The Texan Star May 7th

Field Day is this Friday, May 10th. Please seel below for some reminders about field day for parents and students.

• Please dress in school appropriate attire. Boys may wear swim trunks that are like shorts with a t-shirt. Girls may wear their swimsuit under their t-shirt and shorts. We will not have kids wearing just a swimsuit during field day.
• They may wear the rash guard shirts with shorts to prevent sunburns or give more coverage.
• Sunscreen is encouraged! Hats may be worn, but they will get wet!!!
• Pony tails and braids are encouraged to keep long hair out of their faces for a wet and very active day!
• Bring a towel, and a change of clothes including underwear and shoes for after field day. A plastic bag for wet clothes is recommended as well. Save those Crocs and flip flops for after field day, but please wear tennis shoes to field day! I don’t want anyone to slip and fall or get stepped on and have to miss any part of the fun!
• If parents are attending, they need to preregister with the front office to ensure their visitor’s sticker will be ready. All visitors at field day must have a sticker to verify they are cleared to be on campus. All volunteers will have a volunteer sticker as well. All stickers will be available for pick up at the tables under the porch at the front entrance. Volunteers AND parents who are just stopping by to watch must also pre-register for this event by using this LINK.
• At the end of session 3, Kinder and 1st grade parents may check their child out early by signing out with the student’s teacher. Only Kinder and 1st grades will have sign out sheets available for early sign out. All others will go through the front office for normal early check out procedures.
• Session 1 - 2nd and 3rd grades 8:15-9:51
• Session 2 - 4th and 5th grades 10:15-12:00
• Session 2 – Kinder and 1st grade 12:45-2:12

Be ready for some fun!!

Thank you for all of your support! We couldn't do it without you.

See you Friday!

Vicki Massa

PE Teacher

Field Day is on Friday, May 10th! We are SO excited to have all of our fantastic volunteers to help make Field Day 2024 the best Field Day yet! All spots are full, but you can check out this link if you need a reminder of what you signed up for! https://tinyurl.com/PTEFieldDay24

Don't forget - All volunteers MUST have a valid background check on file in VOLY to signup. Please login to VOLY to verify before signing up for a slot. If you still have questions, please email Amber at volunteers@prairietrailpta.org.

We also got all of the donations signups filled! Check out the list here if you need a reminder of what you donated. If you have not already send your donations, please do so ASAP.

Volunteers AND parents who are just stopping by to watch must also pre-register for this event by using this LINK.

Grades will be broken into 3 different shifts and we would also love some volunteer help with set up and tear down.

Setup: 7:30 AM - 8:15 AM

2nd/3rd Grade: 8:15 AM - 10:00 AM

4th/5th Grade: 10:15 AM - 12:00 PM

Kinder/1st Grade: 12:45 PM - 2:15 PM

Cleanup: 2:15 PM - 3:30 PM

Questions? Concerns? Contact Amber (volunteers@prairietrailpta.org) or Sarah (fitness@prairietrailpta.org)

Because of the generosity of several communities, including Prairie Trail ES, Buddy-A-Thon Fundraiser, was able to donate over 300 Buddies to several Children's Hospitals. It isn't the same as being their firsthand, but here are just a few pictures of what the stuffed animals meant to the children who received the "Buddies."

Thank you so much for helping to put a smile on the face of children that need something to smile about!

Sincerely,

Ms. Howell

Librarian

Check out some of the activities our students enjoyed last Friday during Thinkapalooza.

Picture Folder.

Congratulations to the Moua Family! Winner of our Ride To School in a Fire Truck Raffle!

The drawing was held on April 26th and live-streamed on Instagram @prairietrailpta - check out the video!

✨🎶🪩 IN OUR TEACHER & STAFF APPRECIATION ERA!🪩🎶✨ Teacher Appreciation Week is May 6th - 10th.

Check out the graphic for our Swiftie Theme of the Day and ideas/suggestions for ways you can show your appreciation for the ✨Enchanting✨ teachers in our school.

Want to send the perfect gift? PTA has set up GiftCrowd to allow families to contribute to a gift card for their favorite teacher / staff member that will be automatically delivered via email on Friday, May 10th at 9am. Find it here: PTE Gift Crowd Link or www.tinyurl.com/PTETAW24

Need a little “me” time without the kids before Mother’s Day? Drop them off at Win Kids for an evening of running, jumping, playing, gymnastics-ing, ninja-ing and FUN!!!

3 SOLID hours of FUN for only $25 per child!* $20 for each additional sibling. Please call 972-355-9988 to reserve your spot & plan to arrive a few minutes early to check in.

*Snacks & drinks not included; kids may bring their own snack and water bottle, or they will be available for purchase at the door.

It’s hard to believe that we are already thinking ahead to next school year! But it is that time to get ahead of things and knock one thing off your Summer to-do-list by purchasing a school supply wrap pack!

The PTA provides this service to families and teachers to make sure you can get your supplies in an easy, no-stress way. One of the best benefits of wrap packs is that EPI guarantees their products and will replace them at no cost (think headphones!).

Just go to www.educationalproducts.com/shoppacks

And enter code PRA013 (3 letters, 3 numbers) for our school list.

