NOVEMBER 3, 2024

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Hello, Dolphin Families!

The Dolphin Dash was an amazing success! Thank you to our wonderful PTA work working with Mrs. Rosier to pull off this exciting annual event. Thanks to all of your generous donations, the PTA surpassed their fundraising goal. Our Awards Assembly is scheduled for Monday, November 4, but it is an outdoor assembly which is subject to change if we are experiencing rainy weather. We are hoping for a sunny Monday so that we can celebrate all our top runners and fundraisers! If we are rained-out, a make-up date will be shared via email with parents of students who will be recognized.

The Donald PTA is ready to hosting Donuts with Dolphins for 3rd Grade this week! Friday morning, all 3rd grade students will receive 2 free donuts when they visit the event in the front circle drive. One is for them to enjoy, and they can share the other with their guest of choice before school!

Later in the day on November 8, the LISD Art Party will be open at the Flower Mound Public Library! From 5PM to 7PM, stop by and see some amazing art work created by students across our district. Some amazing work by our Donald Dolphin artists will be on display!

Don't forget there will be NO SCHOOL Tuesday, November 5 to allow everyone the opportunity to participate in Voting Day. We will see everyone Monday, have a short break, and then open the Donald doors again on Wednesday, 11/6!

Heather Shorter

Principal
STEM Academy @ Donald Elementary

4 DOLPHIN DASH AWARDS @ 2:30PM

5 NO SCHOOL

7 PTA MEETING + THEATRE PERFORMANCE @ 6PM

8 GRADE 3 DONUTS WITH DOLPHINS

8 FM ART PARTY 5PM @ THE PUBLIC LIBRARY

11 VETERAN BREAKFAST @ 8:15AM

18 - 21 FALL BOOK FAIR

25 - 29 NO SCHOOL

2 - 6 ELF ALLEY

12 CHOIR AND DRUMMING CONCERT @ 6:30PM

19 HOLIDAY PARTIES

20 DISTINGUISHED DOLPHIN AWARDS @ 8:00AM

20 EARLY RELEASE @ 11:45AM

23 WINTER BREAK BEGINS SCHOOL RESUMES JANUARY 7

This year, our Choir is open to 3rd-5th grade students. This is a full school year commitment, until our final spring performance in May. Please consider that carefully before signing up! The only fee is for the performance shirt we wear.

Choir practices on Thursdays from 3:25 to 4:15. No group size limit or audition—sign up and you are in! We can accommodate students in Student Council since they do not meet every week! Students already committed to Art & Running will not be join because of the time conflict. Click here to sign up for Choir!

Contact Mrs. Norine with any questions! norineo@lisd.net

Monday, November 11, the Donald staff and students will be hosting a breakfast to honor the United States Veterans in our community.

At 8:00 AM on Monday, November 11, veterans and the student who invited them are invited to the library for breakfast and a short presentation by the Donald Choir. After breakfast, all Donald students will be lined up around the library to cheer and say "thank you" as Veterans are guided through the hallways by student leaders. Families and friends are highly encouraged to decorate signs or posters for the Veterans that students can carry as they walk through the parade route.

If your family has an special Veteran you would like to honor during this event, CLICK HERE to share some information about them and reserve a space for them during our breakfast. Please RSVP through the form by FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3 so we can be sure we are fully prepared to honor each of our special guests!

This year, the 7-11 located at 2101 Long Prairie Road has chosen to "adopt" our school! Throughout the year, they plan to partner with our campus to provide special surprises for students and staff.

To kick things off, the owners have invited all Donald students to visit their store between 2PM and 4PM Saturday, November 9 so they can enjoy a FREE small Slurpee from the 7-11 Slurpee Truck! Donald families are encouraged to enjoy $1 hot dogs all day, coupon giveaways, and all children will receive a free coloring sheet they can color at home and return to 7-11. When they do this, their coloring sheet will be posted on the wall, and the artist will have earned another free Slurpee!

It's a MOUND SHOWDOWN like no other! FMPD will be accepting donated Target or Visa Gift Cards through November 22 to support Santa Cops this year. Gift cards can be delivered to the Donald Office, and we will provide them to our SRO, Officer Ivory, to add to the count for Team FMHS.

The principal of the feeder pattern that raises the least amount of money will be dressing as Santa and performing live with their student choir during FMPD's Annual Cocoa with the Popo December 5! Let's help FMHS Principal, Mr. Chad Russell, to keep from wearing the Santa suit!

