The Texan Star March 22nd

Popcorn & a Movie! What’s not to love? Grab the family, a blanket and/or some chairs, and join your favorite PTE friends for FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT at Prairie Trail!

We’ll be showing the movie “Luck” in the Cafeteria at 6pm. Come hungry because we’ll have free popcorn and water, and $2 PIZZA slices available for purchase!

Students must be accompanied by an adult to attend tonight.

Hello Prairie Trail Families,

On Monday, April 8, Dallas will be the largest city in the path of totality for the once-in-a-lifetime Great North American Eclipse. We are excited to share this milestone with your students, and want to make sure they are able to experience the eclipse in a safe manner. Please keep reading for Lewisville ISD’s plans by grade level:

Grades K-2
It is not recommended that our youngest students view the eclipse outside. Instead, K-2 students will have the opportunity to watch NASA's live stream of the eclipse. We encourage you to view NASA’s other online resources to explain this event to your student.

Grades 3-5
Students in grades 3-5 will have the opportunity to go outside to view the eclipse in the early afternoon on April 8. The Perot Museum has generously donated protective eyewear for each student to wear, and our campus staff will monitor students to ensure the eyewear is on correctly before inviting students outside. The eyewear provided from the Perot Museum is thousands of times darker than standard sunglasses to protect students from the concentrated solar rays. To learn more about safety considerations associated with the eclipse, including skin protection, click here.

If you do not wish for your student to view the eclipse, click HERE to complete the exemption form. Students who do not go outside will be able to watch NASA’s live stream of the event in a monitored classroom.

Many of our staff members have already incorporated this event into their lesson plans to enhance the educational experience for all students. We are excited for our students to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event, and witness science in action! As always, parents are the ultimate decision-makers on whether or not their students will attend school. If you choose to keep your student home to view the eclipse, please notify our school as you would for any absence. It will count towards one of your ten allowable ‘parent note’ absences. Please consider allowing your child to be present as much as possible during the school day. Technically they are marked ‘present’ if they are here at 9:00 am. This is a great learning opportunity to experience together with your teacher and classmates!

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at 469-713-5980 or email your child’s teacher.

Thank you,

Wendi Vaughn

Principal

Unit 4 is over Problem Solving. The first lesson in this unit is #16 during the week of Mar. 25th

Here are the links to the overview of the lessons:

English

Spanish

For links to all the lessons for the entire year, CLICK HERE.

2024 SPRING FEST CARNIVAL - FRIDAY, APRIL12TH 5:30-8:30pm

If you’ve never attended a Prairie Trail PTA Spring Fest Carnival before, you are in for a major treat! This community event hosted by our PTA features carnival rides (the BIG mechanical kind - it’s a legitimate carnival!), TONS of bounce houses, games, inflatables, food vendors, concessions and more!

Entry is free, but you’ll need a wristband to enjoy the rides & inflatables. Check your child’s backpack for order forms and more information, or go online now and get yours today before the early bird pricing ends on 3/24/24!

Want a sneak peek at some of the exciting items available in this year’s Spring Fest Silent Auction? Preview it at www.32auctions.com/PTE2024 - we’re adding new items daily!

Prairie Trail’s very own Rebekka Mudrow (Kinder) received an honorable mention for her Arts in Reflections entry in the film production category at the STATE level! Congratulations Rebekka!

All students whose entries advanced to the council will be recognized at the Reflections Awards Ceremony to be held on April 4th at 6:30PM at the Lewisville High School Stuver Auditorium. You can check out Rebekka's video in our PTA Facebook Group HERE.

Do you LOVE all the special programs, events, funding & services that our PTA provides? Wish you could make a few changes, or maybe you’d like to help in some way? This is your chance!

We’re in the process of building and planning for the upcoming school year and would LOVE your help and input in shaping the future of our PTA. With the constant coming and going of PTA members as their kids transition into and out of elementary school, there are always spaces to fill in for the board positions and committees that help our school run.

Please think about joining a committee next year (or maybe even leading one!), and help us build our school community by filling out this short survey by March 21st.

English: https://forms.gle/Rc7RsA9gYEmkiKSh9

Spanish: https://forms.gle/t4vezEHFcMZiSgDt8

For a more detailed description of what each committee does, click here: https://prairietrailpta.membershiptoolkit.com/openboard.

