The Texan Star September 20, 2024
Prairie Trail Elementary School Newsletter
Class PIcture Day, Monday, September 23rd!
Ordering Class Pictures
Class PIctures are EARLY this year! Instead of waiting until second semester, we have scheduled class pictures for Monday, September 23rd.
How to order CLASS pictures online:
- Go to MyLifeTouch.com
- Sign-in OR create an account OR click continue as guest
- Type in the school CODE: Class Picture Day ID: EVT8PPZ3J
- Order your CLASS Pictures
Ordering Individual RETAKE Pictures
It will also be picture RETAKE day. If you did not like your child's picture OR your child was absent OR your child wasn't enrolled yet for pictures, your child will have their picture redone on Monday, September 23rd.
How to order INDIVIDUAL pictures online:
- Go to MyLifeTouch.com
- Sign-in OR create an account OR click continue as guest
- Type in the school CODE: Individual Picture Day ID: EVT8KWDNZ
- Order your INDIVIDUAL Pictures
You can also use the picture order form that was sent home with your child this week in their weekly folder. Be sure to send exact change or check or mark that you paid online.
If you have questions, you can call the front office at 469-713-5980. If you are having trouble with Lifetouch, you can reach out to their HELP DESK at lifetouch.com/support-us.
Then, select K-12 School Photography for assistance.
Second Step Lesson Overview
We are on Unit 1 Lesson 3 next week. The focus for this unit is Growth Mindset and Goal Setting.
For lesson 3 topic for each grade level, please click here and for Spanish, please click here. Click on the grade level at the top of the page to see your child's lesson topic.
All lesson summaries are linked here for the entire year for you to see now.
🍂 Stuff the Pantry Drive: September 30th - October 4th 🍂
Join us for our annual district-wide Stuff the Pantry Drive to help support Lewisville ISD families throughout the holiday season! This is a fantastic opportunity for our Prairie Trail community to give back, while also having a little fun keeping score. 📊✨
How it works:
● Each campus collects food during the drive.
● The campus and classroom with the most points will be honored at a campus event, and the winning class will receive a special prize from CCA! 🎉
● Most items = 1 point, but cereal and peanut butter earn 2 points! 🥣🥜
🛒 Most Needed Items:
● Cereal (2 points)
● Peanut Butter (2 points)
● Pie Filling
● Canned Fruit
● Evaporated Milk
● Canned Yams
● Instant Potatoes
● Condiments (ketchup, mustard, etc.)
Important: No glass items or flour/sugar sacks as they can break easily.
Let’s rally together to help make this holiday season brighter for our LISD families! 💙
For questions, contact communications@lisd.net.
Snack Pantry Restock - featuring the 4th grade! 🍎🥨
Bring a snack to help feed a hungry student at snack time! During the week of September 30th-October 4th, we encourage all 4th grade families to participate, although every family is welcome to make a donation. All donations are put towards refilling each class's snack bin. We welcome boxes of individually wrapped nut-free snacks, such as pretzels, goldfish, nutrigrain bars, and applesauce pouches.
Donations can be dropped off at the front office or have them shipped directly by shopping our Amazon wish list at https://tinyurl.com/PTESnackPantry and selecting "Prairie Trail Elementary c/o Natalie Smith" as the shipping address at checkout. 📦
Prairie Trail is up for the 21 Day Challenge!
Sign up for The 21 Day Healthy Snacking Challenge starts on Monday September 23rd and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 30th.
You can sign up at www.kids-teaching-kids.com. It is free!
The actual challenge starts on Monday, September 30th and ends on Sunday, October 20th.
We want all of Prairie Trail to join us as we make the commitment to making healthy choices in our snacks for 21 days!! There is an online recipe book available when you sign up at kids-teaching-kids.com. We encourage you to allow your child to help prepare these healthy snacks.
