The Mustang Message

Dear Tom Daniels Elementary Families,

As we prepare for an exciting new school year at Tom Daniels Elementary, we cannot wait to welcome our Mustangs back! We are thrilled to welcome our staff on Monday, August 10, and look forward to seeing our students and families at our upcoming Meet the Teacher events this week. Please be sure to review the dates and times for your child's event in the Back-to-School section of this newsletter.

This edition is packed with important information to help your family start the year strong, including details about the first few days of school, arrival and dismissal procedures, and lunch visitor guidelines. We encourage everyone to take a few minutes to carefully review these sections.

We are also excited to share that our PTO Spirit Store is now online! Be sure to check out the PTO section of the newsletter for ordering information. Spirit gear will be available by pre-order only, and we will not be ordering extras, so this is your opportunity to grab your Mustang gear for the year.

We are looking forward to an incredible year of learning, growth, and success as we work together to Level Up Every Single Day. Thank you for partnering with us, and welcome back to another great year at Tom Daniels Elementary. Go Mustangs! 🐴💙💛

Warm regards,

Katie Miller
Principal, Tom Daniels Elementary School

We know that the first day of school is an exceptional time for everyone. Elementary parents of ALL students can drop off their child curbside through the drive-through beginning at 7:00 AM, or walk them to their classroom at 7:35 AM. We will ask that all families exit the building by 8:00 a.m. so we can begin our school day.

This is for Day 1 only, beginning Day 2, we will move to our regular drop off procedures which are linked further below for 1st-5th grade.

On Day 2 and 3, Kinder parents will be able to walk their student in once again at 7:35 a.m. and we ask that you exit the building no later than 8 a.m.

Starting on Monday, August 24th, ALL students are expected to walk into the building on their own.

We appreciate your help to make this a smooth process!

All information regarding drop off and pick up procedures are designed to ensure the safest environment for our students, staff, and families. Please adhere to these procedures so we can continue working together to provide the best school experiences for your child.

Your child may arrive at school by walking, riding a bike, riding in a car, by car pool, or on a KISD bus depending upon the location of your home.

AM and PM Bus Riders: Buses will drop off and pick up students in the front loop.

Before school drop off: (AM)

Car riders:

• All car riders will drop off at the front entrance to DES.
• The right lane, closest to the school, is for drop off ONLY. Please pull forward and allow for the student to exit on the passenger side ONLY.
• The far-left lane is reserved parking for those who need to conduct school business with Administration, the Nurse, or a child’s teacher.
• No one should be entering the Staff Parking Lot to drop off a student. Staff members are arriving to school and this causes congestion in the parking lot.
• Please exercise care, reduce speed, and pay attention to the employees/Crossing Guard directing traffic to allow students to safely cross at the crosswalk. Yield the right of way to pedestrians within any marked crosswalk. All pedestrians must use the crosswalk when crossing. Law prohibits the stopping or parking of any vehicle in a crosswalk.
• For the safety of everyone, please use the Crosswalk when crossing traffic.
• NO DROP OFFS at the Annex or the Staff Parking Lot; use the single entrance in front of DES, ONLY!

You will be asked to notify your child’s teacher regarding his/her usual method of getting home from school during Meet the Teacher. Students often become frightened or confused when parents are late or make frequent changes in pick-up plans. If you need to make a change in how your child will get home, please contact the front office before 2:00 p.m. To help with a smooth dismissal process, if you need to pick up your student early for an appointment, we ask that you do this by 2:30 p.m. Unless notified, the teacher will follow the normal routine for your child.

Car Riders:

• First – 5th grade students will be staged in the gym and released to the DES loop outside the gym on Olympic Drive once called. No left turn is allowed from Singing Wind to enter the line on Olympic. No right turn is allowed coming south on Olympic into the loop. It is important that the exit for the Car Loop as well as the crosswalk is not blocked to help with walker and traffic flow.
• KINDER ONLY (and any Siblings of Kinder students) will be picked up in front of the school.
• Once the car pickup line begins to move, please move towards the center of the lane, away from the curb, to allow traffic to pass on the right.
• Please have your child’s name card clearly visible until your student(s) are loaded.
• Please plan to have your child load the vehicle on the PASSENGER side of the vehicle.
• Please remain in your vehicles at all times.

Walkers:

Students who are walkers will have to walk off campus using one of the two crosswalks that go either direction on Singing Wind Drive. Due to limited parking space, walking to a parent parked on campus WILL NOT be an option. We have also been asked to not park in the parking lots of either church.

Buses:

School bus services are made available to students who live two or more miles from the assigned school as measured by the shortest route that may be traveled on public roads from the student’s home to his/ her school. This is a state regulation and school district policy. Students must also reside in the district and in the attendance area of the school. If you have any questions as to whether your child is eligible for bus transportation or about a bus route, please contact the KISD Transportation Department (830) 257-1333.

After-School Care:

There are several options available for After-School Care. YMCA is offered on the DES campus, but families must sign up directly with YMCA if interested. We have private day care pick up offered from Happy Jacks and Bright Beginnings. Students who attend the KROC Center or Children's Ark after school utilize a KISD bus for transportation to their respective facility. The school does not coordinate any after-school care and all families must contact the organizations/day cares options on their own.

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 31st. We will continue to have a visitor's table like we have in the past. Please know that when eating lunch with your student, classmates are not allowed to join you.

