TAYLOR TORNADOES
January 2026 Newsletter
STUDENT(S) OF THE MONTH
Our SOTM themes are IB Learner Profile Attributes. They highlight qualities we hope all Taylor students develop by the time they leave our school. They help guide how we learn, grow, and interact with others.
A WORD FROM PRINCIPAL WILSON
Dear Taylor Families,
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a relaxing break and spent quality time with family and friends. The start of a new year is always an exciting opportunity to reflect, reset, and look ahead with renewed energy, both personally and professionally.
Monthly Theme - Balanced:
Our theme for January will be balanced. A balanced student understands the importance of taking care of the well-being of themselves and others. At the end of the month, classes will nominate a student who has exemplified balanced as their Student of the Month!
January Conferences:
READ Plan parent/teacher conference information will be sent out on Thursday, January 8th in Thursday folders. These conferences will be held on Thursday, January 22nd from 4:00-8:00pm. You will only receive a conference invitation if your child’s teacher would like to meet with you or to review/update a READ Plan.
Report Cards:
All report cards will be sent home in Thursday folders on January 8th.
Please check your child’s backpack for their report card and please let your child’s teacher know if you did not receive one.
I’m looking forward to the second half of the school year! As always, please reach out if you have any questions.
Shawn Wilson
Taylor Principal
Introducing ParentSquare - A Two-Way Communication Platform
Starting this week, the district is introducing ParentSquare, a new two-way communication platform as a way for families and the school to connect. The district will continue to provide families with information but has also provided more information and instructions here. You'll want to download the ParentSquare app and check out the flyer & instructions below to get started. By the 2026 school year, all communication will be going through this new platform. We will no longer be sending the old text messages, emails, ClassDojos, etc. Our newsletters, teacher contact, flyers to go home, announcements, PTO communication, permission slips, sign-ups, etc. will all be coming from ParentSquare.
This will NOT replace ParentVue which is the platform for student information, report cards, registration, etc.
We will continue to update our website so we encourage you to visit it when you have specific questions about Taylor. You can find all our important dates, school lunch times, teacher's email addresses and more!
Food Bags & Clothing
We also have our Taylor Closet to help families in need of clothing. Please let the office know if you're interested.
Taylor Apparel Store
PTO Update
We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Taylor PTO is excited to jump back into the new year with our school community.
Be sure to mark your calendars for Doughnuts with Darlings on February 13th. More details will be coming home in Thursday folders and shared in upcoming newsletters.
We truly couldn’t do this without the support of our amazing families, and we have more fun events planned for the spring. Stay tuned!
COUNSELOR'S CORNER WITH MS. SERENITY
How is it already 2026? I hope you all enjoyed some family time and rest over your winter break and are feeling ready to tackle the second half of the school year!
Our social emotional learning lessons are on the following topics this month:
5th graders will begin their suicide prevention unit. Families of 5th graders, please check your child’s backpack on January 7 for a letter with all the details. No need to return the letter UNLESS you DON’T want your child to participate.
4th graders will practice using the problem solving steps to solve a problem on the playground.
3rd, 2nd and 1st graders will be introduced to the problem solving steps and they will practice how to state a problem without blaming anyone.
Kindergarteners will begin their unit on emotion identification by differentiating between comfortable feelings like “happy” and uncomfortable feelings like “sad”.
We started a grief group for K-2 graders in December and we have two Calm Ninjas groups in progress. We will be adding two more Calm Ninjas groups and another grief group for older students later in January. If your child needs practice with emotion regulation or if they have been impacted by the death of a loved one, please let us know so that we can invite them to join.
Looking ahead to the spring, in February, March and April we have an awesome opportunity for families! I will be facilitating a family book study and support group on the bestselling parenting book Raising Mentally Strong Kids By Dr. Charles Fay and Dr. Daniel Amen. This book combines the tried and true parenting tools of Love & Logic with modern brain science to help us help our children be the best they can be. These four sessions will be held on Thursday evenings from 5-7 pm and child care will be provided by high school students from D51’s Early Childhood Education Program at the Career Center. Books will be purchased for every adult who signs up and all are welcome! For more information or to sign up, please contact Ms. Serenity.
With Gratitude,
Serenity Santistevan
Taylor Elementary School Counselor
970-254-4870 ext. 63100