The Dolphin Report

We hope you enjoy our newsletter! It provides information about important dates and events happening around school throughout the year. Updates will occur at the start of each month. The newsletter will be emailed out and available on our website and social media. If you have suggestions for things we can add, please feel free to email Mrs. Meyer at meyera@okaloosaschools.com .

To access staff contacts, handbooks and more, visit our website at https://www2.okaloosaschools.com/o/destines

DES Families and Community,

September has flown by, and even though the Florida sun is still shining hot, we’re already getting into the fall spirit at Destin Elementary! 🍂

What a joy it was to see our students showing their patriotism earlier this month with red, white, and blue outfits to honor the heroes of 9/11. A special thank you to our Junior Deputies for proudly lining our ramps with American flags—it was a beautiful way to show our school spirit and respect.

Another big thank you goes out to our amazing Special Areas teachers for hosting Family Football Friday! We had such a fun time together, and we look forward to planning more of these events throughout the year so even more families can join in the fun.

October is shaping up to be an exciting month filled with field trips, special activities, and celebrations! If you’re planning to chaperone a field trip, please make sure your volunteer application is approved ahead of time so everything goes smoothly (guidelines are listed below).

On October 2nd, we’ll celebrate Custodian Appreciation Day! Our custodial team works tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our campus, classrooms, and cafeteria clean and welcoming. Please take a moment to thank them—whether it’s with a kind word in the hallway or a handwritten note dropped off in the front office.

We love seeing so many visitors joining their children for lunch! To make your time more enjoyable, we’ve added shaded picnic tables near the media center. Please be sure to review the lunch visitor guidelines below so we can continue to keep our campus safe and welcoming.

Our annual National Walk to School Day is October 8th! Please join Deputy Karla if you are able to participate!

It’s hard to believe the first quarter wraps up on October 10th! Don’t forget: Monday, October 13th is a student holiday and teacher workday.

Our Change for Children campaign is underway! Let’s work together to raise funds for Children in Crisis and make a difference for kids in our community. Every little bit helps!

We’re also excited to announce the kickoff of our Yearbook Cover Art Contest—a favorite tradition that lets our students shine. Details are included below!

There are also contest for a pedestrian safety and Hispanic Heritage! Please see instructions and get these turned in if you would like to participate :)

And, of course, October means costumes and creativity! This year, we’ll continue our fun tradition of celebrating as Old MacDonald’s Farm! Each grade level will represent a different animal, while staff will dress up as farmers. Grade level assignments are listed below in this newsletter. Classes will send home more detailed information. This way, everyone can join in the dress-up fun, whether or not they celebrate Halloween. 🐮🐔🐷

We are so grateful for our supportive families, PTO sponsors, and Adopt-a-Class donors. Your generosity helps us create the very best experiences for our students. A full list of sponsors is included in this newsletter—please consider supporting the businesses that support us! We still have 15 classes in need of adoption, so if you know someone who would like to contribute, the details are below.

Finally, don’t forget—you can always find our student handbook, Dolphin Report with Policies and Procedures and the latest Dolphin Report on our school website. These resources are a great way to stay connected and informed.

As always, my door is open. Please feel free to call or email me with any questions, ideas, or concerns.

With gratitude and Dolphin pride,
Amy Meyer, Principal 🐬

If you'd like to show your appreciation for our amazing custodians, write them a little note and send it to the front office! We will put them in their mailboxes for a nice surprise!

https://www.floridahispanicheritage.com/

Please follow the link below to access art and essay contest guidelines!

Order forms for tickets will be sent out closer to the lunch dates!

We love our volunteers! If you would like to help in classrooms or chaperone on field trips, you must have an approved volunteer application on file through Okaloosa County Schools. These volunteer approvals are good for one calendar year. You will receive an email when your application is received and another email when it has been approved. If you have an approved application on file, you will receive an email alert 30 days before it will expire to let you know to reapply. If you have problems with your application, you may call Lori Scott in the front office of DES :).

1. Volunteer/Chaperone Selection
   At this time, we prefer everyone to select only “School/Classroom Volunteer” and “Chaperone” when completing their application.
   There are only a few individuals who should be marking “Overnight Chaperone,” “Coach,” or “Mentor.” As the year progresses, if it is determined that a volunteer will be going on an overnight trip, mentoring, or helping to coach, we will provide guidance on how to obtain fingerprints and update their volunteer profile accordingly.
2. Device Use
   Raptor is not mobile-friendly. Many parents use their phone, which often causes issues when they reach Section 4. This can result in them mistakenly selecting a function that requires fingerprinting. When this happens, the application must be denied/deleted, and the parent will need to reapply.
   If possible, please allow parents to use a desktop or laptop at your campus to complete the application. This will save everyone a lot of time.
3. Fingerprinting for Field Trips
   We will now be fingerprinting individuals for certain field trips that have not required this in the past. More information will be shared at the next principals’ meeting.
4. Processing Time for Fingerprints
   The process for receiving and reviewing fingerprints has recently changed, resulting in a longer turnaround time. If a volunteer requires fingerprinting, please allow a minimum of five to seven days for completion. Due to the new procedures, there is very little flexibility in this timeline, so we will all need to plan accordingly.

