September 29, 2024
This week, Donald will be participating in the LISD Stuff the Pantry Food Drive benefiting CCA! This program provides food to LISD families who may need additional support during the holidays. To encourage participation, Mrs. Ramsey has challenged our students and teachers to a little competition! The grade level that donates the most items during the week-long drive will receive an extra recess time hosted by Mrs. Ramsey, Mrs. Robison, and Mrs. Shorter! Donation boxes will be set up in the main hallway outside the office, and students can drop donations in their grade level box before school each day.
Top item requests from the CCA include:
- Peanut Butter
- Cereal
- Canned Fruits & Vegetables
- Instant Potatoes
- Evaporated Milk
Please do not send students with glass items or items in paper bags (such as flour and sugar) as these can be easily broken and we will not be able to donate them!
Donald Student Council will be hosting a Fundraiser! With a $1 Donation, students and staff may wear pajamas to school Thursday, October 3. STUCO representatives who will be stationed at tables in the main hallway and by the gym during morning arrival on 10/3 to collect money from students who wish to participate. In exchange for their $1, will receive a stamp on their hand to indicated they have been issued a “pass” to wear PJs all day! Money raised during this fundraiser will help send our STUCO advisors and student leaders to a local TEPSA Student Leadership Conference where they will engage in learning about how to support our campus and area community!
NURSE HOPPER JOINS THE DOLPHIN FAMILY 10/1!
Hello, Dolphin families! My name is Nurse Hopper and I'm so excited to join the Donald Stem Academy Elementary Team this year. I've been a nurse for 28 years working in the hospital setting, until later discovering school nursing which I absolutely love. I worked as an elementary school nurse in Fort Worth ISD for 5 years before joining LISD where I worked as a middle school nurse... only to find that I miss the elementary ages! I have one daughter and son-in-law in Flower Mound, two grandchildren that call me Nonni, and another on the way. I love gardening, pickleball, walking and riding my bike. I am excited to call Donald home and am here to answer any questions and get to know our families. Here's to a great year!
Thank you!
Nurse Hopper
It’s time for our Annual 21 Day Snacking Challenge! Each year, LISD partners with the Medical City Children’s Hospital to help educate children and parents about how to adopt healthy eating habits. Students commit to trying healthy snacks for 21 days using ideas from a digital recipe book that is written by local high school culinary students. There are some fun prizes at the end if you complete the final assessment, but the real prize is that we are working together to create healthy habits one snack at a time!
Register to join us in the 21 Day Snacking Challenge by going here: https://kids-teaching-kids.com/ Registration opens 9/23! The 21 Day Snacking Challenge will be from 9/30 – 10/20, so sign up today!
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!
I cannot believe we are at the end of September. It has been a wonderful month of guidance lessons about emotional regulation and learning ways to handle those big overwhelming emotions. If you haven’t yet asked your child about ways they like to calm down, now is a great time to have that conversation. Some of the ideas we discussed are belly breaths, looking for the rainbow, moving our bodies, doing something creative, and going to a calm space for a break. Hopefully the more we practice these regularly the more they will be utilized when those overwhelming emotions occur.
In October, we will be doing guidance lessons about bullying prevention. We will continue to discuss treating others with kindness and standing up for ourselves and others when needed. Please click the link to preview the Second Step Lesson 4 that students will be doing this week in class.
Please take a couple of minutes to complete the Donald 2024-2025 Counseling Needs survey if you haven't done so already! Mrs. Ramsey's Website is always a great place to see additional resources to support you student both at school and at home!
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!