The Dolphin Times

NEW DATE FOR FALL FESTIVAL IS OCTOBER 17th!

We have moved our Fall Festival from October 24th to October 17th due to the fact that Pickens High School has a home football game 🏈 and Easley has its downtown trunk or treat on the 24th. 🎃

Dear Dacusville families!

WOW! What a phenomenal week for us at DES! With your help we exceeded our goal of $15,000 for our Booster Fun Run fundraiser (see image below for up-to-date today)! We have plans already to meet with designers and landscapers to get phase two of our outdoor classroom underway. I could not be more appreciative of your support, and on behalf of our students and staff, THANK YOU!

This Week...

• Monday - Parent Playbook (6-7 p.m. - Information below)
• Tuesday - Toddler Time (8:15 a.m.)

Coming Soon...

• Friday, October 17th - FALL FESTIVAL (5:30 - 7:30)

Talking point at home this week: Perseverance (Grit)

Our world is full of quitters. Yes, you heard me right. People don't like this...they quit. People think something is too hard...they quit. Our students are told every day at school to keep trying. They are taught to have a Growth Mindset, which is basically adopting the mindset that you can't do something "YET!" Our students (your children) need to be reminded of things they once couldn't do, but now they can. They also need to be told that life isn't always going to be easy. They need to be pushed and challenged. This one is the hard one, as parents it is not only okay, but it is good to allow our children to fail sometimes. Stepping in to "save the day" when our children are struggling is not setting them up for success in the long run. For 15 activities you can do as a family to build perseverance, check out the link below: https://mentalhealthcenterkids.com/blogs/articles/perseverance-activities-for-kids

Have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week ahead!

If you ever have any questions or want to provide feedback, please email me at travischapman@pickens.k12.sc.us, or you can call me directly at 397-2810.

Sincerely,

Travis A. Chapman

We are partnering with DMS and SDPC to provide a unique opportunity to share some valuable information with our families regarding Schoology and Internet Safety. This very informative and helpful presentation will be offered twice on Monday, October 6th. Once at DMS from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. and then at DES between 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. We would love to see many of you at whichever session works best for you!

*** Light refreshments will be offered at both sessions. Childcare will be provided as well. ***

Dear Dacusville Families!

This week, our school community will focus on the character strength of Forgiveness. Forgiveness means letting go of anger toward those who have done wrong and accepting that people make mistakes.

When we forgive, we can move past being hurt and make peace with what happened. Forgiveness heals and strengthens our relationships. It doesn’t erase what happened, but it helps us let go of the hurt and move forward.

Seeking forgiveness shows that a person values relationships and understands the impact of their actions. It shows humility, accountability, and a willingness to make amends. By seeking forgiveness, a person shows they care about resolving conflicts and restoring trust. It also shows emotional maturity and a commitment to personal growth.

To practice and encourage forgiveness at home, please visit The Positivity Project’s mobile-friendly P2 for Families (available in English and Spanish), where you will watch a video together and discuss a quote and three questions. Below are links to this week’s P2 for Families lessons. Click on the grade level that best meets your child’s needs.

Pre-K–K

Grades 1–2

Grades 3–5

Grades 6–8

Grades 9–12

Thank you for your support!

Chromebooks are a necessary part of the instructional program in SDPC at all levels. Each year, parents are asked to pay $25 tech fees to provide insurance and help us repair broken chromebooks. If you have ever had a child crack their screen or have some other damage to their chromebook, you realize the importance of that tech fee. $25 is a whole lot better than $300-$400 for repairs.

I do want to share that Chromebook chargers are NOT covered in the Tech it Home fee. Please be sure students are taking care of these as well. The cost of a replacement charger is $35.

To help us ensure student safety, we ask if you have an emergency and need to sign your child out early that you do so before 2:10. After 2:10, we ask that you use the car line. It is often difficult to make last-minute changes in transportation, and we will not be able to call a student to the office for dismissal after 2:10 p.m. Our radios and sound system will be in use for buses and car line dismissal at that time. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR COOPERATION!

All Title 1 papers will be sent home this year on lavender paper so that they can be easily distinguished from other papers. Please be sure to look for these in your child's folders.

🚗 Buckle Up Zone = Safety 🚗
For everyone’s safety and to keep our car line moving efficiently, please pull all the way forward to the “Buckle Up Zone” before helping your child buckle in.
This helps us load students safely and keeps the line moving steadily.
Thank you for helping us keep our dolphins safe! 🐬

PLEASE READ BEFORE SIGNING UP.... 🙂

Please do not paint on the back of the rock. We have added a plaque in honor of our donor. If damaged, you will be responsible for any cost to fix/replace.

You may reserve the Dolphin Spirit Rock for $15 (pay directly when signing up). You can give a shout out to your favorite student! When you sign up, you can paint the rock starting at 4pm the day before your reserved date.

