Hello Mt. Peak Family,

As we approach the much-anticipated fall break, we have an exciting four-day week ahead! Next week is packed with special events, including our Peak Pep Rally and Substitute Appreciation Day, as well as a chance to come together for the MEF Bingo and Bags Night. These events, along with the meaningful projects our students have been working on, such as the Empty Bowls Project, Mana House Angel Tree and the Christmas Card Drive, highlight the incredible teamwork and community spirit that make Mt. Peak such a special place.

Fall break is just around the corner, and we hope it provides an opportunity for everyone to relax, recharge, and spend quality time with loved ones. Until then, let’s make the most of the week ahead and celebrate all the amazing things happening at Mt. Peak!

Adam Henke

Principal

adam.henke@midlothianisd.org

Shout out to Mrs. Pratt for having her students write affirmations to enhance the writing skills and their CKH skills!

In Mr. Lewiston’s class we are testing thin and regular dry spaghetti noodles to see the amount of force that they can withstand with varying degrees of distance between the support posts.

Ray’s classes used the science lab to design investigations with friction, magnetism, and gravity.

Special Olympics of Texas Bowling competition in Garland. Our students did great and had so much fun! So proud of them!

Our 2nd graders did a beautiful job of honoring our Veterans with such a heartwarming performance to start the day! We want to thank all of Veterans for their dedication and service to our country and community!

Mrs. Handlin’s 5th grade science classes experimented with energy transformations and forces in motion by creating Bottle Rockets! Here are just a few of the experiments and bloopers!

Fourth grade buddies paired up with ECSE students to read books and do activities with our therapy dog friends. Buster and Mrs Nancy played an interactive math game with the kids. High and Mrs Joan along with Mrs Marilyn and Sarge were read to and got lots of pets. We are so lucky to have this partnership with these ladies and their therapy dogs.

MPE families, your donations for your child's creation for the Empty Bowls Project have raised over $1000 so far! If you have not had a chance to send in your cash donation for your child's bowl, please consider sending that this week. We will be accepting cash donations until November 19. The director at Manna House Midlothian will be visiting our school in early December, to talk to the students about how their teamwork in creating these unique bowls will help those in need this holiday season. We are so proud of their creations and how our campus community has worked together to help support the Manna House holiday mission for Midlothian.

The Adopt-a-Shelf program is in its first year at MPE and is open for 3rd and 4th grade students. Students are assigned a shelf in the library and they are to check on it throughout the week to make sure the shelf is neat and orderly. This lets student take responsibility and pride in the library, while helping Mrs. Hobbs.

On Mondays, a winner of each section is chosen. Winners each week will be put in to a drawing for prizes, including free books, at the end of each semester.

Mrs. Hobbs is looking for the MPE broadcast team for the Spring 2025 semester! This is open for all 5th grade students, and current MPE broadcast members have to reapply. The application and teacher recommendation is due December 5th.

The broadcast team is responsible for creating and producing the morning broadcast which includes school announcements, the Pledge of Allegiance and occasional special performances. They run the equipment, do the actual broadcasting, and gather news and announcements from around the school. Sometimes team members are asked to help create special productions.

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!

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner! This year is flying by so fast. This week, we continued to focus on our CKH trait of Teamwork as we continued to discuss how important it is to work as a team to support and help each other to reach common goals. One of my favorite things to see at the elementary school level is the cooperation between older and younger students. Continued appreciation for your support and partnership!

Wendy Waldroup

Counselor

What is Teamwork?

Teamwork is the ability to work in unity with others towards a common goal. For us to learn how to become team players, it is important that we learn to listen, encourage our peers, and allow and invite others to contribute their talents and skills.

Why focus on Teamwork?

• Teamwork improves communication: Teamwork helps us improve our verbal and non-verbal communication skills, conveying that we care and a relevant message.
• Teamwork builds interpersonal awareness: Growing a great team requires us to first build strong relationships through a better understanding of ourselves and others.
• Teamwork celebrates diversity. Teamwork thrives from diverse ideas that come from a mixture of different genders, cultures, expertise, experience, and problem-solving approaches.

Teamwork in Action:

• Call them a team, not a class or group. A group consists of many different people. A team, however, has a common purpose and a shared responsibility for success.
• Require teams to set expectations for and manage their own behavior. Do not tell teams what type of behavior is expected—let them decide for themselves with a Social Contract.
• Teach and encourage affirmations. Giving affirmations helps connect the team, builds trust, promotes engagement, and boosts a positive culture.

Loved visiting Mrs. Lang’s room this week and seeing all the Capturing Kids Hearts elements built into her kindergarten class. There were so many opportunities for student leadership. Way to go!

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

Dec 10: 6:00 PM 5th School Performance & PTO Meeting

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.

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,

5201 FM 663

Midlothian, Texas 76065

469-856-6300

https://mtpeak.midlothianisd.org/