Ferguson PTO Weekly Newsletter

Friday, September 6, 2024

Firefly Families,

I hope everyone had a wonderful and restful Labor Day weekend! It was a much needed break to recharge after the hard work our staff, students and parents have been putting in since the start of the school year.

Today, we had the pleasure of hosting our Grandparents for a luncheon at the campus. The love and joy that filled our school as grandparents joined their Fireflies for a special meal was truly heartwarming. It was wonderful to see our Fireflies as they shared this precious moment with their grandparents.

We are so grateful for the incredible turnout and the support from our families that made this event unforgettable. We look forward to years to many more opportunities to celebrate the important role our grandparents play in the lives of our students!

As we look into next week, we will proudly participate in Turn it Gold week, a time dedicated to raising awareness and support childhood cancer. I want to take an opportunity to remind us all that our namesake, Alyssa Ferguson, was diagnosed with medulloblastom when she was 12 years old, a fast-growing brain tumor and Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that predisposes those who have it to an increased risk of developing cancer.

Even in the midst of her own battle with cancer, Alyssa acted with amazing generosity and a spirit of giving. She used her wish from the Make-a-Wish Foundation to dig a well in a village in Zimbabwe that did not have access to clean water.

Alyssa passed away in January 2017 while a freshman at Ridge Point High School. The Alyssa Ferguson World Changers Fund was established so that her legacy continues through the funding of new water wells and the repair or replacement of existing wells. Eight wells have now been dug because of the mission she started.

We are asking you to bring change to make a change next week. As your Firefly is getting out of the car or before they leave the house one day next week, grab a few coins or dollars to contribute. During arrival, we will have jars to collect the change as our Fireflies enter the building.

Together, we honor Alyssa’s spirit and the fight to bring hope to those who need it most.

Continue to shine bright, Fireflies!

Filled with Firefly Pride,

Carla

• Attendance Matters
• Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
• September Library News
• Scholastic School Fair Volunteers Needed
• Volunteer Opportunities This Week
• Virtual PTO Meeting-Sept.9th

Arrival Procedures

During arrival, cars will be able to temporarily stop around the front drive (yellow tags) and bus ramp drive (blue tags). We will place colored cones to indicate where the front of your car should stop. If you are the first car, we ask that you pull ALL the way up.

• Students can begin arriving at school no earlier than 7:30 a.m. Please do not drop them off before 7:30 a.m. as there is no adult supervision on duty.
• In order to maximize instructional time, students will be allowed to enter the building at 7:30 a.m. and go straight to their designated grade-level hallway. Students will engage in SSR (sustained silent reading) in the mornings before entering the classroom. Please make sure your students come prepared with a book to read. Students will enter their classrooms at 7:55 a.m. To facilitate a smooth start to their day, we would like all students to be in the classroom by 8:00 am.
• If your Firefly will be eating breakfast in the cafeteria, please have them arrive before 7:50 a.m. Students will not be allowed to enter the breakfast line after 7:50 a.m.

Dismissal Procedures

EVERY student at Alyssa Ferguson Elementary will be provided with a yellow or blue paper dismissal tag and a dismissal number (2 per student). Dismissal tags will be available when you enter the homeroom classroom for your Firefly during Meet the Teacher. The purpose of this tag is to expedite dismissal procedures.

***Please Note - Parents should not be dropping students via car at the side door on the Sienna Oaks side. All students coming in the morning via car need to enter through the front doors.

Dismissal changes- please make sure that you are communicating with Ms. Whitley, amber.whitley@fortbendisd.gov. ALL dismissal changes should go through her.

In my beginning of the year communication with our Firefly families, I shared the document below. It is a good time for us to follow up and remind our families of the drills we practice and the language that is used. FBISD uses the Standard Response Protocol for all our drills. These are also the steps that are carried out during emergencies. We trained, practiced and drilled each protocol within the first 10 days of the school year. We also practice them at various times throughout the year. All our drills are announced ahead of time on the intercom system so that students know it is a drill and not a real emergency.

Know that all of our external campus doors are locked at all times and should never be propped.

Our primary responsibility each day is the safety of our students. As a reminder, we have a security guard on our campus during the times students are present. We also have the support of our FBISD police and local law enforcement.

I communicated to families this week, that our campus had to go into a secure due to suspicious activity that occurred in our parking lot. Once the incident was reported everyone took quick action and followed what we practiced. In these moments, the safety of students is our priority. Once we gather enough information to share, we will disseminate it as quick as possible.

It is a collected effort from our staff, students, families and community to work together to support the safety of the campus.

We use the District’s Blackboard system to send emergency information, attendance and general information. Parents have an opportunity to opt to receive these emails, phone calls and text messages through the system.

Parents listed as Guardian 1 in Family Access will be the primary contact in the system. Only the primary contact will be allowed to add contacts in the system. Primary guardians in separate households will both have the ability to add contacts.

