DERETCHIN DIGEST

Deretchin Digest

11000 Merit Oaks Drive

The Woodlands, TX 77382 832-592-8700

Alicia Reeves, Principal

Andrew Thompson, AP K-3rd

Sarah Howard, AP 4th-6th

Tisha Smith, Counselor K-3rd

Becky Stiles, Counselor 4th-6th

AUGUST 2017

We are looking forward to another amazing school year at Deretchin Elementary. Please see the list of upcoming events listed below and mark your calendars. Many of our parents are very involved in the daily operations of our school. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you in advance for all you do for our Dragons and our school. Please continue to make school a priority for your family by getting involved as a classroom volunteer and joining the PTO. Our Parent Teacher Organization does SO MANY things to help our school and provides the resources we need to prepare wonderful learning opportunities for all of our

students. Without their help and support, we would not have many of the educational resources we use every day in our classrooms. Last year PTO donated $87,000 to our school. We want to thank them for providing standing desks for Gr. 4th-6th, genius hour equipment, microphones for the stage, headphones for K, 1st and 3rd, an ovoscope for chicken eggs, 3 frog aquariums, student printer, summer book study for the teachers, Chrome carts, ICE maker for the teacher’s lounge and many other things for our kids and staff. This year, we will be providing more information on how you

can support our school by contributing to our check writing campaign. Please look for more information soon.

When working together to achieve student success; the school, parents, and community provide the key to an excellent education for ALL students.

A Note From the Principal

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Every Tuesday, our teachers will send home graded work and other information in a “Tuesday Folder”. This folder is used to communicate with our parents on a weekly basis. We will also send out a bi-weekly newsletter via email. Please take the time to read the newsletter. This is how we will communicate important information about upcoming events. We will continue to list the curriculum that is being covered k in each grade level. Please make sure we have a current email address for your family. You may contact Cory Ognisty (cognisty@conroeisd.net) to update your email address when necessary. The newsletter can also be accessed on our school webpage.

During the first weeks of class, you will receive information about the online CISD student handbook and other information about Deretchin, the PTO, and Conroe ISD. The handbook has valuable information, so please take the time to read it carefully online. Should you have any questions, please feel free to call our school office at 832-592-8700. We will also be sending home a copy of the Deretchin Handbook. This handbook contains valuable information specific to our campus. We are asking parents to sign the acknowledgement receipt and return it to school.

Our transportation procedures will remain the same this year and these are explained in the Deretchin Handbook. It’s a good idea to begin making

carpool arrangements now or developing a neighborhood walking group for your child.

Everyone at Deretchin K-6 School hopes you enjoy the remainder of the summer, and we look forward to seeing you at the upcoming events. We truly consider it an honor and privilege to serve your children and family. We’re looking forward to another great year.

Deretchin Elementary functions as a Professional Learning Community. This means that ALL staff members are responsible for ALL students’ success. Often times, you will hear your child state that they spent time in another teacher’s classroom. We call this “D3 time” or “Dragon’s Digging Deeper”. The first two weeks of school, we focus on team building with students. After the second week, we start to look at student data from common assessments and benchmark testing and focus on specific needs of students. This D3 time is truly important for the students to reach their academic potential for the year. Please try to avoid doctor appointments, early checkouts, etc.

Alicia Reeves, Principal

Professional Learning Community:

Deretchin Elementary

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Dress Code:

Knowing what is appropriate dress for the upcoming school year is important for you to review prior to “back-to-school” shopping. The following guidelines are consistent with the CISD K-12 philosophy. We hope they are helpful. *Shorts are appropriate for any time of the school year provided they are finger-tip length when the arm is positioned at the child’s side. Shorts that are not allowed are: bicycle shorts, boxer shorts, cut-off shorts, and shorts that fit too tightly. *No student may wear articles of clothing which display obscenities, advertise alcoholic beverages, narcotics or other prohibited substances. Clothing that depicts violence, weapons, and/or death, are prohibited. The same applies to badges, patches, decals or emblems of

