Hello Dickinson Families!

I want to say welcome to all of our new Dolphin families joining us from Carter Elementary or new to the Greatwood Area. I have a New Student Orientation scheduled for May 14th from 5:30-6:30. This will be a great time to tour the campus, purchase some spirit wear, and learn more about our school. The presentation will be posted on our website for future reference if you cannot make it. Hope to see you there!

Thank you to all of the volunteers that were able to make our appreciation luncheon. Our staff enjoyed treating you to breakfast and recognizing that Dickinson Elementary is a better place because of you!

The end of year is super busy, please read over the new information carefully. We are excited to celebrate all of the cultures of Dickinson by having students dress up on May 7th. I welcome you to attend Reading Junior High that evening for a fun event.

Please be sure you register on our website or click below to pre-register for end of year awards ECSE and K-5th Grade levels.

As we close another chapter, I want to extend my deepest gratitude for your unwavering support this year. Together, we've created a nurturing environment for our students to thrive. Here's to a summer filled with joy and relaxation. Looking forward to our continued partnership in the new academic year!

As a friendly reminder you can follow us on Facebook and all past newsletters are housed on our Dickinson Website page. I will be posting updates throughout the summer.

Warm Regards,

Channon Almendarez

#dolphinproud

In a growing school system, the district’s attendance zones will inevitably change to accommodate the growth. As a hypergrowth district, we are experiencing significant enrollment increases in some areas. As a result, some schools are over capacity while others have available capacity.

The Board may consider leveling plans to balance student enrollment across campuses and alleviate overcrowding. The district’s process is to collect feedback from community stakeholders regarding attendance boundary options. We specifically look to include parents from the potentially impacted campuses/areas.

We appreciate everyone who provided input during the attendance boundary committee meetings and the leveling process.

The Lamar CISD Board of Trustees has approved new attendance zones that will impact Campbell, Carter, Dickinson, Hutchison, Velasquez, and Williams Elementary Schools. The zones will go into effect for the 2024-2025 school year, which begins on Monday, August 12.

As a result, your student(s) may be impacted by the rezoning.

Please review the Board-approved attendance boundary map below or click HERE to see the impacted areas. You may also click HERE to access the “Find My School” site, type in your address, and see your zoned campus.

Families with students currently in fourth grade (2023-2024 school year) who will be enrolled in the fifth grade during the 2024-2025 school year, may complete the Legacy Provision Application to request to stay at their current elementary school. However, transportation will not be provided to these students choosing to remain at their current campus.

Click HERE to access the Legacy Provision Application or you may obtain a copy from the Front Office at your child’s campus. All Legacy Provision Applications must be completed by Friday, May 17 and returned to: Transfers@LCISD.org.

Please email me at channon.almendarez@lcisd.org you have any questions or concerns.

It's hard to believe how fast summer vacation is approaching - time to get those library books returned and library fines paid. All student library books will be collected during your child's library visit during the week of April 29th. The final due date for books and fines is Friday, May 3rd.

During the month of May there will not be a Beanstack Reading Challenge. There will be a summer reading challenge and summer library opportunities during the months of June and July. Please be on the lookout for more information about both of these activities on our school's website and social media.

Important Student Transportation Information for

2024-2025 School Year

Lamar CISD was recently named a hypergrowth district, which requires significant planning to ensure our schools remain a great place to learn, and our students get the best education available. For the 2024-2025 school year, and in alignment with our mission to remain a destination District, Lamar CISD is moving from Smart Tag to Tyler Technologies Versatrans My Stop ™ (My Stop).

This change will require all parents/guardians to complete a Transportation Form. We are requesting this form to be filled out for all current and new students including bus riders, car riders, bike riders, and/or walkers.

It’s especially important that students who ride the bus complete this Transportation Form so they can receive bus services at the start of the school year.

The new transportation software will provide a smoother experience for our drivers, which increases the safety of our students. Additionally, My Stop will provide a parent portal, student rider onboarding, and student rider location.

To plan accordingly for your student, please review a list of important dates below:

· Sunday, August 4: Deadline to submit Transportation Form for students who want to receive bus transportation on the first day of school (Monday, August 12).

· Monday, August 5 – Wednesday, August 21: During this time, if families fill out the Transportation Form requesting bus transportation for a student, the student will start receiving bus transportation on Monday, August 26.

· Thursday, August 22 and beyond: During this time, if families fill out the Transportation Form requesting bus transportation for a student, the student will start receiving bus transportation five school days after the form is submitted.

DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS TO ACCESS TRANSPORTATION FORM

VISIT TRANSPORTATION WEBSITE

The end of the year is quickly approaching! We are excited to see how our Dickinson Dolphins have grown over the past year. To keep our efforts strong to the end of the year, we are implementing a special May behavioral reward system. This will start on April 29th.

Students will have the opportunity to earn a letter every day as they meet behavior expectations. As we spell “Let’s Go Dolphins!!!” together, students will earn rewards such as wearing free dress, board games, and extra recess.

Thank you for your support as we enter the end of a fabulous year!

Dickinson Elementary does not have Pre-K, however we do enroll students that are zoned to our campus. Velasquez Elementary is where our Dickinson Dolphins go for Pre-K. Please contact our front office, if you have any questions or would like to setup an appointment for enrolling.

Dickinson is excited to announce our Pre-K/Kinder Round Up! This will be a time for your children to come take a tour of our school, see how a kindergarten classroom is set-up, and register for next school year. In order to turn in required documents, online registration must be completed prior to this event. Please share this event with all community members that you know will be here next school year. There will be a presentation from 5:30-6:00. If you have any questions, please contact the front office at 832-223-1400. Thank you! We look forward to meeting our new dolphins!

Our PTO has worked with McKenna Construction who is a district approved vendor to get quotes on playground shading. Our Site Based Management Team who is composed of teachers, district leaders, and community voted at our last meeting and decided that we want to focus on shading this part of the playground first. The cost is around $50,000.00. We will continue to fundraise next school year in order to purchase this for our students. Currently we have around $20,000.00 saved.

Please feel free to visit www.lcisd.org to watch it online or click below to be directed to the page.

Dickinson Elementary Library was named a Beanstack Reading Culture Trailblazer. This is the inaugural year for this award and it was awarded to libraries who had 75% or more reader participation this school year in the Beanstack app. Our library earned a $150.00 Amazon Gift Card which was used to purchase Code and Go Mice for our Dolphins to continue to practice their coding and reading skills together. Thank you to all families who support their child's reading at home and encourage them to log their reading minutes in Beanstack.

Dickinson Elementary is sharing the below information about the district and your child’s campus with you as part of its obligations under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA).

Federal Report Cards for the state, the district, and each of the district’s campuses are now available on the district’s website at this link: https://www.lcisd.org/departments/academics/raa/performance-reports-and-legal-postings or are also available on the Texas Education Agency’s website at: https://tea.texas.gov/finance-and-grants/grants/essa-program/federal-report-card. A detailed description of these reports is enclosed.

If you have difficulty accessing the information from the website, hard copies of the reports can be requested from the district or campus office. If you have questions about the information, please contact Channon Almendarez at 832-223-1400 or the Lamar CISD Research, Assessment, & Accountability Office at 832-223-0136.

Health Services - Clinic Reminders

Preventing the spread of contagious health conditions is a priority at Dickinson. Please encourage your student to wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds (wet, lather, scrub, rinse, and dry) before eating, after using the restroom, after sneezing or coughing, and discourage them from touching the face. Keep your children home if they are sick and communicate concerns with your healthcare provider.

District policy (pg 44 Student Handbook)

LCISD encourages all students to attend school every day unless prevented by severe injury, illness, or hospitalization.

Parent should keep students' home if:

• Temperature >100.0F, are severely ill, or known to have or suspected to have a contagious health condition. ​**Student must be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medications before returning to school.**
• Vomiting 2 or more times within 24 hours, student should be free of vomiting at least 24 hours to ensure they are not contagious.
• Students with diarrhea illness must be excluded from school until they are diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of diarrhea suppressing medication.

Medical excuse (pg 42 Student Handbook)

If a student needs to be excused from participation in physical activities for medical reasons, a written excuse from the parent must be provided if the student is to be excused for less than 2 days. If a student is to be excused form physical education activities for more than 2 days, a written excuse from the doctor is required. Coach will also need a medical release to return to physical activity with any restrictions.

Thank you for helping us keep our students healthy! Prevention is powerful 👋

Alyson Jarvis, RN

School Nurse

Dickinson Elementary

832-223-1406

fax 832-223-1401

We have had several rainy day dismissals this school year. We are continuously reflecting and trying to speed up the process. Recently, we are noticing that parents are bringing their old car tags which have different numbers. Please be sure to check your car tag and be sure you have the correct one. If you need another tag, please contact the front office and we will print one for you. It is imperative that you have these tags posted in your car windshield.When we have to stop to get a name, it slows down the process. If you do not have a tag, you will be directed to go park and check out through the front office. This is to ensure the safety of all students. Thank you for your understanding! I apprecaite your support!