Help us restock the snack pantry by bringing in snacks like individually wrapped bags of pretzels, goldfish, applesauce pouches, nutri-grain bars, nut-free granola bars or raisins/craisins during the week of April 2nd. You can also shop directly from the snack wishlist at tinyurl.com/PTSNACK and select “Prairie Trail Elementary'' to have it shipped directly.

Join us on Saturday, April 13th as we give back to our Prairie Trail Community! We’ll be sprucing up school & the surrounding grounds to make sure Prairie Trail is looking its best after Spring Fest! So grab the family & bring your rakes, gloves, & anything else you think you might need & join us from 8-10am, Saturday, April 13th!

Everyone is welcome to attend. Service Saturday is also a great opportunity for NJHS/NHS service hours! We’re happy to sign volunteer hour sheets.

During the Texas PTA annual meeting held in July 2023, delegates voted to increase the Texas PTA dues by $0.50, effective August 1, 2024. Consequently, the Texas PTA state dues for each member will automatically change to $2.75, making the total dues for National and State $5.00.

In light of this state-level adjustment and to help offset the general increased cost of goods and services as we strive to support and enhance our school, we are proposing a local dues increase from $7.25 to $8, making the total Prairie Trail Elementary PTA membership dues $13 effective August 1, 2024. This adjustment will ensure that we can continue to effectively carry out our mission and provide valuable resources and programs for our school community.

We will be holding a vote on this proposed dues amendment to our PTA bylaws at the next membership meeting on Thursday, April 18, 2024, at 6:30 pm in the Prairie Trail Elementary Cafeteria. Your attendance and participation are welcomed as we highly value your input, which is crucial to the decision-making process.

Please feel free to reach out to our President, Natalie Smith at president@prairietrailpta.org if you have any questions or concerns regarding this proposed dues amendment. We value your feedback and input and thank you for your continued support of Prairie Trail Elementary PTA.

Remember the huge membership contest we had vs. Timber Creek Elementary back in the Fall? Well, because of YOUR outstanding effort and participation, we’ve won several PTA membership awards. Check them out here!

✋🙋🏽‍♀️🙋‍♀️NEW VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP ALERT!🙋🏻‍♂️🙋🏾‍♂️✋ Click the links below to volunteer during the months of MARCH & APRIL. We can’t wait to see you! :)

📚📚 March/April LIBRARY HELPERS📚📚

📝 March/April COPY ROOM HELPERS📄

🐶 WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) Spring 2024 🐾

Dad, Papá, Baba, Grandpa, Uncle, Papaw, Father, Abuelo, Daddy…whatever name the special kiddo in your life may call you, Prairie Trail NEEDS YOU!!!

Did you miss the kickoff event? No worries! You can still be a part of the Watch D.O.G.S.

How do you get started?

• Make sure you have an updated Background Check Volunteer / Home
• Background Checks have to be done every year.
• Read through the slide deck from last night's event: Linked HERE!
• Don't forget the Safety and Security slides: Linked HERE!
• Optional - Order a shirt https://shop.dadsofgreatstudents.com/shop-all/

***Need more info? Please email Matthew Kulik watchdogs@prairietrailpta.org or Amber Bearden, VP of Volunteers volunteers@prairietrailpta.org.

For ALL the latest info & more upcoming events, hop on over to our PTA WEBSITE at www.prairietrailpta.org. 🌐👀

Follow us on FACEBOOK or INSTAGRAM for daily updates, fun content, photos & more!

How many years have you been working in education? 18! I taught 17 years in kindergarten, and this is my first year as an SDI teacher.

What do you love about working at Prairie Trail? I love teaching at Prairie Trail because the staff is so welcoming and friendly, I work on the most fun and truly amazing team (seriously, these people are top-notch), and the kids are respectful and fun to work with!

Why did you become a teacher? I have always loved working with kids, and aside from a semester of college in the business world, I never really considered doing anything else. It is a fun and rewarding job!

What is something most people don't know about you? I grew up in Memphis, TX, which is in the middle of nowhere up in the Panhandle of Texas. However, when I started high school, we moved here, and I am a Marcus High School graduate. I ran cross country and track for Coach T at Marcus. I was part of the cross country team that he would bring to Prairie Trail to help run the Jingle Bell Jog each year. I so hate that he is no longer with us, but I am very excited to be back at Prairie Trail for the Jingle Bell Jog all these years later!

How many years have you been working in education? This is my 27th year teaching.