any kind or in any place that may be offensive to others or advocates the use of prohibited substances or actions. *Items that detract from the educational environment or may be unsafe for physical activity are disallowed. This includes: hats, oversize pants and tops, pants with oversized pockets, see-through material, backless blouses, tank tops, or blouses with shoulder straps less than 1.5 inches, muscle shirts or shirts of that type,

pants that drag the floor, and any see-through article. *Stretch pants and leggings may be worn if accompanied by a dress or shorts of appropriate length (fingertip length). *Blouses or shirts designed by manufacturers to be worn outside are permissible if they extend below the belt line. Shirts and/or blouses that reveal the midriff when the arms are raised above the head are disallowed. *Shirts and blouses must be buttoned all the way, except for the neck button. Zippered articles of this type clothing should be zipped up in a comparable manner. *Athletic-type tennis shoes are required for physical education classes. Please remove wheels from the “Heely” shoes. *"Flip-flop" type rubber sandals

and other bath-type rubber sandals should not be worn to school; this includes “Crocs”. *Jeans, shorts, or long pants with holes should not have any holes that are above fingertip length *Make-up of any sort is not allowed. Students will be asked to wash off any makeup worn to school. *No mohawks or sport letters should be shaved into the child’s haircut. Hair should be a natural color. In short, our Deretchin dress code emphasizes comfort and modesty, acknowledging respect for the educational environment.

School Clinic: Welcome Jennifer Matlock!

Mrs. Jennifer Matlock will be joining our team this year to help take care of our students during the school day. Mrs. Matlock is a registered nurse and is happy to help you with any questions you have regarding medications at school. In order to assist the classroom teacher, Mrs. Matlock and Mrs. Cantrell, each child must have a blue health form completed and on file in the clinic. This is part of the first day forms that were emailed out to you to complete. (If you are new to the campus, you filled this out at registration.) Students are never allowed to bring medication to school on their

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own. An adult will need to drop this off to the nurse in the original bottle.

Attendance:

In the event a student is absent, parents must contact the school office as soon as possible. Following an absence, parents must send a note explaining the reason for the absence. State law requires that students must be in attendance for a minimum of 90 percent of the instructional days per year in order to be promoted. A student who attends fewer than 90 percent of the instructional days per year will be referred to the campus attendance committee for review. The law goes on to state that it is the parent’s duty to monitor the student’s attendance and require the student to attend school. It is important for students to remain in school until the close of each school day at 3:10 unless illness has caused the child to leave early.

*This year we will be recognizing students with perfect attendance each marking period. Regular school attendance is important. Please make vacation arrangements during holidays and weekends to avoid students missing important classroom instruction.

Parent Access Center: CISD provides a system for parents to have online access to all of their child’s class assignments, grades, test grades, as well as, attendance, discipline, schedules, progress reports, and report cards. Please sign up on the CISD webpage under students and parents.

This system will allow the parent to set a specific grade that if your child scores below that grade, you will receive an email with the assignment listed. This is a great way to help your child stay on top of their academic progress.

Upcoming Events: We will have locker decoration day on August 10th from 8:00-11:00.

“Meet the Teachers” 1st-6th

The “Meet and Greet” evening is scheduled for Monday, August 14th from 5:00-7:00 for students in first through sixth grade. If your child is in 1st through 4th, his/her teacher will call to introduce themselves over the phone

before the big evening. Grades 5th and 6th will pick up their schedule in the cafeteria that evening. Teachers will be in their classrooms to greet you and welcome your child to Deretchin. The PTO will also be selling Deretchin Spirit Wear. It is our goal to make certain your child is as comfortable as possible in starting a new school year. Knowing the teacher and location of his/her classroom before school helps everyone to begin the year with confidence and enthusiasm. We look forward to seeing you there.

“Teddy Bear Tea”

The Teddy Bear Tea for our Kindergartners will be held Monday, August 14th from 3:30-4:30. Upon arrival, kindergartners and their parents should go directly to the cafeteria. Parents will then be asked to go to the library for important information about Kindergarten while your children visits their classroom for an activity with their new teacher. Parents will pick their child up in their classroom after the library presentation. Your child’s

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teacher will call your child before the 14th to introduce themselves over the phone. Please have your child bring their favorite stuffed animal with them to the tea.

