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A Message from Kevin Parker
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We are in the season of closing out the old year and looking forward to what the new year might bring. 2017 brought many exciting moments and experiences to Puster Elementary students and staff. I can't send the last Principal Message of the year without recognizing the hard work from our students and staff that allows us to be ranked in the top 1% of elementary schools in the State of Texas out of over 7,000 public elementary campuses. Our data also cannot be achieved without the support of the families that send us children everyday and the work you do with your children outside of school.
Our average daily attendance has steadily stayed around 97.5% which comes out to approximately 10 students being absent each day. This is indicative of how much your students enjoy coming to Puster Elementary each day and the relationships the teachers develop with your children. Even though it is not official data, watching children run from the car dropoff to the door every morning is also an informal way to measure how eager our student are to learn and be at school.
With all of the great things that are happening in our school community, we can always find areas to improve and we can be better at meeting each child's social, emotional, and academic needs. Going into the spring, I am going to consistently ask myself and the staff, "How Good Can We Be?" because we owe it to you to be the best for your child every day.
Thank you for making this a place for the Puster staff to be able to do what we love: Educate kids at a high level and making personal connections with those kids.
Please accept my wishes for a wonderful holiday season. I hope to see everyone at our last Puster Pride Assembly on Wednesday at 8:15 AM and at our class parties beginning at 10:45 AM for K-4.
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.
BrightBytes Parent Participation
Lovejoy ISD is partnering with BrightBytes, an educational research organization, to learn more about our students' school and home technology use and the impact it has on instruction.
We are reaching out to ask you to take part in the Technology & Learning
questionnaire. This is a semi-annual initiative, and your participation is essential in helping us form a more complete picture of the role technology plays in your students' learning.
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December 20 - Early Release/Holiday Parties/Puster Pride
December 21 - January 5 - Christmas Break
January 8 - First Day Back to Puster
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Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
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NEW! 2017 Annual Appeal Ends December 31
As the end of the calendar year approaches, the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools would like to say thank you for your generosity to the annual appeal campaign. We have received donations from 555 donors totaling $194,265. This is just shy of our goal of $200,000 and 650 donors. If you have not yet donated or you wish to make a final end of year tax-deductible donation, please
click here
. Without you, we could not carry out our mission to enhance the educational experience for Lovejoy students and staff.
NEW! Lovejoy Ladies' Night Out
Join us for a Lovejoy Ladies' Night Out to raise funds to award grants to Lovejoy ISD. The event will be held on Wednesday, January 10, 2018, at Cross Creek Ranch in Parker. This event sold out last year.
Tickets go on sale Friday, December 1st at 10:00 AM.
For pricing and ticket information,
click here
or contact Cindy Booker at
469.742.8043
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Christmas Break - December 21 - January 5
First Day Back to Puster - January 8
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PUSTER NEWS
NEW! 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 TH
E DATE! First Annual Parent/Child Campus Campout
A
pril 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.
NEW!
Allen Community Outreach (ACO) Food Drive
Puster's annual Allen Community Outreach (ACO) Food Drive will be the week of Dec.11 - Dec. 15. This year we will once again have grade levels focus on a particular item ACO typically runs out of.
Pre-K - Salt / Pepper
Kindergarten - Canned Soup
1st grade - Canned Chili
2nd grade - Pasta Sauce or Canned Tomatoes
3rd grade - Hamburger Helper
4th grade - Canned Vegetables
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Puster's counselor Bryan Smith at
469-742-8228
Lost & Found
Anything that is left on Friday, December 15 will be donated. As a reminder, please label all of your child's jackets, water bottles, and lunch boxes. We return those items.
Watch D.O.G.S. 100 DAD Challenge
T
ake 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.
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LIBRARY NEWS
NEW! Book Clubs
New book clubs will begin the week we return to school in January. Sign-ups are open for 2nd through 4th grade on the Puster Library website now under the Book Clubs tab until Wednesday, December 20. First graders may sign up on the clipboard at the library desk. Students are receiving information through morning announcements, flyers around the school, and in the library.
All book clubs will be reading books by Kate Klise who will be visiting our campus in late February
. We can't wait to meet her!
If your student is interested in participating, please help him/her get a copy of the book. We have only one copy of each in the Puster Library. We will read these books together during lunch and also have some reading assignments in between meetings.
2nd Grade: The Show Must Go On
3rd Grade: Dying to Meet You
4th Grade: Regarding the Fountain
We do love for students to take the initiative to access and complete the form on the library website. As you know, we are working with all students on Future Ready skills including Communication and Collaboration. Use of a Google form
supports students collaborating and communicating both locally and globally using digital tools and resources to reinforce and promote learning. With that said, your support as your child completes the online form is always welcome, especially for our younger students.
