Kangaroo Connection

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4/19: Progress Reports

4/25: Reading STAAR Test 3rd-5th

5/3: Science STAAR Test 5th

5/3: 2nd Grade Field Trip

This upcoming week, we recognize all of our volunteers for Campus Volunteer Appreciation Day!

This is an area that we have seen huge growth in and we are so appreciative of all of your support.

Our PTA, secret readers, room parents, reading tutors, library helpers, front office helpers, teacher appreciation volunteers, field trip chaperones and everyone else who has helped out this year have made Collins an even better place for all of us. Your partnership strengthens us!

Thank you for all of your time and help, we are excited to continue to grow our campus volunteer opportunities and programs with you!

Order Your Back-to-School Supplies!

Would you rather spend a summer day driving from store to store to purchase school supplies or get everything you need in one easy box? Great news! We are offering pre-packaged school supplies this year. Supply orders include the exact colors, quantities, and brands your teachers have approved for class. Get your back-to-school shopping out of the way early and enjoy your summer days!

Simply place your order by May 12, 2023
Order online at www.shopttkits.com.
Enter #68126
Questions? Contact Jessica at jessica.acebo@gmail.com

Congrats to the 2023-2024 executive board members:

President, Holly Hazlett

President Elect, Brittany Clay

VP of Membership, Veronica Cuellar

VP of Programs, Jessica Manning Acebo

Treasurer, Heather Portillo

Secretary, Tessa Berry-Hathaway

Thank you to outgoing board members Loren Hallmark and India Gallagher!

Want to get involved next year!? Come join us for coffee on April 20 or send us an email - ncesfamily@gmail.com

We will send official invites soon, but want to share Spring Graduation information early!

Kindergarten Graduation

Kinder Burklund/Noboa: May 22, 5:30PM

Kinder Villeda/Poppe/Puente: May 23, 5:30PM

Due to the anticipated large number of attendees to Kinder graduations, we are hosting two so that all families will have seating room during the graduation.

5th Graduation

May 24, 5:30PM

All other grade levels will conduct End of Year Awards in their classrooms during the last week of school.

Please help us spread that word that Enrollment for the 2023-24 for NEW students and Pre-K is now open! Feel free to share the links and information below on your community networks!

Visit https://www.dvisd.net/welcome for more information and to enroll for next school year.

Families enrolling Pre-K students can also review information about our campus Pre-K program on our campus website here.

We ask that all returning students have their information updated in Skyward later this semester. Information will be sent by DVISD in May about this process to returning families.

For additional information our questions, please contact our Parent Community Liaison, Araceli.McBeth@dvisd.net

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about registration for 2023-24, our Pre-K and Kinder programs, the Dual Language program and other parent questions!

Collins New Student & Registration FAQs

When will registration open for next school year FOR RETURNING STUDENTS?

Returning students will only need to do a records/information update through Skyward. This information and process will be shared with returning families in May. We also ask that all parents submit a Free and Reduced Lunch Application in July.

What is the process for registering my NEW STUDENT for 2023-24?

Registration for new students for the 2023-24 school year is now open. Registration can be completed online. Visit https://www.dvisd.net/welcome for more information and to enroll for next school year.

I submitted an application for next school year, when will the application be processed? How will I know it’s been processed?

Parents will get a welcome email from our campus Registrar, Brenda Tavira, when they have submitted the registration in Skyward. It will also note that the parent will be contacted individually if additional information or documents are required to complete registration.

Is there a waiting list for the Pre-K program?

All students are able to attend Pre-K in 2023-24. There is an eligibility limit to the number of Native English speakers who can participate in our Two-Way Dual Language Immersion program (see below).

Do we have to pay tuition for Pre-K in 2023-24?

Pre-K is tuition-free for the 2023-2024 School Year. We ask that all parents of students in Pre-K submit a Free and Reduced Lunch Application in July.

How do I find more information about the Pre-K program at Newton Collins?

We ask that parents review the Pre-K information on our campus website at:

https://nces.dvisd.net/services-programs/pre-k

If you have additional questions, please contact our Parent Community Liaison, Araceli McBeth at Araceli.Mcbeth@dvisd.net

Are you having a Kindergarten Round Up event?

We will be hosting a Kindergarten Round Up event for parents and new 2023-24 Kindergarteners at 5:30PM on May 9th. This event will provide an opportunity to meet the Kindergarten teachers, receive a Kindergarten orientation and tour the classrooms. The campus will share more information about this event in late April.

When will LEAD and Cardinal Care applications be available for next school year?

The application window has not open for these programs in 2023-24. The district will begin accepting applications later this spring. Parents will be notified via ParentSquare app and our district website. Please visit www.dvisd.net for more information and updates.

If my child(ren) are in LEAD this school year, are they guaranteed spots in LEAD for next school year?

Students that are in LEAD are not guaranteed a spot for next year. Applications and lottery dates are coming soon.

Do you have a Dual Language Immersion program at Collins?

Yes! Space for Native English Speakers/Spanish Learners in the Two-Way DLI Program is very limited, subject to change year by year, and campus by campus because the legal requirement of Del Valle ISD's DLI Program is to serve our Emergent Bilingual students who are learning English. Students entering into Pk, Kinder and 1st grade in 2023-24 school year are eligible. Siblings of students who are already participating in the Two-Way DLI Program are given priority and must still complete the eligibility process (see additional details below).

If my child is currently in the Dual Language program, do I need to reply for next year?

No, students remain in the Dual Language program from year to year.

I applied for the Dual Language program for my Native English speaking child. When will I know if my child will be in a dual language class?

• General information for Native English speaker eligibility: Space for Spanish Learners in the Two-Way DLI Program is very limited, subject to change year by year, and campus by campus because the legal requirement of Del Valle ISD's DLI Program is to serve our Emergent Bilingual students who are learning English. Students entering into Pk, Kinder and 1st grade in 2023-24 school year are eligible. Siblings of students who are already participating in the Two-Way DLI Program are given priority and must still complete the eligibility process.

• Lottery as needed: If the number of interested applicants for a particular elementary school exceeds the number of available spaces for a particular grade in the Spring of 2023, a lottery will be held the first week of June 2023. In this occurrence, parents will be notified by email of the need for the lottery by the end of May 2023. Letters of eligibility from the Multilingual Department and campus will be sent by the end of June 2023.

• Waitlist procedure if needed: If the parent informational webinar is viewed after all available space is filled, or in the event there is no available space when an interest in the program is expressed, the student will be placed on a waitlist for the 2023-24 academic school year. Student(s) who do not participate in the program during the 2023-24 academic school year and who are projected to enter Kindergarten and/or first grade during the 2024-25 academic school year, must go through the eligibility process again in the Spring of 2024.

The Dual Language Immersion program eligibility process for Native English speakers includes 3 requirements:

1. Attend an in person parent meeting (or view the informational parent webinar afterwards)

2. Submit an online application or contract.

• If applying for 1st grade, with no experience in a Two-Way DLI Program, an assessment of the student's Heritage Language (English) is required before eligibility may be considered.

• If applying for 1st grade, with experience in a Two-Way DLI Program in a different district, an assessment of the student's Spanish language development is required before eligibility may be considered.

• 3. Register the child who is eligible by the start of the 2023-24 academic school year. After receiving written notification of eligibility from Del Valle ISD's Multilingual Department and the student's home campus, parents must complete Del Valle ISD's student registration process. Parent emails will be sent at the end of May 2023.

Spring Parent Dual Language Meeting Dates

Monday, April 17th

Collins

5:30-6:30 pm

Tuesday, April 18th

Hornsby

5:30-6:30 pm

Wednesday, April 19th

Smith

5:30-6:30 pm

Thursday, April 20th

DVES

5:30-6:30 pm

If you are a Native English speaker and are interested in the district Two-Way Dual Language Immersion program, visit https://www.dvisd.net/welcome/dual-language-program for information on the 2023-2024 eligibility process. If you have any additional questions, please contact our district Dual Language Coordinator, Alejandra Mireles at alejandra.mireles@dvisd.net

STAAR Test Schedule:

• Grades 3-5 Reading STAAR: Tuesday, April 25th

• Grade 5 Science STAAR: Wednesday, May 3rd

• Grades 3-5 Math STAAR: Tuesday, May 9th

STAAR Reminders:

1. There are no visitors on campus on STAAR testing days.

2. No phones, watches with camera, calculator, and/or Internet capability, or other technology besides Chromebooks will be allowed in the classroom during testing.

3. Please do your best to ensure that your child/children come to school well-rested, on time and with plenty of (non-messy) snacks! We want them to have every opportunity to succeed!

Collins will be hosting its annual Career Day on Monday, May 15, 2023. The purpose of Career Day is to expose students to a variety of careers in order to jumpstart their thinking about the future. By preparing early, students will be more likely to be college and career ready after high school graduation.

All students will participate in Career Day. However, we can’t do it without you! We need volunteers to speak for three 20 minute-long sessions about their career starting at 8:00 am and ending at 10:00 am. We will have four sessions: 8:00- 8:20; 8:30-8:50; 9:00-9:20; and 9:30 -9:50

If you, a family member, or friend is interested in volunteering to speak about a career, please complete the form below.

Volunteer selection will be on a first-come basis.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Castaneda at carmen.castaneda@dvisd.net.

With your help, we look forward to having another engaging Career Day!

Link to form here

Where you are simply looking for a flexible part-time job or are seeking teaching experience at the beginning of your full-time teaching career, substitute teaching is a rewarding job with many benefits.

For more information, please click the following link. Apply today!

https://delvalle.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=3683

Visitors & Volunteer Guidelines

• Pre-approved volunteers will be permitted at campuses, specific to campus needs
  • Volunteers must complete the district volunteer application and DPS background check form available in every Collins Parent Newsletter (see below)
  • The form can be dropped off at your child’s school.
  • A background check is required for all volunteers.
  • Volunteers will follow the direction of campus administration while on campus
  • A “hug zone” will be established at elementary campuses in order for parents to say goodbye and send students to their classrooms.
• Parents will not be permitted to attend lunch at school with their students
• Campuses will host in-person on-campus events outside of school hours

Parent and community volunteers are integral to our school’s success. There are many ways for you to get involved in our community. If you are interested in volunteering, please complete the form below. We look forward to hearing from you!

All on-campus volunteers and parent chaperones for field trips MUST complete a background check and volunteer application. This takes awhile to process so complete yours now!

Please complete the forms below and email to araceli.mcbeth@dvisd.net

English Volunteer Survey:

https://forms.gle/9gB47Sar3Uqw2AZW6

Spanish Volunteer Survey:

https://forms.gle/bQjiYGhEMnPsudL67

Email: collinses@dvisd.net
Website: www.dvisd.net
Phone: 512-386-3900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewtonCollinsES
Twitter: @DVISD_NCES