The Mustang Message

Dear Mustang Families,

What an incredible first week of school we have had! It has been such a joy to welcome our students back to campus and see the excitement, energy, and enthusiasm they have brought with them each day. I am especially proud of how quickly our students have embraced our campus expectations and demonstrated outstanding behavior throughout the building.

This week, students also began an important process of building their classroom communities by creating social contracts in their classrooms and during specials. These collaborative agreements help establish a positive learning environment where everyone feels respected, supported, and empowered to succeed.

We are looking forward to seeing many of our families at our Back to School Bash on Wednesday, August 26, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with staff, celebrate the start of the school year, and continue building strong partnerships between home and school. Be sure to check out the graphic in the High Score Highlights section of this newsletter for additional event information.

Also, don't miss your opportunity to purchase PTO Spirit Wear before the online store closes on August 28 at 12:00 p.m. More details can be found in the PTO Download section of the newsletter.

Finally, thank you for your patience and cooperation during arrival and dismissal procedures these first few days of school. Your partnership has made a tremendous difference. We are excited to report that our gym car line has been completely finished by 3:37 p.m. for the past two days, and we appreciate everyone's efforts to help make dismissal safe and efficient.

Thank you for helping us start the school year on such a positive note. We look forward to an amazing year ahead!

With Mustang Pride,

Katie Miller
Principal

All information regarding drop off and pick up procedures are designed to ensure the safest environment for our students, staff, and families. Please adhere to these procedures so we can continue working together to provide the best school experiences for your child.

Your child may arrive at school by walking, riding a bike, riding in a car, by car pool, or on a KISD bus depending upon the location of your home.

AM and PM Bus Riders: Buses will drop off and pick up students in the front loop.

Before school drop off: (AM)

Car riders:

• All car riders will drop off at the front entrance to DES.
• The right lane, closest to the school, is for drop off ONLY. Please pull forward and allow for the student to exit on the passenger side ONLY.
• The far-left lane is reserved parking for those who need to conduct school business with Administration, the Nurse, or a child’s teacher.
• No one should be entering the Staff Parking Lot to drop off a student. Staff members are arriving to school and this causes congestion in the parking lot.
• Please exercise care, reduce speed, and pay attention to the employees/Crossing Guard directing traffic to allow students to safely cross at the crosswalk. Yield the right of way to pedestrians within any marked crosswalk. All pedestrians must use the crosswalk when crossing. Law prohibits the stopping or parking of any vehicle in a crosswalk.
• For the safety of everyone, please use the Crosswalk when crossing traffic.
• NO DROP OFFS at the Annex or the Staff Parking Lot; use the single entrance in front of DES, ONLY!

You will be asked to notify your child’s teacher regarding his/her usual method of getting home from school during Meet the Teacher. Students often become frightened or confused when parents are late or make frequent changes in pick-up plans. If you need to make a change in how your child will get home, please contact the front office before 2:00 p.m. To help with a smooth dismissal process, if you need to pick up your student early for an appointment, we ask that you do this by 2:30 p.m. Unless notified, the teacher will follow the normal routine for your child.

Car Riders:

• First – 5th grade students will be staged in the gym and released to the DES loop outside the gym on Olympic Drive once called. No left turn is allowed from Singing Wind to enter the line on Olympic. No right turn is allowed coming south on Olympic into the loop. It is important that the exit for the Car Loop as well as the crosswalk is not blocked to help with walker and traffic flow.
• KINDER ONLY (and any Siblings of Kinder students) will be picked up in front of the school.
• Once the car pickup line begins to move, please move towards the center of the lane, away from the curb, to allow traffic to pass on the right.
• Please have your child’s name card clearly visible until your student(s) are loaded.
• Please plan to have your child load the vehicle on the PASSENGER side of the vehicle.
• Please remain in your vehicles at all times.

Walkers:

Students who are walkers will have to walk off campus using one of the two crosswalks that go either direction on Singing Wind Drive. Due to limited parking space, walking to a parent parked on campus WILL NOT be an option. We have also been asked to not park in the parking lots of either church.

Buses:

School bus services are made available to students who live two or more miles from the assigned school as measured by the shortest route that may be traveled on public roads from the student’s home to his/ her school. This is a state regulation and school district policy. Students must also reside in the district and in the attendance area of the school. If you have any questions as to whether your child is eligible for bus transportation or about a bus route, please contact the KISD Transportation Department (830) 257-1333.

After-School Care:

There are several options available for After-School Care. YMCA is offered on the DES campus, but families must sign up directly with YMCA if interested. We have private day care pick up offered from Happy Jacks and Bright Beginnings. Students who attend the KROC Center or Children's Ark after school utilize a KISD bus for transportation to their respective facility. The school does not coordinate any after-school care and all families must contact the organizations/day care options on their own.

