The Howl - Our Parent Newsletter
November 28, 2023
Our 2023-24 Theme
November 28, 2023
Dear Carter Coyote Families,
We hope you had a great Thanksgiving break and were able to spend time with loved ones. We were excited to see our Coyotes back yesterday; everyone looked happy and refreshed!
It's hard to believe the holiday season is upon us again! We know it certainly gets busy during this time and that is no exception for us at Carter. We have a lot of learning to do between now and winter break as well as some fun holiday activities and dress up days sprinkled throughout.
Please enjoy this festive time and encourage your student to give their best effort to finish out the 2023 year strong!
A BIG thank you to PTO and you parents for donating a sweet tasting Thanksgiving pie to each of our staff members We are so thankful for our strong parent support!
🎉Winter Party Dates/Times & RSVPs🎉
Parents,
Please read the following information in detail if you are planning to join us for your child's holiday party. You must scan into our Raptor Visitor system before attending your child's party. Please see below about how to do that.
• If you have previously visited Carter this year and had your driver’s license scanned into our system, please RSVP by 12:00 pm on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8th using the link below. Please complete a separate RSVP for each party you will be attending. You MUST RSVP on this link for us to pre-print your visitor’s badge to attend the parties. On the day of the party, we will have a table set up for you to pick up your pre-printed badge starting at the times listed on the table below. You will need to show your driver's license to pick up your badge for the party.
Click here to RSVP: https://forms.office.com/r/d3aJ5Nb9Rb OR Use the QR Code above:
Please know that if you do not have an RSVP, there will likely be a line to sign in on party day. Plan accordingly.
• Teachers will have sign out sheets available in classrooms if you choose to take your child home at the end of the party. Make sure to fill out this form if you are taking your child home with you and communicate with family members so they are in the know.
• Siblings are not able to attend other grade levels’ holiday parties. Please celebrate with us and spend time with your child individually.
• Once you are signed in, please report to the Library until your child’s party start time.
Parents, please note the following dates and times for winter parties this year:
Wednesday, December 13th
Kinder - 11:00-12:00
1st - 1:00-2:00
2nd - 12:00-1:00
Thursday, December 14th
PK - 1:00-2:00
3rd - 10:00-11:00
4th - 11:00-12:00
5th - 8:30-9:30 AM
Friday, December 15th
Pegasus/ECSC & SLC classrooms - 10:00-11:00
. .
🎄 Holiday Dress Up Days for Students! Be Festive! 🎄
Parents Interested in District Committees
https://www.lcisd.org/community/advisory-committees
📘 Reserve your 2023-24 Yearbook Now!
This is the direct URL: https://www.balfour.com/texas/richmond/don-carter-elementary-school
Traffic Around Our School
Crosswalk:
Drivers who park on Glass Peak Lane and drop students off are causing an unsafe traffic situation! Drivers from other neighborhoods or sections of Stone Creek park on both sides of the road causing a very tiny lane for residents to access and exit the neighborhood. Please do not park and block the road on Glass Peak Lane for the safety of EVERYONE!
On Rainy/Bad Weather Days (Repeated Information):
During inclement or stormy weather such as hard rain or rain with lightning, rainy day dismissal will be called and ALL walkers will go home by a different mode of transportation according to their rainy day plan on file with their homeroom teacher. Callouts to parents go out no later than 2:15 pm via our Skyward messaging system.
Next step if your child is a walker? Email your child's teacher with their Rainy day plan if you have not already done so.
Walkers To and From School:
If your student is walking to and from school, they must be crossed by our crossing guard. We have had many reports lately that some students are running across the road without waiting for the crossing guard. Please talk to your student and make sure they understand this is not a safe practice.
Thank you also to parents who pick up their student on time, and plan transportation changes with the office before 2 PM. We are working extremely hard to help students get to their dismissal locations each and every day. Your patience and understanding are extremely important for smooth operations of our large (980+ students) campus.
Bus Update
Please remind your student about bus expectations below. We want everyone to have a safe ride to and from school.
✨ From the Carter PTO
Code Ninja Spirit Night Parents Night Out is scheduled for Saturday, Dec 2 from 6-8 pm. Your kids get time for coding fun, you get a few kid-free hours, and Carter gets part of the profits! See the image below (or Tuesday folder if you can't add an image) for details.
