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MUSTANG PARENT ALERT
T. L. MARSALIS ELEMENTARY STEAM ACADEMY
January 2024 Monthly Parent Newsletter
A NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Hello Mustang Families!
WELCOME BACK! I am so excited to see everyone return and would like to extend a hearty welcome to our new families who have enrolled at our campus. January will be a very busy academic and extracurricular month for our Mustangs, but also an exciting one. As we continue to ramp up our instructional focus, our PK students will be taking their districtwide middle of the year readiness assessments and our K-5 students just completed their MAP middle of the year assessments in December. This data allows us to see where our students are at the mid-point and how we need to proceed to either build their necessary foundational skills or accelerate their learning. All data will be discussed with parents at our Spring parent conferences on Monday, January 22, 2024.
We are pleased to welcome Disney Musicals in Schools program back to our campus and will be holding auditions and callbacks this month for our school production of "101 Dalmations". We are in our second year partnering with the AT&T Performance Arts Center. This will be a 17 week commitment from our staff, parents and those students who are selected. Can't wait to see the final performances in May. Broadway, the Mustangs are coming!
As a reminder, our campus is a uniform campus. ALL students are to be in the correct school uniform each day. Khaki bottoms are our only allowed bottoms, not blue or black. Jeans are not allowed on Fridays unless an announcement is made for a special dress day event. We are looking forward to another great month at Marsalis! Please let us know if you have any questions.
WOODS' WORDS OF WISDOM
Mustang Parents:
Welcome back to our Spring semester of instruction! We are at the halfway mark with our students and I am looking forward to seeing their progress. As we begin this semester, I'd like to remind everyone of a few safety reminders for our campus:
1. Our campus opens at 7:30 a.m. Please do not drop your children off at the campus unsupervised. If you arrive prior to 7:30 a.m., please remain with them.
2. Please remember to follow our "Marsalis Way" by kindly reminding your child about the importance of kindness, courtesy and personal space. Help them to remember to keep their hands and feet to themselves, as well as refrain from making unkind comments to their fellow classmates.
3. Bus safety remains a priority at our campus. It is important that our students know how critical it is for them to remain seated and follow the bus drivers' instructions at all time. Failure to follow these expectations will result in students losing their bus privileges this semester.
If we continue working together, I am confident that Marsalis will remain one of the top elementary schools in our district!
Your Assistant Principal,
Wendell Woods
TESTING DATES:
CIRCLE Testing (PK3 and PK4) : January 9 - 26 , 2024
TAG Testing for Kindergarten & Second Opportunity begins January 29, 2024
SCHOOL EVENTS:
Parent Conference Night - January 22, 2024 - 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Fall Semester Awards - January 26, 2024 (Various Times - Flyer will be posted to Class DoJo)
CLUB COMPETITION DATES:
Robotics Team NTX Qualifier - January 20, 2024 @ Adamson HS
FLL Lego League Jr Explore Festival - January 20, 2024 & January 27, 2024 @ Adamson HS / Hutch HS
5th Grade Debate Team Walk-Throughs - January 20, 2024 @ Adams HS
** Check with club sponsors for specific times and instructions**
Meet our counselor, Ms. Telisa Ingram. Visit her counseling website at
https://sites.google.com/dallasisd.org/thecounselorscorner
One of our STEAM Academy commitments is to the social and emotional learning of our students. Each morning our students participate in a "SEL MEET UP" with their homeroom teachers and fellow classmates. This daily activity is the building block for our classroom communities. Our SEL focus for January will focus on: (1) Demonstrating an awareness of one's emotions, thoughts, and values; (2) Considering the well-being and safety of self and others when making decisions.
We are also providing resources and tips for our parents on how to foster SEL at home. Research supports that by fostering positive social and emotional learning at home and school helps our students to be successful academically and socially.
This month's parent workshop will take place on Wednesday, January 24, 2024. Flyer is located below. We'd love to see you if you are able to attend.
EARLY ENROLLMENT FOR ALL PK4 TO KINDERGARTEN TRANSITION
Thank you for choosing Marsalis for PreKindergarten! Even though it may feel early to do so, it is time to think about where your student will enroll for Kindergarten. If your student’s home address does not fall within our school’s attendance boundaries, he/she will not be automatically enrolled at our school next year. By default, all Dallas ISD Kindergarten students are enrolled at their neighborhood (“zoned”) school.
If you would like your student to continue at Marsalis for Kindergarten in the 2024-2025 school year, you must submit a Choose Dallas ISD application. The online application can be completed using a smartphone, computer, or tablet so visit www.dallasisd.org/choosedallasisd to start the application process.
If you plan to enroll your student at his/her neighborhood (“zoned”) school for Kindergarten, no action is necessary from you at this time. He/she will be automatically be enrolled there and you will receive information later in the spring about registration for the 2024-2025 school year.
Please do not hesitate to contact our office staff if you have any questions about the PreK to Kindergarten transition or the Choose Dallas ISD application process. We are here to help!
MARSALIS ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL REMINDERS
- Our school opens at 7:30 a.m. Only bus riders and PK3 students need to enter at the Scottsboro (bus lane) door. All other students must enter at the front entrance.
- School begins at 8:00 a.m. and a student is tardy at 8:15 a.m. Recording of tardies will begin this week and can affect your child's overall attendance.
- Students begin picking up breakfast from the cafeteria with their teachers at 7:45 a.m. and eat in their classrooms. Breakfast concludes at 8:15 a.m. All students who arrive after this time will miss the breakfast period.
Dismissal Reminders
- Dismissal begins at 3:20 p.m. If you would like to pick your child up early, they will need to be picked up prior to 3:00 p.m. Please understand that your child will be missing valuable instruction and parent conferences will be held for students who have frequent early releases.
- If your child is a bus rider or is being picked up by a daycare facility, please be sure to notify your child's teacher.
PARENT PICKUP PROCEDURES
- All persons picking up students will need to have photo ID ready to show. Our scholars will only be released to the persons listed on their enrollment history. If you need to update this information, please contact Mrs. Garcia, CRC, at 972-749-3512.
STAY CONNECTED TO YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER(S)
- Our Marsalis grade level Google sites are officially live now. Check out our school website (www.dallasisd.org/marsalis) for access. These sites will provide you with specific information and resources for your child's specific grade level. Click on our "Academics" tab and select "Grade Level Classes" to locate the teachers' pages.
BUS SAFETY REMINDERS
Please share with your child(ren) the importance of bus safety. Students are to wear seatbelts, if applicable, obey the bus drivers' directives, keep their hands and belongings to themselves and most importantly, stay seated while on the bus. Parents, also remember to be at the appropriate bus pickup locations on time. Our bus drivers routes do not service Marsalis only and must stay on schedule.
WE PROVIDE AN ON-CAMPUS AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM
Thomas L. Marsalis Elementary STEAM Academy
Email: KR2404@dallasisd.org
Website: dallasisd.org/marsalis
Location: 5640 South Marsalis Avenue, Dallas, TX, USA
Phone: 972-749-3500
Twitter: @marsalis_l