Dear Mt. Peak Family,

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to each of you—our wonderful parents, dedicated students, and supportive community. Your unwavering commitment and enthusiasm make Mt. Peak the incredible place that it is. I am continuously inspired by the joy and hard work of our students, the partnership of our parents, and the tireless dedication of our staff.

This Thanksgiving, I hope you all find time to relax, recharge, and create cherished memories with loved ones. May your break be filled with laughter, love, and the comfort of family and friends. Thank you for all that you do to make our Mt. Peak family so special.

Wishing you a restful and joyful Thanksgiving holiday!

Adam Henke

Principal

adam.henke@midlothianisd.org

To honor Native American Heritage Month, our 5th graders chose a tribe to research, created an art piece resembling that tribe, and presented their work to their peers. They loved every minute and learned so much from each other!

Dear Parents of Students in RTI,

We want to inform you of some changes in our RTI program. This will be Ms. Thomas's last day teaching your child. We are incredibly grateful for the time and dedication she has given to our students and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Starting tomorrow, Mrs. Gayla Flores will serve as the substitute RTI teacher until the end of December. Mrs. Flores brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to this role. Here’s a short introduction from her:

*Hi!
I’m Gayla Flores, and I’m so excited to sub for Mt Peak! This school has a special place in my heart since my daughter and granddaughters are here!

I worked in Hobbs Municipal School District for 13 years, retired in 2017, and moved to Texas. Since then, I have been subbing and loving it. I’m looking forward to getting to know the students and staff at Mt Peak and becoming a familiar face.*

In January, we will welcome our new RTI teacher, Mrs. Hull, who will join us after completing the current semester at her current job. We are excited for her to bring her expertise and passion to Mt Peak.

Thank you for your continued support as we transition through these changes. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Thank you so much to everyone who donated a pie for the staff! We had so much fun selecting pies and will enjoy them so much over the break!

Mrs. Pratt and Mrs. Handlin challenged their students to use teamwork to build the tallest tower with only marshmallows and toothpicks! It was so much fun!

Thanks for our D.O.G.S for helping us open car doors and greet our students this past Friday morning. Students love to see the dads of great students in the morning! See the section below for information if you’d like to join!

Ms. Allison and Mrs. Cole co-taught lessons today for our Friendsgiving feast. Ms. Alison taught how to make pumpkin pie. Mrs. Cole taught about friendship with her friendship salad lesson. Lots of fun and food!

Mt Peak family you are awesome! Thanks to you, we collected 580 Christmas cards to send to military troops serving abroad. We exceeded our total from last year by almost double! I will be dropping the cards off tomorrow after school so that they can get to the men and women defending our country. Your students have made some really great cards, with heartfelt messages, that I know will touch the hearts of all who read them. They put so much work into them and I know that we are all proud of the job they did.

Students in Mrs. Moss’ classroom are working with Lego Spike to create and code different carnival games and rides. See the comments for videos!

As a reward for everyone achieving their goal with Mrs. Pratt and Mrs. Handlin, students were able to complete the STEM Pringles Challenge to further their understanding of Force, Motion, and Energy. Students explore had a balance and connect forces to build a stable structure and observe how energy transfers affect stability and see the impact of motion when the structure is tested. This hands-on activity brings abstract science concepts to life through creative problem-solving.

To wrap up Native American Heritage Month, 5th graders learned about Code Talkers and their heroism during WWII. After we took time to learn about the first 29 Navajo Code Talkers, we used their alphabet code to write messages to each other! It was complicated and so much fun!

We hope you were able to catch the amazing presentation about all the wonderful things happening at the Peak! The best surprise was all the staff that showed up to support! We are blessed beyond measure to have such a strong Peak family dedicated to going above and beyond for every student!

Way to go STUCO! So proud of you all for leading the pledges for the school board meeting!

We got to spend time in Mrs. Pearson’s class this week. Look at the full student engagement in 1st grade! She’s a rockstar! We are so blessed to have her at Peak! Way to go!

Last week students in YMCA after school care got to experience some magic!

This past Friday buddies got to play two structured games together working on number identification, working together, and listening to others.

This past week in P.E., Mt Peak students were able to participate in Stack Up! We were attempting to set a new world record for the number of people sport stacking for at least 30 minutes around the world. Our students accomplished their part in this fun and engaging activity and even had some friendly competion. Here are some of our snap shots from this week's fun!!!