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

Clinic Reminders for Beginning of the Year

1. If you received an email and/or a phone call from Nurse Molly regarding your child’s immunization status, please get your child’s immunizations updated and email or bring in the updated records by the 1st day of school to the office or clinic.
2. Please inform Nurse Molly if your child has any medical concerns/special needs/procedures or will be taking medication at school. You can go onto the main Kerrville I.S.D. website and click on the Health Services site for general information/policies and printable medical/medication forms.
3. MD orders and instructions are required for all medications and procedures to be given/performed.
4. Parents must bring in all medications to the clinic, not the students.
5. Students are not allowed to carry any medications in their backpacks or lunch boxes.
6. Only in a special circumstance will a student be able to carry their own medication. This will require MD orders and parental permission.

Medications

• All medications brought on campus must be kept in the clinic.
• For any student who must take a prescription or over-the-counter/non-prescription medication during the school day, the parent must bring a written request signed by both the physician and the parent.
• The prescription medication must be in its original container and given to the school nurse by the parent. Each over the counter medication must be in its original sealed container.
• The medication will be dispensed at the proper times in the school clinic.
• Narcotic pain medication will be administered at school at the school nurse’s discretion.
• Anabolic steroids, herbals, home remedies, vitamins, and daily supplements of any type will not be administered at school.
• Medications from outside the United States will not be administered as well as medications prescribed by out of state physicians.
• Changes in directions for administering a medication can be received via telephone from the prescribing provider, but must be confirmed in writing within 3 days of the change.

Food Allergies

Any student who suffers from food allergies should contact the school nurse, the classroom teacher, and the cafeteria manager.

At DES, there are several students and some staff members who have various food allergies. Certain classrooms may be designated as a "nut free" classroom or other food allergy. Signs will be posted on the classroom doors to warn about the potential for anaphylaxis of a student. We will also send classroom letters home to inform parents that a student in the class has this known allergy. If your class is designated as a free zone for certain food, please do not send that item in as a snack item. Thank you for helping us keep our students and staff safe!

Clinic Procedures

For the protection of all students the following will be followed. A child will be sent home with:

• Fever 100 degrees or over
• Suspected contagious disease
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Feels too bad to remain at school

If your child has any of the above symptoms in the morning before coming to school, please keep your child at home. Your child should be fever free (without fever reducing medication) for 24 hours prior to returning to school. This is for their safety as well as our school family. Any routine procedures that involves bodily fluids, will be performed in the clinic.

Molly McLaughlin, RN

Clinic Hours: 7:30-3:30

molly.mclaughlin@kerrvilleisd.net

(830) 257-2208 ext. 2025

At our school, we are committed to creating a safe, supportive, and positive learning environment for every child. One way we do this is through Capturing Kids’ Hearts®, a program focused on building strong relationships, fostering respect, and creating a culture where students feel valued and connected.

Through Capturing Kids’ Hearts, students and staff work together to establish expectations, practice kindness and empathy, and develop skills for positive communication. By building meaningful connections and a sense of belonging, we help students feel confident, engaged, and ready to learn each day.

When students know they are cared for and respected, they are more likely to succeed both academically and socially. Capturing Kids’ Hearts helps us strengthen our school family and ensure that every child knows they matter. ❤️🏫

As we prepare for a wonderful school year, I wanted to make you aware of an important change regarding school counseling services. Please be on the lookout for communication about SB 12. You will receive information and a form allowing you to opt in or opt out of certain counseling services, including classroom guidance lessons, individual and small group counseling, and crisis intervention.

Our school counseling program is designed to support every student's academic, social, and emotional growth. Classroom guidance lessons help students build skills like emotional regulation, problem solving, friendship, and resilience, while individual and small group counseling provide additional support when needed. Please know that parents are always contacted, and permission is obtained before a student participates in individual or small group counseling.

I also encourage you to take a few minutes to read my Counselor's Corner newsletter. Be sure to check out the resources at the bottom, where you'll find helpful information about easing back to school separation anxiety and simple ways to help your child start the school year with confidence. A little preparation now can make a big difference once school begins!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm looking forward to partnering with you to make this a successful and meaningful school year for every student!

We are thrilled to be offering Spirit Gear through PTO this school year. All orders must be placed online through Gandy Ink. Orders will be delivered directly to school and sent home with your student by the middle of September.

August 8th: Kerrville ISD Community Pep Rally at 7:00 p.m.

August 10th: Happy Birthday, Mrs. Dominguez!

August 12th: LS and 1st-5th Grade Meet the Teacher 4:30-6:00 p.m. (see details above)

August 13th: Kinder Parent Meeting and Meet the Teacher 5:30-6:30 p.m.

August 19th: 1st Day of School

August 22nd: Happy Birthday, Mrs. Parramore!

August 26th: Happy Birthday, Mrs. Rudolph-Hart!

August 26th: DES Back to School Bash from 5-6:30 p.m. (more details to come)

August 28th: PTO Spirit Shop Closes

Each Wednesday 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: 12:15-12:45 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 7:45 a.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 31st. 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 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.

2026-2027 Meal Prices

Breakfast Paid Student - $1.75

Breakfast Reduced Student - Free

Lunch Paid Student - $3.50

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.

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 in Teacher Stores and to participate in school-wide incentives.