The Weekly Splash

Dear Donald STEM Academy Families,

This is a season of gratitude, and I am so thankful for each and every one of you. We are truly

partners—working together to provide the very best academic and social experience for our students.

Thank you for showing up in so many ways—whether it’s sitting at the kitchen table going over that “new math” homework, helping with the Dolphin Dash, tackling that late-night class project that had to be done by morning, greeting students as a Dolphin Dad, or dropping off a Sonic drink just when a teacher needed it most.

Without you, we couldn’t do what we were called to do. I thank you! 🐬💙

Mrs. Kenely

Proud Principal of Donald Elementary 🐬💙

We encourage you to take a few minutes this week to fill out a Recognize Someone form! This is a wonderful way to share your appreciation for a teacher, staff member, or even our Principal or Assistant Principal. A few kind words can go a long way in brightening someone’s day and reminding them of the impact they are making.

Our fourth graders sang beautifully at last night’s fall musical! 🎶
Thank you, Mrs. Norine, for directing such a warm and joyful performance. 💙
Enjoy this short clip! 🎥

We are SO excited to be bringing Career Day to Donald as we help our Dolphins grow in their awareness of post-secondary opportunities! We would love to have you (or any family and friends) as a guest speaker on Nov 18. The times for each grade level are listed below. Here is a link to our interest form and we will be reaching out to confirm weekly between now and our event. Please be sure to complete your annual Voly check, which is also linked on the form at least two weeks prior to the event. Thank. you in advance for your support of this amazing partnership which we hope will become an annual tradition at Donald!

Interest Link to Sign Up

Times for In-Person Guests by Grade Level:

-Kinder: 1:15-2:15pm

-1st grade: 9-10am

-2nd grade: 8-9am

-3rd grade: 9:45-10:45am

-4th grade: 2-3pm

-5th grade: 12:15-1:15pm

If you or any family, friends, or business partners are looking for a way to make a local impact this holiday season, please consider adopting from our LISD Angel Tree. We have several Donald Dolphins on the list as well as students from campuses across the district. If you would like to participate, please see below for more information. On the "adoption link," you can scroll down to see students by home campus. Any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out. Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity this holiday season!

Donald 25-26 Yearbooks are on sale! They are $25. Go here to buy yours now!

https://www.buytheyearbook.com/

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.

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 p.m. 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 p.m. on December 12, 2025.

If you have any questions, please contact the LISD Assessment department at 972-350-0960.

If you are wanting to attend your child's field trips, help with events, or volunteer on campus you MUST have a VOLY background check complete. It is a very easy process and nice to get out of the way early before it's too late!

Lewisville ISD's VOLY site is open and ready to accept volunteers for the 2025-2026 school year. All volunteers on LISD campuses must have an approved background check on file. LISD uses LewisvilleISD.voly.org to post volunteer opportunities and to process background checks. Please go to the site and either create an account or update your account from a previous year. VOLY also has an app! You can find it in the app store for either Apple or Android products. Be sure to select that you want to work with Lewisville ISD. We look forward to having you on campus as a volunteer soon!

On January 19, 2026, we will celebrate our 33rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Festivities. The theme for this year is Better Together: Making the Dream a Reality. 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 note the 2025-2026 student submission requirements. Please follow these steps when preparing your contest entries:

1. Write or attach student name, school, and grade level on the art or essay.

2. Scan the QR Code on the poster 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/NEBuf

All entries must be turned in at the Lewisville Administration Building Welcome Center, Room 338. Please note, the deadline for contest entry is Friday, December 12, 2025.

Please save the date for the 334d Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration:

Date: Monday, January 19, 2026

Time: 6:00 P.M.

Location: Marcus High School

Additional details can be found at https://www.mlkofnorthtexas.org/.

Thank you for your assistance and willingness to support students with this opportunity!

Website: https://donald.lisd.net/
Location: 2400 Forest Vista Dr. Flower Mound, TX 75028

Phone: 469) 713-5198

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donaldelementary

Twitter: @Donald_ES