Travis TAG School Newsletter

Dear Travis TAG Families,

Welcome back and Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed a restful winter break and a wonderful start to 2026. It has been such a joy to see our students back in the halls this week, bringing their characteristic energy and "Timberwolf spirit" to the start of the spring semester.

We are hitting the ground running! This is a pivotal time of year as students settle into their spring schedules and our 5th, 6th, and 7th graders begin the exciting process of looking ahead to next year.

I am mindful that there has been much discussion recently regarding potential changes to our school hours for the 2026–2027 school year. I want to reiterate my commitment to keeping you informed and ensuring our community's voice is part of the process. I ask for your continued patience as I gather the most accurate information to share with you. Please take a moment to read the detailed update below regarding the transportation goals and the upcoming survey.

Our campus thrives because of the incredible partnership between our staff, our families, and our dedicated PTA. Whether you are joining us for the 5th Grade Electives Showcase, visiting during our Open House, or preparing for Parent-Teacher Conferences, your involvement is what makes Travis TAG exceptional.

Let’s make this a fantastic spring semester filled with growth, excellence, and reaching new heights!

With gratitude,

Principal Mercon
Travis TAG

I want to provide an update regarding a potential shift in our campus hours for the next school year. As part of ongoing efforts to better serve students and families, the district's leadership has been in conversation with Transportation Services about options to improve the student experience when it comes to riding the bus. The solution presented is transitioning Travis TAG to an elementary schedule of 8:00 AM to 3:20 PM for the 2026–2027 school year.

Clarifying the Goal 🎯 I am aware of a recurring misunderstanding that this potential change is being made primarily to accommodate students who participate in sports at other campuses. While an earlier dismissal would benefit those students, the primary driver for this proposal is addressing systemic transportation challenges. Specifically, we want to resolve the issue of delayed buses that our students have faced. This past year, we experienced several instances where students had to wait over an hour for a bus to arrive. Moving to the "first tier" of bus routes would mean our students no longer wait for buses finishing other routes first, ensuring much more reliable and timely arrivals and departures.

Addressing Morning Bus Times ⏰ Additionally, I want to acknowledge a specific concern many of you have raised regarding morning pick-up times. We know that some of our students already have bus pick-ups scheduled before 7:00 AM. The district is fully aware of how an 8:00 AM start could impact these early morning schedules and is taking this concern into serious consideration as part of the evaluation process. We will provide more specific information on this as soon as we have it.

Your Voice Matters 🗣️ Please know that a final decision is still under consideration. The district is listening closely to feedback, and we want to ensure all voices are heard before moving forward.

What happens next?

• This Week: A survey will be shared with parents to gather formal input.

• More Information: Full details will be shared with you next week.

• Questions: I kindly ask that you hold most questions until the survey and further information are released this week. However, if you have a pressing or urgent concern, please do not hesitate to contact the main office at 972-794-7500.

Our district is committed to ensuring excellence for every student, and I will continue to keep you updated as we move forward.

✨ 5th Grade Electives Showcase

• UPDATED TIME: Tuesday, Jan 13 | 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM

• We have had to update the time for the Showcase event. The event will begin at 5:00 PM. For any parent who shows up at 6:00 PM the admin team will stick around to provide the information from the event and answer any questions. We apologize for any inconvenience.

• Details: Explore our elective options! 5th-grade students will also receive their choice sheets at this event. 🎨

🎒 Prospective Student Open House

• Thursday, Jan 15 | 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

• Details: Help us grow our community! Please invite families interested in joining Travis TAG to visit our campus. 🐺

💬 Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences

• Tuesday, Jan 27 | 5:00 PM – 7:45 PM

• Details: Save the date to discuss your student’s progress and goals for the spring semester. 🤝

We are currently in a very brief window for middle school student schedule changes. If your middle school student wishes to request a change to their spring semester schedule, please note:

• Deadline: Requests are only accepted this week. 📅

• Requirements: All changes require a valid reason, as well as Principal and Teacher approval. ✍️

• Criteria: Changes are subject to space availability in the requested class.

We encourage middle school students who have questions to speak with our school counselor, Mr. Smith.

It is already time to start planning for the next school year!

• Current 6th & 7th Graders 📄 Choice sheets were distributed this past week to select elective classes. Mr. Smith went into Ms. Evans' 6th grade science classes and Mr. Mayfield's 7th grade Texas Studies classes to walk students through their options and give them their choice sheets.

• Current 5th Graders (Incoming 6th) 🎺 You will receive your choice sheets during our Electives Showcase on January 13.

Once we have all three grade level of choice sheets we will review the information and begin the process of building next year's class schedule.

Later this spring semester, our 26-27 middle school students will receive their Course Verification sheet with the 10 courses that they are signed up for. They will be able to request changes at that time.

Please speak with the school counselor if there are any questions, Mr. Smith.

It’s time to "chill out" and dance! 🕺💃 We are so incredibly grateful to our amazing Travis TAG PTA for organizing this year’s Snow Ball, a fantastic night of music, dancing, and wintery fun just for our middle school students.

• Who: All 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Timberwolves

• When: Friday, January 30, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

• Where: Right here at Travis TAG! 🏫

⚠️ Important Address Correction: Please note that the address listed on the flyer is incorrect. The Snow Ball will take place at our campus: 2910 Allen St, Dallas TX 75214.

We can’t wait to see our middle schoolers dress up and enjoy this wonderful evening together!

Thank you again to our PTA for making these special memories possible. ✨

Thank you to everyone who continues to take part in our shared leadership at Travis TAG!

Our next School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) and PTA meetings will take place on Thursday, February 12, beginning at 5:30 PM (SBDM) and followed by PTA at 6:30 PM. Both meetings will be held in person at Travis TAG.

These meetings are a wonderful opportunity for families to stay informed, offer feedback, and collaborate with school leadership on programs, initiatives, and upcoming events. Your voice matters and helps guide our work in supporting every Timberwolf.

Each week, this section highlights questions submitted by families and provides responses directly from Principal Mercon. Our goal is to keep communication open and transparent so that every parent feels informed and connected to what is happening at Travis TAG.

All questions submitted through the form are included in upcoming newsletters along with responses. To protect student and family privacy, questions and answers may be lightly edited for clarity.

👉 You can submit your questions anytime using the button below.

This past week there were no questions submitted.

Monday 1/12 (A Day)

• Spirit Day: College and Dallas ISD High School
• Magnet Campus Tours (9:00-10:30 AM)
• Advisory: Knowledge - Study Hall

Tuesday 1/13 (B Day)

• Advisory: Kindness/Integrity - Organization
• 5th Grade Showcase 6:00-7:00 PM

Wednesday 1/14 (A Day)

• Advisory: Knowledge - Study Hall

Thursday 1/15 (B Day)

• Advisory: Knowledge · Study Hall
• Open House 5:00 - 7:30 PM

Friday 1/16 (A Day)

• Spirit Day: Travis TAG
• Advisory: Knowledge · Study Hall
• Magnet Campus Tours (1:30-3:30 PM)

Middle School reminder: On Study Hall Advisory days, students may visit other teachers with a signed pass. This procedure has been in place since the first week of September.

We know that planning ahead is important for families, and we want to make it easier to stay informed and prepared for the year ahead. We are excited to share two key calendar resources with you:

📘 Middle School A/B Day Calendar (Grades 6–8 Only)

Our 6th–8th grade students follow an A/B day rotation to support our block schedule. This calendar outlines which days are designated as "A Days" and "B Days" throughout the school year.

📎 Click here to view the A/B Day Calendar

📙 Comprehensive School Events Calendar

This calendar includes major events, testing windows, holidays, family nights, PTA events, and more.

📎 Click here to view the Full 2025–2026 Travis TAG Events Calendar

🔄 Please note: These are working documents and subject to change throughout the year.These calendars are living documents and may be updated as needed. We’ll continue to keep you informed of any changes.

Thank you for staying connected—we’re looking forward to an amazing year together!

January 19 – NO SCHOOL

January 24 – Saturday Magnet Testing (8:00-12:00)

January 27 – Parent Teacher Conference Night (elementary and middle school) (5:00-7:45)

January 28 – PTA TAG Talks event

January 30 – PTA Snowball Dance event

February 6 – Coffee with the Principal (8:45 in the Library)

February 7 – Saturday Magnet Testing (8:00-12:00)

February 12 – SBDM (5:30) / PTA (6:30)

February 16 – NO SCHOOL

February 18 – STAAR Simulation RLA 4-8

February 19 – STAAR Simulation Math 4-7 and US Studies 8

February 20 – STAAR Simulation Science 5 and 7 and Algebra 1

March 16-20 – NO SCHOOL - SPRING BREAK

March 24 – Panorama Survey - Elementary School

March 25 – Panorama Survey - Middle School

March 26 – NJHS Induction Ceremony

March 31 – Onboarding I am Travis TAG night ES

April 1 – Onboarding I am Travis TAG night MS

April 3 – NO SCHOOL

April 6 – NO SCHOOL - Inclement Weather Day

April 8 – STAAR RLA 4-8

April 15 – STAAR Science 5 and 7 and US Studies

April 22 – STAAR Math 4-7

April 23 – STAAR Algebra 1

May 4 – NO SCHOOL - Inclement Weather Day

May 25 – NO SCHOOL

May 27 – Early Release for Students / Teacher Work Day PM

May 28 – NO SCHOOL - Teacher Work Day

🔗 Click the button below to view our full calendar of events. Please note this is a working calendar and is subject to change as the year progresses.

Travis TAG uses the Remind app to send out important school updates, reminders, and announcements.

If you're not already receiving our messages, please sign up by joining the appropriate class code(s) below based on your student’s 2025–2026 grade level:

🏫 Schoolwide Announcements

• Class code: @travis-tag

🚌 Travis TAG Bus Announcements

• Class code: @travisbus

📚 Grade-Level Codes:

• Grade 4 – @wbt2030
• Grade 5 – @wbt2029
• Grade 6 – @wbt2028
• Grade 7 – @wbt2027
• Grade 8 – @wbt2026

How to Join:
✅ Download the Remind app
OR
✅ Text the class code (e.g., @wbt2028) to 81010
OR
✅ Sign up at remind.com/join

Already joined last year?
No need to sign up again! We move students up automatically with their grade level, so your messages will continue without interruption.

Thank you for staying connected—we look forward to an amazing year ahead!

📣 Staying in the Loop

In addition to Remind, you’ll receive regular newsletters and email updates. Make sure your contact information is up-to-date in PowerSchool, and follow our website and PTA Facebook group for the latest!

🧩 Join the PTA

Support our school community by becoming a member of the Travis TAG PTA!

🌐 Join online: www.joinpta.org
➡️ Select: Dallas ISD – William B. Travis Vanguard and Academy

⚠️ Please Note: PTA membership renews annually. If you joined prior to August 1, 2025, your membership has now expired. To stay active for the 2025–2026 school year, you’ll need to re-enroll beginning today, August 1.

📘 PTA Facebook Group
Stay in the loop with updates, events, and community conversations.
🔍 Click and join: Travis TAG PTA

📰 PTA WolfTracks Newsletter
All WolfTracks newsletters are available at this link:
👉 PTA WolfTracks Newsletters

If you would like the newsletters delivered directly to your inbox, you can sign up here:
👉 Subscribe to PTA Newsletters

We are grateful to our PTA for keeping families updated and connected through WolfTracks.

👕 School Spirit Stores
Show your Timberwolf pride all year long!

PTA Spirit Wear Store: open now! Find the online spirit store on the PTA website.

Your partnership with PTA helps bring enrichment events, student celebrations, and more to our campus. Thank you for your continued support!