Puster Elementary Principal Message
November 21, 2019
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Puster Families,

We have much to be grateful for at Puster!

We hope you will be able to join us for Puster Pride tomorrow at 8:15 in the cafeteria. You can access the fast pass here. While you are here, please check out our lost and found. We have run out of room an hangers! Your children might need those jackets and coats over the break! 

As a reminder, we are seeking feedback around our before/after school offerings. If your child participates in Spanish, Manners, Chess, Choir, Engineering...please take a moment to help us decide if we need to make any changes for next semester. You can find the brief feedback form here.  

Following our Puster Pride, I have the pleasure of delivering all of the Thankful Notes you have been sending in with your students. This is such a moment of joy for teachers when they are handed that envelope! Thank you for taking the time to share a heartfelt moment of gratitude with them.

I wish you and your families a wonderful holiday. We will look forward to busy, full hallways again on December 2nd.

Puster Proud,
Holly
Dates to Remember
November 22 - Puster Pride Assembly
November 25 - 29 Thanksgiving Holiday
December 5 - PES Choir Tour
December 7 - Fine Arts Festival
December 10 - PES Choir to Heritage Ranch
December 18 - Author Visit
December 19 - Ned's Kindness Adventure Assembly
December 19 - Early Release
December 20 - January 3 - Christmas Holiday
January 9 - Spelling Bee
Counselor Corner
Thank you for collecting coins for ACO during Red Ribbon Week! Puster donated $398.68 to help fight hunger and homelessness in Collin County.
We are very grateful for your continued support of ACO. Puster Elementary is helping to create positive change in our communities!


Most of you know I am a children's book author. This fall I had 2 new books come out. They are titled How Did You Miss That? on self-monitoring and Stress Stinks. My books are normally $11.85 (including tax). Lovejoy families get a discount making them $10 each. Feel free to look at all 15 of my books and order some through my website at  authorbryansmith.weebly.com . You can pay through Paypal ( bryansmith616@gmail.com ) or Venmo (bryansmith616). I also take cash and checks. If you order, I will autograph them and deliver them to your child at school. Feel free to call or email with any questions.  
  
Bryan Smith
Puster Elementary
Counselor
469-742-8228
Safety and Security
If you hear your children discussing a puppet named Safety Sam it's because our wonderful Art Teacher, Mr. R. and I have started "The Safety Sam Show!". It's a puppet show that focuses on our R time lessons (Respect, Responsibility, etc.) in conjunction with safety and security. The show is put on once a month and displayed to the whole campus during morning announcements. Have a conversation with your kiddos about the show!

Safety Stars - We recently had safety and security stickers made that we hand out to any student that exemplifies safety and/or security in their everyday school tasks. These have turned out to be highly coveted stickers, so encourage your children to be safety stars in all things!

The Lovejoy ISD Safety and Security team will be hosting future training classes on Stop The Bleed and Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE). Classes are being scheduled and open enrollment for those will be forthcoming. 

Jose Segura - Campus Security
Library News
Hello Parents,

Thanksgiving Break is a great time for your students to catch up on reading! This is especially true for our 3rd and 4th graders who are in the Bluebonnet Clubs! We have an amazing resource available through OverDrive called Sora. This app allows students to check out books from our digital book collection. Below are some graphics with more information.

Have a great weekend! 
Naomi Emory, L.M.S.
Puster Elementary
Puster News
Lovejoy ISD Fine Arts Festival - December 6 & 7, 2019

The Festival will need volunteers (parents from any campus can volunteer - it is not limited to the LHS campus) and donations of both chili and baked goods.  
Go to this link for more information:

Please go to the Lovejoy ISD Fine Arts website and find more information for the Fine Arts Festival, schedules, volunteering, and making a donation. If you need additional information for this year's Festival , please contact Fela Mathy at  fela_mathy@lovejoyisd.net .      Fine Arts Festival website:   https://tinyurl.com/LISDFestival2019   
Lovejoy ISD Fine Arts Festival - Friday, December 6 and Saturday, December 7
  • https://tinyurl.com/LISDFineArtsFestival2019
  • Performances and PreK-12th grade student work on display Friday AND Saturday
  • Puster Pride Choir performs at 10:30am in the LHS gym
  • ALL Puster students will have artwork up in the Auxiliary gym Friday (6-7pm) and Saturday (10am-5pm)
Let's Camp Y'all! 