The cost to reserve The Dolphin Spirit Rock is $15 + processing fee for a total of $16.25. You will have the rock for 24 hrs (4pm-4pm). The day your reserve is the day for your rock to be seen. You MUST paint the rock the day prior to your actual sign up. For example, if you reserve Monday, 8/19, you'll be able to start painting on Sunday, 8/18 at 4PM so that it's up and ready for your student to see on your sign-up date of 8/19. We had several issues last school year with people painting the rock on the wrong date. The DSO is not liable if you painted on the wrong date. If you paint on the wrong date and cover another's design. You will be blocked from further reservations and will be responsible for the charges of the repaint of the original design.

Payments can only be made directly through this app when making your reservation. Dates are available on a first come, first serve basis and you may NOT reserve the rock for consecutive days.

Spirit Rock reservation is valid rain or shine!

*There will be no refunds for weather or school closures*

You are responsible for the painting of the rock. You can do this yourself (see tips below) or hire someone to paint for you. The DSO does not provide the paint or paint this for you.

TIPS: Three or four cans of spray paint will cover the front of the rock, or you can roll on paint as well. If you want to paint words or designs in multiple colors, you can buy small sample jars of any color paint anywhere paint is sold. You can always use some left over house paint you have at home. Please do not use oil based paints!

This year we are blessed with a local painter for hire. Mrs. Miller is the parent of children at Dacusville Elementary and does a wonderful job. She painted our welcome back rock this year. If interested you can contact her directly through the QR code linked below.

Spirit Rock was donated by

Dustin Brown @ Palmetto Upstate Group

If you have any questions you can reach us by emailing dacusvilledso@gmail.com

Thank You,

Dacusville Elementary DSO

We are looking for business partners or sponsors in our community who would be willing to help sponsor events or celebrations for teachers and/or students. If you own a business, lead a church, or know of someone who does that may be willing to be one of our business partners please complete this form or pass it to someone who might. We would love to be to partner with you!

DES Community Partners Form

Arrival -

Car rider doors open at 7:15 a.m. Breakfast is available and FREE to all again this year. Exterior doors to the school are closed at 7:57 a.m. and if there are no adults outside and the red stop sign is out, you must park, walk your child in the main office and sign them in.

Dismissal -

School ends at 2:30 p.m. and we will begin dismissal at that time. Please be patient the first week or so of school as many students and parents are new and learning these new procedures. Expect delays with bus drop off and pick-up also.

We realize that our main car line in the mornings is long. Here are a couple of ways that you can help us speed up our line.

• Please pull up to within 1-2 ft. of the person's bumper in front of you. If you are the first person in the next grouping of cars we ask that you pull past the crosswalk and all the way down to the white cone! - This change alone has allowed us to empty to car line by 7:57 each morning since we started. THANK YOU!

• Stopping traffic to allow a lot of folks to walk across the crosswalk slows down the car line. If you can stay in the car line instead of parking and walking over it will greatly help the line move faster.
• Please be sure your child has all of their things (book bag, lunchbox, etc.) ready to go as soon as you come to a stop.
• If you have a younger child or a child who doesn't want to get out of the car in the mornings please pull up to the white cone and someone will assist you in getting them out.

These 4 actions will help us tremendously. Thank you all for helping us ensure all students arrive on time and safely into the school building.

If you are picking up a PreK student, please remain in your car. Our staff will get your child inside the vehicle and then you may pull down to the stop sign labeled, "Buckle." to complete the car seat secure process. Also, if it is possible please have your child's car seat located behind the passenger seat for easy access in and out of the vehicle.

Also, please be sure to have your car tag displayed from your rear view mirror each day. Thank you for your assistance.

If you have been to DES before in the past to sign out your child for a doctor or dentist appointment you will remember signing our yellow cards. This year we have gone digital. Our sign-in / sign-out process is done by the parent scanning a QR code posted on the window facing the foyer and completing the Google Form on your phone. Please be sure to bring your phone as well as your Driver's License or photo ID in when you come to pick up your child or if you are dropping them off late.

This new 3 digit number was approved Thursday. This increases accessibility and reduces the stigma of utilizing mental health services.

• Allergies (if applicable)
• Transportation (How will your child get home in the afternoons?)
• Specific Needs (Do they have medication to take during the school day? Do they have any physical limitations? Other pertinent information)

Email: travischapman@pickens.k12.sc.us
Website: http://des.pickens.k12.sc.us/
Location: 200 Cherokee Trail, Easley, SC, USA
Phone: 864-397-2800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DacusvilleElementary

Instagram: dacusvilledolphins
Twitter: @DacusvilleElem

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dacusvilleelementaryschool7618