Calhoun Ranger Report - 11/6

Happy Friday, Calhoun Families!

I am SO excited about our next parent training event because we are bringing you our very first Camp Calhoun experience! Have you ever wondered what your child experiences when they visit the Library for Specials? Well, now it's your turn!

Join us for an evening of hands-on fun as you experience a little of the magic your children enjoy each week! You'll get to participate in a Makerspace activity that you can take home and enjoy with your child. We are also transforming our Music & Movement room into a cozy campground, complete with tents and cushions where you can snuggle up with your child and enjoy some great books together. Find a book you love? Check it out and take it home to keep the reading adventure going!

We know that developing a love for reading at an early age is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children, and we want to help you create those special moments at home.

📅 Thursday, November 12th
⏰ 5:30–6:30 PM

We can't wait to welcome you to Camp Calhoun! Please complete the Google Form below to let us know you're coming!

With gratitude,

Sara Anderson

Principal at Calhoun ECS

Wednesday, November 11 - Veterans Day

Thursday, November 12 - Fall Picture Retakes

Thursday, November 12 - Camp Calhoun Parent Training (5:30-6:30pm)

Friday, November 13 - World Kindness Day!

Monday, November 23 - School Holiday: Fall Break Begins!

The holidays are right around the corner, and we're excited for the return of the Prosper Education Foundation Holiday Home Tour!

Grab your friends and make a day of it! Tour beautiful homes, enjoy some holiday shopping, grab lunch, and support Prosper ISD students and educators along the way.

📅 December 4, 2026

🎟️ Tickets: $30

One of my goals this year is to help our families better understand what learning looks like for our youngest students! At Calhoun, we believe in the power of play-based learning, but I also know that learning through play can look very different from what many of us experienced when we were in school. I want to give you an opportunity to see firsthand just how much intentional learning is happening in our classrooms every single day.

This year, I am excited to introduce Parent Instructional Walks! During these walks, parents will have the opportunity to step inside several of our classrooms for brief glimpses of instruction and see how our 4- and 5-year-olds are developing important academic, social, and behavioral skills through purposeful play. We will spend a few minutes in each classroom and then come back together to reflect, ask questions, and talk about what we observed.

To minimize disruptions to instruction, each walk will be limited to just 6 parents. Because we will be visiting classrooms during the instructional day, all participants must have a completed and approved Prosper ISD volunteer background check. You can find the link to complete this below.

📅 Our first Parent Instructional Walk will be Thursday, November 19th, from 7:45–9:00 AM.

If you are interested in participating, please complete the interest form linked below. I will reach out to our first group of parents soon, and we will continue offering additional opportunities throughout the year.

I cannot wait to open our classroom doors and share the incredible learning that takes place at Calhoun. Sometimes the best way to understand the magic of early childhood education is to see it for yourself!

Calling all amazing parents!

Due to the holidays, we are combining November and December into a one month timeframe to sign up to be a volunteer Recess Ranger.

As a reminder, each month, one parent per family can volunteer for a morning or afternoon playground shift to engage with and support our students during recess. Rangers help monitor student safety, engage kids in play, and assist staff as needed — all while having fun outdoors with our students!

* Volunteers do not have to stay for the whole shift. We ask that volunteers stay for a minimum of 30 minutes since it is taking a slot.

November/December Volunteer Details:

AM Session: 7:45 AM – 10:45 AM (please stay a minimum of 30 minutes within this timeframe)

PM Session: 12:05 PM – 2:35 PM (please stay a minimum of 30 minutes within this timeframe)

🔹 One volunteer per session, per day

🔹 Choose one day in November or December and either an AM or PM time slot

🔹 Sign up early — spots are limited!

Please add your child's first name, last name, and teacher to the notes in your sign-up.

Volunteers are required to have an approved background check on file. Please complete the application using the link below.

https://www.prosper-isd.net/page/volunteer-background-check

Be advised that background checks may take up to two weeks to be approved. To check if you have been approved, please contact the front office at 945-678-4000 before you arrive for your selected time slot.

Please see the Recess Rangers Responsibilities Pact to read over the expectations as a recess volunteer. You will be provided a copy to sign in agreement when you arrive to campus.

Thank you for helping us build a strong, safe, and playful school community. We can’t wait to see you on the playground!

Happy November Calhoun Families!

As we continue learning, playing, and growing together, we appreciate your partnership in helping keep our classrooms healthy and safe for all students and staff. We have seen an increase in illness over the past week, and working together, we can help reduce the spread of germs and keep our school community healthy!

Please Keep Sick Children Home

If your child is not feeling well, please allow them time to rest and recover at home. Even when symptoms seem mild, children can easily spread illness to their classmates and teachers.

Please keep your child home if they are experiencing:

• Fever (100°F or higher)

• Vomiting or diarrhea

• Symptoms of communicable illness- see PISD Health Services Guidelines for Childhood Illness

Return to School Policy: To return to school, your child must be symptom-free for 24 hours without the use of symptom-reducing medication.

A Friendly Reminder About Medication

We understand that sometimes children wake up not feeling their best, and as parents, we all want to help them feel better. We ask that you partner with us by avoiding fever-reducing or symptom-relieving medications, such as Tylenol or Motrin, just before school drop-off.

While these medications may temporarily lower a fever or relieve discomfort, they do not eliminate an illness or prevent your child from being contagious.

Our goal is to work together to keep all students and staff healthy. If your child needs medication to feel well enough to attend school or participate in their normal activities, they may need some additional time to rest and recover at home.

Thank you for helping us create a healthy school environment for everyone!

When we all follow the correct traffic flow, it makes a world of difference for safety and efficiency, so we appreciate you reading over this information carefully.

The first few days will take more time as everyone learns the routine, so please plan accordingly. Our campus is unique—we welcome hundreds of new families each year, so every August we’re teaching our traffic system from scratch. Within a few days, we’ll be running like a well-oiled machine.

Here’s how you can help us get there even faster:

• Check your info before you come. Review the video and map for your region ahead of time so you know exactly where to go.

• Show us your car tag. Hang it from your rearview mirror, facing forward. Dashboard tags are hard to see—especially with sun glare.

• Have your carpool tag with you. If you don’t have it, you’ll need to go to the front office to show identification before we can release your child. This will slow the process for everyone, so please keep it handy.

• Make changes early. Any early pickups or changes to dismissal must be made before 2:00 p.m. We cannot honor requests after that time.

• Stay off your phone in the carpool lane. Distractions create safety risks for students and staff. Please keep your full attention on the flow of traffic.

• Stay in your lane. No lane switching or cutting in. If you enter the wrong lane, you’ll be directed to go around and re-enter the carpool area.

• Remain in your car. For safety and efficiency, please stay in your vehicle. We can only release students to walkers if they live in the neighborhood and are on the walker list.

• If you're walking from the neighborhood west of Calhoun, please use the crosswalk. For everyone's safety, walk down to the four-way stop and cross there rather than crossing in the middle of the street.

• Plan for patience. If waiting in line isn’t your thing, consider arriving early to be near the front—otherwise, bring your best patience and know we’ll get everyone through as quickly as possible.

• Spread kindness. Our staff is out there in the Texas heat making sure your children (and everyone else’s) get home safely. Your patience and smiles make all the difference.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep arrival and dismissal safe, smooth, and efficient for everyone!