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A Message from Kevin Parker
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It was great to see the excitement on the children's faces Tuesday night. It was just as great to have the building full of energy as we dive into the 2018-2019 school year. It is imperative that we "get it right" on Monday so that the kids have a fantastic first day of school. The staff at Puster has worked diligently today and will continue tomorrow to prepare for your arrival. I hope you have time Monday morning to join us in the cafeteria for our annual "Tears and Cheers". I'm always anxious to see if there are more tears or cheers. I hope you enjoy your last weekend of summer with your children. We will be anxiously awaiting them Monday morning.
Please take a moment to read below as there is important information about lunch the first week of school, pick up, drop off, etc. The system for you to be cleared as a volunteer is currently down. As soon as it is back up and running, I will communicate that to you. I apologize for the inconvenience.
There are also instruction below to help you in completing your FERPA forms online. The system is open now and you may complete these at your convenience.
If there is ever anything you feel needs immediate attention, please don't hesitate to call or text me at 469-667-2280.
Pride in Puster,
Follow Mr. Parker on Twitter @peskevinparker and follow what's happening on our campus @pusterlearners.
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DATES TO REMEMBER
August 20 - First Day of School
September 3 - Labor Day Holiday
September 17 - 21 - Bookfair
September 20 - PTA Meeting and Ice Cream Social
October 22 - Fall Family Fun Night
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Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
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Start and End Time
School hours have changed for the 2018-2019 school year. We will still begin the day at 8:00. Dismissal will now be at 3:10.
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Lunchroom Visitors
No Lunch Visitors During the 1st Week (PreK-4)
As in years past, I am asking that we not have any visitors in the lunchroom for the first week of school. The students will be learning new lunch room routines and procedures. Beginning August 27, please join us any day for lunch.
Lunchroom Visitors (PreK-4)
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 21, 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 3:10. 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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PUSTER NEWS
Summer Reading
We are entering our final push for meeting our Summer Reading Goal. We are about two-thirds of the way there! Encourage your student(s) to log their reading online or keep a written log to be submitted to Mrs. Smithwick. Our final day for accepting reading logs will be Friday, August 24. Now is the time to buckle down and read if you want to see Mr. Parker sail away in a hot air balloon!
NEW AND RETURNING PUSTER FAMILIES:
Please Complete FERPA and General Waiver Forms
It is, once again, time to complete the FERPA (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act) and General Waiver forms electronically. Also, please take the time to verify that all other required forms have been completed. You can find these forms on line by:
1. Go to the LISD Website
.
2. Click on Parents,
3. Power School Parent Portal
4. Input your user name and password for existing families/ Create an Account for new families.
5. You should now be in PowerSchool Click on Enrollment and Student Forms.
6. There are multiple forms you can click to update, but the required forms are the two tabs on the top right hand side of the screen: "FERPA" and "General Waiver"
7
. MAKE SURE TO HIT "SUBMIT" at the bottom of the page when completed
.
If you have any questions, please give Kendra Card a call at 469-742-8283.
Puster Safety Crew for 1st Semester - Accepting Sign ups through Friday 8/24.
The Puster Safety Crew is open to any upcoming 4th grade student. Responsibilities include assisting students, teachers and staff with car drop-off and pick-up. Their work is crucial in helping us provide a safe start and end to the day for all students. Fourth graders who are interested may choose to help in the morning, the afternoon or both. Students who participate in both will not have A.M. and P.M. shifts within the same week. Once all responses have been collected, teams will be formed and a calendar will be sent out to students/parent. If you have questions, please email Mrs. Haynes at
holly_haynes@lovejoyisd.net.
https://goo.gl/forms/6hgvRci7Y8Uxd5n03
Thank you to all of our parents who give so generously of their time to serve as volunteers in our schools. The volunteer application process for the 2018-2019 school year will soon open. Watch for a separate email with detailed instructions.
Engineering Club
Registration for the after school Engineering Club opens on Monday, 8/20.
PTA NEWS
First day of school Tears and Cheers, 8:05 - 9:15 am
Whether you are jumping up for joy or have the case of the blues after dropping your little one(s) off, please join us in the cafeteria for some company and, perhaps, a shoulder to cry on (if needed!). It will be a great opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces and welcome new ones to Puster. Juice, pastries, and tissues will be provided by the Hospitality committee.
SAVE YOUR BOXTOPS
Welcome back to school! Don't forget to save those box tops when you are back to school shopping. There is a new box top collection container in the school lobby that you can drop your box tops in. You can bring them with you to meet the teacher or when school starts again, just remember to put your teachers name on the bag or envelope so your class will get the credit for them for the fall contest. You can turn in all of your box tops in this container. You do not need to take them to your classroom any more (just don't forget to write your class on it). In November we get to see which grade brings in the most box tops and which class gets the box top trophy for bringing in the most!! Thank you for always keeping an eye out for box tops to earn money for our school.
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DISTRICT NEWS
New! Back to School: Important Transportation News
The Transportation Department is looking forward to welcoming your students to the 2018-2019 school year. Important news regarding requesting bus service, bus routes, stop locations, time, and the SafeStop School Bus Tracking App is now available.
Click here for this important news.
Kids 1st Registration
Now Open
Lovejoy Preschool PTA
Calling all parents of preschoolers - You are invited to join the Lovejoy Preschool PTA for their new member coffee to learn more about their organization.
Gifted and Talented Referrals for 2018-2019
The referral window for gifted and talented services is now open. Referral forms will be available online in the PowerSchool Parent Portal beginning August 13th. The window for referrals will close September 7, 2018.
Testing is scheduled for Saturday, September 15th and 22nd for students in grades 1-12. Please note: Kindergarten students will be tested at a later date.
Looking for More Information about G/T Services?
A brief information session will review the gifted and talented referral process and services offered in Lovejoy.
Lovejoy ISD Administration Building
Board Room
August 23 or August 30, 2018
9:00 AM or 6:30 PM (Session Information Repeats)
If you are unable to attend and would like more information, a slideshow presentation will be available on the
gifted and talented webpage
after the August 30 presentation.
For questions regarding referrals, please contact Kari Lockhart (469-742-8015) or Brie Smith (469-742-8032).
New! Lovejoy Ice Hockey Registration
The Lovejoy Ice Hockey Club is forming teams for this upcoming season. Any 7th - 12th grade hockey players who would like to join the team are encouraged to reach out to
lovejoyhockey@gmail.com
Student Nutrition Letter for 2018-2019
Click here for the Cafeteria and Student Nutrition information.
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.
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
Text Link
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