Deretchin Back-to-School Update

Hello Deretchin Families!

We are VERY EXCITED that the beginning of school is just around the corner! We hope all of our families enjoy their last few weeks before the first day of school on Wednesday, August 14.

We have included some important "back to school" information below. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,

Tina Oliver

Our teachers will send an email on Friday afternoon to all of their new students. Be on the lookout for an email between 2:45-3:30 PM.

Below is the link to the Back to School Checklist. It contains links to important and helpful school information.

We would like to invite all our new Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade students and parents to attend our "New to Deretchin Tour" on Friday, August 9. The times are as follows:

Pre-Kindergarten- 4:30-5:15

Kindergarten-5:15-6:00

1st-6th- 6:00-6:45

This is a "come and go" event, so you are welcome to come anytime between these scheduled times. Each family will be provided with a tour of Deretchin as well as receive some school-related information.

We know many of you are anxiously awaiting one of the best events of the school year- "Meet the Teacher!" We are excited for this event, too!

Our Kindergarten students will have their "Teddy Bear Tea" (also known as "Kindergarten Meet the Teacher") from 4:00-5:00. This is NOT a "come and go" event. Parents will take their child to their homeroom teacher's classroom, meet the teacher, and leave their child to have a snack and hear a story from their new teacher. Parents will make their way to the library where there will be a presentation about important kindergarten information from the administration team.

Our "Meet the Teacher" for PK, 1st-6th is a "come and go" event, and it will be from 5:00-7:00 for all grade levels.

*A video will be sent to the Pre-Kindergarten parents on August 12 with important information about our school and tips for making the transition to "big kid school" a success!

Parents/Guardians:

We are looking forward to a great school year. In an effort to help our parents, we are moving to a Parent Portal for parents to access information about their child. You will login similar to the way your child does for school (similar to the SSO) to access school information. All parents/guardians will need to enroll to create an account. You will need the email address that is in your child’s record. Once you enter the email, you will be prompted to create a password.

Please click Parent Portal Directions for instructions or go to Conroe ISD Webpage then Parents/Students to access the link to the Parent Portal.

We hope that you enjoy this transition to a new and convenient platform.

Show your spirit for The Woodlands High School feeder schools. This feeder shirt store will close on Friday, August 23. Shirts will be delivered to Deretchin.

https://nhathletics.com/twhs-feeder/

This school year, Deretchin Robotics has made a goal to have a "team" for each grade level. The purpose of this would be to garnish knowledge of Robotics from the lower levels. The competition teams would be for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. The discovery teams would be for Kinder, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. This goal is not possible without parent volunteers to run the program. Please use the survey below if you are interested in participating in the program. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Thompson at amthompson@conroeisd.net or (832)592-8707.

https://forms.gle/fdCADmoWrosip7ZP7

Our fourth grade teachers and students will once again be in the portables (also known as cottages) for the upcoming school year. We know that many of our students have been looking forward to this. Below is a document that contains questions and answers about the portables.

Deretchin Portables Questions and Answers Document

Breakfast Meal Prices

• Student Breakfast $2.00

• Student Reduced Breakfast $0

• Non-student Breakfast/2nd Student Breakfast $3.10 (Teachers, Parents, Siblings)

Lunch Meal Prices

• Student Lunch $3.20

• Student Reduced Lunch $0.40

• Non-student Lunch/2nd Student Lunch $4.70 (Teachers, Parents, Siblings)

Parents can pre-pay online for meal accounts beginning August 1, 2024, at www.myschoolbucks.com.

Parents can apply online for Free and Reduced meals beginning July 22, 2024, at www.myschoolapps.com.

Welcome back Dragons!

We are just a few short weeks away from the first day of school and I am sure you are all busy preparing for the year. Spirit wear preorders are still available and will continue through August 2nd. Orders can be placed at deretchin.membershiptoolkit.com/spiritwear. All preorders can be picked up at Meet the Teacher on August 12th. If you can't be there, we will have your orders available for pick up in the front office the first week of school.

This is also a great time to update your information on our PTO website deretchinpto.org. We will be utilizing the classroom boards on the PTO website again this year for your Room Parent communication. Don't worry that you do not know your homeroom assignment yet, just select the grade level and unassigned. We look forward to seeing you on the 12th. We will be handing out information on upcoming events for the year and selling additional spirit wear. Please stop by and say hello!

All the best,

Michele Nicol

President, Deretchin PTO

Email: president@deretchinpto.org

We are very excited to share that our administrative team will remain the same as the last school year. We have shared some information about each of our administrative team members with you. Please know that we are here to serve our students, staff, and families at Deretchin. If you should need us for any reason, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Tina Oliver- Principal

I am Tina Oliver, and I am the very proud principal of Deretchin Elementary. I am beginning my 26th year in education. I was a 4th grade teacher for 11 years, assistant principal at Deretchin for 4 years, principal of Kaufman Elementary in CISD for 7 years, and I am beginning my 4th year as principal of Deretchin.