NEW! Holiday Gift Ideas-- Books!
Kate Klise has written many books-- novels as well as picture books. Book club or not-- wouldn't it be fun to have a personal copy of a book to be signed by the author during her visit in February?
If you are on the hunt for book recommendations for your kiddo(s), check out these lists:
NEW! Overdrive
Read in the car, on the airplane, on vacation. Use Overdrive!
Every Lovejoy ISD student has access to a fantastic online library. The LISD Overdrive library has 4000 books available for checkout. Overdrive is an app for any mobile-device and can also be used on a computer. There are many audiobooks available as well. Check out this resource here:
https://goo.gl/8Umf1s
NEW! Bluebonnet Pancake Breakfast
Third and fourth graders who read at least five Bluebonnet Award nominees will be invited to the Bluebonnet Pancake Breakfast and Voting on Friday, January 19. Students have been given reading logs by their classroom teachers. Extra copies are available in the library. Students will document and give a rating to the books they've read. These forms will be due Friday, January 12. Invitations will be distributed on Tuesday, January 16.
NEW! 4th Grade Morning Crew and Leopard Leaders
Auditions and interviews for those who applied for Morning Crew took place this week. You would be so proud of your kids! They were all behaved very professionally! Assigned positions and schedules will be shared this Friday.
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PTA NEWS
2017-2018 Yearbooks on Sale!
The Puster yearbook for the 2017-2018 school year go on sale Monday, November 6. Purchase your yearbook(s) by clicking
here.
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DISTRICT NEWS
Inclement Weather
School closures will be determined based on safety. In the event of a school closure, notifications will be announced on the district's website, Facebook, and Twitter pages. We will also announce any closure through the media and by phone. Links to our social media accounts are shown below.
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.
NEW! Worthwhile Senior Project
LHS Senior John Treanor's Senior project will benefit the USO through in-kind donations. He will be placing boxes for collection at our 3 elementary schools and at Sloan Creek. He shared that he wants to serve in the Navy after college, and has always respected the men and women who serve our country. He plans to have the boxes out for collection by December 13th.
Click here
for a list of suggested donation items.
December Student Nutrition Newsletter:
NEW! Lovejoy Lacrosse - Boys' and Girls' Teams Registration Now Open
Registration is now open for the boys' and girls' 2018 Spring season of Lovejoy Lacrosse. Join the most exciting, fastest-growing sport in the country.
Register now for Boys: Grades Kindergarten through High School.
Register now for Girls: Grades Kindergarten through 8th grade
Visit
www.lovejoylacrosse.com
for information regarding the program and the upcoming Spring season.
Hurry, as rosters are filling quickly!
LHS Collecting Donations for Coats for Kids
Lovejoy High School is collecting donations to buy coats for S.M. Wright's Christmas in the Park Event. The purpose is to provide funding and resources for underprivileged children and families through the nonprofit organization For Kids Foundation. Every $15 donated will provide a child in the Dallas area with a new coat. This is a great opportunity for everyone to give back this Christmas. Please to to gofundme.com and search for Lovejoy High School Coats for Kids.
Please go to the GoFundMe website and
search for Lovejoy High School Coats for Kids.
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.
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
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
.
BYOP® (Volleyball Winter and Spring Sessions): Pre-registration
ends December 22
BYOP® Program Overview:
This training program is designed for any volleyball player, no matter what skill or ability level, as long as their goal is to become the best they can be. Parents must be fully dedicated to being actively involved in this program. BYOP® will provide excellent volleyball fundamental skills training, as well as life lessons to both player and parent.
BYOP® Program Details:
Each training session will build upon a solid foundation of all fundamental skills needed to participate in the sport of volleyball. Parents must be engaged in every training session and involved in the home training program involving physical and skills activities.
Click here
for full details regarding Session 1 (January, February and March) and Session 2 (April and May).
Kindergarten Gifted and Talented Referrals
Referrals for kindergarten Gifted and Talented services will be available through the PowerSchool Parent Portal from December 1, 2017 - January 12, 2018.
For more information, a slideshow presentation will be available on the Gifted and Talented webpage.
All kindergarten students will be tested at their home campuses in January. Additional testing for referred students is scheduled for both Saturday, February 10th and 24th. Services for identified kindergarten students begin March 1, 2018.
For questions regarding referrals, please contact Kari Lockhart (469-742-8015) or Brie Smith (469-742-8032).
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.
Text Link
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