Wrangler Review

Hello Wrangler Families!

I hope this email finds you and your family after a restful break. It is always fun to see the students after an extended break and how happy they are to be at school. We are just as happy to have them here!

The next three weeks will fly by. On campus, we have some fun things happening but the end of the semester brings quite a few assessments that will be taking place. Students in 2nd through 5th grade will have mastery checks in i-Ready that will look at their learning of specific TEKS and skills; Kindergarten through 2nd grade teachers will be completing students' early literacy and math screeners; and then all Kindergarten through 5th grade students will complete their middle of the year i-Ready progress monitoring screener as well as their report card assessments. Most of these things will not take more than a 30-45 minute period, but some may take a little longer. If your child has any anxiety around assessments, whether they are minor or major, let them know that the assessment's only purpose is to allow their teachers and our support staff to know where they are so we can make good plans for the Spring semester for every single student. Our goal is to make sure meet every student where they are and more formalized assessments are just one way to measure student learning.

As we go into this month full of the winter cheer and the celebrations that happen as we close out the first semester of school, please let your child's teacher or our counselor, Kelli Routh, know if there is anything we can be mindful of with your student. For those of us who have endured loss or hardship over this year or who have lost loved ones around this time, the stretch between Thanksgiving and New Years can be very difficult. A simple "handle with care" note will do to help communicate that things may not be as "normal" or easy as they are at other times in the year.

We greatly appreicate you sharing your children with us and entrusting us to educate, love, and prepare them for their futures. It is a joy to serve you and your family. As campus administrators, we are thankful for this amazing staff that chose to spend their professional careers in the classrooms of our public schools and a great community that trusts us and advocates for us in every area. You make our job fun and something we look forward doing every single day.

If you ever have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

It is a great MONTH to be a Wrangler!

Dr. Lokey and Mrs. Hart

Our next early release of the school year is on Thursday, December 19 and Friday, December 20. From noon until 3:00 pm, Denton ISD will provide engagement for students whose families may need assistance because of the early release day on December 19 and 20. If your student is currently enrolled in and attending Extended School Day, you do not need to fill out this form. You must fill out a separate form for each child. Your child must be at least 4 years old and potty-trained.

Registration can be done at the Extended School Day website: https://www.dentonisd.org/ESD or by using the links below. You may need to copy and paste them. The deadline to sign up is FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13th!

ENGLISH FORM: https://forms.gle/FWRF5qBXnykuz4Q79

SPANISH FORM: https://forms.gle/qEE2oKkLeWH9ouGx8

5th Grade to UNT - December 4th

Our 5th grade students were invited to attend a UNT Girls' Basketball game on Wednesday, December 4th. If students did not sign up for a school lunch, be sure to send them with a sack lunch and water bottle. There will be concessions at the game as well.

3rd Grade to Perot Museum - December 6th

The Perot Museum is such an incredible place to visit. Be sure to read information from your child's teacher about lunches and plans for the day.

Picture Re-take Day - December 10th

Your student's school picture proofs should be coming home this week. You also may have received an email earlier with the proof as well. All purchases are done online and photos ship directly to you. If you do not like the photo or your student was absent, we have our re-take opportunity on December 10th.

Chick-fil-A Spirit DAY - Tuesday, December 10th

Location: Chick Fil A on Swisher (Same Chick-fil-A but the store moved down Swisher to a new building in Hickory Creek.)

Only mobile orders count towards Spirit Day. Download the Chick-fil-A app and create an account. Mobile Order Ahead and Select Drive-Thru as your pick up method. Join their new "Mobile App Only Drive Thru" line and give your name to the Team Member. You can even have someone else pick up the order! Earn Rewards from every mobile order, scan and pay through the application.

Use Code: WSRYAN (all caps)

5th Grade to Camp Grady Spruce - December 11-13

Camp is always a great experience for our oldest elementary students, a rite of passage if you will. As a principal, I have always loved our students going at this time of the year. They have had time to get to know each other and their teachers and so it provides a great bonding expereince for them to come back and finish out their school year as a connected team. This is always the highlight of my year and the student's educational experience! Be on the lookout for communication from the 5th grade teachers about campus, including packing lists, departure and arrival times, and other important information they need to share. If you have questions, reach out to your student's homeroom teacher.

Rockin' Wrangler - December 19th

Our second Rockin' Wrangler celebration will be taking place on Thursday, December 19th. If your child receives an award on this day, you will get an invitation sent directly from your child's teacher to you. This is an exciting way to celebrate student leadership in the classroom and throughout our school.

The PTA is hosting their annual Holiday Shop right around the corner! We are so excited that your child is getting to participate in the Penguin Patch Holiday Shop! This shop provides inexpensive gifts at kid-friendly prices in a safe shopping environment. Your kids love being able to pick a gift for their loved ones! At the Pengin Patch Holiday Shop, 80% of gifts are priced under $5.00 and 60% are priced under $3. We suggest setting a budget per person to determine how much money to spend. We will be sending out a link to the gift guide along with money envelopes as the event gets closer. Keep an eye on PTAs website and social media for more information!

