Mt. Peak Family,

Happy January, Mt. Peak Family! Last week, we celebrated National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and we want to take a moment to thank Officer Brown for his unwavering dedication to keeping our campus safe and welcoming. As we look ahead, let's remember to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy on Monday during the MLK holiday. January is also packed with excitement! We have the DOJO store opening and are prepare for the upcoming Glow Dance, Glow-in-the-Dark Art Show—an event you won't want to miss and Penny Wars! PTO would love your support at this events by volunteering. Sign up here for Glow Dance and here for Penny Wars. This month, we're continuing to celebrate student achievements, foster leadership, and build connections within our amazing school community. Thank you for your ongoing support as we make 2025 a year to shine!

Adam Henke

Principal

adam.henke@midlothianisd.org

Mark your calendars to attend the community of Midlothian 2025 MLK Weekend of Celebration and Service. Events will be held from Friday, January 17 through Monday, January 20 and include a movie night, gospel concert and day of service all leading up to a special MLK program on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The theme of the weekend is "Mission Still Possible: The Answer is Love."

For more information, follow the event Facebook page. This is an event hosted by community groups.

This week kindergarten worked on sentence fluency and celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In class, our third-grade students had the chance to explore the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. through a digital choice board. Students watched a short video of his “I Have a Dream” speech, read books and created pixel art.

5th grade students learned about the process it took to get MLK Day to be a national holiday! Did you know that Stevie Wonder played a big role in making it happen?

Second grade students have been learning about maps and globes and the major landforms they show. Today students began creating a globe model of the Earth. They used salt dough to shape and create the 7 continents and 5 oceans. We will label and paint later this week!

Students in Ms. Stelter’s room got to make a fruit salad for their unit on healthy living. The results were tasty too!

In the library this week, students are learning about polar bears and arctic. Students got see, hands on, how blubber acts as an insulation for animals in the cold.

Our 5th graders are getting ready for middle school! During specials today, they had the privilege to hear and get some great information about our Midlothian High School Panther Regiment. The HS Panther Regiment played their instruments for them and they got to guess what movie or song/theme it was from. They also played some of their music pieces. We were so excited to have this group of kids come share their amazing talent with us.

Check out some of the highlights from today!!

5th grade science continued their learning and exploration of sedimentary rocks. They created models and drew diagrams of their model. They will further explore the rock layers after several “billion” years, at the end of January!!

Please take a moment to fill out the form below to provide feedback on the whole-class Holiday Parties we hosted this year. Your input is valuable and will help us improve future events.

Just a quick note: the setup for the End-of-Year parties will be different, as those will be hosted in individual classrooms.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and helping us make these events even better!

We are excited to share an opportunity to get involved with the school through our Father Figure volunteer group, DOGS. This group steps in to help whenever the need arises, whether it's assisting with the drop-off car line on Friday mornings or giving our staff a break during particularly cold or rainy weather. The commitment is flexible—you don't need to be there every Friday, but when you can participate, the kids and staff truly appreciate it.

We'll also have various opportunities throughout the school year to help out with setting up for school events. It's a great way to make a positive impact, and the kids love seeing the dads and father figures involved.

If you'd like to join, please click [this link] to sign up.

Background Checks

While completing a background check isn't mandatory, it's always a good idea to have one on file in case an event comes up that requires volunteer help inside the school. You can complete the Volunteer Background Check here.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email Mr. Henke at adam.henke@midlothianisd.org.

We would love to see a strong group of men involved at Mt. Peak, so please consider signing up!

We would love you to follow along during the week for updates of what is happening at Mt Peak. You can follow along on Facebook There is an imposter site. So, please follow the one with a picture of the school in the header.

The Mt Peak mission statement is the Mt Peak family will make a positive difference in the lives we touch by putting children first and challenging everyone to reach their full potential.

Our staff is working so hard for your kids! We would love for you to share the impact they are having on your child or any special information you would like to share. Please fill out this form for us.

Thank you!

Wow, it was great to see everyone back at Mt. Peak this week after the break and unexpected weather days! I have had the opportunity to see grades 3, 4 & 5 as we have discussed the Capturing Kids Hearts character trait of Responsibility. We talked about what responsibility may look like at school, home, and in our environment. I enjoyed hearing the thoughts of students! Each student set a goal in regard to school and home.

In addition, our 5th graders met with the Dietrich counselors, on Friday, regarding course selections for next year! This is an exciting time for our 5th graders. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Thank you for your continued support!

Wendy Waldroup

Counselor

• What is Respect?

• Respect is the willingness and ability to act professionally and thoughtfully with ourselves and others. Leaders can deal respectfully with opposition and provide space for both dignity and differences to coexist.

  
  

  
  

  Why focus on Respect?
  

  
  

  • Respect contributes to a positive culture. People feel safe, supported, and engaged in the context of thoughtful social, emotional, civic, and intellectual interactions.
  • Respect decreases conflict. Respect helps us, and others, to be able to express ourselves without fear of being judged, humiliated, or discriminated against.
  • Respect encourages empathy. Respect helps us to understand each other and put ourselves in someone else shoes.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Respect in Action:
  

  
  

  • Teach students words have power. How we talk to others and ourselves can motivate or discourage, connect or destroy, hurt or heal. We should choose our words with care.
  • Create opportunities for group decision-making. Open dialogue engages students in a process where compromise is crucial to making decisions.
  • Vary protocols for classroom sharing. Frequently use open-ended questions, partner sharing, and small group activities to connect and promote understanding between students.

  
  

  
  

Mark your calendars! Check back regularly for updates and new events added

Feb 11: PTO Meeting

Mar 6: PTO Meeting

Apr 1: 6:00 PM 1st Grade Performance & PTO Meeting

Apr 17: PTO Auction

May 15: PTO meeting voting for new board members

The YMCA utilizes Mt Peak for after school care on school days! For more information and the weekly newsletter click the button below.

