September 6, 2024 Parent Newsletter

We shared the following information during our Scorpion Convocation, via email and also sent out a copy home. This is just a reminder:

Lunch Visitors

We would like to invite you to visit and have lunch with your student sometime during this school year. As always, the school lunches can be found on the SchoolCafe website:

https://www.schoolcafe.com/GARLANDISD

Please follow these campus practices:

• Lunch visitors are welcome beginning Monday, September 9th, 2024 . This provides our teachers time to set procedures. Parents may purchase a cafeteria lunch or bring food for their student and themselves only.

• Each student will have a lunch sign in sheet. Parents can come and eat lunch with their students a total of 5 visits per semester. The first semester ends at Winter Break and the second semester ends on the last day of school.

• The office staff will date and stamp the individual student sign in sheet “LUNCH VISITOR” and the parent must sign. If a parent has students in different grades and wants to have lunch with them on the same day, the parent must sign in by the “LUNCH VISITOR” stamp for each student. The five visits include all family members.

• The visitor will present a valid state or government issued photo identification card to the school’s receptionist. This ID is scanned into the Raptor System and the personal information from the ID is cross-referenced against names of Registered Sexual Offenders (RSO) in a database maintained by Raptor Technologies, Inc. Within moments, the receptionist will know if the visitor is an RSO. If this is the case, processes are in place to consider the validity of the request to visit the school in order to maintain the safety of the students and staff. If the visitor is cleared by the system, a visitor’s pass, which includes the person’s name, photo, date of visit, and destination within the building, will be printed.

• Once parents have the name tag, they will go to the cafeteria and sit with their students at an assigned table.

• We ask that guests hug goodbye and return their child to the class table 5 minutes before the end of lunch.

• After lunch is over, parents must return to the office and turn in the name tag to the office staff.

• Visitors may not attend recess, take pictures with friends or walk to the classroom.

Enjoy your visit! Please contact the school office with any questions at 972-675-3060.

We warmly invite you to get involved and volunteer at Spring Creek! Your support plays a vital role in enriching our students' experiences and fostering a vibrant school community. Whether you can lend a hand in the classroom, assist with events, or share your unique skills, your contributions make a significant impact. Join us in creating memorable moments for our children and strengthening our school's bonds. We look forward to your participation!

Please read the volunteer guidelines determined by GISD:

https://garlandisd.net/connect/volunteer/volunteer-our-schools

Link to application: English

Link to application: Spanish

Once your background check is clear, please reach out to Ms. Bermea (our amazing office aide). These are some of the activities you can support our school with:

1. Classroom Assistance: Help teachers with lesson preparation, student supervision, and small group activities.

2. Library Support: Assist in organizing books, helping students find resources, and maintaining a conducive reading environment.

3. Tutoring and Mentoring: Provide one-on-one support to students who need extra help in specific subjects.

4. Gardening and Outdoor Projects: Help maintain school gardens and outdoor learning spaces.

5. Administrative Support: Assist with clerical tasks, such as copying, filing, or organizing materials.

6. Cultural Enrichment: Share your skills, hobbies, or cultural background through workshops or presentations.

7. Cafeteria Support: Help supervise students during lunch and assist with meal distribution.

8. Community Outreach: Help coordinate partnerships with local businesses and organizations to enhance school programs.

On the days that you volunteer, you can have lunch with your student (without using your 5 passes)!

Raising kids in a digital age is very difficult, so in celebration of GISD's upcoming Cybersafety Week (September 23-27), we'd like to share some videos with tips that should make that process easier.

Kids and Tech: How Much is Too Much? (English)

Kids and Tech: How Much is Too Much (Spanish)

Kids and Tech: When to Get a Phone (English)

Kids and Tech: When to Get a Phone (Spanish)

You can use these Family Tech Planners to help you follow through on some of the tips from the videos:

Family Tech Planner - ages 2-8 (English)

Family Tech Planner - ages 2-8 (Spanish)

Family Tech Planner - ages 9-12 (English)

Family Tech Planner - ages 9-12 (Spanish)

We invite you to begin implementing these tips with your family. In addition, and as a way of support, all students in K-5 are learning about cybersafety and digital citizenship in the library for 2 weeks. Let's all join together to help our children stay safe and be respectful online!