If you are able, please consider being a PTO sponsor to support Destin Elementary School this year! Thank you to all of our local business partners that help us every year by providing funds to enhance our school and the educational experience for all of our kids!

Please support the businesses in our community that help make us the BEST Elementary School in Florida!!!

Parents and caregivers! Reading at home with your kids is the best way to ensure they become proficient readers. Please use the link below to access some resources and strategies to help!

Visit Squad Locker for your DES apparel! All items can be individually ordered and shipped right to your house! We hope you like it!

October

2- School Custodian Appreciation Day

9- PTO meeting- 7:45 in the media center

10- End of First Quarter

13- Teacher workday

14-3rd Grade conferences in STEM (Donatelli/Taylor) and Conference room (Bitler/Williams)

14- 1st grade walk to the fire station (9-11) Mills/Ross and Reed/Smith

15-3rd Grade conferences in STEM room (Henry/Corona)

15 - 1st grade walk to the fire station (9-11) Black/partner and Henkel/Call

15- KG walk to pumpkin patch at Faith Coast on Legion 10:30-12:00 Ellis/Schillinger

16-3rd Grade conferences in STEM (Olson &Hurst) and Conference room (Higgs/Ketler)

16- KG walk to pumpkin patch at Faith Coast on Legion 10:30-12:00 Deslauriers/Pisarchuk

17-Thai to Go food truck 10-1

17-Career day— multi-purpose

17- KG walk to pumpkin patch at Faith Coast on Legion 10:30-12:00 Luallen/Huffman

17- Burns KG conferences in conference room

20- School Bus Safety Week

20- KG walk to pumpkin patch at Faith Coast on Legion 10:30-12:00 Burns/ Howell

20-Deslauriers KG conferences in conference room

21- 50th Day of School –KG Dress as 50s

23- Howell KG conferences in conference room

24-Schillinger KG conferences in conference room

27-Huffman KG conferences in conference room

28- Pisarchuk KG conferences in conference room

30-Luallen KG conferences in conference room

31- Pisarchuk fall party 11:30-12:00

31- Deslauriers fall party 11:30-12:00

31- Schillinger fall party 12:00-1:00

31- Howell fall party 12:00-1:00

31- Luallen fall party 12:00-1:00

31- Burns fall party

31- Huffman fall party

31- Ellis fall party

November

4- Faculty meeting

4- 4th Grade Field Trip to Heritage Museum (Church, McVay, Urbanus)

5- 3rd Grade Field Trip to the USS Alabama in Mobile

5- 1st grade Veteran’s Day Performance

6-Health Screening (Media Center)

6- PTO-7:45

6- 4th Grade Field Trip to Heritage Museum (Cox, Patterson, Wells)

7-Fall Festival, 4:30-7:30

7- 4th Grade Field Trip to Heritage Museum (Brown, Cordell, Ray)

11- Holiday No School

14-Copper Grille Food Truck 10-1

19- 70th Day of School- 2nd Grade Dress in 70’s

24-28 Thanksgiving

December

8- Child Safety Matters

8 - 1st Grade Science Center Field Trip (Mills, Ross, Smith, Reed)

9- Child Safety Matters

9 - 1st Grade Science Center Field Trip (Henkel, Call, Black, Slater)

10- 80th Day of School - 1st grade dress in 80s

10- Child Safety Matters

10- 4th Grade ECSC Field Trip (Church, McVay, Urbanus)

11- Child Safety Matters

11-PTO-7:45

11- 4th Grade ECSC Field Trip (Cox, Patterson, Wells)

12- Child Safety Matters

12- Big Red Food Truck 10-1

12- 4th Grade ECSC Field Trip (Brown, Cordell, Ray)

19- End of the Quarter

22-31 Holiday Break

We are thrilled to showcase our school expansion! This will be the new front office which will be located on Beach Dr! To the left of the front office, you can see the new multipurpose building with the classroom additions behind that!

Below is the view of the new, 2-story, 30 classroom addition that will house our 3rd-5th grade classes! There will be more parking and an additional car line for pick up to help with traffic on the main roads!

School gates opens at 8:00, classrooms open at 8:15.

Students may purchase breakfast in the cafeteria before class if they choose.

School starts at 8:25. All students should be in their classroom and ready to learn no later than this or they will be marked tardy.

Please make every effort to be on time. Instruction starts at 8:25 and it is uncomfortable for students to enter late and try to catch up on what they missed :). It also disrupts the learning of the other students.