Students that arrive after 7:45 are considered tardy. Please be sure to walk your child in if they arrive after that time.

It has been reported to the front office that on the weekends we have older children on the playground making poor decisions. Please know that our Officer Nash, LCISD police, has been in contact with Fort Bend County police department to closely monitor in the evenings. We will continue to monitor the situation closely. and share information. If you see something, suspicious, please do not hesitate to call the police. Thank you!

Every day a student is absent is a lost opportunity for learning. Too many absences not only can affect achievement for the absent student but also can disrupt learning for the entire class. Many of our learning opportunities include cooperative group learning. Learning is reinforced when academic vocabulary can be used in conversations with each other and the teacher. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in elementary school so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college and at work.

We have noticed that several students have earned a tardy the past few weeks. The start of the school year was amazing with little to no tardiness. As per the district handbook, students must be in the building at 7:45am. There is a 30 minute window to arrive so please evaluate if leaving your home 5 minutes earlier would be beneficial. A student's positive start of the day reduces their stress!

This is a video that all of the students and staff were required to watch as part of our safety protocol. LCISD is committed to keeping all of our students and staff safe. If you ever have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Our fence is completed. I am currently working with maintenance and operations to get some signage with hours and expectations during non-school hours.

Get your Dolphin reading and logging their reading minutes with our Beanstack Reading Challenges! The Library sponsors monthly challenges where students read and then log their reading minutes through ClassLink and the Beanstack app. Students who complete challenges within the challenge dates will earn a Brag Tag to celebrate their reading achievement.

Safety is our top priority! In Lamar CISD, we follow the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) to prepare and respond to crisis situations should there ever be a need. It is important to be prepared for a quick response to keep our staff and students safe. When we practice drills, parents will receive an e-mail that we practiced a drill. Below is information about the SRP so that you can keep informed about the protocols we have in place. We need your support for when you visit the campus by wearing your visitor badge on the left or right side of your chest / torso in visible view for our staff members to see at a quick glance. The sticker badge should not be worn on the pants, arm, purse or other areas besides the upper chest area. Thank you for your help keeping our dolphins and staff safe!

To increase our safety measures, students are required to wear their ID badges at all times on campus except during recess and PE. Student badges will serve as the student's ID and Smart Tag all in one badge.

The Smart Tag is used to ride the school bus, check out library books and purchase a tray in the cafeteria. We need parents to assist us with making sure students have their badges available each school day. Work with your child's homeroom teacher as to the procedures followed in the classrooms.

It is significantly important to register your child's Smart Tag in the system which provides a great deal of additional information should your student ride the bus. Click on this link to learn more about this process: https://www.lcisd.org/departments/support-services/transportation/smart-tag-information

This link has videos on how to:

• Create a Parent Portal Account
• Create Additional Parent Portal Accounts
• Setup Phone Notifications

KINDERGARTEN PARENTS: If your student is going to ride the bus, parents are required to register their name and any other person's name (adult and/or older sibling) who have access to assist your child getting off the bus. Every person listed having this permission must have an ID on them to show the bus driver at the bus stop for your child to get off of the bus. If that person does not have their ID at the bus stop, the child will be brought back to campus to check out the student from campus.

FAQ'S:

Are SMART tag ID badges required to ride the bus?

Yes, in order to foster increased student safety and security as well as to provide a more efficient process of loading and unloading our buses, SMART tag ID badges will be required for all riders. Additionally, in order to minimize the manual review of students who misplace or forget SMART tag ID badges at home or school, those students possessing SMART tag ID badges will be allowed to board the bus first.

Lamar Students are issued Smart Tag ID cards with an electronic chip Smart sensor (please do not modify the ID cards, or place holes in the card). The student name is printed on the front of the card, and there is no student information stored on the card.

Will students be eligible to ride the bus if they lose or forget their SMART tag ID Card?

Yes. If a student does not have their smart tag at the bus, the driver must personally log them in. This is more time consuming than students tagging in and can delay a route causing anxiety or late buses down the line. This is the reason why those not having their tags are loaded and unloaded last. Manually logging in is time consuming and the compliant students should not be held up.

What are the consequences of not having your Smart Tag?

