Stinson Family Newsletter
August 2022
From Your Principals
Greetings, Stinson Families!
We were excited to welcome back our staff this morning and have everybody under one roof again. The energy the staff brings when we are together is unmatched. The staff will be in training for the next few days to help prepare for the school year. They are eager to meet all of their Stars at Meet the Teacher on Tuesday, August 9, from 8:30-9:30 am. We know that as soon as all of the students are here our family will feel complete.
While Meet the Teacher will give you all an opportunity to meet your child's teacher on Tuesday, we wanted to give you some extra time for us to meet you and your children. If you are able to make it on Friday, the Stinson PTA is hosting an event called Meet the Principals. Both of us will be in Creek Hollow Park from 4:30-6:00 pm to meet you as you stop by for a hello and popsicle with your family. We know that the partnership between the school and families is important and helps set students up for success. If you are unable to join us at the park, we hope to still be given the chance to meet you on Tuesday morning during Meet the Teacher.
One goal that we have for this year is to start each day promptly at 7:40 am with all children in their seats ready to learn. In an effort to give enough time for students to be dropped off, get inside the building and settled before the 7:40 am bell, we will be opening our doors earlier this year for students to go directly to their classes. Building doors will now open at 7:20 am for students to go directly to their class. Teachers will be there ready to greet them and students settled for a day of learning. Morning and afternoon carpool information is included below.
Again, we are excited to welcome returning and new students to our campus on August 10, 2022. Only on the first day of school, parents may walk their child to the classroom from 7:20-7:40 am. Parents will be promptly asked to exit the building by 7:45 am so our students can start their day. students arriving after 7:45 am will be escorted to their classroom by campus staff. Parents will not be permitted to visit classrooms after 7:45 am.
A special shout out to our always supportive PTA - you always go above and beyond, and we are so lucky to partner with you.
We appreciate your support and look forward to a great school year!
Mr. Karl and Mrs. Daly
Welcome Back Staff!
Save the Dates
Attendance Policy
Being present and on time is a positive life-long habit. A student’s tardiness and absence can have a major impact on the learning process for both your child and other children in the class. This could include missing an explanation of a new concept; interrupting a class already in session; needing the teacher to re-explain directions, slowing down the rest of the class, etc.
The compulsory attendance law in Texas requires that students attend school ninety percent of the time. Additionally, a child cannot have 10 or more days or parts of days unexcused absences within a 6-month period. If your child is absent for any reason, please send a note to the school within three days describing the nature of the absence. A call to the Child Safe Line helps our office staff know why students are absent, but a note (or email) will still be required to excuse an absence.
A student is considered tardy if they are not inside the school door by 7:45 a.m. Plano ISD considers late arrivals as missing part of a day. Three tardies are considered equivalent to an unexcused absence and can result in required parent meetings with the Plano Attendance Review Board.
We happily open our gym door at 7:00, offer breakfast each morning (for a small charge), and open our main doors at 7:20. We strongly recommend you arrive early in order to avoid traffic delays.
Carpool Information
Morning Arrival
Supervision is provided from 7:00-7:20 am in the gym. Students arriving after 7:20 am should go directly to their classrooms.
Traffic is minimal before 7:20 am., so please arrive early to allow your child plenty of time to get to class.
Tardies are written for any student that arrives after the 7:40 am bell.
General Reminders:
- Walkers/bicycle riders use the west or front entrance depending on their travel directions. Please use the map provided to determine your child’s travel route.
- Bicycle riders always walk their bikes on school property. Please lock bikes.
- Skateboards, scooters, skates and rollerblades are prohibited on school property.
- Always use the crosswalk.
- Please refer to the maps below for carpool routes and times.
Afternoon Dismissal
Please make arrangements to have your child picked up on time. Staff have after school meetings and obligations at 3:00 each day.
General Reminders:
- Parent vehicle pickup is ONLY at the front entrance on Greenfield Drive. There is no carpool pickup at the west door in the afternoon.
- Staff members use radios to call student names for carpool pickup.
- Staff members supervise students and dismiss them when their name is called. All students will remain with their grade level.
- Please post students’ last names and grade levels in the front, passenger window of your car. You will receive a sign from your child’s teacher at Meet the Teacher or you can print your own copy using the link below.
- If you are choose to park and walk up to get your child, please note that the upper parking area will be blocked off with cones, for the safety of our students. You are welcome to park in the lower parking lot. Parents picking up 1st grade students should avoid blocking the gym door.
School Messenger
School Messenger is the district’s communication tool to reach families, particularly during an emergency. Please be sure to check that your contact information is updated on the Emergency Card of Plano ISD’s Parent Portal. Additionally, this year families will be able to receive text messages from their schools.
You can participate in this service just by sending a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our school’s short code number, 67587.
STOP ANYTIME
You can also opt-out of these messages at any time by simply replying to one of our messages with “Stop”.
SchoolMessenger is compliant with the Student Privacy Pledge™, so you can rest assured that your information is safe and will never be given or sold to anyone.
Counselor Corner
A Message From Ms. Thrift
Parents of New Stinson Stars,
One way that we will work to ensure that your children feel welcome and plugged in at Stinson is to include them in newcomer lunch groups with Julie Thrift, school counselor. These groups will meet once per week for the first few weeks of school during their lunch period. If you would rather your child not participate in this lunch group, please contact Ms.Thrift at julie.thrift@pisd.edu.
Thank you so much and welcome to the Stinson family!
Stinson Site Based Improvement Committee (SBIC) Members Needed
In addition to parent members, we are also in need of business representatives to serve on SBIC. If you know of a local business that would be interested in forming a partnership with our campus in this capacity, please complete the SBIC Business Representative Recommendation form below. **Please note that parents of current students are not allowed to serve as business representatives.**
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our assistant principal, Elyse Daly, at elyse.daly@pisd.edu.
School Breakfast/Lunch Program
The United States Department of Agriculture waiver that allowed Plano ISD to provide free meals to all students during the 2021-22 school year has expired.
- Plano ISD will resume charging for meals during the 2022-23 school year based on student eligibility for meal benefits.
- Families who may qualify are encouraged to complete a federal meal application for free and reduced-price meals.
Families who may qualify for meal benefits are encouraged to complete a federal meal application for the 2022-23 school year. Applications may be completed through School Café by logging in to your account, or by creating a new account.
Need help? Watch the SchoolCafé Free/Reduced Price Meal Application Walkthrough Video.
Calling All Volunteers!
All volunteers will need to create an account and complete an application, online orientation and background check through the Plano ISD volunteer management system, VOLY, to be eligible for district/school volunteer opportunities. Please visit plano.voly.org to create a volunteer account and begin this process. These items will need to be completed by volunteers each school year. This process can take several days, so please take care of this now!
2022-2023 PACE Referrals
Please visit www.pisd.edu/PACE for more information on the program.
District Updates
Stinson Elementary
Email: Ty.Karl@pisd.edu
Website: www.pisd.edu/stinson
Location: 4201 Greenfield Drive, Richardson, TX, USA
Phone: 469-752-3400
Facebook: facebook.com/StinsonESPage
Twitter: @StinsonStars