The Mustang Message

Dear Mustang Families,

Our start to April has been amazing! We have had the chance to celebrate so many staff members and the amazing things they do to support our Mustangs. Now until the end of the year is going to be busy with lots of fun coming our way.

👩🏼‍🏫Assistant Principal Appreciation Week: We had so much fun celebrating Ms. Nathanson all week long! We are so blessed that she is a part of our Mustang Family. She truly takes care of our Mustangs so well and is a difference maker each and every single day!

🎉Four Day Weekend: All students and staff will not have school on Friday, April 18th and Monday, April 21st. We hope that you and your family will enjoy the extra time off and the Easter Holiday.

🏫STAAR Testing: Next week our 3rd-5th graders will take their RLA STAAR Test on Tuesday, April 15th. We will have a CLOSED Campus on this day to ensure the best testing environment for our students. We will not allow any lunch visitors or volunteers on campus this day.

🎊5th 6-Weeks Pep Rally and Mustang Stampede Awards: We will be holding our final Pep Rally of the year on Thursday, April 17th at 8 a.m. We are excited to celebrate our students and also our accomplishments from the Mustang Stampede! We will also see who is getting pied, Mrs. Miller or Ms. Nathanson!

Thank you for your continued support in making Daniels such a special place for learning and growth. Have a wonderful weekend!

Warm Regards,

Katie Miller, Principal

The Tom Daniels Elementary 1st Annual Career Day is scheduled for Friday, May 9th. We are looking for individuals who would be willing to share information about their career with our students. There are two sessions, morning and afternoon, or you may stay all day. If you are interested, please fill out the information below and return it to Mrs. Tracie Reeh by April 25th.

What is Perseverance?

Perseverance is the willingness and ability to keep going when things are tough. People who persevere show steadfastness and give the extra effort needed to do something despite how hard it is or how long it takes to reach the goal.

Why focus on Perseverance?

• Perseverance encourages positive self-talk and thinking. When faced with difficult tasks, perseverance helps students reframe with positive thoughts, such as: "I'm not good at this YET!"
• Perseverance develops empathy. Students gain a better understanding of who they are and develop more empathy and compassion for others who may struggle to reach a goal.
• Perseverance sparks personal growth. Pushing through complex tasks builds resilience and helps students discover how capable they are.

Perseverance in Action:

• Share stories and challenging experiences. Be vulnerable and share personal experiences when you have struggled with a task or concept and had to work hard to push through.
• Praise effort and process, not intelligence or performance. Affirm students for the process they used to tackle tasks and point out how their abilities grow through their own hard work.
• Give your students the chance to struggle. Struggle builds self-confidence, independence, and perseverance. Resist the urge to intervene immediately and give students time to figure it out.

April 15th: 3rd-5th Grade RLA STAAR- CLOSED CAMPUS

April 15th: 2nd Grade Field Trip to the San Antonio Zoo

April 15th: Life Skills Field Trip to Louise Hays Park

April 17th: 5th 6-Weeks Academic Pep Rally and Mustang Stampede Awards

April 17th: Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night from 5-8 p.m.

April 18th: No School

April 21st: No School

April 22nd: School Bus Driver Appreciation Day

April 23rd: 5th Grade Science STAAR- CLOSED CAMPUS

April 23rd: Administrative Professional Appreciation Day

April 25th: 1st Grade Field Trip to the Community Garden

April 29th: 3rd-5th Grade Math STAAR- CLOSED CAMPUS

April 29th: Life Skills Field Trip to Singing Wind Park

Each Tuesday at Daniels, our staff will be trying to help promote CCMR (College, Career, and Military Readiness) by wearing shirts of different colleges, careers, and branches of the military. Although attending college is a great option for students when they graduate from high school, it isn't the only option that can lead to a rewarding and successful future. Our students may be young, but their future is bright! We invite all of our Mustangs to join in on Tuesdays and wear their favorite CCMR shirt!

Please note the following procedures that will be in place to help this process go smoothly.

• Visitors MUST check in at the front office by presenting their ID and obtain a visitor's pass.
  