I am married and have two daughters- one lives here in Texas and one lives in New York City. I am a big fan of dogs, and I have 4 canine companions who I adore! I volunteer for several local dog rescue groups and love to foster puppies before they find their forever home.

My husband and I were able to cross something off our "bucket list" this summer and visited Niagara Falls in New York and Canada. It was incredible and definitely worth the trip!

It is an honor to serve the families and staff of Deretchin. I cannot wait to see all of our Deretchin Dragons as we begin an incredible 2024-2025 school year!

Jennifer Gonzales- Assistant Principal 5th & 6th

I am Jennifer Gonzales, and I am the assistant principal for grades 5 and 6. I am beginning my 16th year in education, and 14th year at Deretchin! I live in The Woodlands with my husband and our two children, a son who is in junior high at McCullough and a daughter who attends Deretchin. I also have a rescue dog named Trudy.

This summer I visited the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, home of the legendary Dolly Parton.

I am so excited to welcome all of our students back to school and kick off another spectacular year!

Leah Slaughter- Assistant Principal 2nd, 3rd, 4th

I am Leah Slaughter, and I am the assistant principal for grades 2, 3, and 4. I am starting my 12th year in education and my 4th year as assistant principal at Deretchin. I have taught grades K-3 at Hailey Elementary and Lamar Elementary in CISD. I am recently married, and I have a cute dog named Raider!

I spent time in California to see my niece dance at her showcase and visited the Golden Gate Bridge.

I can't wait to see all of our Deretchin Dragons!

Andrew Thompson- Assistant Principal PK, K, 1st

My name is Andrew Thompson, and this is my 13th year in education, all in Conroe ISD. My first seven years were spent here at Deretchin where I taught grades 3rd through 6th. I also held the role of assistant principal during the 2015-2016 school year.

I went back to the classroom to focus on my growing family and taught 5th grade at Cox Intermediate and 4th grade at Kaufman Elementary. I am the proud father of two little girls who are 8 and 3. I moved to Texas 13 years ago from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I love all things sports and music.

I visited Washington, D.C. this summer. My family and I paid homage at the WWII Memorial.

I am grateful to be serving the Deretchin community!

Mary Ann Correa- Counselor 5th & 6th

My name is Mary Ann Correa. I am beginning my 14th year in education. I was a middle school teacher for a decade before transitioning into the school counselor role. This will be my 4th year as an elementary school counselor. I am a cat mommy to two adorable babes named Fitzgerald and Calliope. I also work as a therapist in the evenings.

I spent a lot of my summer with family. My only nephew graduated from high school in May and left for the Marines, so I soaked up every moment with him before he left.

I am excited to see all of our Deretchin Dragons very soon!

Jenna Hendon-Counselor 2nd, 3rd, 4th

Hello Dragons! My name is Jenna Hendon and I am the Counselor for 2nd to 4th grade. This is my 15th year as an educator, my 7th year as a counselor and my 4th year as a part of the Deretchin Family! I am married and I have 2 children who attend Deretchin.

This summer, my family and I visited South Dakota. We saw Mt. Rushmore, and the weather was beautiful!

I am so excited to be at "The Best School in the Entire World!"

Darcy Kieke- Counselor PK, K, 1st

I am very excited to start my 24th year in education, and I am excited to be at Deretchin Elementary! This is my fourth year in Conroe ISD. Prior to moving to Conroe ISD, I worked in Klein ISD as a 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 5th grade classroom teacher, a reading specialist, and a school counselor at a PK-5th grade campus.. This will be my 12th year as a school counselor at the elementary level. I have a blended family with 5 children who attend Conroe ISD schools. I enjoy reading, outdoor activities, and my puppy Leia! I have worked to train my sweet and cuddly two year old labradoodle as an Assisted Activities Dog. Currently, the teachers can use her as a classroom award for the whole class, small groups of students, or individual students. She loves to play fetch, visit classrooms, and read with students. She plays an important role in developing a connection between the school and students!

This summer, I spent most of my time driving my children all over Texas!

I am excited to see all of our new and returning Dragons!

Hello Deretchin Dragons! I spent my summer playing ball and taking naps! I look forward to seeing you soon!

Email: toliver@conroeisd.net
Website: https://deretchin.conroeisd.net/
Location: 11000 Merit Oaks Drive, The Woodlands, TX, USA
Phone: 832-592-8700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeretchinCISD/
Twitter: @DeretchinCISD