OCTOBER 13, 2024

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Hello, Dolphin Families! Hopefully you are enjoying your 4-day weekend and making memories as a family. As a reminder, there will be no school Monday, October 14, and we will be back for a shortened week on Tuesday, October 15.

DON'T FORGET! The submission date for the National Reflections Art Program hosted by PTA is near! This year’s theme is “Accepting Imperfection." Students are encourage to submit original works of art, including Visual Arts, Music Composition, Literature, Dance Choreography, and Film Productionion, inspired by the theme. They are more than welcome to enter their creations in multiple categories, too!

This is an amazing opportunity for students to express themselves while developing their artistic talents, so don't miss the deadline for submissions on October 23, 2024. Read more in the Learning Opportunities Outside of School section of the newsletter or CLICK HERE for more details!

We can't wait to see everyone tomorrow Tuesday morning!

Heather Shorter
Principal
STEM Academy @ Donald Elementary

14 NO SCHOOL

21 DONALD NIGHT OUT @ CHIPOTLE

25 FALL FESTIVAL @ 5:30PM

28 - 31 RED RIBBON WEEK

31 STORYBOOK CHARACTER DAY

4 DOLPHIN DASH AWARDS @ 2:30PM

5 NO SCHOOL

7 PTA MEETING @ 6PM

8 GRADE 3 DONUTS WITH DOLPHINS

11 VETERAN BREAKFAST @ 8:15AM

18 - 21 FALL BOOK FAIR

25 - 29 NO SCHOOL

Friday morning, the Dolphins kicked off the day with a pep rally to bring our whole campus together! We kicked things off by practicing our FMHS Battle Cry with the help of a special guest: Rosie the FMHS Jaguar!

Then, we reviewed all the hard work everyone has done over the first 9 weeks of the school year with a special focus on our character and mastery of the 6 Essential Dolphin Skills, and we celebrated the positive SPLASH all Dolphins have made in our school during the first 9 weeks.

DOLPHINS MAKE A SPLASH WHEN THEY ARE…

• Self Aware
• Persevering
• Leaders in Learning
• Able to Adapt
• Sharing Their Gifts
• Honest

Every small splash creates a ripple that extends to others!

During the pep rally, everyone at Donald got to celebrate 2 students from each grade level who teachers agreed had gone above and beyond to create a positive SPLASH in their classroom and throughout the school. In addition to awards from Kindergarten through Fifth Grade teacher, the Specials Teachers and out ESD Leader selected 2 students each, too! Congratulations to this group of 16 students were were selected as our first group of Distinguished Dolphins for the 2024-2025 school year! It was wonderful to hear over 500 Dolphin students cheering and celebrating the success of their classmates!

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!

1. 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!

2. 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!

3. 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!

Thank you for supporting the Stuff the Pantry Food Drive that will support our LISD families in need! I’m so excited that Donald Dolphins brought in so many food items. The grade level who has won and extra recess time due to their generous donations is 5th Grade! Together, these students and teachers donated over 200 food items to support our local food pantry programs. Way to go, Dolphins!

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.”

Red Ribbon Week Lessons

1 lesson per week in October (4 lessons total per grade level) in place of Second Step

Kindergarten

Third Grade

First Grade

Fourth Grade

Second Grade

Fifth Grade

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”.

We are hopeful all our Donald families will play a key role in helping children understand the difference between being bullied and encountering unkind behavior. Some key points parents can use to facilitate a conversation with their child about peer conflict include:

1. Teach the Difference Between Bullying and Unkind Behavior: Explain to your child that bullying is a repeated, intentional behavior where someone tries to hurt or control them. Unkind behavior, on the other hand, might happen once or occasionally, but it’s not repeated or meant to harm them over time. You might ask, “How did you respond when they said that? Did you let the teacher know your feelings were hurt?”
2. Ask About Frequency and Intent: Help your child understand that bullying is repeated over time. Ask open-ended questions such as, “Who else have you seen this person be unkind to?” and “Why do you think they are behaving this way?”
3. Discuss How They Feel Around the Person: Encourage your child to reflect on how they feel when they’re around the other person.
4. Encourage Open Communication: Let your child know they can talk to you, their teacher, or another trusted adult if they’re unsure, and remind them of the importance of reporting concerns to an adult at school immediately. Reassure them that it’s okay to ask for help, and you’ll work together to figure out the best way to handle it.
5. Empower Your Child with Coping Skills: Teach your child how to respond to both unkind behavior and bullying. Encourage them to use kind words or walk away, and help them understand it’s important to tell an adult right away if they need help solving a problem or reporting a concern.
6. Model Positive Conflict Resolution: When children see how you handle dicult situations—whether it’s addressing rude behavior calmly or standing up against repeated unkindness—they learn by example! Show them that they can manage minor conflicts on their own, but it’s okay to seek help for more serious issues.

We appreciate your support talking through these distinctions and strategies with your child at home. Hearing consistent messages between school and home will help them better understand their social interactions and feel more confident in navigating them. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to anyone at Donald if you have further questions!

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.

Deadline for submissions is October 23, 2024. CLICK HERE for more details and for submission forms! We highly encourage students to complete the information on the submission forms in their own handwriting it at all possible.

On January 20, 2025, we will celebrate our 32nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Festivities. The theme for this year is Building Bridges of Hope Toward Unity. As we prepare for this significant event, we kindly request that you extend the invitation to engage and empower every student.

The documents attached detail our student competition guidelines for Art, Essay, 3D Art, and Graphic Design/Photography entries. We encourage students in our community to display their gifts and talents as a way to connect with Dr. King's legacy. We aim to have students from each LISD campus take part in the contest. In the past, many have used this contest as a class assignment, extra credit, or club projects. Feel free to display these posters around your campus.

Please take note of the new 2024-2025 student submission requirements. Please follow these steps when preparing contest entries:

1. Write or attach student name, school, and grade level on the box that holds the 3D art, back of the drawing/painting, or essay.

2. Scan the QR Code on the document attached to complete a brief submission form to confirm your entry. A submission form must be completed for each entry. You may find the submission form here: https://shorturl.at/KBQIW

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!

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!