“Welcome Back Coffee” Our PTO is hosting a “Welcome Back” coffee on the first day of school from 8:05-8:30 in the library. Please join us after you drop your child off in their classrooms. It is our way of welcoming you to Deretchin and a wonderful opportunity to meet other parents.

“Curriculum Nights”

This year, Deretchin will host a Curriculum night for each grade level. This is a great opportunity for you to come and learn about all of the academic requirements your child will be asked to master prior to the end of the school year. At this event, each parent will rotate through their child’s schedule and have the opportunity to visit with the classroom teacher. The schedule of events are on the calendar section of the newsletter.

Lunch:

Payment for school lunches is now available online at mychoolbucks.com or handled through our cafeteria manager. For information about prepaying online, visit our district’s website under child nutrition. Payments can also be made directly to the cafeteria with a check written out to “Child Nutrition Department”.

Students who bring their lunches may also purchase milk, juice, ice cream, and cookies in the cafeteria. The price for breakfast is $1.35 and lunch $2.85. Lunch Times 10:45 – 11:15 – 6th grade 10:45 – 11:15 – 5th grade 11:55 – 12:25 – 4th grade 11:20 – 11:50 – 3rd grade 12:30 – 1:00 – 2nd grade 11:55 – 12:25 – 1st grade 11:20 – 11:50 - Kindergarten Parents are welcome to join their child for lunch after the first two weeks of school. By allowing this extra time, your child will become familiar with the daily routines and procedures. If grandparents are coming for lunch ensure they are on the emergency card.

Birthday Celebrations Many parents like to bring in special treats for the class to celebrate their child’s birthday. Lunch treats will be served at the end of the school lunch period. Your home base teacher will be able to provide you with more

details about this and will be more than happy to make sure your child celebrates their special day.

Deretchin Counseling Program:

At Deretchin, our goal is to inspire our students to become as successful as they can be both academically and through personal growth and development. Each month, one of the nine character pillars is taught through classroom guidance lessons. The character pillars are Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Generosity, Integrity, Caring/Kindness, Self-Discipline, Perseverance, and Citizenship. Each teacher selects one student out of the class who represents that character trait, and those students are recognized at the spotlight ceremony with a special award.

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Once our school has taught the monthly character trait, the students are expected to model and represent that trait and the traits from previous months. Teachers acknowledge that the students are modeling positive character traits by dispersing “Dragon Dollars” to the students. The students who receive those dollars will have the opportunity to shop at our school store. Some other ways that students at Deretchin grow in character and leadership are by being a part of our student council and participating in the mentoring program. The counselors at Deretchin are always available to parents and students who need additional support in order to become successful both academically and through personal growth and development.

CISD Handbook Receipt Acknowledge-ment: The CISD Handbook is available online. Hard copies will not be sent home. Information will be sent home with directions to access the handbook and electronically acknowledge you have read it. **Please note that if you do not

wish your child’s name/picture to

be included in the yearbook,

student directory, newspaper

articles, newsletter, website you

will need to request this in writing

within the first 10 days of school.

In doing so, your child’s

information will be excluded from

all forms of communication and

correspondence.

Important District Dates: First Semester – Aug. 16 - Dec.20 Second Semester – Jan. 9- May 31 Student Holidays: Sept. 4, Oct. 9, Jan. 15, Feb. 19, Mar. 30, May 28 Thanksgiving break: Nov. 20-24 Spring Break: March 12-16 Winter break: Dec. 21-Jan. 8 Early Release: Oct. 6, Dec. 20, Mar. 9 and May 31. On these days early dismissal begins at 12:05

CISD Bus Transportation: Conroe ISD provides bus service for students who live more than one mile from the school. If you would like more information on the bus system, please visit http://transportation.conroeisd.net/ for bus registration and routes. Remember, that it is difficult to predict pick-up and drop-off times especially at the beginning of the school year.

