Parent Newsletter

Cooler weather is here, and it brings one of our favorite seasons of family fun at Birdwell. Thank you to all of our parents who made Mesa Culturales such a special day, from the booths to the presentations. Our students were proud to share what they learned, and it showed. Thank you as well to every parent and friend of Birdwell taking part in this week's Book Fair. Your support makes these moments possible.

Now, mark your calendars for Copa Entre Generaciones, one of our sacred Birdwell traditions. Every year, our middle schoolers take the field against our own staff in a match that brings out the best in everyone, win or lose. This is our 5th year of Copa, a tradition that started two World Cups ago, and this year we are making it one to remember. This year comes with a twist: every goal scored by a female player, on either team, counts as two. Students or staff, who will come out on top this year? You will have to come see for yourself.

This year, Copa Entre Generaciones is moving to a bigger space at Tyler High School so we can fit more of our Birdwell families. See the details below for the new location and everything else you need to know.

As we continue to have a great and safe school year with our students please remember the following when visiting our campus:

• All visitors must have a government ID in order to enter the building or pick up a student.
• If you are visiting multiple students, please return to lobby to allow space for other parents while you wait to visit your other student.
• Do not park in the driveway. Buses use that space during school hours several times throughout the day.
• Only contacts listed under your student are allowed to have lunch with them.
• Visitors must use adult restrooms. Student restrooms are for Birdwell students only.
• Lunch visitors: please read our expectations and guidelines https://bit.ly/3HnZoDi

As we begin the new school year, we want to help families quickly find and claim any items their children may have misplaced. Please review-> this slideshow to see if any items belong to your child.

Items may be picked up during your child’s lunch or after school. You may also call the front office for assistance. Posted items will be kept for 35 days. Any items not claimed within that time will be donated to local organizations.

Career Day is coming on Thursday, March 4, 2027!

Our students loved last year’s Career Day, and we’re excited to make this year’s event even more memorable! We are looking for parents, family members, and community members who are willing to speak with our students about their careers and experiences.

No career is too big or too small, every story can inspire a student! If you are interested in participating, please complete the survey linked below.

https://forms.gle/mt3JxkP2ypW5sNS38

Please don’t hesitate to sign up! If you have any questions about Career Day, contact Mrs. Rodriguez at lisette.valle@tylerisd.org.

• Leader in Me

Throughout the year, we will share the Leader in Me habits our students are learning.

Leader in Me is a Districtwide program that helps students develop leadership, responsibility, confidence, and positive habits.

This month, we are focusing on Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind, which teaches students to set goals, make a plan, and think about what they want to accomplish before getting started.

• Food Drive Update

We had an amazing turnout for this year’s food drive! Thanks to the generosity and teamwork of our students, families, and staff, we collected a total of 2,003 food items to support families in our community.

Congratulations to Mr. Quintero’s class for collecting the most donations and winning the pizza party!

Thank you to everyone who donated, shared reminders, and encouraged participation. This successful food drive would not have been possible without everyone’s efforts. We are incredibly grateful for the way our Birdwell community came together to make a difference!

Thank you for your support!

• Red Ribbon Week – Oct. 26th-30th

Join us as we celebrate making healthy, safe choices with fun dress-up days!

• Monday: Wear a red shirt with jeans
• Tuesday: Wear a hat
• Wednesday: Dress like a friend (free-dress rules apply)
• Thursday: Wear activewear
• Friday: Dress as a book character

• MRA Family Survey

Our MRA Survey is open through October 8. If you have not completed the survey, please take a few minutes to do so using the link below. Your feedback is important and will help us set goals and identify areas for growth this school year.

Complete the MRA Survey here:

https://www.leaderinme.com/s/birdwell-elementary/families

No visitors on October 15

• Our 8th graders will be taking the PSAT on October 15. To help provide a quiet and secure testing environment, visitors will not be allowed on campus that day.
• Parents and guests will not be able to come to campus to eat lunch with their students on this day.
• If you need to bring medication to campus or have an emergency, please contact the front office or our school nurse for assistance.

Student Lunch and Guests - Campus Rules & Protocols

• We will have special events where you are welcome to join your student for lunch. Please review our campus rules and protocols before your visit.
• All visitors must bring a valid ID. The person joining your student for lunch must be listed on your child’s file as an approved contact.
• For PreK–2nd grade families, each student may have no more than two visitors. Seating is limited, so we kindly ask that families follow the visitor limit.

Dismissal

• Thank you so much for helping us make dismissal as smooth and safe as possible! I shared with you that our goal was to have dismissal completed by 3:55, and we are almost there! Some days, we have little to no cars left by 3:58!

Late pick-ups

• At 4:00 PM: Any students who have not been picked up will be brought to the front office. You may remain in your car, and we will call your student to come out.

• At 4:10 PM: We will begin calling home for any students who are still waiting to be picked up.

• At 4:15 PM: You will need to come into the front office to sign out your student.

Dress Code Expectations

• All students are expected to adhere to the dress code every day.
• If a student is out of dress code, the office will contact the parent/guardian on file to bring the appropriate clothing. A belt is part of the uniform.

The book fair will be here October 5-9 and you can already purchase digital gift cards for your student to spend at the fair. Visit https://literati.com/store/?school=birdwell-elementary-school-tyler-tx to put money on their digital wallet and we will receive a barcode with your student's name on it. We are also excited to welcome loved ones for lunch again. Due to limited seating, families can enjoy the cooler temps in the courtyard for lunch and then come to the library for some shopping.

Copa Entre Generaciones isn’t just any match; it's the ultimate showdown where our Middle School students face off against our dedicated staff. The energy is electric, the competition fierce, and the camaraderie is unmatched. Every year, the entire campus rallies behind this event, and it has become a highlight that students and staff look forward to all year long.

Since our inception, local business and community members have sought out ways to support our big event. If you are interested in participating some way, somehow to support Copa Entre Generaciones, please click on the link below.

🎨 ART — Celebrating Hispanic Heritage

In Art, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by exploring the art and traditions of different countries throughout Latin America and beyond!

Students are learning about folk art, artists, cultural traditions, colors, patterns, and symbols from a variety of Hispanic cultures. We’re using these traditions as inspiration while creating our own artwork and learning to appreciate the many different ways people express their culture through art.

🎵 MUSIC — Celebrating Through Music

Music students are also celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by exploring music and musical traditions from different Spanish-speaking countries.

3rd grade students are learning about the sounds, instruments, rhythms, and traditions that make each culture unique. They are also preparing for a special music performance!

🎶 UPCOMING PERFORMANCE

Date:10/8/26

This performance is for parents and families of the students performing, 3rd grade and middle school percussion class.

🏃 PE — Move, Move, Move!

In PE, students are learning about different types of movement and how our bodies move in a variety of ways. We’re working on coordination, agility, balance, strength, endurance, and overall fitness.

Students are also participating in fitness testing and learning more about setting goals and taking care of their bodies through regular physical activity.

🐾 PE DONATION REQUEST

Our PE Coach is looking for donations of:
🐘 Plastic animals (to encourage new types of movement)
🎲 Dice (to play a new PE game)

If you have extra plastic animals or dice at home that you no longer need, we would greatly appreciate your donations!

Every monthly newsletter will have a button to link you to the PTA website with all the awesome things PTA is doing! Click below and take a look!!