What do you love about working at Prairie Trail? I love teaching at Prairie Trail because of the enthusiastic staff and positive interactions. PTE celebrates its successes and recognizes staff contributions.

Why did you become a teacher? I became a teacher to positively impact the lives of my students by giving them the tools and resources to learn. I believe in the potential of my students. It is rewarding to help them overcome challenges and achieve their goals. I love to be there for the small wins and big growing moments.

What is something on your bucket list and why? I want to see the Northern Lights. It is one of the most awe-inspiring natural wonders of the world.

How many years have you been teaching? 11 years plus 6 years subbing in between

Why did you become a teacher? My mom was an early childhood teacher for over 35 years and still works at her school part-time. I grew up helping in her classroom and prepping at home. She has always put children at the forefront of everything she's done in her life, and she was my role model and inspiration to become a teacher.

Why do you love teaching at Prairie Trail? I came here as a long-term sub and was instantly welcomed like I was part of the staff. I have subbed in many schools, and PTE by far is one of the friendliest and most welcoming. I knew after a couple months of getting to know the staff and families that this is where I wanted to go back to teaching full-time.

What is something most people don't know about you? I have lived and taught in all 4 major cities in Texas. I started my career in my hometown of San Antonio, moved to Houston after I met my husband, moved to Austin after he switched jobs, and ended up in the Dallas area 8 years ago, thanks to his job again! :)

How many years have you been working in education? 28 years

What do you love about working at Prairie Trail? The students, administration and staff are pretty amazing here at PTE! I am so fortunate to work with educators who have an interest in, not only their student's education, but in making a difference in the student's life. It makes a huge difference when the student's feel cared for by the people around them!

Why did you want to work in education? I've been an OT for 26 years. 21 of them in pediatrics. 15 in the school system.

What's your favorite way to spend a day off? I'm an avid gardener and love to spend my time cutting flowers, planting and digging in the dirt! It brings happiness to my soul!

Calling all new students! LISD enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year is now OPEN! Do you have a Kindergartener? Let's help you get them enrolled. The form for Prairie Trail Kindergarten can be filled out HERE!

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!! :)

https://www.lisd.net/recognize

Have you missed an event that happened at PTE this year? Check out all the pictures from this school year at this LINK. Pictures are sometimes added a little later so you might check back to see if you missed any.

• March Elementary Breakfast Menu

• March Lunch Menu

To get to your child's meal account: RevTrack link

Check out dates for the school year.

• 18th-21st - 2nd Grade Swimming Classes
  
• 20th - 3rd Grade Field Trip to the Symphony
• 21st - CFA Spirit Day 6:00 am to 10:00 pm
• 22nd - PTA Movie Night
• 25th-28th - 2nd Grade Swimming Classes -
• 26th - NEW Safety Patrol Parent Meeting - 6:00 pm
• 29th - School Holiday - No School

• 1st - No School - Bad Weather Day
• 5th - Progress Reports
• 5th - Volunteer Breakfast at 7:30 am
• 9th - Spring Fest Auction Opens
• 12th - Spring Fest 5:30-8:30 pm
• 13th - Service Saturday - 8:00-10:00 am - help us pick up after Spring Fest
• 15th - STAAR Pep Rally
• 16th - Spring Fest Auction Ends
• 17th - Reading and Writing STAAR Test for 3rd-5th Graders - Campus closed to all visitors
• 17th - Kinder Field Trip - Crayola
• 18th - Spring and Class Pictures
• 18th - PTA Board Meeting 9:45 am
• 18th - PTA Meeting and 1st Grade Performance - 6:30 pm
• 19th - Safety Patrol Changing of the Guard
• 24th - Science STAAR Test for 5th Graders - Campus closed to all visitors
• 26th - Early Release Day - 11:45 am
• 26th - Progress Reports

• April 12th - Spring Fest
  
• April 17th - Reading and Writing STAAR (3rd-5th grades)
• April 18th - Spring Picture Day (Individual and Class)
• April 24th - Science STAAR (5th grade)
• May 2nd - Math STAAR (3rd-5th grades)
• May 10th - Field Day (May 16th is rain out day)
• May 22nd - 5th Grade Celebration
• May 23rd - Last Day of School

Need some ideas to keep the kind acts going? Check out the Random Acts of Kindness Calendar below. One kind act can change someone's day!

The 2024-2025 School Calendar has been approved by the school board. Check it out at this LINK.

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