We are #MISDProud to share that our district has been named a 2025 Finalist in the Large School District category for the prestigious H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards. "Excellence of this magnitude does not happen in isolation," said Superintendent Dr. David Belding. "What a testament to our staff and students for their hard work and achievement over multiple years. It's a reflection of their efforts and the staff’s focus on inspiring excellence. We congratulate all our staff members, students, parents and community for reaching finalist status in such a coveted awards program." Congratulations MISD!

Visit the district website to read more: https://bit.ly/4h9JBEe

Mark your calendars to attend the community of Midlothian 2025 MLK Weekend of Celebration and Service. Events will be held from Friday, January 17 through Monday, January 20 and include a movie night, gospel concert, day of service, and essay contest all leading up to a special MLK program on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The theme of the weekend is "Mission Still Possible: The Answer is Love."

The MLK Day of Service and Essay Contest will be held Saturday, January 18 at the First Methodist Church of Midlothian. The contest is open to students and writing prompts are organized by three levels- elementary, middle school, and high school. Students in middle and high school will compete in person on January 18 at First Methodist (time to be determined) and elementary students will submit their writings through their MISD teacher. First-place winners at each grade level category will read their essays at the MLK Program on Monday, January 20.

The essay contest aims to engage students in meaningful reflection on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, legacy, and ideals. Students will be encouraged to explore writing prompt themes on equality, justice, nonviolence, and community through Dr. King's work and vision. Essay contest participants will gain a deeper understanding of civil rights, social responsibility, and how individuals can create positive change in our local community.

For more information, follow the event Facebook page. This is an event hosted by community groups.

Per MISD Athletics,

• Families should enter through Gate A.
• Free admission is available only for campus students. Parents are required to purchase a ticket.
• Students can either show their student ID or wear a campus spirit shirt for entry.

• MISD enforces a Clear Bag Policy.

• Please note that outside drinks (including tumblers) and food are not permitted.

A campus administrator will be on duty at Gate A to welcome families and answer any questions that may come up. Thank you! It is going to be a fun season, and I cannot wait to see the kids at the big game!

Mt Peak has a great director and would love to serve you. Register here for after-school childcare.

If you believe you have opted into the text alert feature and are not receiving text messages, go to your Skyward Family Access account and click on “Skylert” to verify your contact information. Update information if needed and allow 24 hours for our systems to recognize your changes. You should begin receiving text alerts and emails.

If you unsubscribed to receiving email notification please complete this form (https://forms.gle/3sUmoWnjT7S7cpx27) to re-activate your email notifications.

All Texas school districts are required by law to distribute information to parents and guardians about the safe storage of firearms. House Bill 3, Section 19 added Section 37.222 to the Texas Education Code, which requires the Texas School Safety Center, in collaboration with the Texas Department of Public Safety, to provide information and resources to school districts for the purpose of disseminating the information to parents. The Texas DPS launched a Keep ‘Em Safe Texas website that provides safety resources, materials, and tips for practicing safe gun storage to prevent accidents and keep children safe. Remember, a gun should be stored unloaded in a safe or locked container, with ammunition stored elsewhere. You can learn more and find additional resources from the Texas Department of Public Safety at https://safegunstoragetexas.com.

Below are resources that have been previously shared with parents/students with accessing and logging in to district resources. As we approach mid year we wanted to share them again.

UPDATE this

• 24-25 Quickstart Guide for MISD Students [Grades 4-12]
  
• 24-25 Quickstart Guide for MISD Students [Grade 3]
• 24-25 Quickstart Guide for MISD Students [Grades K-2]
• 24-25 Quickstart Guide for Skyward Family Access
• How to Set Up Parent Canvas Observer Account
  
• 24-25 Student Guide to Canvas in the Classroom

Does your student need MISD school bus transportation? All students must have a current Bus Rider Contract on file for each year. All contracts received by the July 12 deadline will secure route information and transportation for the first week of school. Contracts received after July 12 are being processed on a first come, first served basis and transportation is not guaranteed for the first week of school.

If you have not submitted a contract for your student, please fill one out and return to the Transportation Department by emailing to bus_contracts@midlothianisd.org or by delivering to 601 E. Avenue E, Midlothian. Please remember that your student cannot ride the bus until their contract is processed.

Dear MISD Families,

You may have received this information directly from your campus, but we want to ensure all MISD families know about an update and opportunity from our Child Nutrition Department. Please disregard this message if you have already applied for free/reduced-price school meals for the 2023-24 school year.

Students who participated in the free/reduced-price meals program during the previous school year in Midlothian ISD could continue receiving free/reduced-price meals for the first 30 days of school. This 30-day grace period has now ended, and a new application must be submitted. Students will no longer receive free/reduced-price meals without application approval for the 2023-24 school year.

Please click here to visit the MISD Child Nutrition Department website for more information on school meals and to apply for the free/reduced-price meals program.

If you have any questions or need assistance, you can reach our Child Nutrition Department by emailing mandie.tucker@midlothianisd.org or calling (469) 856-5390.

MISD Communications

Midlothian ISD uses Skyward Family Access for enrollment and to give parents real-time data about their student's grades, attendance, assignments, and more. Alerts can be set to individual preferences and information.

Skyward Family Access: 23-24 Quickstart Guide for Skyward Family Access

September 6th, 13th, 19th, 28th

October 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th, 31st

November 8th, 15th, 21st,

December 6th, 13th, 19th

January 17th, 24th, 31st

5201 FM 663

Midlothian, Texas 76065

469-856-6300

https://mtpeak.midlothianisd.org/