classic.
 
Tickets are $12 for students, seniors, and staff, and $16 for adults. Tickets may be purchased by clicking here .
 
This inspirational musical will become one of your "Favorite Things!" Be sure to see the show at the Lovejoy High School Auditorium.





Lovejoy ISD App
The Lovejoy ISD App is available for download on both Apple and Android devices.  To download the app for Apple devices, please  click here .  To download the app for Android devices, please  click here .  


Twitter and Facebook
Are you following the district on Twitter Have you liked us on Facebook Join us on social media for news and announcements.


Relay for Life Gallery Wall Opportunity
Relay for Life is an annual event held at Lovejoy High School to raise awareness of cancer and donate to cancer research. This year's initiative is to bring the Lovejoy community together as a whole to promote a sense of community and care. The entire Lovejoy community is invited to participate in this event on April 6, 2018.
 
To encourage participation of students at the elementary and intermediate school levels the LHS Relay for Life organizers are hosting a coloring page activity. Students may click here to print the coloring page and decorate it as creatively as they can. Beginning December 11th, they may turn the page into the receptionist desk at their campus to receive a pencil, sticker, or other prize.  The event organizers will use all coloring pages to create a gallery wall the night of the event which will represent loving support for those whose lives have been affected by cancer.
 
We hope you will save the date of April 6th and join us for Relay for Life.




Relay for Life Luminarias
Relay for Life is selling Luminarias for the Relay for Life event on April 6th at Lovejoy High School. Luminarias honor those whose lives have been affected by cancer. You may dedicate a Luminaria to a loved one who lost their battle with cancer, someone currently battling cancer, or anyone who has overcome cancer. When you attend the Relay event, you will see the Luminarias placed around the track, decorated with names and sometimes messages to whom they are dedicated. Luminarias are $10. If you would like to purchase one, please click here .  




School Bus Safety Practices
 
We would like to remind everyone of the following school bus safety practices:
 
*When you see a school bus, assume children will be in the area, and take extra care: leave lots of space around the bus.
 
*When the bus turns on its flashing yellow lights, the bus is either preparing to stop at a railroad crossing or preparing to stop to pick up or drop off children.  Please slow down and prepare to stop. 
 
*When the bus turns on its flashing red lights traffic must stop in both directions.  Never pass a school bus with flashing red lights. 
 
Thank you for your assistance in helping to keep our students safe.

 
SchoolMessenger 
Lovejoy ISD is adding text messaging capability to SchoolMessenger, the system we use for phone calls and email communications for information such as school closings due to inclement weather. SchoolMessenger will be configured to send text messages to your wireless phone number(s), with your approval. Please confirm we have your accurate wireless phone number in the PowerSchool Parent Portal and then opt-in to participate by following the directions below.
In order to receive messages from Lovejoy ISD or your student's school via SMS text we must have your wireless number(s) in SchoolMessenger and receive an "Opt-In Confirmation" from your wireless device.
You can easily opt-in by simply sending "Y" (or "Yes"), via text message, to our SchoolMessenger Short Code number 67587.
The wireless number(s) you enter into the PowerSchool Parent Portal are updated nightly. If you update your wireless number, or add a new number, in the PowerSchool Parent Portal, the new number will automatically be sent an Opt-In message.
To access the PowerSchool Parent Portal,  please click here . If you have any questions, or if we may be of any assistance, please contact Stacey Dillon at 469.742.8003.


MySchoolBucks Convenience Fee
MySchoolBucks, the district's online meal prepayment program, has provided notification regarding an increase in the convenience fee paid by parents using the online payment feature. The fee will be increasing from $1.95 per payment to $2.49 per payment and will be effective as of December 11, 2017. This increase is the result of an increase in card scheme fees. The district does not receive any convenience fee funds from MySchoolBucks.
 
In light of the increase, the district contacted MySchoolBucks. They agreed to increase the maximum payment from $120 per deposit to $240 per deposit. This payment deposit increase is effective immediately. You may contact MySchoolBucks directly by telephone at 855.832.5226 or via email


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