Amazing Puster Families: Mark your calendars, grab your tents and prepare to make memories! Puster Campout is on Friday, May 1, 2020! Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities, registration information and many more details to come! If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please email:  PusterCampout2020@gmail.com  or contact Christian Pruitt directly at 214-458-1449. #WeCampWeCare 
Watch D.O.G.S. – Be Involved, be a Hero, be a Watchdog.
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.

Spend a day or a ½ day to be a hero for your child. 

Add your picture to the Puster Watch D.O.G.S. Wall of Fame. 

In order to participate you will need to sign up, perform a background check, get a T-shirt!

Sign Up

Pick a date and time slot on the sign-up genius website, link below.


Background Check

Complete the districts background check for the new school year, link below.


Watchdog Shirt

Each Watch D.O.G. dad is encouraged to wear a Watch D.O.G.S. T-shirt on the day you are volunteering at the school. Your child may also want a "My Hero" shirt to wear that day too. Below is the link to purchase a t-shirt. Watch D.O.G. t-shirts are not required but are encouraged.


Questions

If you have any questions about Watchdogs, please contact fellow Puster dad, Kyle Smith, at pusterwatchdog@gmail.com  or 903-456-9888. 
PowerSchool Parent Portal Access Tips
Here are some quick bullets about the PowerSchool Parent Portal:

PowerSchool Parent Portal Access Tips
Here are some quick bullets about the PowerSchool Parent Portal:

·          Unless you have changed your username after August 12, 2019, the username is the email address that is associated to the parent account. The log of invalid logins that we are seeing are typically parent accounts that are trying to use something other than an email address as the username.

·          Recently users have been denied access and it is determined that they are not using the correct URL. Please make sure that you are going to  http://powerschool.lovejoyisd.net . If you see Welcome to Unified Classroom, you are on the wrong site. This is another PowerSchool product that we do not have a subscription as it duplicates Google Classroom.

·          Remember that the mobile app is only a tool for updates on assignments, grades, and attendance. Typically to access the Enrollment Forms, Absence Reason Excuses, GPA Information, and the Random Drug Testing Forms you must use a tablet, laptop or desktop and the URL above. From a mobile phone, you can use your browser and go to the URL above; however, once logged in it is difficult to navigate.

All after school clubs are up and running . Please remember to set your “Weekday Defaults” in School Dismissal Manager. Let us know if you need help! Please note times and dismissal plans for each.

"Default" and "Weekday Defaults" = dismissal that will happen most of the time (choir, kids first, bus, spanish, etc.).

"Exception" = just for that day.

Once an exception has been made on your end, it can not be edited on our end. We can, however, adjust defaults on our end. Please let us know if we can help.

Teachers have been asked to follow only what is in Dismissal Manager. Please notify the front office if you have a change that cannot be made in the system. Thank you!
PTA News
District News
District Communications

One of our Board Priorities is to develop stronger community connections and confidence through effective communication. We are continuing to strengthen our communications and have shared best practices for communicating with the Board of Trustees and best practices for staff communications with parents. Today we are sharing the following information regarding how best to communicate and handle concerns with teachers, coaches, directors, etc. For future reference you may find this information on the Parent Resources page under District Communication.


October Student Nutrition Newsletter:


Student and Parent Concerns/Grievances
The faculty and staff of Lovejoy ISD are committed to the service of our students and their parents by responding promptly and professionally to concerns or grievances which may arise.

Student and Parent Complaints/Grievances are governed by LISD Board Policies FNG (LEGAL) and FNG (LOCAL).

How Do You Resolve Parent Concerns?
If you, as the parent or guardian of a Lovejoy ISD student, have concerns regarding your child’s education or performance, we want to talk with you. Sitting down and talking with the people who interact most often with your child on a daily basis – his/her teacher, counselor, coach or director– can remedy the majority of concerns.