Until each driver has an opportunity to gauge how many students on their route will ride the bus, times may vary. We appreciate your support and patience.

Arrival: Children may enter the front of the building at 7:30 a.m. and go to the commons area. Supervision is not available for our students before 7:30 a.m. For our Bike Rack A riders, the bike racks are located in the front of the school. Students may enter the building through the main front doors. Our Bike Rack B riders, will use the racks located beside the bus ramp, which allows bike riders to enter through the biker B doors. Students are dismissed to their classrooms at 7:50 a.m. Although our official school day begins at 8:05 a.m. We ask that children be in their classrooms at 7:55 a.m. to hear the announcements and have a great start to their school day. Children arriving after 8:05 a.m. will be considered tardy. Car riders will enter the front of the building upon arrival to school in the morning. Bus riders will enter through the commons area. For the safety of our students, car traffic is not allowed in the bus area. If your child is a car rider, please enter the school from Terramont. Students may not report to their classrooms earlier than 7:50 a.m. unless their teacher has scheduled a specific date and time with them for tutorials or class assignments.

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Dismissal:

Dismissal will begin at 3:00 p.m. on the first day of school. After the first week students will begin dismissal at 3:10 p.m. For the safety of the children, all transportation changes need to be sent to your child’s teacher in writing. Teachers will not allow your child to go home a different route without a signed note from their parent. Please do not email your child’s teacher during the day to change your child’s transportation. Teachers will not check email during instruction and will not get the message. Transportation changes must be made before 2:35 p.m. Bikers and walkers will be dismissed prior to car riders and bus riders to make sure they are on the bike paths prior to the traffic flow. Older children will be dismissed ahead of the younger children. Our older children tend to walk a little faster than the younger children. This gives them time to exit the building safely and also allows the older siblings the opportunity to stand and wait for their younger brother or sister. We strongly recommend students wear helmets while riding a bicycle,

scooter, rip stick, etc. Biker/Walker A students will exit through the 2nd grade hallway (next to the bike racks). Biker/Walker B students will exit the back of the building by the bus ramp and a teacher will escort students to Merit Oaks. Parents meeting their children who are walkers can greet their child at the end of the sidewalk at Merit Oaks after bikers have been dismissed. Kindergarten students will not be allowed to walk home without an adult signing them out with the teacher on duty. Family car riders will meet inside by room 210 and exit the building through the third side door after the bikers and walkers have cleared the hallways. If you are picking up one child, your child will be released through the first or second side door in the front of the building. For the safety of all of our children, please make sure you are not parked in the “No Parking” zones on Merit Oaks Drive. Please do not park in the neighborhoods during arrival and dismissal. Signs provided by the school must be

displayed in the car’s front window. Please use a thick black marker to write your child’s first and last name on the sign so it can be read easily from a distance. The sign also ensures that we are placing each child in the car of the person authorized to pick him/her up from school, and will help to speed up the car rider line. Please refrain from using your cell phone while in the car rider line. Laws regarding cell phone use in school zones took effect on September 1, 2009. Day care riders will be dismissed from their classroom and picked up in the bus loop. If your child is absent or not riding day care transportation, please notify the day care of the change. Day care drivers must account for all children before leaving the school. By following these procedures arrival and dismissal will flow quickly. Please remember to be patient the first 2 weeks of school with the length of the line. It will get better as students learn the routines.

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Severe Weather Days: The weather can change very rapidly throughout the day. There are times when it becomes necessary to call for a “Severe Weather Day.” This would include heavy rain, thunder, and/or lightening in the area. If there is light rain falling, all bikers/walkers will be dismissed as usual. It would be a good idea for students who walk or ride their bike to have a rain coat to wear on such days. When a Severe Weather Dismissal is called, all bikers and walkers must be dismissed in an alternate way. Most students become car riders and some elect to ride the school bus. This would be a good time to take advantage of neighborhood carpools in order to decrease the number of cars lined up on Terramont. Your patience on these days is appreciated. We ask that parents do not walk up to pick up their child as teachers and staff will be working together to get children ready to board the school bus or organized for the car rider line. We appreciate your support and patience while we get all children home safely. We do our very best to call for a “Severe Weather Dismissal” as soon as possible. When we have severe weather dismissal, we will send out a Blackboard alert to all parents.

