Smothermon Elementary Storyteller

Smothermon Families,

What a wonderful first week at Smothermon! We have loved meeting so many new students and families and welcoming our returning students and families back to campus. We have missed your kids, and it is so great to have them back!

Our students have done an amazing job learning new structures, procedures, and routines while building relationships with their classmates and staff. Smothermon is truly an amazing place to be, and we are so grateful that you share your children with us each day!

Thank you for partnering with us to provide an exceptional learning experience for your child. Please don't hesitate to reach out if there is ever anything we can do to support you or your family.

As we move forward, we know arrival and dismissal will continue to become smoother and more efficient. With nearly 800 students, it is important that we work together to ensure everyone arrives and leaves safely while also being mindful of your time. We have included a few important reminders in this week's newsletter, and we appreciate your support as we continue to refine these routines.

We are off to a great start, and we can't wait to see all that our Storytellers will accomplish this year! Thank you for being part of our family and for helping make Smothermon such a special place to be!

Tonya Jasenof
Principal
Smothermon Elementary

Thursday, August 27 - Coffee with Administration and Counselor - 8:15 AM

Thursday, August 27 - PTO General Meeting - 5:30 PM

Friday, September 4 - Professional Learning / Student Holiday

Monday, September 7 - School Holiday for Students and Staff

Wednesday, September 9 - Picture Day!

View the full calendar here

The District Elementary School Dress Code policy applies to all schools in Prosper ISD grades Pre-K-5, with the exception of students in uniform for a school sponsored extracurricular event. While the dress code is comprehensive, I'm including specific parts of the Prosper ISD Student Handbook that are prevalent here at Smothermon.

The district’s dress code teaches grooming and hygiene, prevents disruption, and minimizes safety hazards. Students and parents may determine a student’s personal dress and grooming standards, provided that they comply with the following:

• Shirts (including t-shirts), blouses, tops, etc. must reach below the waistline. Muscle shirts, halter tops, tube tops, and off the shoulder blouses are prohibited. • Undergarments may not be visible unless otherwise determined by administration.
• Dresses, shorts, skorts and skirts must extend below the undergarment area at all times whether in a standing or sitting position. If tights, leggings, or other form-fitting pants are worn, the buttocks and pelvic region must be covered at all times by a dress, shirt, skirt, or shorts.
• Hats and hoods are not to be worn at school, unless on specially designated days.

For additional information, or the entire Prosper ISD Elementary Dress Code policies, click here.

Doctor’s notes or other supporting documentation for an absence, may be submitted by completing the online Attendance Note Submission form and uploading your documentation within the form. Student's 8-digit ID numbers are required in order to complete the form, and may be found in Skyward Family Access. This process applies to both full-day and partial-day absences. Please note that a parent notification submitted through Skyward Family Access regarding a doctor's visit does not qualify as a doctor's note.

• Coming to visit for lunch is a great opportunity to connect with our school and your student(s) throughout the year. We ask that parents refrain from visiting during lunch prior to September 8th to allow our students to build friendships and familiarize themselves with routines and procedures.
• Guests must park in the parking lot.
• Guests must have their ID scanned and given a badge to wear.
• Guests are not permitted to walk any other locations of our building during your visit.
• You are only allowed to eat with your child on stage.
• To put money on your child's lunch/breakfast account, please visit My School Bucks.
• Free and Reduced Lunch Application
• Meal Account Restrictions Form

HOW DO I PUT MONEY ON MY CHILD'S BREAKFAST/LUNCH ACCOUNT?

• Payments should be submitted through MySchoolBucks. You can access the myschoolbucks.com tab located under the Parents tab on the PISD website.

Car Line Reminders

• Once you enter a car line, please remain in that lane. Do not move into the other lane. We are calling students by the numbers on their car tags, and moving out of the original order can disrupt the dismissal process.
• Once your child has been loaded into your vehicle, please remove your car tag from your rearview mirror. This lets our staff know that your car has been loaded and helps us keep the line moving.
• Car riders are divided by last name:
• A–L: Front of the school
• M–Z: Back of the school
• If your child is a car rider, please help them memorize their 3-digit car tag number. When students recognize their number and know when it is called, dismissal moves much more quickly and efficiently.