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Guidelines for a Healthy Snack
200 calories or less
7 grams of fat or less
2 grams of fiber or more
15 grams of sugar or less
Must contain a minimum of ½ cup of a fruit or vegetable per serving
The follow up survey is required in order for your child to be counted as a participant. The survey will be sent to the parent’s email address, that was used at registration, 2 weeks after we complete the challenge. Each child registered will need to complete a separate survey to be counted.
Please contact me with any questions at massav@lisd.net.
Thanks,
Ms. Massa
Recognize Someone!
Recognize Someone submissions are open again! Would you like to recognize a staff member at Prairie Trail or LISD, click here to type a quick note. It will be printed on a nice post card and delivered to that staff member. It is free for you, but worth so much!! :)
After School Paid Student Experiences
We have THREE different paid programs being offered this year.
- Mondays - K-5th grades - Dynasty Dance Academy
- Tuesdays - 3rd-5th grades - Wize Robotics and Coding Club
- Wednesdays - K-2nd grades - Wize Robotics and Coding Club
- Fridays - K-5th grades - Sports Club
See below with specific information and how to register.
Important Dates
September
- 2nd - No School - Labor Day Holiday
- 4th-18th - School Fundraiser
- 11th - Marcus Homecoming Carnival & Pep Rally (FREE Family Event for entire Community)
- 16th-20th - Kindness Week
- 19th - PT Padres Kick-off (formerly Watch DOGS) - 6:30 pm
- 23rd - 21-Day Challenge Sign-ups begin
- 23rd - Picture Retakes
- 26th - PTA Family Game Night 6:00-7:00 pm
- 30th - 21-Day Challenge Begins
- 30th - Stuff the Pantry Begins (new time this year)
PTA Corner
The Tie-Dye Spirit Wear is Here! 🎉
All pre-ordered shirts were delivered to teacher mailboxes on Monday, so they should be coming home with students. If you missed out on snagging one of these iconic tees, don’t worry—there are still a few left! You can grab yours before they’re gone by visiting our PTA website: https://tinyurl.com/PTESpiritWear.
Questions? Feel free to reach out at spiritwear@prairietrailpta.org.
Volunteer Opportunities!
Just one date left open to volunteer this month! Many thanks to all our volunteers for filling up our opportunities and helping out our teachers and staff. Click the link below to see what’s left and to sign up!
🎉 WE DID IT, TEXANS! 500 PTA MEMBERSHIPS REACHED! 🎉
Thanks to all of you, we EXCEEDED our goal of 500 PTA memberships, which means... Mrs. Vaughn is officially spending the night on the roof! 🏫 🌙 How exciting! 🎈
But wait, there's more! 🎊 A new challenge has been unlocked, and we need your help to reach an even bigger milestone!
🚨 NEW GOAL: ONE VOICE FOR EVERY CHILD! 🚨
If we can add 131 more memberships, we’ll reach the magical number of 643 members – one PTA member for every student enrolled at Prairie Trail. 💙👫
AND if we hit this goal before the membership drive ends on September 30... ALL PTE staff working the carline and greeting students will be in silly inflatable costumes! 🤪🦖🦄
You don’t want to miss that!
Let’s keep the momentum going, Prairie Trail! Every membership counts – grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors – they can all join and help us reach ONE VOICE FOR EVERY CHILD! 🌟
Join online here: https://prairietrailpta.membershiptoolkit.com/join
And don’t forget - we still have a schoolwide competition as part of the membership drive!
🍿 Popcorn for every class that gets to 100%, 🍩 donuts for the top class in each grade, and the highly coveted 🏆 extra recess led by the PT Padres for the top grade! (Since BIC is a much smaller group, if BIC wins, the second highest grade will join! 🎉) Check to see where your child’s class and grade rank in the competition here! 👉 https://prairietrailpta.membershiptoolkit.com/membershipchallenge
🎉 Family Game Night: Uno Tournament Edition! 🎉
Ready for some family fun? Join us for an exciting Uno tournament on September 26th!
🍿 Popcorn for everyone and 🎁 prizes for the top 4 players will keep the competition fierce and the fun going all night long. Once the tournament begins, no new players can join. But don’t worry! A free play area will be open to all eliminated and non-tournament players for nonstop fun. Families can even bring their favorite board game or card game to share in the free play area.
