Mt. Peak Family,

What an exciting and eventful week at Mt. Peak! From celebrating our incredible students at the Peak Pep Rally to seeing kindness in action throughout our classrooms, it’s been a joy to watch our school community shine. As we move into February, there are so many great opportunities ahead, including our PTO Penny Wars fundraiser kicking off next week! This is always a fun and spirited competition that directly benefits our school. Plus, don’t miss out on the PTO Glow Dance and Mt. Peak Glow in the Dark Art Show—an evening filled with creativity, music, and community fun! Thank you for your continued support in making Mt. Peak a place where every student feels valued and celebrated!

Adam Henke

Principal

adam.henke@midlothianisd.org

Pep Rally fun at Peak today! We had so much fun celebrating students and staff!

Mrs. Fincher’s class is working hard on showing acts of kindness. They have been encouraging each other each this week with ways they’ve show acts of kindness at home and school. What kindness seeds will you plant?

Mrs. Fleischman’s class is learning about the Lunar New Year and making our own Chinese lanterns.

Howdy! We made a new friend today for Kindness Week in our Western gear.

We wore our favorite Decade and shared a smile with someone for Kindness Week.

Ray’s class used recycled materials to create!! Some students made artwork, others made games, and even a couple of Cyber Trucks!!

In 5th grade we are mining the sedimentary rock that we created for fossil fuels, and minerals.

Planitarium

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!

Well, we went from very cold temperatures to lots of rain this week! I have had the opportunity to visit the younger grades this week as we discussed the character trait of Kindness! In addition, students had the opportunity to create a PAW of Kindness for the kindness wall outside of the cafeteria! Students also enjoyed dressing up this week as each day had a unique kindness dress up event. I am looking forward to seeing our older students next week! Thank you again for your support!

Wendy Waldroup

Counselor

What is Kindness?

Kindness is the ability and willingness to express care and compassion for others. Kindness is a choice to use our time, talent, and resources to better the lives of others and the world through genuine acts of love, compassion, generosity, and service.

Why focus on Kindness?

• Kindness boosts positive emotions. Acts of kindness create neural pathways that enhance feelings of well-being and the natural flow of feel-good endorphins and neurotransmitters.
• Kindness is self-replicating. When we perform an act of kindness, it is likely to encourage others to act in a similar way.
• Kindness reduces stress and anxiety. Kindness promotes positive relationships with other people. Anything that helps you to build bonds with other people helps decrease anxiety.

Kindness in Action:

• Celebrate small things. Start each day with Good Things as a class. Publicly and privately affirm kind and thoughtful actions and attitudes.
• Create opportunities for students to affirm each other regularly. Once a week, dedicate time for students to write notes of affirmation to classmates and school staff members.
• Model Kindness. Be mindful of body language, tone, and mindset. Kindness is learned by example!

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 excited to invite all Midlothian ISD staff, parents and community to nominate a deserving staff member for the prestigious Employee of the Year award. This is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedication of our team members who inspire others, develop meaningful relationships, and truly embody the values of being MISD Proud. Your nomination can shine a light on the individuals who go above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of our students and community.

Nominations for Employee of the Year are now open HERE and will close on Tuesday, February 4.

Employee of the Year Categories

There are TEN categories to choose from, and you can nominate someone in any or all of them.

• Child Nutrition
• Custodial Services
• First Year Teacher
• Instructional Aide
• Leadership
• Maintenance Services
• Paraprofessional
• Professional Services
• School Resource Officer

• Transportation

When submitting your nomination, be sure to include a description of why you believe this person deserves to be honored—just remember to keep the description free of any identifying information. Nominee identities will be hidden, and a panel of judges will review all nominations and select one Employee of the Year for each category.

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/