We spoke to Norma Belcher, Assistant Director at Manna House Midlothian, and they are so thankful that our school has worked together to support their holiday mission again this year. Norma said that she and Sissy Franklin (Director) will be on our campus at 7:20am on Tuesday, December 17th to be on our live announcements and share with all students and staff the great blessings of their efforts to make bowls to feed the need.

To date, we have raised a total of $1,582! We will present a check to Manna House on the live announcements.

The Adopt-a-Shelf program is in its first year at MPE and is open for 3rd and 4th grade students. Students are assigned a shelf in the library and they are to check on it throughout the week to make sure the shelf is neat and orderly. This lets student take responsibility and pride in the library, while helping Mrs. Hobbs.

On Mondays, a winner of each section is chosen. Winners each week will be put in to a drawing for prizes, including free books, at the end of each semester.

Mrs. Hobbs is looking for the MPE broadcast team for the Spring 2025 semester! This is open for all 5th grade students, and current MPE broadcast members have to reapply. The application and teacher recommendation is due December 5th.

The broadcast team is responsible for creating and producing the morning broadcast which includes school announcements, the Pledge of Allegiance and occasional special performances. They run the equipment, do the actual broadcasting, and gather news and announcements from around the school. Sometimes team members are asked to help create special productions.

We are excited to share an opportunity to get involved with the school through our Father Figure volunteer group, DOGS. This group steps in to help whenever the need arises, whether it's assisting with the drop-off car line on Friday mornings or giving our staff a break during particularly cold or rainy weather. The commitment is flexible—you don't need to be there every Friday, but when you can participate, the kids and staff truly appreciate it.

We'll also have various opportunities throughout the school year to help out with setting up for school events. It's a great way to make a positive impact, and the kids love seeing the dads and father figures involved.

If you'd like to join, please click [this link] to sign up.

Background Checks

While completing a background check isn't mandatory, it's always a good idea to have one on file in case an event comes up that requires volunteer help inside the school. You can complete the Volunteer Background Check here.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email Mr. Henke at adam.henke@midlothianisd.org.

We would love to see a strong group of men involved at Mt. Peak, so please consider signing up!

We would love you to follow along during the week for updates of what is happening at Mt Peak. You can follow along on Facebook There is an imposter site. So, please follow the one with a picture of the school in the header.

The Mt Peak mission statement is the Mt Peak family will make a positive difference in the lives we touch by putting children first and challenging everyone to reach their full potential.

Our staff is working so hard for your kids! We would love for you to share the impact they are having on your child or any special information you would like to share. Please fill out this form for us.

Thank you!

What a great week here at the Peak! On Monday evening, Mr. Henke and Mrs. Peterman had the opportunity to share at the board meeting about all of the amazing things that are happening here. I hope that you had the opportunity to watch online or the hear all about it from friends and family. In addition, we were able to celebrate the accomplishments of our students in our Peak Pep Rallies on Thursday. It is always neat to acknowledge the outstanding work that is done each day by our students. I hope that you have a blessed Thanksgiving and the opportunity to rest and prepare for the month of December. Thank you for your continued support each and every day!

Wendy Waldroup

Counselor

What is Teamwork?

Teamwork is the ability to work in unity with others towards a common goal. For us to learn how to become team players, it is important that we learn to listen, encourage our peers, and allow and invite others to contribute their talents and skills.

Why focus on Teamwork?

• Teamwork improves communication: Teamwork helps us improve our verbal and non-verbal communication skills, conveying that we care and a relevant message.
• Teamwork builds interpersonal awareness: Growing a great team requires us to first build strong relationships through a better understanding of ourselves and others.
• Teamwork celebrates diversity. Teamwork thrives from diverse ideas that come from a mixture of different genders, cultures, expertise, experience, and problem-solving approaches.

Teamwork in Action:

• Call them a team, not a class or group. A group consists of many different people. A team, however, has a common purpose and a shared responsibility for success.
• Require teams to set expectations for and manage their own behavior. Do not tell teams what type of behavior is expected—let them decide for themselves with a Social Contract.
• Teach and encourage affirmations. Giving affirmations helps connect the team, builds trust, promotes engagement, and boosts a positive culture.