Most concerns can be and usually are resolved at the classroom/activity/sports or campus level. However, if your concerns are not addressed by visiting with the teacher, campus counselor, coach or director, you may choose to follow the three-level process listed below:

Level One:
Within 15 business days of the incident causing the concern/complaint, you may request a meeting with the next level supervisor which could be the Athletic Director, Fine Arts Director or Campus Principal. The Level One form may be found here.

Level Two:
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the Level One process, within 10 business days of receipt of the Level One decision letter, you may request a meeting with the Assistant Superintendent of Operations (Athletics, Safety, Operations) or Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction (Teachers, Administrators, Student Discipline). The Level Two form may be found here.

Level Three:
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the Level Two process, within 10 business days of receipt of the Level Two decision letter, you may appeal the decision to the  School Board by contacting the Superintendent. The Level Three form may be found here .


Upcoming Events

LHS Visual Arts Campus Exhibition
Join us as we celebrate the fourth annual LHS Campus Exhibition. We are excited to celebrate 55 thoughtfully selected works that exemplify the variety of vision, voice, and process our students take on in our LJVA studios. The work juried for this show was chosen from all levels of study in the LHS Visual Arts program as examples of excellence and innovation by our LJVA Gallery Managers; Kiley Boots , McKenna Christiansen , Grace Flinchbaugh , and  Hunter Ruiz . We invite you to come and see this wonderful selection of works during school hours until November 18th.  
 
 
Kindergarten Gifted and Talented Referral Form Opens December 2
The Kindergarten Gifted and Talented Referral form opens on December 2 in PowerSchool. Referrals are due by January 10, 2020. Testing will be held on January 25 and February 1, 2020. Testing will be at Lovejoy Elementary School by appointment only.

Parents must complete the referral form in PowerSchool.


Fine Arts Festival
The Lovejoy ISD K - 12 Fine Arts Festival will be held December 6th and December 7th at Lovejoy High School! Our performing arts programs have created winter concerts and performances with a mix of your holiday favorites, while our Visual Arts teams are designing pieces that will awe you with their talents! Please support the arts in Lovejoy ISD by stopping by and enjoying the sights and sounds of the holidays while celebrating the work our students and staff engage in for this amazing Festival. The LHS Fine Arts Booster clubs will sponsor a delicious chili luncheon, a bake sale full of yummy treats, as well as hot and cold beverages. In addition, the children's craft area and a visit from Santa Claus will round out a merry and bright weekend at Lovejoy High School.  
 
The Festival is requesting your assistance with volunteering (parents from any campus are welcome to volunteer) and donations of both chili and baked goods. Please visit the  Lovejoy ISD Fine Arts Website for additional information to include schedules, volunteer sign-ups, and more. For additional information, please contact Fela Mathy at  fela_mathy@lovejoyisd.net .
Community News

The  Lovejoy ISD Community News Page includes news from our schools, programs, booster clubs, student organizations, Foundation for Lovejoy Schools, community, and more. Check back often for up-to-date news on events and activities.
 
This Week's News:

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 through a special edition of Message from Mike. Links to our social media accounts are listed at the end of this communication.
 
Senior Judges Needed!
 
Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
 
Now through November 18 – LHS Visual Arts Campus Exhibition

Softball Booster Club Fundraiser

Safety and Security Training
Registration Closed – Sessions are Full!

Lovejoy Gifted Association Presents Surviving to Thriving

Blackland Prairie Raptor Center Fundraiser

LHS Cheer Holiday Fundraiser – Poinsettia Fundraiser

Kindergarten Gifted and Talented Referrals Open

Light the World Community Event

Band Booster Club Fundraiser

Fine Arts Festival
For the latest Athletic News, download the "Lovejoy Leopards Athletics" app.

For the latest Fine Arts News, follow  @LovejoyArts on Twitter, or like them on Facebook at Lovejoy Arts.

Lovejoy ISD Community News