We are excited to announce that September 13 is Picture Day at Spring Creek! Please ensure your child is dressed (free dress) and ready for their photos.

You can order pictures online: https://lifetouch.com/picture-day/TX/Garland/Spring-Creek-Elementary-School-96232

We are excited to begin a new school year at Spring Creek Elementary! We believe that strong partnerships between parents and teachers are essential for student success. To foster these partnerships, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with our Parent Engagement and Involvement Policy.

This policy outlines the many ways you can be involved in your child's education, from attending school events and volunteering in the classroom to participating in parent-teacher conferences and school events. We believe that every parent has valuable skills and experiences to share, and we encourage you to find ways to contribute to our school community.

By working together, we can create a positive and supportive learning environment for all of our students. Please take some time to read the Parent Engagement and Involvement Policy. We look forward to partnering with you this year!

Link to the Parent Engagement and Involvement - HERE

Thank you so much for supporting us by completing the CEP forms! Your participation has made a huge difference in ensuring our students have access to free breakfast and lunch this school year.

These forms are vital to Spring Creek Elementary because they help us secure funding for essential programs like our free meal program. This funding allows us to provide nutritious meals to all students, regardless of their family's financial situation.

We appreciate your time and effort in helping us provide this valuable service to our students.

If you have not submitted the form, please do so as soon as possible. Do not forget to mark OPTION 1 at the bottom of the form.

We are on the tail end of testing, with only Science MAP remaining. It’s really important for students to be in attendance during this time, and we need your support to ensure they are here and ready. Let’s work together to create an environment where every student has the opportunity to succeed and show their best. Thank you for your continued partnership and support! Testing will begin promptly after morning announcements at 8:10 AM, so please make sure students arrive on time to maximize their testing experience.

Testing Dates:

September 4th (Science): 2nd - 5th grade

What to Expect:

• Preparation: Encourage your child to get a good night's sleep and have a nutritious breakfast on test days.
• Support: Remind your child to try their best and stay calm. The results help us understand their strengths and areas for growth, and are used to support their learning journey.

If you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to reach out to your students class room teacher via Class Dojo.

Cycle 1 Progress Notice 1 will be available for viewing on Skyward starting Tuesday, September 3rd.

Monitoring your child’s academic progress is crucial for holding them accountable and collaborating with their teacher to address their needs. Your involvement is key to your child’s success and allows for timely interventions when necessary. If you have any questions about grades or upcoming events, please feel free to reach out to their teachers. They will be happy to work with you.

Here is the link to Skyward: https://skyward-gprod.iscorp.com/scripts/wsisa.dll/WService=wsedugarlandtx/seplog01.w?nopopup=true

As part of our school-wide positive behavior support system, we have made it a goal to recognize students who follow Spring Creek's Guidelines for Success. STING tickets are designed to acknowledge and reward students who excel in demonstrating these key behaviors. The Guidelines for Success are pictured to the right. When a student earns a STING ticket, they receive a positive phone call home from one of the administrators and are also entered into a raffle to win a trip to the STING Store! The idea behind this initiative is to implement something meaningful for both students and parents. Let's take a moment to recognize a few students who earned STING tickets this week!

We are excited to announce that we will be utilizing ClassDojo as our primary communication platform for the 2024-2025 school year! ClassDojo provides a simple and effective way for teachers to share updates, photos, and announcements with parents.

Through the ClassDojo app or website, you'll be able to stay connected to your child's classroom and school community like never before. Teachers will use ClassDojo to send real-time messages, post homework and class projects, and celebrate your child's achievements. You can also easily message teachers with any questions or concerns.

Teachers will be sharing instructions on how to sign up and connect with your child's classroom. We're confident that ClassDojo will help foster stronger home-school partnerships and keep you in the loop throughout the year.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're looking forward to a fantastic school year together!

Weekly Dress Up Days