No visitors will be allowed on campus unless they sign in through the front office.

Drop off- Students may ride the bus, come by car or walk/ride bikes to school. Walkers and bike riders have 3 ways they may enter. One is on Beach Drive at our multipurpose room (we call this the Beach Drive entrance), one to the left of the front office (we call this the kindergarten gate) and one to the right of the front of the school by the kindergarten playground (we call this the black gate).

Car riders will come through the car line on Kelly St. Please have your students ready to exit the car when you pull up to the drop off point so we can keep things flowing smoothly!

Although we try to open all car doors for students, you do not have to wait on staff to get kids out of the car. Students that are capable, may exit the car on their own.

DO NOT drop off students across the street and have them cross traffic or walk in front of the car line to come to school. Any student crossing a street should use the crosswalks! I understand the car line can get long, however, this causes a very dangerous situation and we want our kids to be safe- thank you.

You may park at the Catholic Church on Beach Drive and walk your student to the multipurpose room entrance if you don't want to wait in the car line. Please do not park in the yards/driveways of people who live around the school. We want to be respectful of their property.

Breakfast and lunch are able to be purchased each day. The menu can be viewed by clicking the following link. Keep in mind that there are times the menu changes without notice.

https://okaloosaschools.nutrislice.com/menus-eula

You may access the application for free and reduced lunches with the link below. We encourage everyone to fill out the form whether you think you will qualify or not. :) It helps our school by having more people fill out the form!

https://www2.myschoolapps.com/

Breakfast and Lunch Prices are listed below.

You can add money to your child's account online by creating an account at https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain?requestAction=home

We welcome parents to come eat lunch with your kids any day of the week! Due to limited seating in the cafeteria, we ask that you eat outdoors only at any of our picnic tables or benches around campus. You may bring lunch in to eat with your child or buy lunch in the cafeteria. We do not accept deliveries for lunch such as fast food drop offs or Door Dash orders. Calling classrooms for students to pick up their lunch disrupts instruction and causes much confusion and traffic in the front office. When you come to eat with your child, you may only take your child with you. Please do not invite friends to join you. This is for everyone's safety. Sign in through the front office when visiting, please :)

*Side note about lunch- Students are allowed to purchase ice cream, chips and other treats at lunch as long as there is money in their account, unless you contact the cafeteria and tell them otherwise. When students buy these extra treats, most of the time that is all they eat. The rest of the lunch goes in the trash. We want parents to be aware. If you would like to limit what your child buys, please write a note to the cafeteria or call to talk to them. :)

Early Checkouts: If you need to check your child out early for any reason, please come to the front office to sign them out. We ask that you come no later than 2:15 for early checkouts. Dismissal time gets very hectic in the front office and we need that time to handle transportation changes and make sure kids get to their correct locations to get home.

If your child is needing to change the way they go home, you MUST write a note that includes your child's full name, teacher's name, the date and the way you want them to go home. Please sign the note and send it to school with your child. Their teacher will get it to the office for you. Any transportation change that differs from their regular way home, requires a written note.

Dismissal - Dismissal begins at 2:55 and students are released in waves.

ALL students will be given a tag that is placed on their backpacks. They will be assigned a tag number.

Any parents picking up in car line must have a matching car tag to their students backpack tag. You will be sent to the front office to get your child if you do not have your car tag at pickup.

Kindergartener walkers will be picked up at the kindergarten gate to the left of the front office. Parents of kindergarten walkers only will be required to show their matching tag. Older students may go home as walkers/bike riders without a parent meeting them.

Kindergarteners are walked to their appropriate places for dismissal.

***If you plan to volunteer at school this year, including attending field trips with your student, you must have a current volunteer application on file. You can access this application at the following link: https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/OTYyOmVuLVVT

When filling out the application, if you choose Coach, Overnight Chaperone, or Mentor options, they require fingerprinting and it's a longer process. You do not need to be fingerprinted to volunteer in the school setting only. If you do not hear back about your application within a week, contact us to check on it for you :)

Destin Elementary School is proud to participate in a campaign to help the Ronald McDonald House. They use the funds from recycling pop tops of aluminum cans to help pay their electricity bills! It is an easy, free way that we can help this very special organization! Our very own Coley Schillinger was blessed to be helped by the Ronald McDonald house when her precious baby girl, Madi, was born at just 25 weeks, weighing 1 1/2 pounds. They provided her and her husband a place to stay, 3 meals a day and emotional support all for free so they could focus on their miracle baby! We are excited to report that momma and baby are doing great!

Please collect these tops throughout the year and send them into school with your child or bring them to the lobby of the front office and place them in the container.

Thank you for helping us support a very special organization that helps families every day!

If you complete your application to substitute, you can provide tutoring to students before, during or after school hours and get paid for your time! You can make your own hours and choose your preferred grade level/subject. $15/hour. Contact the front office for more information!