Jackson eNews

Hello Jackson Families!

I can't believe how quickly the summer break flew by and, unfortunately, the heat is still hanging around! It's going to be so cool though to welcome our Jackson Jaguars back to school on Wednesday, August 9!

Your student(s) will have a chance to meet their teacher for the 2023-24 school year on Monday, August 7. There will be a PreK and Kindergarten Parent Informational meeting from 4:30-5:00 pm and then all students will meet their teachers from 5:00-6:00 pm. Our amazing PTA will be on hand in the gym selling pre-packaged, grade level School Supply packs (while supplies last), planners required for 3rd-5th grade students, and Jackson spirit wear. It's also a great time to join our PTA and sign up for volunteer opportunities. The items for sale during this event are posted with pricing below the Meet the Teacher flyer.

If your child's Parent Portal annual registration forms have been completed, you can already view your child's teacher in Parent Portal. If you have not completed your student enrollment forms prior to the Meet the Teacher event, there will be staff on hand to assist with completing these forms before your child will be able to meet their teacher. To ensure enough time to visit your child's classroom, I recommend that all forms be completed before the event.

Students should arrive at school between 7:00 - 7:30 am to be prepared for the day. The cafeteria will serve breakfast from 7:00 - 7:30 am. Parents may walk their child to class on the first day of school only. Also, please note that the school day has been extended to 2:55 pm this year in order to provide a total of 75,600 minutes of instruction for our students. Please read our "Back to School" procedures below for more information on arrival, dismissal, and bus procedures.

As a reminder, this next weekend, August 11-13, is tax-free weekend. Families can save money on tax-free purchases of most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks (sold for less than $100) during the annual sales tax holiday.

We have included several helpful Back-to-School links below and we also encourage all of our families to stay connected this year utilizing Plano ISD's platforms and resources as well as Jackson's communication sources--our school eNews, Jackson's website, PTA's website, and classroom communications through SeeSaw (more information on SeeSaw coming).

We hope you enjoy the last few days of summer break and we are looking forward to a great 2023-2024 school year!

Thank you!

Dr. Crystal Roach

Principal

Jackson Elementary

August 2023

• Monday, August 7 - Meet the Teacher Event PreK - K, 4:30 - 5:00 p.m. 1st - 5th grades, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.

• Wednesday, August 9 - First Day of School!
• August 11-13 - Texas Tax Free Weekend
• Tuesday, August 15 - Grade Level Informational Meeting, 1st Grade, 5:30 - 6:15 p.m.
• Wednesday, August 16 - Grade Level Informational Meeting, 2nd Grade, 5:30 - 6:15 p.m.
• Thursday, August 17 - Grade Level Informational Meeting, 3rd Grade, 5:30 - 6:15 p.m.
• Wednesday, August 23 - Grade Level Informational Meeting, 4th Grade, 5:30 - 6:15 p.m.
• Thursday, August 24 - Grade Level Informational Meeting, 5th Grade, 5:30 - 6:15 p.m.

Click HERE for 2023-24 PISD Calendar

To ensure the safety of our students and families, please read and be familiar with the guidelines below.

Arrival:

• Students must arrive between 7:00-7:30 a.m. in order to be prepared for the day.
• The cafeteria will serve breakfast from 7:00-7:30 a.m.
• Families who may qualify for meal benefits are encouraged to complete a federal meal application for the 2023-24 school year as soon as possible. Applications may be completed through School Cafe by logging in to your account or by creating a new account.

• Due to District-wide security changes, parents are only allowed to walk their child to their classroom on the 1st day of school and all parents must exit the building so we can start our school day at 7:40.
• After the first day, any parent who enters the building must get a visitor badge after presenting their license.

Carpool:

• PreK students in carpool must be dropped off in the morning in the back of the building at the bus loop door. They are picked up in the afternoon in the front of the building in the car loop.
• If a child needs help getting in/out of the car, parents must park in a parking spot and get them out and them walk them to the door.
• All carpool students will need a carpool tag from the teacher to put in the windshield for pick up. They must display it for us to call the child and leave it in the window until the child is in the car.
• Do not get out of your car in the carpool loop. We move fast and need to keep everyone safe. Please do not park across the street and cross traffic and carpool. If you need to park, use the parking lot.

• Dismissal is at 2:55 pm. Please be on time to pick up your child.

Dear Parent/Guardian,

With the start of the 2023-2024 school year, Transportation Services is providing color-coded Bus Badges and corresponding color-coded Bus Placards for all Prekindergarten, Kindergarten, and 1st grade students who are eligible to ride Gen Ed buses. These badges provide the student’s name, grade, campus, bus route and bus stop information. The official bus placard to be used for student pickup at the bus stop has the PISD logo with the student’s name printed boldly on them.

The colors represent the grade level: red for prekindergarten, yellow for kindergarten and green for 1st grade. The badges are placed inside plastic badge holders along with color-coded zip ties. Your student's teacher will attach the badges to the student's backpack for easy access. This will allow the bus driver to be certain that the student is being released at the correct bus stop and with the correct level of required parent/guardian/designee/sibling supervision.

The parent/guardian/designee must have the corresponding color-coded carpool tag for pickup daily. A Sibling Authorization form must be completed (https://forms.gle/idVTTs74SaNaPucW6) for a 3rd grade or older sibling to be responsible for and released with a Prekindergarten, Kindergarten, or 1st grade student. Upon completion of the Sibling Authorization form, an additional badge will be created for the older sibling to show to the driver daily when disembarking the bus with their younger sibling.