📅 Date: September 26th
⏰ Time: Cafeteria doors open at 5:30 PM, and game play starts at 6:00 PM sharp!
We’ll also have $2 pizza slices from 5:30-6 to help with dinner! It’ll be first come, first served but RSVP here so we can get an estimate on how much pizza to order: https://tinyurl.com/PTEGameNightPizza
You can check out the game play rules here ahead of the tournament so you’ll be ready to play.
Don’t miss out on this unforgettable night of fun with family and friends. Let the games begin!
Only Three Weeks Until Reflections Entries are Due!
LISD is hosting a virtual Reflections master class on September 25th at 6:30 PM. This event is for everyone! From seasoned artists to families and students who are interested in participating but need some guidance on how to begin, this is a great chance to get tips and tricks and get creative as we think about this year's theme: Accepting Imperfection! Our special guest will be Anita Robbins from Art House. Hope to see you there!
Google Meet link: https://meet.google.com/uzd-esmm-zrg
The deadline for submissions is October 15th. For complete rules and regulations, follow this link for English and this link for Spanish, or go to the Prairie Trail PTA Website. Submit your entries here or email them to artsineducation@prairietrailpta.org. Click here for a video about Reflections.
Call for Judges! If you know anyone who works in the Reflections Arts categories (dance teacher, photographer, someone who works at a news station, etc.) and they would be willing to act as one of our judges, please email artsineducation@prairietrailpta.org for more information. Thank you!
PTA Reflections Submissions!
Only one more month before Reflections entries are due!
Please watch the video below to learn more about Reflections and meet one of our Reflections winners from last year!
The deadline for submissions is October 15th. For complete rules and regulations, follow this link for English and this link for Spanish, or go to the Prairie Trail PTA Website. Submit your entries here or email them to artsineducation@prairietrailpta.org.
Call for Judges! If you know anyone who works in the Reflections Arts categories (dance teacher, photographer, someone who works at a news station, etc.) and they would be willing to act as one of our judges, please email artsineducation@prairietrailpta.org for more information.
Lewisville ISD's volunteer site, VOLY, is up and ready for the new school year. If you plan to volunteer on campus at any point in the 2024-2025 school year, please either create a VOLY account or renew your account from last year. LISD's VOLY site is Lewisvilleisd.voly.org. There is also a VOLY app you can use, found in the app store for your phone provider.
Remember that our VOLY site allows for the site to be translated to your family's home language. Look for the language drop down button at the top of the page.
Questions? Reach out to Partnerships@Lisd.net and we will be happy to assist.
Box Tops for Education
Giving back to the school is easier than ever when you link your Box Tops and Walmart accounts!
Connect your accounts and you can help us earn Box Tops every time you purchase a participating product, WITHOUT having to scan or submit a receipt! And for a limited time, we will also get bonus Box Tops through 8/31 for every new connected account. That's $5 per account!
The more families that connect, the more we'll earn:
● 1 new connected account = $5
● 5 new connected accounts = $25
● 20 new connected accounts = $100!!
Scan the QR code above to download the Box Tops app and input referral code LFU67ALT to earn PTE an extra $2.50!
Head to the Box Tops website to see how easy it is to link your accounts: https://www.boxtops4education.com/s/how-to-earn/walmart-connected-accounts
For all the latest information, upcoming events, and more, join us in our Facebook group, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our PTA website!
Common Sense Media Tip
Hispanic Heritage Month is here! While we can (and should) celebrate all-year-long, September 15-October 15 is a great time to embrace and honor the rich diversity of stories, voices, and achievements of those in Latino communities, past and present.
Click here for tips and resources to help your family celebrate: https://comsen.se/44R9O3U
For more information visit: commonsensemedia.org
Tardies
Getting to school on time is important. This is a life skill your child will need the rest of their lives. Putting good practices in place now will impact your children as they get older.
