OCTOBER 6, 2024
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month! Did you know that we have over 60 dyslexic students at Donald? This month we will be bringing awareness to the valuable impact people with dyslexia have on our school, community and world. Tuesday, October 8, we hope all students and staff will join us in wearing red in celebration of worldwide Dyslexia Awareness Day. For more information about dyslexia, please see the Dyslexia Awareness Newsletter put together by our Donald Dyslexia Interventionists, Sarah Sanders and Jowita Cichy.
We can't wait to see everyone tomorrow morning to begin our 4-day week!
Heather Shorter
Principal
STEM Academy @ Donald Elementary
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.
The Donald PTA has officially kicked off their largest, most exciting fundraiser of the year and they need your help to make the DOLPHIN DASH a success! All students will be participating in the Dolphin Dash Friday, 11/1, during their specials time, but there are a few things you'll want to do now to get ready for the big day!
- Register your student to start the fundraising adventure! If you haven’t registered, visit getmovinfundhub.com and use School Identifier 5d600d1f6dfaa to find our event!
Get your Dolphin Dash shirt! For your student to receive a Dolphin Dash shirt, they only needs to have $15 donated to their FundHub account by Tuesday, 10/15!
- Visit donaldpta.membershiptoolkit.com to purchase your signs to cheer them on the day of the race. The last day to do this is October 10, so be sure to get one for your Dolphin today!
- Vsit donaldpta.membershiptoolkit.com to VOLUNTEER! Remember: ALL volunteers must be VOLY approved in order to sign up as a Dash volunteer!
Each year, our Dolphins look forward to the opportunity to line our hallways with creative Storybook creations! Students are encouraged to select a book they love and then use their imagination to transform a pumpkin into a storybook character or setting. Paint, rhinestones, fabric, foam, cotton balls, and any other items can be added to a pumpkin. Plastic pumpkins are preferred and strongly recommended since they are easier for kids to carry and there is no potential "mess” factor. Students will be required to carry their own pumpkin into the building, so keep this in mind while designing and creating!
If students choose to use a real pumpkin, NO CARVED PUMPKINS may be brought to school. Even a small hole or tear in the skin will cause a pumpkin to rot quickly and create a mess that can quickly damage school property and other students' creations nearby.
CLICK HERE for complete directions from Mrs. Hoffman and to access the Storybook Pumpkin Form. Pumpkins may be brought to school Monday October 21, but you can start your planning and creation now! Designs will remain on display around the library until Thursday, October 31. All students must take their creations home 10/31, and any remaining pumpkins and props will be thrown away on Friday, November 1.
Storybook Character Day is Thursday, October 31! This will be the 11th Annual Storybook Character Day at Donald, and we are so excited to see students dress up as their favorite storybook character once again this year. On this day, students are welcome to dress as any character comes from a book (not just from a movie or cartoon). All costumes must follow LISD Dress Code which means costumes must be appropriate for students in all elementary grade levels. No scary costumes, masks, inflatable costumes, or weapons will be allowed. Students will still participate in recess and PE as scheduled, so keep that in mind when selecting outfits! If in doubt, DON’T wear it!
Families may work together to plan a fun and simple costume for their child. The best costumes are always those created with imagination and items from around the house rather than spending money on a store bought costume! All children should bring a copy of their selected book to school that day, even if they choose not to dress in a character costume. We look forward to seeing all the fun costumes and participating in fun reading activities!
Lewisville ISD is committed to spending the month of October to promote awareness and intervention of substance abuse. Our campus will still participate in the Red Ribbon Week national campaign from October 28-31. Red Ribbon Theme 2024: “Life is a movie, film drug-free.” We will share the flyer for dress-up days later this month, so stay tuned!
Red Ribbon Week Lessons
Elementary RRC Lessons for Teachers to Utilize
1 lesson per week in October (4 lessons total per grade level) in place of Second Step
If you are interested in looking at the Second Step Curriculum, you may also access it via this link. If you have additional questions, please reach out to Mrs. Ramsey.
October is also Bullying Prevention & Awareness Month. During guidance, lessons this month I will teach age-appropriate Bullying Prevention lessons. All students must understand what bullying is and isn’t, and how to respond appropriately whether it is happening to them or someone else. We teach key vocabulary and strategies for addressing these types of issues. One example is standing up for themselves and others and using a strong, firm voice to say, “Stop it”.
Mrs. Ramsey's Website is always a great place to see additional resources to support you student both at school and at home! You can also email or call me anytime.
GAME DAY IS OCTOBER 27
Get ready for Gameday! Order your shirt for the Mound Showdown NOW! Pre-sale orders are open until October 7th. Some extra shirts will be printed, but pre-sale is your best bet to guarantee your size! Don’t wait—order today!
Shirts will be delivered to the high school during lunch hours from Wednesday to Friday the week of the showdown, and elementary and middle school orders will have designated pickup times. Order here 🔗 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfqcdABydYnWwrsgYzE48tiZ5rZEIkiZS0H3NNVqb1oCfaXGg/viewform (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfqcdABydYnWwrsgYzE48tiZ5rZEIkiZS0H3NNVqb1oCfaXGg/viewform
Calling all CREATORS! PTA is currently accepting submissions for the National Reflections Art Program! This year’s theme is “Accepting Imperfection.” Students are encourage to submit original works of art inspired by the theme. They may choose to enter their work in the categories of Visual Arts, Music Composition, Literature, Dance Choreography, and Film Production. Students are more than welcome to enter their creations in multiple categories, but only one submission per category will be accepted.
This is an amazing opportunity for students to express themselves while developing their artistic talents. Their works of art will be showcased at a Donald PTA event in the spring, but there is a possibility of work being sent beyond the campus for showcase and competition. Last year one of our own Donald Dolphins, Emilio Miranda, represented LISD and our campus when his film project advanced to the state level! Our students have a lot of talent, and we’re excited to see it take shape this year.
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!
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!
SEND A NOTE THROUGH LISD COMMUNICATIONS
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.
HELP US HOST THE OCTOBER WOOT WOOT WAGON
Mrs. Harvey and Mrs. Whitsett, 5th grade teachers at Donald, began hosting a monthly treat cart called the Woot Woot Wagon last year. The Woot Woot Wagon was created to provide all Donald staff with fun snacks and drinks once a month. It is something all of our Donald staff gets so excited for, but it can't happen without the help of our Donald families! If you would like to sign-up to donate something to the Woot Woot Wagon this year, please CLICK HERE!
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!