Please remember to sign up for this through Parent Access Center. *Please ensure that your child’s teacher knows how you would like them to go home on Severe Weather Dismissal days.

Deretchin PTO:

The teachers and staff at Deretchin are very fortunate to have such a wonderful and active PTO. There are many activities and supplies we would not have if not for their continuous and generous support. They help our school by:

Volunteering at our many

different school activities

Organizing fund raisers

that support the purchase

of many instructional

materials

Organizing family events

such as the Spring Rodeo

Supporting teachers at

events

Creating our annual

yearbook

Supporting teachers and

students in the classroom

Assisting with textbook

distribution and collection

Keeping our grounds

beautiful

Updating our school

marquee weekly

Assisting with the

organization of our book

fairs

Selling t-shirts and

maintaining logo

inventory

Distributing school

supplies

If you would like to learn more about the PTO, please feel free to contact Andrea Brown at oilbaroncswbell.net. Look for more information to come home in your child’s Tuesday folder. We are also very excited to continue the official Deretchin Elementary PTO website. The website will keep you informed of important PTO information throughout the school year. Please visit the site at www.deretchinpto.org to learn more about our wonderful PTO.

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August September

7-11 – Staff Development Week 10-Locker Decoration Day Gr. 5th and 6th (8:00-11:00) 1-Celebration Day for STAAR Scores and Meeting Goals

14-Teddy Bear Tea (Kindergarten) (3:30-4:30) 4-No School (Labor Day)

14-Meet the Teacher 1st – 6th (5:00-7:00) 5-Parent Newsletter

16-First Day of School 5-Kickoff for Check Writing (During Class Lunches)

16-Cheers and Tears (8:00) - Library 6-PTO President/Principals meeting (9:00) 18-Room Mom’s Chosen 21-Launching Writing Workshop 21-Parent Information Night Gr. K-3rd (5:00-6:30) 6-DI Information Night (4:00-5:00)

22-Volunteer Brunch (9:30) 7-6th Grade Ice Cream Social

22-Parent Newsletter 13-Faculty Meeting

23-BAS Training – ½ day for K-2nd students - Deretchin 14-PTO Executive Meeting (9:30)

23-Academic Conference 15-Last Day for Check Writing Campaign

25-Room Mom meeting (9:30) – Room 206 15-Ambassador Training – Gr. 2nd – 4th (8:15-9:25)

29-6th grade T-shirts go home

Gr. 5th – 6th (1:00-2:30) 19-Parent Newsletter 20-Fall Pictures 21-PTO Meeting (9:30) 21-Mentor Meeting (3:30) 22-Spotlight Ceremony (2:00) 25-29-Fall Book Fair 26-Deretchin Drive Thru (4:30-6:30) 26-Late Night Bookfair (4:30-6:30)

30-Faculty Meeting

31-Parent Information Night Gr. 4th – 6th (5:00-6:30)

October

3-Parent Newsletter 19-PTO Meeting (9:30)

5-Author Celebration during D3 (2:15) 19-Mentor Meeting (3:30)

6-End of 1st Grading Period 20-NEAT – Kona Ice Day

6-Half Day for Students (12:05) 23-27-Red Ribbon Week

6-Story Book Parade - K – 2nd (9:00) 27-Spotlight Ceremony (2:00)

9-No School

11-Faculty Meeting (3:30) 12-PTO Exec. Meeting (9:30)

13-Walk to School Day 17-Parent Newsletter

Below are the dates for the upcoming school year. Please check the Deretchin Website for updates as we continue to add events to the calendar throughout the school year. We look forward to a great year with you and your family. Please let us know how we can serve you. See you soon!