We need your help! We are looking for volunteers in the copy room. If you regularly have a few hours a week to support your child's teachers by making grade-level copies, please email us at doncarterpto@gmail.com. Thanks!
From Mrs. Delcid, Carter EB Coach:
Library: News from Mrs. Garrette
Counseling: News from Mrs. Patel & Mrs. Hernandez
News From Mrs. Matthys, Our GT Facilitator:
A message from our GT Facilitator
The Gifted and Talented Program Referral Deadline is December 15, 2023.
The GT Program serves students who have an educational need for specialized services. The program includes placement with a classroom teacher trained in gifted education.
To refer a student for the elementary Lamar CISD G/T Program, a referral form must be filled out and returned; referral forms are accepted year-round. This form can be accessed by scanning the QR code found on the flyer or picking up one from the front office.
Screening will be conducted in January 2024. Notification will go out no later than May 2024.
Kindergarten students do not need to be referred, as every student is screened for the program. Kinder parents will be notified of their child's results before March 2024.
1st- 4th grade students already identified as Gifted and Talented do not need to be reassessed.
Fifth graders interested in participating in the Secondary GT Program DO need a referral submitted.
If you have any questions, please email the GT Campus Facilitator, Beth Matthys at amatthys@lcisd.org,
From the LCISD Special Education Department:
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED NEWS BELOW
Important District Changes to the Student Code of Conduct That Will Affect All Students
Among some of the most important changes are:
1. Being in possession of a Vape or E-cigarrette will result in automatic removal from the home campus to the Alternative Learning Center for a period of time TBD.
2. Being in possession of a knife of any length will result in automatic removal from the home campus to the Alternative Learning Center for a period of time TBD.
3. Cellphones: Cellphones and personal electronic devices including smartwatches must be turned off and stored in backpacks unless given specific permission by a teacher to use for an instructional purpose. The district has outlined specific required consequences for violation of personal technology policy: See page 100 in elementary student handbook.
Link to Elementary Handbook and Student Code of Conduct: HERE
Link to the Parent and Guardian Standards of Conduct: HERE
Parents Please Sign up in Smart Tag Portal for Your Child's Required ID Badge
Smart Tag is a MUST: If your child loses their Smart Tag, they will need to bring $5 to buy a replacement. Wearing a Smart Tag is an LCISD requirement and a security issue. Our students no matter what grade level have to get used to wearing it daily.
ALL students K-5 will receive a colored lanyard that identifies their House. Thank you, PTO!!
Registering for the Smart Tag Parent Portal is a vital safety measure that should be completed by ALL parents. Additionally, your child will use their ID Badge to purchase lunch and breakfast, on the bus, and library book check-out. Bus routing information will only be available in Smart Tag Parent Portal. The Smart Tag Parent Portal will show updated bus route information for your student before the first day of school.
The Smart Tag Parent Portal link can be found HERE
Transportation in General
Repeated Information Below:
- AM Car line--ARRIVE as Early as 6:45: There is absolutely NO pedestrian drop-off traffic crossing our busy car line in the morning. This is for the safety of everyone.
- ⛔After 7:15 AM, your student is considered tardy. If you pull into the car line at 7:10 or later, you WILL most likely be tardy. Starting Monday, September 11, cars will be routed from the car line into the parking lot at 7:15. At that time, cars must park and bring their child(ren) into the office to check-in and receive a tardy slip. ⛔
- PM Car line: PM car line is becoming very efficient. If you come to pick up your child in Car line after 3:00 PM, you may have to park and come in to the office to check out your child.
- AM and PM Car line: Refrain from using your cell phone on school property. We have seen an uptick in cell phone use while in the car line. Per elementary handbook, cell phone use in the car line is prohibited.
- Crosswalk: Please DO NOT park on Glass Peak Drive OR along Stonecreek Estates Drive on either side of the bridge and walk your student to the crosswalk--this road is not a parking lot. Lately an over congestion of cars parking near the intersections is causing an obstruction of a clear view for our walkers, bikers and crossing guard, particularly on the other side of the bridge where there is no longer staff assisting students and no crossing guard. Additionally, cars trying to come in and out of the neighborhood at Glass Peak Drive are blocked by cars parked to pick up or deliver walker students. The crosswalk is for students who are in the walk zone to Carter and do not have bus service due to their close proximity to the school.