Questions? Email wrappacks@prairietrailpta.org

✋🙋🏽‍♀️🙋‍♀️FINAL VOLUNTEER SIGNUPS OF THE YEAR!!🙋🏻‍♂️🙋🏾‍♂️✋ Click the links below to volunteer during the month of MAY. We can’t wait to see you! :)

📚📚 May LIBRARY HELPERS📚📚

📝 May 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? 14 years

What do you love about working at Prairie Trail? The students, staff and parents at Prairie Trail have made the adjustment so easy but by far my favorite part is seeing my own children enjoying school everyday! They are the reason I moved and everything else is just the cherry on top.

Why did you become a teacher? Ever since I can remember I wanted to teach. School always came fairly easy to me but I saw friends and classmates and own sister struggle and wanted to help students like that. It has been tough at times, many times, but I enjoy what I do for the kiddos.

What's your most embarrassing moment? My most embarrassing teaching moment went from 100 to 0 very quickly. It was my second year teaching and we were just introducing our rounding unit. I was trying so hard to be engaging and creative and found a lesson using a balloon. I had my supplies, my kiddos were all interested and ready to see the demonstration and everything was going as planned. I was holding the closed balloon and started my little speech. "If I lift 1 finger off the balloon it stays the same. 2 fingers off it stays the same and so forth. When I got to lifting 5 fingers off the balloon was supposed to rise to the ceiling or "go up" like the numbers would. Well I lifted my fifth finger and the, non helium, balloon fell right to the ground. Clearly I didn't have the right supplies and the whole year I had to hear little snickers and giggles when any rounding or estimation question came around.

How many years have you been working in education? 26 years

What do you love about working at Prairie Trail? I love teaching at Prairie Trail because of the staff and families. They make it a joy to come to school every day!

Why did you become a teacher? I have always enjoyed working with kids whether babysitting, coaching, or teaching. I love to see their eyes light up when they get that concept.

What is something on your bucket list and why? I know this won't surprise many people who know me, but I want to visit every Major League Baseball Park. It is an opportunity to watch baseball, but also to explore around the area and learn new things and visit history.

How many years have you been working in education? 17 years.

What do you love about working at Prairie Trail? My favorite thing about working at Prairie Trail is all the great people I have gotten to know this year! PTE truly has a positive, supportive, and fun culture. From the PTA to the students to the staff, I have felt welcomed to campus from day 1! I love being a Texan.

Why did you want to work in education? From my teenage years through college, I worked as a camp counselor/coordinator each summer with the kids group from my church. It was the highlight of my year each year. It made sense for me to go into a vocation where I got to work with kids all the time!

What is something most people don't know about you? My husband and I love attending concerts and music festivals together. We have been to music festivals around the U.S. and even once in Europe.

How many years have you been teaching? 4 years

Why did you become a teacher? I have wanted to be a teacher since I was little. My becoming a teacher was delayed because I started my family young but I was able to show my own kids it is never too late to follow your dreams. I believe learning is a life-long journey and I love helping students to find their love for learning. I also love getting to see the "Gotcha" moments and the light in the eyes of the students when they understand a new concept.

Why do you love teaching at Prairie Trail? Prairie Trail is full of amazing teachers that help and support each other. My 2nd grade team has been there for me throughout my teaching career. They believe in me when I cannot and they encourage me when I need it. We are a team and I will truly miss them so much next year. We are an incredible team together!

What is something on your bucket list and why? I have extremely fond memories of waking up with my family when I was younger and going to the Plano Balloon Festivals. I fell in love with hot air balloons then. When I see a hot air balloon it makes me smile and just makes me feel like the day is going to be incredible. My children will see one and send me a picture telling me they know they will have a great day. Even though I am terrified of heights I would love to go up in a hot air balloon.

How many years have you been teaching? This is my first year as a teacher, but my fourth here at PTE.

Why did you become a teacher? I have wanted to be a teacher since I was a young girl playing with stuffed animals. As I got older I wanted to change the path of students that struggled or hated school. School for me became a safe haven as I was growing up, and probably the biggest reason I advocate for students today.

Why do you love teaching at Prairie Trail? I love teaching at Prairie Trail because my team has been extremely supportive since day one. I started here as a para and I have loved every year! The close bonds that we get working so closely with each other are ones that I cherish. My team is like family to me! Outside of my team, the other teachers and staff are always willing to help or answer questions. The amount of support allows any new teacher feel welcomed and strong, even on their toughest days.

Please click this LINK to see all of the summer camps Marcus High School has available.

Support Marcus HS students as well as send your kids to some really fun activities this summer. They have cooking classes, dance, multiple sports, science, and more.

Some dates are not yet available.

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.

• May Elementary Breakfast Menu

• May Elementary Lunch Menu

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

Check out dates for the school year.

• 6th-10th - Teacher Appreciation Week
  
• 6th - 4th Grade Field Trip - Ft. Worth Stockyards
• 10th - Field Day is the End of Year Parties
• 14th - PTA Meeting and Choir Performances
• 16th - Field Day (Rain Out Date)
• 17th - Senior Breakfast - 7:15 am
• 22nd - 5th Grade Celebration (Outside weather permitting) - 6:00-7:30
• 23rd - No lunch visitors due to alternate schedule and early dismissal
• 23rd - Last Day of School & Early Release at 11:45 am

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