All visitors and volunteers must sign in at the front office before entering the campus. Our Raptor system requires a valid photo ID for all first time visitors. Each year this is reset. Visitors will be unable to enter the campus if they have not signed in with proper ID, even if the DES team knows you. We will not allow visitors to be released to classrooms unless the teacher has previously let the office staff know.

Parents are welcome to visit at lunch time during your student's grade level lunch time starting Monday, August 31st. We will continue to have a visitor's table like we have in the past. Please know that when eating lunch with your student, classmates are not allowed to join you.

At the conclusion of their visit, all visitors MUST sign out in the office before leaving campus.

Hello! My name is Jesse Baldwin and I am the School Resource Officer (SRO) assigned to Tom Daniels Elementary School. I spent the past few years just down the road at HPMS. I have been a public servant in county, federal, and municipal law enforcement for over 20 years. I carry a Master Peace Officer license with an Advanced SRO certification. I am proud to claim I grew up in this very district as a Starkey Scorpion, a Peterson Spike, and a Tivy Antler. When I'm not patrolling our hallways or cheering on our competitive teams, I enjoy golfing, fishing/bird-hunting, and spending time with my family. TFND!

Kinder Families do not need to attend because we held our Kinder Parent Meeting with our Meet the Teacher event. That is the same information that would be shared on this evening. Life Skills Teachers will also be in touch with their families with any important information you might need.

Tom Daniels Elementary is seeking a Life Skills Paraprofessional who is passionate about helping students grow, learn, and succeed. This is an opportunity to be part of a team that believes in supporting every child and celebrating every accomplishment along the way.

If you're ready to help us Level Up: Every Student, Every Day, we'd love for you to join our Mustang family!

Apply Here: https://www.applitrack.com/kerrvilleisd/onlineapp/default.aspx?AppliTrackPostingSearch=location:%22Tom+Daniels+Elementary+School%22

Picture Day is coming on Tuesday, September 8!

You can place your order on mylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVT37G9GH. Order before midnight on Picture Day to get FREE shipping!

Your child can also bring their completed flyer with cash or check on Picture Day. Orders after Picture Day must be placed online on mylifetouch.com

At our school, we are committed to creating a safe, supportive, and positive learning environment for every child. One way we do this is through Capturing Kids’ Hearts®, a program focused on building strong relationships, fostering respect, and creating a culture where students feel valued and connected.

Through Capturing Kids’ Hearts, students and staff work together to establish expectations, practice kindness and empathy, and develop skills for positive communication. By building meaningful connections and a sense of belonging, we help students feel confident, engaged, and ready to learn each day.

When students know they are cared for and respected, they are more likely to succeed both academically and socially. Capturing Kids’ Hearts helps us strengthen our school family and ensure that every child knows they matter. ❤️🏫

As we prepare for a wonderful school year, I wanted to make you aware of an important change regarding school counseling services. Please be on the lookout for communication about SB 12. You will receive information and a form allowing you to opt in or opt out of certain counseling services, including classroom guidance lessons, individual and small group counseling, and crisis intervention.

Our school counseling program is designed to support every student's academic, social, and emotional growth. Classroom guidance lessons help students build skills like emotional regulation, problem solving, friendship, and resilience, while individual and small group counseling provide additional support when needed. Please know that parents are always contacted, and permission is obtained before a student participates in individual or small group counseling.

I also encourage you to take a few minutes to read my Counselor's Corner newsletter. Be sure to check out the resources at the bottom, where you'll find helpful information about easing back to school separation anxiety and simple ways to help your child start the school year with confidence. A little preparation now can make a big difference once school begins!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm looking forward to partnering with you to make this a successful and meaningful school year for every student!

We are thrilled to be offering Spirit Gear through PTO this school year. All orders must be placed online through Gandy Ink. Orders will be delivered directly to school and sent home with your student by the middle of September.

August 22nd: Happy Birthday, Mrs. Parramore!

August 26th: Happy Birthday, Mrs. Rudolph-Hart!

August 26th: DES Back to School Bash from 5-6:30 p.m. (more details to come)

August 28th: PTO Spirit Shop Closes

August 30th: Happy Birthday, Miss Harris!

August 31st: First Day for Lunch Visitors

September 2nd: Wear Pink for CKH Trait of the Month- Empathy

September 4th: Happy Birthday, Mrs. Scogin!

September 7th: No School- Labor Day

September 8th: Fall Individual Picture Day

September 8th: PTO General Meeting at Noon in the Library

September 9th: Campus Improvement Team Committee Meeting at 3:45 p.m.