Parent Walk-Up Reminders

Parent Walk-Up is for parents who are walking to campus to meet their child on the big playground side of the school.

• Please do not walk through the lanes of traffic when coming to campus or leaving with your child.
• Once cars are moving, parents must use the crosswalk near the front entrance of Smothermon.
• If you drive to campus for Parent Walk-Up, you will need to park and walk all the way around the sidewalk to the side of the school to meet your child and then walk back toward the front. It is quite a walk!
• If you plan to bring your vehicle to pick up your child, we strongly recommend selecting Car Rider as your child's dismissal option so you can remain in the car line.
• Every time staff must stop traffic to assist families across the crosswalk, it slows down the car lines. Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe and dismissal moving as smoothly as possible.

Walkers

Walkers exit the building through the side door near the gym. Students may walk home or retrieve their scooter or bike and leave campus.

• There is no parent pick-up on the walker side of the building.
• If you are meeting your child, please meet them on the other side of the parking lot, not on the Smothermon campus side near the bike racks or in the parking lot by the crosswalk.
• Grades 2–5: Students may leave campus independently.
• Grades K–1: Students may walk with an older sibling or an approved student, but they will not be released independently without that arrangement.

Important: Dismissal Options

At dismissal, all students must leave campus through their designated dismissal option. Picking students up from the front office is not an option during dismissal.

The five dismissal options are:

1. Car Rider – Parents pick up students through the designated car line.
2. Walker – Eligible students leave campus independently or with an approved older sibling/student.
3. Parent Walk-Up – Parents walk to the big playground side of the building to meet their child.
4. Bus Rider – For eligible bus riders.
5. AlphaBEST – For students whose parents have registered for the program.

All parents picking up students, whether through the car line or Parent Walk-Up, must have their car tag. Students will not be released without proper identification.

If you forget your car tag, you will need to go to the front office with your driver's license for verification and then return to your child's designated dismissal area. We cannot dismiss students from the office during dismissal because students are already organized in their designated areas, and we are unable to retrieve individual students while dismissal is underway.

We know dismissal may be inconvenient at times, and it may occasionally take longer than we would all like. Please know that safety is always our #1 priority. We will take whatever time is necessary to make sure every student gets home safely.

Thank you for your patience, grace, and partnership as we establish our routines. We are already off to a wonderful start, and we know dismissal will become smoother and more efficient as our students, families, and staff become familiar with the procedures.

As we begin our second year, we’ll continue to focus on the district’s four key pillars—Together We CHAMPION, Together We CULTIVATE, Together We EMPOWER, and Together We PROSPER—through a campus lens that reflects our unique identity.

We are proud of the foundation we are building at Smothermon, and we are excited about where we are headed. Together, we will continue to learn, grow, and champion every student.

Our goal: Ensure high levels of learning through strong Tier I instruction, the Workshop Model, flexible grouping, WIN Time, and a data-driven RTI process.

What does this mean for your child?
We are committed to making sure every student receives strong, engaging instruction every day. Teachers use a variety of instructional approaches, including whole-group instruction, small-group learning, and flexible groups based on student needs. WIN Time (What I Need) provides additional opportunities for students to receive targeted support or enrichment. We also regularly use student data to identify strengths and determine where additional support may be needed.

Our goal: Build an inclusive school community through meaningful family engagement, consistent communication, and continuous feedback.

What does this mean for your family?
We want every student and family to feel welcomed, valued, and connected to Smothermon. We will continue to create opportunities for families to be involved in our school community, communicate consistently with families, and seek feedback so we can continue to grow and improve together.

Our goal: Strengthen PLCs through collaboration, aligned instruction, coaching, and shared responsibility for student success. Strengthen PLCs by engaging general education and special education staff in collaborative planning, data-driven instruction, and responsive support for all students. All Means All!