- Pre-K and Kinder students: Students in this age category must have someone waiting to pick them up at the bus stop or cross walk otherwise they will be returned to school, causing inconveniences for you and your child.
Tardies and Early Pick Ups
We attribute our achievement success to several factors, one being bell to bell teaching! Here at Carter Elementary School, our students can go straight to the gym/grade level pod at 6:45am and begin getting ready for learning activities to start at 7:00!
Any student not in class at 7:15am will be counted tardy. Students will be routed to the front office to get a tardy slip before being released to go to class. We know that it is important for students to acclimate to new routines so we will begin counting tardies on Sept. 11th.
Our announcements start promptly at 7:15am, therefore all our students need to be in class for the pledges and to hear important daily information.
If you drop your child off in the morning, the best time (with minimal wait) is between 6:45am - 6:55am. At 7:05am, traffic picks up tremendously. If you turn into the carpool area at 7:10am or later, you run the risk of being late.
We understand that you have absolutely no control of the pacing of the carpool line on any given day. For this reason, we strongly suggest you access our carpool lane during the earlier minutes (6:45am - 7:00am) so your child has time to exit the car, enter the building and make it to class before the tardy bell rings.
It is very important that students are at school everyday, on time and stay for the entire day. Just as tardies impact learning over time, early pick-ups also cause students to miss instruction. Tardies and Early Pickups are recorded by the front office staff electronically. If you must pick up your students early for appointments, our cut off time is 2:00pm.
Full Price & Free and Reduced Cost Meals - Breakfast and Lunch
Please click the link below to apply for Free and Reduced-Cost Meals, Breakfast/Lunch Menus, and all things about Child Nutrition. Students will be charged for all meals unless you apply and qualify for free and reduced-cost meals.
https://www.lcisd.org/departments/support-services/food-service
2023-24 LCISD Instructional Calendar
Uniform Information
Below, please find the uniform colors and uniform clothing items that can be worn for the 2023-2024 school year:
Bottoms: Solid color navy blue, black, khaki or blue denim pants, capris, shorts, skirts, skorts or jumpers. Leggings/tights worn alone as well as embellished and distressed jeans with rips and tears are not allowed.
Tops: Solid color, collared (polo style, no logo) shirts in red, white, navy blue (dark blue,) black or hunter green (dark green.)
Maroon, gray, olive, kelly green, royal blue and light blue are not Carter approved uniform shirt colors.
School and PTO approved Carter ES spirit shirts are allowed daily, such as the once a year Carter themed shirt.
Leggings/tights worn alone as well as embellished and distressed jeans with rips and tears are not allowed. Additionally, basketball shorts, roller shoes, shoes that light up and backpacks on wheels are not allowed.
If a student is not wearing the proper uniform, they will be sent to the Nurse to either call home or receive a change of clothes, as our inventory allows.
Arrival and Dismissal Areas for Car Line, Bus, and Walker/Bikers
Important Documents at Your Fingertips
Important Dates to Remember
November 16 - Progress Reports Distributed in Skyward Family Access
November 17 - Early Release @ 11:15
November 20-24 - Thanksgiving Break
December 1 - Picture Retakes (updated date)
December 6 - College Day! Wear your favorite college attire
December 7 - 4th Grade Winter Program @ 6:00 PM
December 8 - Carter Spelling Bee
December 13 - PK-2 Winter Parties (RSVP for check-in will be sent to parents)
December 14 - 3rd-5th Winter Parties (RSVP for check-in will be sent to parents)
December 15 - Early Release @ 11:15
December 18- January 2 - Student Winter Break Holiday
January 3 - College Day! Wear your college attire
January 4 - Report Cards Released in Skyward Family Access
January 5 - House Spirit Day--go All Out in Your House Colors!
January 9 - Police Officer Appreciation Day
January 15 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday for Staff and Students
January 25 - STREAM Curriculum Night, 4:30-6:00 pm
Don Carter Elementary School
Leann Imrie, Principal
Mandy Casey, Assistant Principal
Aerika Dial, Assistant Principal
Website: www.lcisd.org
Location: 8500 A Meyers Road, Richmond, TX, USA
Phone: (832)223-5500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DonCarterES/
Twitter: @cartercoyotes