Hello Dickinson Families!

Get Ready to Celebrate Black History Month!

February is almost here, and we’re excited to honor Black History Month with engaging activities and learning opportunities! Students will be creating daily highlights to share on the announcements and posters in Canva featuring prominent African Americans.

Students will participate in trivia and have an opportunity to earn house points. We have a committee of parents that would like to decorate the front entrance. We will have a table setup in the front for students to look at. If you have any cultural items that you would like to display, please feel free to bring it to the front office by Friday, January 31st. Please make sure it has your student's name on it and country of origin. We will return it towards the end of February.

This is a friendly reminder that there will be a training done through Zoom by me on Tuesday, January 28th from 3:30-4:30 PM for innovative day volunteers. If you cannot attend it is okay. We can catch you up on Friday or talk to a friend about it. It will not be recorded.

On January 30th an Author will visit out 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. There is more information below.

We are excited to have our very first Innovative School Day for all students on Friday. Please read the letter below for more information. Please be sure your students wear their class shirt and bring a sack lunch if possible. The cafeteria will be selling sack lunches if needed. We are looking forward to this day! Thank you to all of the parent volunteers that are willing to come and assist for an "in school" field trip.

Warm Regards,

Channon Almendarez

#dolphinproud

Students enjoyed watching the dragon dances to celebrate Lunar New Year! Thank you to George Ranch Highschool students for the performance.

Nell Cross Beckerman Author Visit

We are so excited to host Nell Cross Beckerman at Dickinson. Your students have listened to her book "Caves" during library time.

Dickinson Elementary is sharing the below information about the district and your child’s campus with you as part of its obligations under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA).

Federal Report Cards for the state, the district, and each of the district’s campuses are now available on the district’s website at this link: https://www.lcisd.org/departments/academics/raa/performance-reports-and-legal-postings.

Information is also available on the Texas Education Agency’s website at: https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/accountability/academic-accountability/performance-reporting/federal-report-card. A detailed description of these reports is available on this page.

If you have difficulty accessing the information from the website, hard copies of the reports can be requested from the district or campus office. If you have questions about the information, please contact Dickinson Elementary at 832-223-1400 or the Lamar CISD Research, Assessment, & Accountability Office at 832-223-0136.

Each individual class in 1st - 5th grade will need one parent volunteer to help move the class through each rotation. Each Kindergarten class will need two parent volunteers. If your desired class slot is full but you are still willing to volunteer, please sign up for a "Floater" position to help fill any holes we may have and ensure that every class has a safe, fun and educational experience!

If you wish to volunteer, but cannot commit to the entirety of the time slot, we have 2 volunteer positions for parents to help distribute lunches to students from 8:20 AM to 9:45 AM.

We ask that if you volunteer for this position, you be available for the entirety of the Early Release day (7:30 AM - 11:45 AM), as you will be with students throughout this entire time. We also ask that your Volunteer Background Check be up to date. There will be a training done through Zoom by Mrs. Almendarez on Tuesday, January 28th from 3:30-4:30 PM. (Updated due to the Arctic Blast)

We ask that parent volunteers arrive by 7:30 AM, with check in beginning at 7:15 AM.

You can sign up to be a part of this exciting day by clicking HERE!

Dear Lamar CISD Parents/Guardians,

We are committed to maintaining a safe and conducive learning environment for all our students. To support this commitment, we have made several important updates to the Lamar CISD Student Code of Conduct, Elementary and Secondary Student Handbooks. These changes are effective immediately and aim to address the appropriate use of technology within our schools.

Please review the PDF at the link below to see the updated Code of Conduct with the changes.

Updates to Lamar CISD Student Code of Conduct and Handbook

For detailed information, please visit the updated documents at https://www.lcisd.org/students-parents/.

Our Site Based Management Team voted and decided to make a slight change to the Dickinson dress code. Students may wear a collared (polo style, no logo) solid color navy blue, light blue, red, or white tops. A Dickinson spirit shirt may be worn any day of the week. Bottoms, including leggings may be in solid color khaki, navy blue or black pants, capris, shorts, skirts, skorts, or jumpers. If leggings or tights are worn, they must be under shorts, skirts, or jumpers. Blue denim jeans permitted on Fridays.

This year to ensure your child's safety all change of transportation notes must be sent to the front office or you can call by 2:00 to make a change. Teachers need to focus on instruction during the day so please do not send them any emails for a change. Please call the front office at 832-223-1400. There is a form below you can print and have for your file in case you want to send in a note. A handwritten note will be accepted as well. Thank you for your understanding!

Annual Volunteer Background Checks Via Raptor

Want to volunteer? Plan to attend field trips? Assist with Holiday Parties?