As we navigate the busy days of elementary school life, it's important to take a moment to reflect on the power of gratitude. Teaching our children to recognize and express thankfulness can foster a positive mindset and enhance their emotional well-being. Gratitude helps children appreciate the small joys in their lives, encourages kindness, and builds resilience in the face of challenges.

You can nurture this habit at home by encouraging your child to keep a gratitude journal to jot down daily things for which they are thankful. Simple family discussions about what you appreciate can also reinforce this important value. By instilling gratitude, we enrich their lives and help them develop stronger connections with others.

Start by watching the video below with your kids!

What is Gratitude & 4 Ways To Practice

LISD is hosting a district-wide Angel Tree once again this year, and there are many Angels needing a generous family to adopt them!

CLICK HERE to see the instructions for selecting an Angel from the LISD Angel Tree. Gifts labeled with the Angel Tree code can be dropped off in the Donald Office or they can be delivered to the LISD Next Steps center at 1303 S State Hwy 121 Suite 100, Lewisville, Texas 75067 by Friday, December 6. Donald, and the entire LISD community, thank you for any support you may be able to provide to our angels this year!

Join the FMHS Drill Team as they present their first ever Christmas Show Thursday, November 21 and Friday, November 22! Shows begin at 7PM, and you will want to PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS ONLINE to make sure you get a space!

House Bill 1225 provides a new optional process for school districts to provide a paper administration of a STAAR assessment to any student whose parent, guardian, or teacher requests a paper version. A request for a paper administration of spring STAAR High School EOCs and spring STAAR grades 3-8 must be submitted by 4 PM on December 1st and will be considered on a first come, first serve basis. The number of students who are provided a Paper by Request administration of STAAR may not exceed 3% of the number of eligible students testing. Applicants will be notified of status by 4 PM on December 13, 2024.

If a student receives Special Education or 504 services and is requesting a paper test, please contact the appropriate campus ARD or 504 committee. There is a different process and form for those requests.

If you have any questions, please contact the LISD Assessment department at (972)350-0960.

We would love to have you volunteer in our classrooms and at extracurricular events! To get started, JOIN the Donald PTA, and then complete your yearly VOLY Background Check. All volunteers must have a current VOLY Background Check, so if it has been a while since you completed this process, check in with the Donald Office Staff to see if you're approved!

Donald's Annual Holiday Craft Fair is taking place December 2 - 6, but Elf Alley craft orders must be placed by November 15! Take a moment to visit the PTA MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT to review the craft options with your student. Students may select a maximum of 4 crafts to complete during their class Elf Alley time.

Lewisville ISD's volunteer site, VOLY, is up and ready for the new school year. If you plan to volunteer on campus, act as a field trip chaperone, or support our campus at any point in the 24-25 school year, please either create a VOLY account or renew your account from last year. LISD's VOLY site is Lewisvilleisd.voly.org. There is also a VOLY app that can be found in the app store on your phone.

Remember that our VOLY site allows for the site to be translated to your family's home language. Look for the language drop down button at the top of the page.

Questions? Reach out to Partnerships@Lisd.net and they will be happy to assist you!

The LISD Recognize SomeONE program gives our staff and community members the opportunity to highlight the exceptional work the do. If a Donald staff member has made an impact on your student or family this week, please take a moment to Recognize SomeONE and let them know how much they mean! Teachers will receive a printed copy of your message from LISD Communications to display outside their classroom door.

Celebrate your favorite Dolphin's birthday, accomplishment, or special occasion with a personalized donation to the Donald Library! Parents, family, and community members can now donate a book from our wish list, or you can choose to donate a book of your choice. When you select a book to donate, you will also be able to personalize a permanent book plate inside the front cover of the book with a custom message for your honoree. All books will be shipped to our school, processed, and ready to be added the shelves directly from the vendor. To make sure the person you are celebrating sees your gift, the honoree will get to be the first person to check the book out! We will announce all books donated, and occasions celebrated, each month on our announcements, too. Visit https://www.btsb.com/sosl/donaldsesstemacademy/ to celebrate someone!

1. Go to https://studio.balfour.com/imageshare/ to visit the Donald Yearbook upload website

2. Enter project number #508585

3. Leave the upload code blank

4. Agree to the Terms & Conditions and start uploading!

*The system only lets you upload 10 photos at a time!

If you download the Balfour Image Share app, it saves your name and email each time so you don’t have to reenter that information!