Elementary: If a student does not have his/her Smart Tag ID badge for five (5) consecutive days, the Lamar CISD Transportation Department will contact the school/campus or parent to request that a Smart Tag replacement card be purchased. Replacement cards can be requested through the campus office or via the Lamar CISD Transportation website https://lcisd.org/departments/support-services/transportation. There is a $5.00 fee to replace Smart Tag cards. Replacement cards include the Smart Tag and clear plastic sleeve. A lanyard, badge reel, or zip tie are not included.

When a student receives the maximum number of warnings allowed by the school, the student may be subject to disciplinary action which may include the suspension of transportation service.

How do I link my students together on the SMART Tag Parent Portal?

Once you have registered, you will have the option to add multiple students within the Parent Portal.

Are notifications through SMART tag available?

Yes, electronic notifications (text alerts) are available through SMART tag. The parent must be registered for the Parent Portal and the option for notifications to be turned on. There is no cost to parents to utilize the SMART tag Parent Portal. The portal may be accessed directly at https://www.parent.smart-tag.net

Will parents receive a notification when their child gets on/off the bus?

Yes. The parent must be registered for the Parent Portal to receive an alert/notification. SMART tag will deliver an electronic notification (text) approximately 10-15 minutes prior to pick-up and drop-off.

Can parents view their child’s bus route?

Yes. Parents will be able to track their child’s bus once his/her student swipes his/her SMART tag ID badge upon boarding the bus. Bus activity/tracking will remain active until the child swipes his/her SMART tag ID badge to get off the bus. Please note, parents must be registered to use the Parent Portal to view bus activity.

Can a parent see when his/her child gets on/off the bus?

Yes. The parent can view a student’s ridership activity for the entire school year. If the parent wants to review the daily history, it will take a minute from loading/unloading the bus for SMART tag to update its records due to network connectivity. Parents should be aware it may take longer if there is a poor signal or the network provider is experiencing a delay/latency issue out of Lamar CISD’s control.

Is the information regarding a student’s bus location in real time or is it delayed?

There may be a one-minute delay to process the exchange of information between the SMART tag tablet mounted on each bus and the SMART tag main server.

How does SMART tag benefit transportation departments and school administrators?

SMART tag not only provides immediate information regarding which students are on which bus, it also automates a number of reporting functions for transportation department personnel such as state headcount and mileage reports. SMART tag also provides efficient communication between the transportation department and parents.

How does SMART tag benefit drivers?

SMART tag provides the driver a student profile with a photo ID. The system enables the drivers to perform their duties more efficiently and effectively while improving overall safety and security. It also automates seating charts, maintenance requests, and other critical documentation.

How does SMART tag benefit parents?

The SMART Parent Web Portal is designed to enhance communication between the transportation department and the parents of student riders. SMART tag provides parents with improved security and leading-edge technology designed to keep students safe.

The Lamar CISD Elementary Handbook has been approved by the LCISD board and is now posted with updated changes. Please follow this link to review:

https://www.lcisd.org/departments/academics/elementary-education

HIGHLIGHTS

Technology Devices

Personal Technology Lamar CISD believes that appropriate use of students’ technology devices enhances our students’ education. Students may be asked to bring their own device to school. This includes but is not limited to: cell phones, smart phones, iPods, iPads, electronic tablets, and laptop computers. Students may use devices in class at the teacher’s discretion. Students must follow teacher, campus, and district rules and guidelines for use.

(Campus Guideline: All electronic devices stated above, including Smart Watches, must remain in the student's backpack turned off during the instructional day unless the teacher allows the student to use the device for an assignment.)

Vapes / e-cigarettes

During the last Texas Legislative session, a law was passed making it illegal for a student to be in possession of a vape / e-cigarette at school events or on campus. If a student is in found of possession of such items violating the district code of conduct, there is a mandatory placement at ALC. (Page 113 Elementary Student Handbook)

Possession Of Prohibited Items Students shall not possess or use:

(For a complete list of prohibited items see page 99 of the LCISD Elementary Handbook)

• fireworks of any kind, smoke or stink bombs, or any other pyrotechnic device
• razor, box cutter, chain, or any other object used in a way that threatens or inflicts bodily injury to another person
• “look-alike” weapon
• air gun or BB gun, firearm, stun gun
• a pocketknife or any other small knife
• mace or pepper spray

(Parents, please discuss this with your child and check your student's backpacks or pockets every once in a while. Students have shared that on the weekends they go fishing or hunting where they use a pocket knife. We simply do not want a pocket knife left in a pocket or back pack from a fun weekend trip inadvertently. If you look on page 113, there's mandatory placement to ALC if these items are brought on campus.)