Our PTA needs VOLUNTEERS to help run the shop! Here is the link to sign up if you can assist at the shop: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DADAB22ABF9C25-53622997-penguin#/

At the end of the first semester we host winter celebrations in every classroom. We will host all class parties on Tuesday, December 17th and the grade levels are staggard. Parents and invited guests are welcome to join us at the celebrations! Your child's room parent or teacher will be in contact about how to get involved in the festivities. Here are the grade level schedules (in order by grade, not time):

• PreK - 12:00 - 12:45
• Kindergarten - 1:30 - 2:15
• 1st Grade - 12:30 - 1:15
• 2nd Grade - 8:15 - 9:00
• 3rd Grade - 9:15 - 10:00
• 4th Grade - 12:00 - 12:45
• 5th Grade - 8:45 - 9:35

Each year, the staff has a calendar dedicated to fun dress up and celebration to bring the Fall semester to a close. While the staff does "15 Days of December Cheer," we want to invite the students to join us on the last five days of the semester to have a great celebration of their hard work!

Monday, December 16th - "Calling all Santa's Helpers: Dress as an elf or reindeer!"

Tuesday, December 17th - "Light up the Days: Wear things that light up, sparkle or shine!"

Wednesday, December 18th - "In our Holiday Era: Dress up in your Swiftie or Kelse (sports) best!"

Thursday, December 19th - "Clash of the Carolers: Grade level color wars!"

• PreK, Kinder and 1st Grade - Wear Green!
• 2nd, 3rd, and FLS - Wear Red!
• 4th, 5th, and AFS - Wear White!

Friday, December 20th - "Winter PJ Day Horray!: Wear your holiday/winter PJs!"

• Our campus is going to have a campus-wide student and staff sing-a-long. This will be for our campus celebration only and no visitors during this event.

Our lost and found is over-flowing with great jackets, nice reusable cups, and some bento box lunch boxes. If your child is missing something, there is a good chance it may be in our lost and found. The lost and found is located in the hall between the gym and cafeteria. You can have your child check it for lost items or you can come sign in with a visitor badge and check as well. We will be moving it out to the foyer by the bell in the coming days to spread it out and make it easier to look through when you come into the building for class parties.

With our Texas weather, it is very easy for children to wear nice jackets in the morning and take them off at recess, PE, or lunch and walk away from them. Teachers try to remind students go grab their jackets but they still get left behind from time to time.

Did you know that at https://www.schoolcafe.com/dentonisd you can set spending limits, auto-replenish lunch accounts, or select what days your student can get snacks? Our cafeteria offers "snacks" for purchase everyday... things like chips, ice cream, or sparkling juices. As much as we try to get students to eat their protein and veggies before snacks, some students will spend their lunch eating just snacks. Without you setting the limits on their account, there is little we can do. We just want to make you aware of this spending control... as a mom, I need this because the Lokey boys can run up a cafeteria bill rather quickly with ice cream and juices!

When coming to campus for any reason, please have your ID out and ready to show to the camera before entering the building. Mrs. Place or Mrs. Rodriguez will ask your purpose for entering the building. After you are welcomed into the building, please keep your ID out. You will be asked to show it to the receptionists while you are completing the student sign-out or visitor check-in on the computer.

Students may not receive personal deliveries to school. Personal deliveries are considered, but not limited to, ride share food delivery, flowers, balloons, and gifts. Parents are welcome to come eat lunch with their child or drop off forgotten lunches, but gifts and ride share deliveries will not be accepted or delivered.

New Website - https://sites.google.com/view/wsryanpta/home

Our PTA has created a new website to keep you up to date on all things W. S. Ryan PTA. Check in for updates!

Join PTA!

Don't forget to join our PTA. You can sign up at joinpta.org. They not only do great things for our campus but they are another communication point to keep you up to date on the great things at W. S. Ryan!

• Wednesday, December 4 - 5th Grade Field Trip to UNT Basketball Game

• Friday, December 6 - 3rd Grade Field Trip to the Perot Museum

• Wednesday, December 11-13 - 5th Grade at Camp Grady Spruce!

• Saturday, December 14 - Happy Birthday, Shannon Trammell, 3rd Grade Teacher!!!!!

• Sunday, December 15 - Happy Birthday, Cynthia Delarosa, Pre-K Teacher!!!!!

• Sunday, December 15 - Happy Birthday, Kayla Saunders, 4th Grade Resident Teacher!!!!!

• Monday, December 16-20 - Penguin Patch Holiday Store hosted by PTA and volunteers

• Tuesday, December 17 - Classroom Winter/Holiday Parties

• Thursday, December 19 - Happy Birthday, Jordan Dunaway, PE Aide!!!!!!!

• Thursday, December 19 & 20 - Early Release

• Sunday, December 22 - Happy Birthday, Charlie Lokey, Principal!!!!!

• Monday, December 23 - Happy Birthday, Shayla Kovarik, Art Teacher!!!!!!

• Tuesday, December 24 - Happy Birthday, Monica May, 5th Grade Teacher!!!!!

• Friday, December 27 - Happy Birthday, Brandy Kildal, EXPO Teacher!!!!!!

• Saturday, December 28 - Happy Birthday, Diana Olvera, Kindergarten Teacher!!!!!!

• Denton ISD Calendar
• Absence Form - Use this form to submit your absence notes.
• W. S. Ryan Counselor's Page
• W. S. Ryan Facebook Page - Follow us and check out our page periodically. We will post the most up-to-date information on this page as well as frequent posts highlighting the great things happening in our classrooms.
• W. S. Ryan Website
• Arrival and Dismissal Site - The date is the only thing that is incorrect on this website. All other information is accurate. We are working on getting a new campus webmaster so dates can be updated.