What does this mean for your child?
Our teachers work together in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to plan instruction, study student learning, and determine how best to support each student. General education and special education staff collaborate to ensure students receive the support they need to be successful. Through coaching, collaboration, and the use of student data, we are working to create consistency and shared responsibility for student learning across our campus. At Smothermon, we believe All Means All!

Our goal: Foster strong partnerships with families and the community through engagement, service, and school pride.

What does this mean for our school community?
We want Smothermon to be a place where our students, families, staff, and community come together. Through school events, family engagement opportunities, service, and celebrations, we will continue building a strong sense of belonging and pride in our school and throughout the community.

Introducing the Profile of a Learning Leader

The Prosper ISD Profile of a Learning Leader represents a shared, unified vision created through the collaborative efforts of our entire school community — including teachers, staff, administrators, students, parents, and community partners across the district. This foundational document captures the core attributes, values, and mindsets we strive to cultivate in every member of the Prosper ISD family. Serving as our guiding star, it embodies the leadership and learning aspirations we hold for everyone within our system, fostering growth, excellence, and continuous improvement from our youngest learners all the way to the superintendent.

This profile didn't start from scratch — it grew directly out of our 2025–2030 Strategic Priorities, which were themselves built through months of listening to teachers, students, families, and staff across the district. Once those four pillars — Together We Champion, Together We Cultivate, Together We Empower, and Together We Prosper — were set, small groups from across Prosper ISD came together again to answer a more personal question: what does it actually look like, day to day, for a student or an employee to live out these priorities? The Profile of a Learning Leader is the answer.

At Smothermon Elementary, this profile is more than just a set of ideals — it is an active, daily practice. As a campus community, we are dedicated to intentionally teaching, reinforcing, and building upon these core characteristics in all that we do. Whether through instructional practices, collaborative leadership, or daily interactions, we ensure that every student, educator, and staff member is supported in developing these traits. By embedding the Profile of a Learning Leader into our school culture, we create a supportive environment where every individual can achieve excellence every day in every way.

Prosper ISD will be enabling pictograph multifactor authentication for our 2nd through 5th-grade students starting August 21st. We will enable these on a per-school basis through August 28th.

Spread Kindness with Our New "Be Kind” Shirt!

We are thrilled to launch the new school year with our district "Be Kind" shirts. This isn't just apparel—it's a movement.

On-site programs enrolling now for Prosper ISD Students.

We are VERY excited about our students having the opportunity to participate in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) A+ Academics Competition in grades 2 - 8.

Students who are interested in learning about, practicing, and competing in these events will need to start prepping NOW for the events they are interested in at home. The prep information can be found at a link at www.prosper-isd.net/uilacademics

You will be able to indicate areas of interest for your student. Please keep in mind that there may be conflicts with practice and/or competition times, and it may not be possible to participate in multiple events.

If you would like your child to participate in UIL Academics, please complete this form BEFORE September 18, 2026.

Please complete a separate form for each student.

Competitions available for students to compete in are listed below. HERE is a link to the contest descriptions. https://app.smore.com/n/exn684

After forms are returned, please start studying and prepare for the first contests in September (Middle School) and October (Elementary School).

Form to sign up all ES and MS campuses - https://forms.gle/52b2SnRsp9oczwFU7

Flyer - https://canva.link/fmdoay9qplu4haz

Planning to volunteer at Smothermon Elementary this school year? A new 2026–2027 background check must be completed for all volunteers that would like to support events including Hairspray Days, holiday parties, end-of-year celebrations, and other campus events.

Thank you for helping us keep our school a safe and welcoming place for all students!

[Complete Your Background Check →]

Looking for another easy way to stay connected with Smothermon PTO? We’re excited to offer a PTO WhatsApp group as an alternative to our Facebook group!

Join us to stay up to date on upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, important PTO news, and ways to get involved throughout the school year.

Join the PTO WhatsApp Group

Prefer Facebook? You can also join our PTO Facebook group by clicking here