Please review the attached document and information about Blackboard from the District’s website. https://www.fortbendisd.com/Page/107105

September is Attendance Awareness Month, a month dedicated to showing how regular school attendance is essential to academic achievement. Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year.

This month, let's help Fort Bend ISD students build a habit of good attendance early and often! #AttendanceMatters

🎗️ September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and Fort Bend ISD is proud to #GoGold in support of the brave children and families impacted by this devastating disease. Gold symbolizes the strength, courage, and resilience of every child battling cancer.

This month, let’s stand together as a community to raise awareness, support research, and honor those who are fighting, those who have survived, and those we have lost. Dress up, share their stories, donate and join us in making a difference.

💰🪙Bring Change to Make a Change💙💛

Alyssa Ferguson Elementary School will be collecting change all week long. Mason Jars will be located at the Front Office. Donations will go directly to Turn It Gold. More information by visiting their website;

Book Fair Helpers (Monday 9/9 - Friday 9/13)
https://www.konstella.com/.../66ce43e51b5c0c4196761041

Look out for Fall Pictures Form coming home soon!

Picture Day is Monday, September 16th.

To pay online, go to www.strawbridge.net

School Code: FM439510

The online referral window will be available beginning August 8, 2024, on the GT Home Page.

To submit a referral, the parent/guardian must use the online referral app. Use this link to access the GT Online Referral App. https://gt.fortbendisd.com/

Referrals must be submitted online by the September 30, 2024 deadline. Exceptions will not be made.

Parent/guardian must consent to have the student tested if a staff member referred the student (parent/guardian will be contacted by the campus GT Counselor).

Help keep our Fireflies safe!

We are in need of a dedicated crossing guard for Alyssa Ferguson Elementary to assist our students during arrival and dismissal. If you're available and would like to support our school community, please consider applying for this important role.

Check out the flyer for more details on how you can get involved!

We welcome our families to come enjoy lunch with his/her Firefly!

• Guests will sit at the designated guest tables with the student they are visiting.

• Guests will only be allowed to eat with their Firefly when visiting for lunch.

• Guests will only be able to eat with their Firefly on designated days.

• Guests will be invited to exit the cafeteria during the start of the 5-minute quiet SEL moment.

Visit our school to see the lovely exhibit honoring our school's namesake, Alyssa Janae Ferguson. Thank you to our Cultural Displays Committee for creating this beautiful tribute to her.

Mark your calendars for all of our PTO events and activities!

Please note: dates are subject to change and we will notify you as soon as possible.

Volunteer sign ups can be found on Konstella. We will be adding more as events approach.

https://www.konstella.com/cd/WA8X61

Fall Open House is on Thursday, September 12, 2024! Be on the lookout for more information coming soon!

Each month we are rewarding the classroom that has the highest overall attendance percentage for the month with a PIZZA PARTY!

A HUGE shout out the Center Court Pizza for sponsoring a delicious reward to our Fireflies!

Calling all Firefly Families!! Make a difference by volunteering your time to support our students and teachers. This is a great way to meet some of the Firefly Staff and see your little Firefly too.

Sign Up To Volunteer Today by using the links below or thru the Konstella App ( + More & + Sign-Ups).

Book Fair Helpers (Monday 9/9 - Friday 9/13)
https://www.konstella.com/.../66ce43e51b5c0c4196761041

Laminator Help: https://www.konstella.com/.../66b1587e1b5c66110ab5f976

2nd Grade Copy Helper ->TH 1:55pm- 2:40pm
LINK: https://www.konstella.com/.../66b7a2151b5c548811f7e4f1

Firefly School Store (Friday 9/20; Lunch/Recess time)
https://www.konstella.com/.../66b3d7101b5c66110abd536c

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Firefly Wishes are birthday messages displayed on the school marquee and mentioned in the weekly Fireflyer newsletter. Click on the graphic below for more information.

**Please submit your request at least 10 days week prior to your desired publishing date. We will not be able to enter late submissions into the system. Firefly wishes are $12 plus a $.59 processing fee. Availability is based on a first come, first serve basis. Firefly wishes can be purchased through Konstella under the "sales" link. When you are on the home feed, click "more", and "sales".

Click on the logos below to check us out on our websites and social media.

President: Stephanie Titas

Vice President: April Royston

Secretary: Whitney Johnson

Treasurer: Kiran Agarwal

Parliamentarian: Megan Allshouse

2024 -2025 Meeting Dates

The PTO Board meets monthly at the dates and times listed below. Meetings at 12 pm will be held in person in the Extended Day Room. Meetings held at 7 pm will be on Google Meet.

Everyone is welcome and invited to join us. It is a great opportunity to hear what the PTO is doing and share ideas with us. The PTO Board will convene on the following dates: