August 25, 2024

I hope you all had a restful weekend. I’m thrilled to share some of the wonderful achievements and upcoming focus areas as we continue our journey through this school year.

First, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to our students and staff for successfully completing the NWEA testing this past week. This was a significant milestone, and I am incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication shown by everyone involved.

Our instructional focus for this week remains on “Engage and Deliver.” This approach emphasizes actively involving students in their learning and ensuring that every lesson is impactful and meaningful. “Engage” means capturing students’ interest and encouraging their participation in the learning process. “Deliver” is about effectively communicating and teaching the content in a way that meets the needs of all our learners. By focusing on these areas, we aim to create a dynamic and supportive classroom environment where every student can thrive.

I also want to express my pride in the incredible turnout for our first PTO General Meeting of the year. With over 300 participants, this was one of the most well-attended meetings in many years—a truly historic moment for our Parker community! I am honored to have been your principal during such a significant event, and I’m eager to keep this momentum going. Your involvement and support are key to our continued success, and I encourage everyone to stay engaged in future PTO meetings and activities.

As we celebrate these achievements, I want to humbly thank you, our parents and staff, for placing your trust in me as we navigate the adjustments needed to accommodate our growing enrollment. We are just 15 students away from reaching our campus’s maximum capacity—a remarkable milestone that speaks to Parker’s enduring reputation and appeal. This year, I believe we are on the path to achieving even more historic successes together.

Change, while sometimes daunting, is essential for growth. As many of you know, Parker has proudly upheld traditions that define who we are, but with our changing demographics and increased enrollment, it’s important that we evolve. I am committed to leading our school through these transitions with the goal of achieving groundbreaking success. Our STAAR test results from the Texas Education Agency have shown that Parker has maintained a B rating of 89 since the 2022-2023 school year. In the coming week, I will be working closely with district leadership to develop a school action plan aimed at bringing our campus back to an A rating.

I believe deeply that this will be a historic year for Parker in the most positive and transformative way. While some things may look different, please know that every decision is made with the best interests of our students at heart, and I am confident that we will move the needle in achievement together.

Thank you for your continued trust and support.

-Antravian D. Carter, M.Ed.

Total Enrollment - August 2023 (863)

Total Enrollment - August 2022 (844)

Ms. Attallah's class demonstrated the BEST hallway procedures in the first week of school. This is not an easy task in the first week with our Kinder lions but Ms. Attallah was able to ROCK IT!! Congrats Ms. Attallah for having your homeroom students show others how we walk in the hallways "The Parker Way"

Coach Chili successfully implemented the Whiteboard engagement strategy from our "Parker Playlist" of high impact engagement strategies in the second week of school to fully engage her students. Way to go Coach Chili!!! This is not a typical strategy you see in a PE class. We want to commend you for thinking outside the box to take our kiddos to the next level in the Physical Education.

To enhance student and staff safety, Parker Elementary has developed a new process for campus arrival and dismissal, particularly for car riders. Currently, staff and students are exposed to extreme weather conditions, such as intense heat, cold temperatures, and rain, due to a dismissal process that takes place primarily outside the building. Additionally, the long car rider lines, with the majority of our 900+ students being car riders, have become a concern.

With increased enrollment and consideration for the well-being of staff and students, we have made adjustments to our arrival and dismissal procedures. The new plan was unveiled during the PTO General Meeting on Thursday, August 22nd.

The new process will begin on Monday, August 26th. We will utilize this process for arrival and dismissal of both regular school and magnet. This does not affect After School Care. Please follow the same process you have always followed for after-school care.

ARRIVAL

Carpool Gate Opens: 6:30am

Building Opens: 7:00am

Carpool Gate Closes: 7:30am

DISMISSAL (Regular)

Carpool Gate Opens: 2:00pm

Students Released: 3:00pm

Gate Closes: 3:10pm

**Those FIRST in line during dismissal please have your cell phone ready to scan the RSVP QR Code to alert staff you are first in line. We will have your students exit immediately when the bell rings.**

DISMISSAL (Magnet)

Carpool Gate Opens: 3:15pm

Students Released: 3:40pm

Gate Closes: 3:50pm

**REMINDER** HAVE THOSE FLASHERS ON IN THE CARPOOL LINE***

Our goal is to establish a consistent arrival and dismissal process, regardless of the weather, to avoid confusion and ensure a smooth transition for everyone.

Due to the implementation of the new Arrival and Dismissal plan, we will not be officially documenting classroom tardies in PowerSchool. However, we will continue to internally track and document tardies for all students and parents will be contacted.