Dickinson Elementary has an amazing reputation for partnering with our parents and community to serve our students in a multitude of ways. It's important to review and update the volunteer application regularly to ensure it meets current safety standards and legal requirements. This process helps to create a safe and supportive environment for both volunteers and the children they interact with.

If you completed this task last year, you received a message via e-mail like this sample:

Hello,

Your ability to volunteer at Lamar Consolidated ISD will end on 6/30/2024. If you plan to volunteer after that date, please take this time to complete a volunteer application by selecting this link https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/NTk1OmVuLVVT.

Thank you,

District Volunteer Coordinator

For our new volunteers, please follow these steps to become a volunteer at Dickinson:

1.) Apply to volunteer by completing the volunteer application found https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/NTk1OmVuLVVT

2.) After you receive your volunteer clearance email, contact the campus or department you wish to support as a volunteer to receive information on next steps.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the district’s various volunteer opportunities, please contact:

Asia S. Duhon (Partners in Education Coordinator) at mailto:Asia.Duhon@LCISD.org OR 832-223-0383.

Technology Devices

Personal Technology Lamar CISD believes that appropriate use of students’ technology devices enhances our students’ education. This includes but is not limited to: cell phones, smart phones, iPods, iPads, electronic tablets, and laptop computers. At Dickinson Elementary: All electronic devices stated above, including Smart Watches, must remain in the student's backpack turned off during the instructional day. Please review the code of conduct below regarding cell phone(electronic devices) policy. We have technology available for students to use while on campus. Thank you for reviewing this information with your child before school starts. We want to ensure that students are engaged in their learning and want to help minimize distractions.

This is a video that all of the students and staff were required to watch as part of our safety protocol. LCISD is committed to keeping all of our students and staff safe. If you ever have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Our fence is completed. I am currently working with maintenance and operations to get some signage with hours and expectations during non-school hours.

Get your Dolphin reading and logging their reading minutes with our Beanstack Reading Challenges! The Library sponsors monthly challenges where students read and then log their reading minutes through ClassLink and the Beanstack app. Students who complete challenges within the challenge dates will earn a Brag Tag to celebrate their reading achievement.

Safety is our top priority! In Lamar CISD, we follow the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) to prepare and respond to crisis situations should there ever be a need. It is important to be prepared for a quick response to keep our staff and students safe. When we practice drills, parents will receive an e-mail that we practiced a drill. Below is information about the SRP so that you can keep informed about the protocols we have in place. We need your support for when you visit the campus by wearing your visitor badge on the left or right side of your chest / torso in visible view for our staff members to see at a quick glance. The sticker badge should not be worn on the pants, arm, purse or other areas besides the upper chest area. Thank you for your help keeping our dolphins and staff safe!

The culture of Dickinson Elementary includes a partnership with our community. Last year, our parents volunteered hundreds of hours to support our students and staff. We value our partnership as together we educate our dolphins. This year all volunteers are required to register as a volunteer. This includes PTO Board Members, work room volunteers, Watch Dog Dad volunteers, room parents, field day volunteers, library volunteers, and the list continues! Please visit this website to begin the process:

https://www.lcisd.org/community/volunteers

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the front office at 832-223-1400.

Thank you for giving the gift of time for the success of our campus! What you value, you give your time to! - Channon Almendarez

• January 1st-31st: Be a Reading Machine Winter Beanstack Reading Challenge
• February 4th: 5th Grade Math Spring Benchmark, Science Olympiad Practice
• February 5th: World Read Aloud Day
• February 6th: K - 2nd Books Alive, 3rd Grade Math Spring Benchmark
• February 7th: 4th Grade Math Spring Benchmark
• February 11th: Kindergarden Innovative Day, Science Olympiad Practice
• February 12th: 1st Grade Innovative Day
• February 13th: 2nd Grade Innovative Day, STEAM Night 5:30-7:00
• February 14th: Valentine's Day: Students may wear a Valentine's shirt.
• February 15th: Men Who Cook Fundraiser for LEAF
• February 17th: Student Holiday/Staff Data Day
• February 18th: Science Olympiad Practice
• February 21st: 5th Grade Field Trip to TAMU
• February 22nd: Science Olympiad @ Foster High School
• February 28th: Early Dismissal: Innovative School Day for all Students
• March 1st: LCISD Job Fair @ Foster High School from 9am-1pm

Email: channon.almendarez@lcisd.org
Website: https://www.lcisd.org/campuses/dickinson/home
Location: 7110 Greatwood Pkwy, Sugar Land, TX 77479, USA
Phone: 832-223-1400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dickinsondolphins