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November December

2-Bike Rodeo during P.E. 5-Parent Newsletter

7-4th Grade Program (8:30 and 5:30) 6-Faculty Meeting (3:30)

8-PTO President & Principal Meeting 8-Spotlight Ceremony (2:00)

8-Faculty Meeting (3:30) 11-15-Winter Wonderland

8-6th Grade Pictures and Club Pictures 11-Christmas Gifts Begin

14-Author Visit Jeff Savage 3rd - 6th 12-Choir/Band/Orchestra Concert (8:30/9:15)

14-Parent Newsletter (5:30/6:15) 16-PTO Exec. Meeting (9:30) 16/17-Turkey Trot 16-Authors Celebration during D3 (2:15) 16-Mentor Meeting (3:30) 20-24-Thanksgiving Break (No School) 27-1-Generations Texas Week 30-Nov/Dec PTO Meeting (9:30) 19-Parent Newsletter

19-Board Meeting 19-Snow Day 19-Mentor Meeting 20-End of 2nd Grading Period 20-Half Day for Students (12:05) 21-29-Winter Break

January 1-8-Winter Break 8-Teacher Workday 9-Students Back to School 12-NEAT-Kona Ice Day 15-No School 16-Parent Newsletter 16-7th Grade Parent Info (9:30) 17-7th Grade Parent Info-McCullough (6:00) 17-Faculty Meeting 18-PTO Exec Meeting (9:30) 18-Tech Club (3:30) 18-Spring Pictures 23-3rd Grade Program (8:30/5:30) 23-24-Learning Walks 25-PTO Meeting (9:30) 25-Mentor Meeting (3:30) 30-Parent Newsletter 30-Elective Info Night at McCullough (6:00-7:00) 30-99th Day of School 31-100th Day of School 31-Spotlight Ceremony (2:00)

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February

5-9-Book Fair 7-Faculty Meeting (3:30) 8-Tech Club Kids (3:30) 13-Parent Newsletter 13-2nd Grade Program (8:30/5:30) 14-Mentor Meeting (3:30) 18-Teachers In-Service Day 19-Students No School 22-PTO Meeting (9:30) 22-Author Celebration During D3 (2:15) 23-Rodeo (5:00-8:00) 27-Parent Newsletter 27-28-Learning Walks

March

6-1st Grade Program (8:30/5:30) 7-PTO President/Principal Meeting (9:00) 7-Faculty Meeting (3:30) 8-Tech Club Kids (3:30) 9-Kona Ice 9-End of the 3rd Grading Period 9-Half Day for Students 12-16-Spring Break 20-Parent Newsletter 22-Mentor Meeting 23-Spotlight Ceremony (2:00) 23-NEAT (1:00) 27-28-Learning Walks 29-March/April PTO Exec Meeting (9:00) 30-No School

April 3-Parent Newsletter 4-Faculty Meeting (3:30) 5-12-Tech Club Kids (3:30) 12-March/April PTO Meeting (9:30) 12-13-STAAR Makeups 17-Parent Newsletter 19-Mentor Meeting (3:30) 20-Child Study 24-25-Learning Walks 27-Spotlight Ceremony (2:00)

May 1-Parent Newsletter 2-Faculty Meeting (3:30) 3-PTO Exec Meeting (9:30) 14-18-Closed Campus 14-3rd, 4th, 6th Math STAAR Test 14-5th Grade Retest 15-3rd, 4th, 6th Math STAAR Test 15-5th Grade Retest 15-Parent Newsletter 16-5th Grade Science STAAR Test 16-Tech Club Meeting 17-18-Make-up STAAR 21-PTO Meeting 22-6th Grade Talent Show (1:00-3:00) 24-Choir (8:30/6:30) 24-Band/Orchestra (9:30/5:30) 24-25-Collect Text Books 25-6th Grade Celebration (11:00 & 3:00) 27-Spotlight Ceremony (2:00) 28-No School 29-Parent Newsletter 29-Field Day (3rd - 6th) 30-Field Day (K - 2nd) 31-Kinder Graduation (8:30) 31-Clap Out (11:00) 31-Student Half Day June 1 - Teacher Workday