Compulsory Attendance Law

Excused Absences for Compulsory Attendance

State law allows exemptions to the compulsory attendance requirements for several types of absences if the student makes up all work. The District shall excuse a student from attending school for the following purposes:

• Religious holy days
• Required court appearances
• Activities related to obtaining United States citizenship
• Health-Care Appointments*
• For students in the conservatorship (custody) of the state
• TAPS at Military Funeral

• Parent, Stepparent, or Legal Guardian who is an active-duty member of the uniformed services leaves for active duty
• Personal Illness**
• Death/Funeral of an Immediate Family Member
• Quarantine Absences for a student who is required to quarantine will be excused with written documentation from a medical physician or the school nurse.

*Documented health-care appointments for the student or a child of the student, including absences related to autism services shall be excused, if the student returns to school on the same day of the appointment and brings a note from the health-care provider. A consultation over the phone or via video (telemedicine) is considered an appointment with a health care professional. However, an appointment with a school nurse does not count as an appointment with a health care professional.

**When a student is absent from school due to personal illness, the student upon return, or within 5 days of returning to school, must submit a note signed by a parent giving the date(s) and describing the reason for the absence.

Unexcused Absences

If an absence does not meet the criteria for an excused absence, the absence will be considered unexcused for attendance accounting purposes. Examples of unexcused absences includes, but are not limited to the following:

• Any absence without required documentation.
• Family trips/vacations, reunions, weddings, parent business trips.
• Non-school sponsored activities.
• Private lesson or tutoring.
• Religious retreats, camps, mission trips, and individual rites other than a religious holy Day.
• Non-enrollment days – These are days that a student is not in school due to transferring to another LCISD campus or alternative placement.

ABSENT NOTES:

Parent notes may be sent by email but must come from a parent’s verified email account. The note or email must be sent to the campus attendance clerk. Excuse notes turned in after 5 days are subject to approval by the campus principal. An excessive number of absences will be referred to the Campus Attendance Review Committee (ARC). If a student is absent 5 consecutive school days or more, a doctor’s note is required within 5 days of the student’s return to school for the absence to be excused.

MAKE-UP WORK:

It is critical for students to work with teachers when they return from an absent from school so that assignments can be completed.

Collared (polo style, no logo) solid color navy blue, light blue, red, or white tops. Bottoms, including leggings may be in solid color khaki, navy blue or black pants, capris, shorts, skirts, skorts, or jumpers. If leggings or tights are worn, they must be under shorts, skirts, or jumpers. Blue denim jeans permitted on Friday with school spirit shirt. Thank you for your assistance in making sure students are following the dress code here at Dickinson!

The culture of Dickinson Elementary includes a partnership with our community. Last year, our parents volunteered hundreds of hours to support our students and staff. We value our partnership as together we educate our dolphins. This year all volunteers are required to register as a volunteer. This includes PTO Board Members, work room volunteers, Watch Dog Dad volunteers, room parents, field day volunteers, library volunteers, and the list continues! Please visit this website to begin the process:

https://www.lcisd.org/community/volunteers

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the front office at 832-223-1400.

Thank you for giving the gift of time for the success of our campus! What you value, you give your time to! - Channon Almendarez

Dickinson Elementary is sharing the below information about the district and your child’s campus with you as part of its obligations under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA).

Federal Report Cards for the state, the district, and each of the district’s campuses are now available on the district’s website at this link: https://www.lcisd.org/departments/academics/raa/performance-reports-and-legal-postings or are also available on the Texas Education Agency’s website at: https://tea.texas.gov/finance-and-grants/grants/essa-program/federal-report-card. A detailed description of these reports is enclosed.

If you have difficulty accessing the information from the website, hard copies of the reports can be requested from the district or campus office. If you have questions about the information, please contact Joanne Bromonsky or the Lamar CISD Research, Assessment, & Accountability Office at 832-223-0138.

The federal report card is located below for your reference.

• May 2nd: PK/Kinder Round Up @ 5:30-7:00
• May 3rd: All student library books are due., Ron Clark Color Out Day
• May 7th: Multicultural Night @ Reading Junior High 6:00-7:30, Students may dress in cultural attire.
• May 20th: Principal/AP/Counselor for the Days
• May 21st: 5th Grade Awards
• May 22nd: ECSE-4th Grade Awards
• May 23rd: Early Release / Last Day of School
• May 24th: Summer Begins

Email: channon.almendarez@lcisd.org
Website: https://www.lcisd.org/campuses/dickinson/home
Location: 7110 Greatwood Pkwy, Sugar Land, TX 77479, USA
Phone: 832-223-1400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dickinsondolphins