All entry points will close at 7:30am. This includes the carpool gates and school doors. A staff member assigned to these areas will give an announcement prior to 7:30am, as an alert of the entrance closure. The staff member may also, acknowledge the "cut off" person/vehicle to begin the late arrival process.

Once the carpool gates closes car riders may use the front drive-up to drop off students. Cars will not be allowed to park in the drive-up as it both a fire lane and the primary entrance for our campus bus transportation.

• Students are considered late if they have not entered the building by 7:30am.
• Students are still considered late, even if they are right outside of the building. They must be physically inside the building by 7:30am, as class begins promptly at 7:30am each morning.
• Staff will begin processing tardiness at 7:31am each morning as announcements are beginning.

Pick up time is 3:00 P.M. for regular dismissal and 3:40 P.M. for magnet dismissal. Children not picked up on time are brought into the building 10 minutes after the dismissal times and placed in the cafeteria or office as late riders. While this is is an accommodation to support in the event of emergencies, the expectation is that all students are picked up daily by their assigned dismissal time.

If you need assistance in enrolling in the after school care program, please reach out to our ASC coordinator, Robin Gibson at rgibson@houstonisd.org to check availability or make alternative arrangements for your child to be picked up from school. We appreciate your efforts to pick up your children at their dismissal time.

The August 22nd Meeting information can be found here.

All parents and teachers are invited to attend the PTO meetings. They are held in the Parker cafeteria from 6 - 7:30 PM and childcare and dinner are provided.

Come on out to learn about:

• What the PTO does and meet your PTO board

• Upcoming event details with guest speakers

• Important updates from Principal Carter and Assistant Principals

Meeting Dates:

• August 22 (Meeting recording and agenda below)

• September 26

• October 24

• November 14

• December 19

• January 23

• February 20

• March 27

• April 24

• May 15

Don't forget to purchase your Free Dress Days 🔗here because PTO Meeting days = Free Dress Day!

Interested in volunteering to help support PTO meetings? Check out the Volunteer page or click 🔗here.

We hope to see you there!

Make-up Testing Will Begin - Monday, August 26th

For more information on testing, contact Susan Carlock (Counselor/Testing Coordinator)

*You will need to ZOOM IN to fully read this data.

*Please note that this report is a campus based report that parent's do not have access to. Parents and Teachers will receive information specific to their individual students. This resource is being provided for parents & staff that would like a global understanding of where the campus is as a whole.

*You will need to ZOOM IN to fully read this data.

*Please note that this report is a campus based report that parent's do not have access to. Parents and Teachers will receive information specific to their individual students. This resource is being provided for parents & staff that would like a global understanding of where the campus is as a whole.

*You will need to ZOOM IN to fully read this data.

*Please note that this report is a campus based report that parent's do not have access to. Parents and Teachers will receive information specific to their individual students. This resource is being provided for parents & staff that would like a global understanding of where the campus is as a whole.

*Please note that this report is a campus based report that parent's do not have access to. Parents and Teachers will receive information specific to their individual students. This resource is being provided for parents & staff that would like a global understanding of where the campus is as a whole.

We are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all our students, especially during dismissal. To better manage this process, we kindly ask that any requests to change how your child will be transported home—such as switching from being a car rider to walking home, or vice versa—be communicated to us at least 24 hours in advance.

We understand that emergencies may arise, and we will do our best to accommodate same-day requests when necessary. However, moving forward, any same-day transportation changes will require the approval of the Principal. This step is necessary to minimize disruptions during dismissal and to ensure that all students are in the correct locations and released safely.

Additionally, if your child will be leaving with other family members or friends, we must have parental approval in advance to authorize this.

These measures are in place to prioritize the safety of our students. We greatly appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain a smooth and secure dismissal process.

While Class Dojo is a great tool for parent-teacher communication, it’s important to note that it is not an official school platform but rather a supplementary system that some teachers choose to use. The official communication channels for our school remain phone calls and emails.

Teachers are not required to monitor their Class Dojo accounts during instructional times. Just as we encourage students to focus fully on their learning without distractions, we ask that teachers do the same. This means that teachers will respond to Dojo messages during non-instructional periods, such as before or after class, during lunch, or during their planning times. If you have an urgent matter or an emergency, please contact the front office directly.

We understand that many of you value the convenience of Class Dojo; however, it’s important to remember that teachers use their personal devices to access the platform, which is not reimbursed by the school. Therefore, teachers are not required to create an account or respond on Class Dojo. They are, however, required to check their school email and respond to parents within 48 hours.

Our primary goal is to ensure that teachers can give their full attention to the students in their classrooms during instructional time. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain this focus.

August 26th

August 27th

August 29th

August 30th