The tardy bell rings at 7:45 am. Your child needs to be in their classroom, in their seat at 7:45 am in order to be counted on time.
Cutting down on tardies is a goal. We have some fun incentives for the students who are getting here on time everyday. We also have some consequences for students and families who are struggling in this area.
We are sending warning emails and phone calls to families with 3 and 4 tardies. After the 5th tardy, parents will be asked to attend an Attendance Matters parent meeting.
After the 6th tardy, parents will start signing their child(ren) in every morning between 7:15-7:30 am for 21 days. It takes 21 days to break a habit and make a new one.
We want to work with you to ensure that your child does not lose credit because of excessive tardies. Our school nurse, counselor, attendance clerk, teachers, and administrators will work with you as necessary to address specific needs and family situations.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this letter or your child’s attendance, please call Monica Saucedo, Attendance Clerk, for assistance at 469-713-5980 or email her at prairietrailattendance@lisd.net.
Attendance Matters
When your child is absent be sure you are sending a doctor's note or a parent note so it will be excused. You can take a picture of the note or type a quick email if there isn't a doctor's note to Monica Saucedo at prairietrailattendance@lisd.net. This MUST be done within 3 days after the absent.
There are no longer pre-arranged absences in LISD. After the absence, you will need to be sure to send a parent note.
Each child can be absent up to 10 times with parent and/or doctor's notes. It is NOT recommended that you use all 10. Children do better in school when they are at school.
We are already seeing an uptick with students with fever, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. There are no additional protocols for COVID any more. We are to treat it like any other illness.
What does that mean?
Students must be fever free, vomit free, and diarrhea free for 24 hours without medication prior to returning to school with improving symptoms regardless of what the illness is.
For more information about Attendance and Absences: https://www.lisd.net/Page/22254
😋September Breakfast and Lunch Menus😋
Here are the menus for September:
Add Money to your Child's Lunch Account!
We have several students with outstanding cafeteria accounts. Please check to make sure your child does not owe any money. RevTrack Link
If you would like to donate to the Angel account, please see the link below. This goes to help those who might need a little extra help.
https://lewisville.revtrak.net/r6#/v/ptes-angel-lunch-account-donation
2024-2025 LISD Calendar
Check out dates for the 2024-2025 school year at this LINK.
Lunch, Recess, and Specials Schedule
Lunch Visitors Starts Monday, September 9th
Starting Monday, Sept. 9th we will welcome lunch visitors.
In order to eat lunch with your child, be sure to arrive at least 5-10 minutes before their schedule lunch time so you can park and get a visitors badge. The school schedule is linked on every newsletter at the bottom of the page, but listed below since this is the first week. Everyone must have a state issued identification card or a passport to sign-in. Some days are busier than others, so plan ahead and be here on time. We love to have you visit for lunch, but we recommend you limit your visits to no more than once a week. Lunch time is valuable time for students to learn communication skills in an unstructured environment with peers. We also ask that when you do come, try out some of our conversation starters and put the electronics away.
Remember at the end of last year we had to remove the majority of the tables around the library due to fire safety regulations from the fire marshall. There are four tables in the main hallway that will be available on a first come first serve basis. All other visitors will sit in the cafe at tables lining the walls around the outside of the student tables.
Can't wait to see you at Café PTE!
2024-2025 Lunch Schedule:
Kinder - 10:15-10:45
1st Grade - 10:50-11:20
2nd Grade - 11:30-12:00
3rd Grade - 12:30-1:00
4th Grade - 12:00-12:30
5th Grade - 1:00-1:30
Marcus Marquette Mini Dance Camp
Marcus Marquette Mini Dance Camp happening on Saturday, October 12th.
See the flyer for more information.
Order Your Yearbooks!
Yearbooks are now on sale for $28. Order yours today before the price goes up.
Stay Connected with us!
Email: prairietrail@lisd.net
Website: lisd.net/prairietrail
Location: 5555 Timber Creek Road, Flower Mound, TX, USA
Phone: (469)713-5980
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prairietrailes
X (Twitter): @PrairieTrailES