Second grade students cannot be responsible for or released with a Prekindergarten, Kindergarten, or 1st grade student.

Please note: Prekindergarten, Kindergarten, and 1st grade students will not be allowed to ride the bus without the bus badge and parent/guardian/designee will not be able to pick up at the bus stop without the color-coded bus placard.

Please read the letter below for more details:

2023-2024 Bus Badge and Bus Placard Letter - English

2023-2024 Bus Badge and Bus Placard Letter - Spanish

Welcome back to school! I wanted to share the Back to School Checklist below and a few reminders on ways we can keep our students healthy all year.

Back-to-School Checklist

• All controlled substances must be brought in by the parent or guardian.
• Advise the nurse of your child's health concerns.

• Make sure all immunizations are up-to-date.
• Complete and return all required medical paperwork.
• Review hygiene tips to prevent the spread of infection.
• Establish a bedtime and wake-up routine to ensure adequate and consistent sleep.
• Develop a routine for homework and after school activities.
• Eat breakfast every morning. Do not forget to send a snack and water bottle.
• Help make appropriate clothing choices (for example, wear safe and comfortable shoes).

Talk to your children about covering their mouths with a tissue when they cough or sneeze. We encourage coughing and sneezing into our elbows at school.

When should you keep your child home from school?

• If your child has a temperature over 100 degrees, keep them home until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.
• If your child is vomiting or having diarrhea, they should remain home until they are symptom free for 24 hours without the use of medication and they are able to successfully eat 2 meals.
• If you do not think your child is sick, but may be acting a little "off", please let me and the teacher know. Once I am aware, I will be able to more closely monitor your child throughout the day.

Let's make this a safe and healthy school year!

Thank you,

Jill Wheeler, Nurse

Jackson Elementary

Plano ISD participates in the federal meal program, which provides free and reduced-price meals to students who qualify. Families who may qualify for meal benefits should complete a meal application for the 2023-2024 school year, available through Parent Portal or via the website at www.pisd.edu/mealprogram.

Families who already have a SchoolCafé account can sign in to complete the meal application. Families who do not have an account can create a new one by selecting that option on the SchoolCafé page. View this SchoolCafé information video for instructions on how to complete the meal application.

Applications will be processed within 10 business days. Eligibility notification letters will be sent via email. If you have not received the letter in your inbox, please check your junk and spam folders.

If you missed ordering EPI school supply packs or just love the excitement of back-to-school shopping and the Texas Sales Tax Holiday, click on the link below for a list of Jackson's teacher-preferred school supplies by grade level.

2023-2024 Jackson Elementary School Supply List_All Grades

2023-2024 Jackson Elementary School Supply List_All Grades_Spanish

Hello Jackson Families,

Support our students by joining the Jackson PTA! Your PTA membership helps to provide various programs such as: field trips, Bookfairs, school supplies, author visits and other educational programs for next year. We can't do this without your support! Please visit our website to become a member of the Jackson PTA.

The Jackson PTA website is also a great resource for you to find out about updated PISD, Jackson, and PTA events on the calendar, find ongoing and new volunteer opportunities, how you can help raise money for Jackson, and much more! Visit www.jacksonpta.com to explore our site!

Be sure you are also following us on social media for reminders of upcoming events! We are on Facebook "Jackson Elementary School PTA" and Instagram at "ptajacksonelem."

Thank you!

Your Jackson PTA Executive Board

We are excited to announce that PTA is partnering again with Mabel's Labels for our first fundraiser of the 2023-2024 school year! You can purchase personalized labels, name stamps, tags and more to label clothing, school supplies, backpacks, lunch containers, water bottles, etc. What a great way to get everyone in your house organized and help your student keep track of their belongings! The best thing---20% of all purchases will come straight back to Jackson! Please see the flyer below for more details.

You can also support our PTA by bringing any household donations (clothes, shoes, etc.) to the donation bin in the back parking lot. You will be helping our PTA and the environment by recycling!

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced that final reporting will be delayed for all spring 2023 state assessments. This includes STAAR test results for grades 3-8 and end-of-course (EOC) exam results for Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History.

Spring 2023 STAAR test results for grades 3-8 will be available beginning Aug. 16, and end-of-course (EOC) exam results will be available beginning June 30.

State assessment results will be posted online in the Texas Assessment Family Portal at TexasAssessment.gov. Step-by-step instructions on how to access your student’s information through TEA’s family portal will be available soon.

Parents and guardians can visit the links below for additional information and resources from TEA regarding all spring 2023 state assessments and final reporting.

Plano ISD has unveiled the District's theme for the 2023-2024 school year--Level Up! This year's theme is meant to advance our future by spurring students on to greater heights. Just as in Super Mario Brothers, Pac-Man, The Legend of Zelda, The Sims, Minecraft, etc., leveling up means dreaming big, forging new paths, and using innovation to achieve at the highest levels. Below is a teaser video for the new 2023-24 theme! Our staff is already busy planning new ways to engage our students in the upcoming school year!

Make Sure Your Communication Preferences Are Up To Date!

Visit www.pisd.edu/schoolmessenger to choose how you prefer to receive communications from Jackson and Plano ISD.

Website: http://pisd.edu/jackson
Location: 1101 Jackson Drive, Plano, TX, United States
Phone: 469-752-2100
Twitter: @JacksonPlano