• Visitors will be able to eat with their student in the designated seating. No friends or classmates will be able to join.
• Visitors are not permitted to sit at the student tables with homeroom classes.
• You are welcome to bring food for your student, but it cannot be shared with other classmates.
• Visitors will NOT be able to walk with students back to their class after lunch or attend recess with them.
• Visitors MUST sign out in the Office before leaving campus.

Scheduled Lunch Times

Kindergarten: 10:45-11:15 a.m.

1st Grade: 11:05-11:35 a.m.

2nd Grade: 11:25-11:55 a.m.

3rd Grade: 12:35-1:05 p.m.

4th Grade: 12:00-12:30 p.m.

5th Grade: 11:50-12:20 p.m.

Our campus goal this year is 96% school-wide attendance. Regular attendance is extremely important. If your child is absent from school, please call or email your child's homeroom teacher and our Attendance Secretary as soon as you know they will not be attending school that day. Please include the reason for the absence. Excused absences are illness, medical appointments, or death in the family. Notes, calls, or emails must be received within 3 school days of the child returning. Unexcused absences may result in your child being placed on an attendance plan, prevent your child from being promoted to the next grade level, or may result in truancy charges being filed. Attendance is taken each day at 10:00 a.m. A student must be on campus at that time to be counted present.

Students are counted tardy if they are not in their class by 7:45a.m. Parents are required to bring the student into the office to check them in if arriving after 8 a.m. Chronic tardiness will be addressed by administration. It is vital that students arrive to school on time. This time is important to helping develop social skills, organization skills, and learning to begin the day prepared. Students that arrive after 7:45 often come in behind the rest of the class, causing anxiety and stress on the student. Always allow time for traffic delays due to weather conditions and the first few weeks of school.

All visitors and volunteers must sign in at the front office before entering the campus. Our Raptor system requires a valid photo ID for all first time visitors. Each year this is reset. Visitors will be unable to enter the campus if they have not signed in with proper ID, even if the DES team knows you. We will not allow visitors to be released to classrooms unless the teacher has previously let the office staff know.

Parents are welcome to visit at lunch time during your student's grade level lunch time starting Monday, August 19th. We will continue to have a visitor's table.

At the conclusion of their visit, all visitors MUST sign out in the office before leaving campus.

Birthday treats must be store bought with a nutrition label. Treats from bakeries must also include a nutrition label.

Birthday treats may be dropped off in the front office. Visitors will not go to classrooms for birthday celebrations. Teachers will celebrate the last 15 minutes of the day, prior to dismissal. Flowers and balloons are not to be sent to school for delivery for any student.

If your student needs a transportation change for the day, please do your best to contact the office by 2:00 p.m. As it gets closer to 3 p.m., it can sometimes be difficult to locate students as the dismissal process begins. We understand that emergencies happen and will assist when those arise.

We also ask that students who need to leave early are picked up by 2:30 p.m. as well. This will allow our office staff to focus on dismissal and to ensure that it runs smoothly.

Thanks for your cooperation and understanding!

Breakfast and Lunch are offered on campus daily. Please check the menu frequently to see any changes that might occur.

2024-2025 Meal Prices

Breakfast Paid Student - $1.75

Breakfast Reduced Student - Free

Lunch Paid Student - $3.25

Lunch Reduced Student - $0.40

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health. When implemented with fidelity, PBIS improves social emotional competence, academic success, and school climate. It also improves teacher health and wellbeing. It is a way to create positive, predictable, equitable and safe learning environments where everyone thrives.

Kerrville ISD is utilizing PBIS on all four elementary campuses as well as at HPMS.

At Daniels, we have adopted the acronym of PRIDE. Our Mustangs are expected to show PRIDE in all they do and in all areas of the school. Students are asked to wear their badge so they can be rewarded for showing PRIDE throughout the school and by all staff members. Students are able to use their points to shop at the PBIS Store and to participate in school-wide incentives.

Please remember to send a water bottle with your child each day that is labeled with their name. We will have a water bottle filling station available for students to refill their water throughout the day if needed and an option for students if they do not have a water bottle.

Please remember that all cellular devices should remain off and in student backpacks during the school day. When students have exited the building they are welcome to get their devices out and turn them on.

If you need to get a hold of your student during the school day, please contact the front office and we can relay the message to them.

Regular school attendance is important. Please ensure that your student is at school each day possible.