Mark your calendars! Check back regularly for updates and new events added

Dec 10: 6:00 PM 5th School Performance & PTO Meeting

Feb 11: PTO Meeting

Mar 6: PTO Meeting

Apr 1: 6:00 PM 1st Grade Performance & PTO Meeting

Apr 17: PTO Auction

May 15: PTO meeting voting for new board members

The YMCA utilizes Mt Peak for after school care on school days! For more information and the weekly newsletter click the button below.

Per MISD Athletics,

• Families should enter through Gate A.
• Free admission is available only for campus students. Parents are required to purchase a ticket.
• Students can either show their student ID or wear a campus spirit shirt for entry.

• MISD enforces a Clear Bag Policy.

• Please note that outside drinks (including tumblers) and food are not permitted.

A campus administrator will be on duty at Gate A to welcome families and answer any questions that may come up. Thank you! It is going to be a fun season, and I cannot wait to see the kids at the big game!

Mt Peak has a great director and would love to serve you. Register here for after-school childcare.

If you believe you have opted into the text alert feature and are not receiving text messages, go to your Skyward Family Access account and click on “Skylert” to verify your contact information. Update information if needed and allow 24 hours for our systems to recognize your changes. You should begin receiving text alerts and emails.

If you unsubscribed to receiving email notification please complete this form (https://forms.gle/3sUmoWnjT7S7cpx27) to re-activate your email notifications.

All Texas school districts are required by law to distribute information to parents and guardians about the safe storage of firearms. House Bill 3, Section 19 added Section 37.222 to the Texas Education Code, which requires the Texas School Safety Center, in collaboration with the Texas Department of Public Safety, to provide information and resources to school districts for the purpose of disseminating the information to parents. The Texas DPS launched a Keep ‘Em Safe Texas website that provides safety resources, materials, and tips for practicing safe gun storage to prevent accidents and keep children safe. Remember, a gun should be stored unloaded in a safe or locked container, with ammunition stored elsewhere. You can learn more and find additional resources from the Texas Department of Public Safety at https://safegunstoragetexas.com.

Below are resources that have been previously shared with parents/students with accessing and logging in to district resources. As we approach mid year we wanted to share them again.

UPDATE this

• 24-25 Quickstart Guide for MISD Students [Grades 4-12]
  
• 24-25 Quickstart Guide for MISD Students [Grade 3]
• 24-25 Quickstart Guide for MISD Students [Grades K-2]
• 24-25 Quickstart Guide for Skyward Family Access
• How to Set Up Parent Canvas Observer Account
  
• 24-25 Student Guide to Canvas in the Classroom

Does your student need MISD school bus transportation? All students must have a current Bus Rider Contract on file for each year. All contracts received by the July 12 deadline will secure route information and transportation for the first week of school. Contracts received after July 12 are being processed on a first come, first served basis and transportation is not guaranteed for the first week of school.

If you have not submitted a contract for your student, please fill one out and return to the Transportation Department by emailing to bus_contracts@midlothianisd.org or by delivering to 601 E. Avenue E, Midlothian. Please remember that your student cannot ride the bus until their contract is processed.

Dear MISD Families,

You may have received this information directly from your campus, but we want to ensure all MISD families know about an update and opportunity from our Child Nutrition Department. Please disregard this message if you have already applied for free/reduced-price school meals for the 2023-24 school year.

Students who participated in the free/reduced-price meals program during the previous school year in Midlothian ISD could continue receiving free/reduced-price meals for the first 30 days of school. This 30-day grace period has now ended, and a new application must be submitted. Students will no longer receive free/reduced-price meals without application approval for the 2023-24 school year.

Please click here to visit the MISD Child Nutrition Department website for more information on school meals and to apply for the free/reduced-price meals program.

If you have any questions or need assistance, you can reach our Child Nutrition Department by emailing mandie.tucker@midlothianisd.org or calling (469) 856-5390.

MISD Communications

Midlothian ISD uses Skyward Family Access for enrollment and to give parents real-time data about their student's grades, attendance, assignments, and more. Alerts can be set to individual preferences and information.

Skyward Family Access: 23-24 Quickstart Guide for Skyward Family Access

September 6th, 13th, 19th, 28th

October 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th, 31st

November 8th, 15th, 21st,

5201 FM 663

Midlothian, Texas 76065

469-856-6300

https://mtpeak.midlothianisd.org/