September 11th: Happy Birthday, Mrs. Russ!

September 11th: Lockdown Drill Practice

Each Wednesday at Daniels, our staff will be trying to help promote CCMR (College, Career, and Military Readiness) by wearing shirts of different colleges, careers, and branches of the military. Although attending college is a great option for students when they graduate from high school, it isn't the only option that can lead to a rewarding and successful future. Our students may be young, but their future is bright! We invite all of our Mustangs to join in on Tuesdays and wear their favorite CCMR shirt!

Please note the following procedures that will be in place to help this process go smoothly.

• Visitors MUST check in at the front office by presenting their ID and obtain a visitor's pass.
  
• Visitors will be able to eat with their student in the designated seating. No friends or classmates will be able to join.
• Visitors are not permitted to sit at the student tables with homeroom classes.
• You are welcome to bring food for your student, but it cannot be shared with other classmates.
• Visitors will NOT be able to walk with students back to their class after lunch or attend recess with them.
• Visitors MUST sign out in the Office before leaving campus.

Scheduled Lunch Times

Kindergarten: 10:45-11:15 a.m.

1st Grade: 11:05-11:35 a.m.

2nd Grade: 11:25-11:55 a.m.

3rd Grade: 12:35-1:05 p.m.

4th Grade: 12:15-12:45 p.m.

5th Grade: 11:50-12:20 p.m.

Our campus goal this year is 96% school-wide attendance. Regular attendance is extremely important. If your child is absent from school, please call or email your child's homeroom teacher and our Attendance Secretary as soon as you know they will not be attending school that day. Please include the reason for the absence. Excused absences are illness, medical appointments, or death in the family. Notes, calls, or emails must be received within 3 school days of the child returning. Unexcused absences may result in your child being placed on an attendance plan, prevent your child from being promoted to the next grade level, or may result in truancy charges being filed. Attendance is taken each day at 10:00 a.m. A student must be on campus at that time to be counted present.

Students are counted tardy if they are not in their class by 7:45 a.m. Parents are required to bring the student into the office to check them in if arriving after 8 a.m. Chronic tardiness will be addressed by administration. It is vital that students arrive to school on time. This time is important to helping develop social skills, organization skills, and learning to begin the day prepared. Students that arrive after 7:45 often come in behind the rest of the class, causing anxiety and stress on the student. Always allow time for traffic delays due to weather conditions and the first few weeks of school.

All visitors and volunteers must sign in at the front office before entering the campus. Our Raptor system requires a valid photo ID for all first time visitors. Each year this is reset. Visitors will be unable to enter the campus if they have not signed in with proper ID, even if the DES team knows you. We will not allow visitors to be released to classrooms unless the teacher has previously let the office staff know.

Parents are welcome to visit at lunch time during your student's grade level lunch time starting Monday, August 31st. We will continue to have a visitor's table.

At the conclusion of their visit, all visitors MUST sign out in the office before leaving campus.

Birthday treats must be store bought with a nutrition label. Treats from bakeries must also include a nutrition label.

Birthday treats may be dropped off in the front office. Visitors will not go to classrooms for birthday celebrations. Teachers will celebrate the last 15 minutes of the day, prior to dismissal. Flowers and balloons are not to be sent to school for delivery for any student.

If your student needs a transportation change for the day, please contact the office by 2:00 p.m. As it gets closer to 3 p.m., it can sometimes be difficult to locate students as the dismissal process begins. We understand that emergencies happen and will assist when those arise.

We also ask that students who need to leave early are picked up by 2:30 p.m. as well. This will allow our office staff to focus on dismissal and to ensure that it runs smoothly.

Thanks for your cooperation and understanding!

Breakfast and Lunch are offered on campus daily. Please check the menu frequently to see any changes that might occur.

2026-2027 Meal Prices

Breakfast Paid Student - $1.75

Breakfast Reduced Student - Free

Lunch Paid Student - $3.50

Lunch Reduced Student - $0.40

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health. When implemented with fidelity, PBIS improves social emotional competence, academic success, and school climate. It also improves teacher health and wellbeing. It is a way to create positive, predictable, equitable and safe learning environments where everyone thrives.

Kerrville ISD is utilizing PBIS on all four elementary campuses.

At Daniels, we have adopted the acronym of PRIDE. Our Mustangs are expected to show PRIDE in all they do and in all areas of the school. Students are asked to wear their badge so they can be rewarded for showing PRIDE throughout the school and by all staff members. Students are able to use their points to shop in Teacher Stores and to participate in school-wide incentives.