OCT 20, 2025 - VOLUME 10, Issue 11
A Newsletter for Families of Solar Preparatory School for Girls
Embedded Files
BRIGHT TIMES
A message from
Principal Santos...
A huge thank you to all who made everything possible for Hispanic Heritage month. We had the best time learning about and celebrating Latin cultures from around the world.
The read-a-thon is on! Please scroll down to the PTA section and get your child signed up. Every minute counts and not only do we kick-off the fall fundraising for PTA, but we also encourage the most important learning skill for students foundational success. Please reach out if you need help. We appreciate your support.
Parent conferences have begun. If you haven't heard from your child's teacher, you can reach out to them if you would like a conference. This year one of our goals is to improve timely communication and clarity of communication. Our goal for the fall is that every grade level should have at least one touchpoint with every family whether thats a conference, phone call or email. We hope to continue to see improvement so that you may always know where your child is academically and how we plan to support their continued growth.
Please fill out a staff-shout out for this week if you have not already! We posted the new ones for this week. We truly appreciate you helping us to celebrate our teachers.
As always, I am here to answer any questions! Do not hesitate to reach out. Have a wonderful week!
STAFF SHOUTOUTS
STAFF SHOUTOUTS
We would LOVE your help appreciating and celebrating our staff! Any staff member who you see making a difference (big or small) in our school community would love to hear your words of affirmation. This link is always made available on BrightTimes to give shoutouts throughout the school year. We especially want to put it front and center this week! Staff members receive these shoutouts through our staff newsletter, and they brighten their days. Thank you for taking time to shout them out!
Check out this weeks shout-outs below.
Mr. shelby - Mr. Shelby is the best! You will always catch him smiling and enjoying his day. Love his positive attitude. Thank you!
Ms. Charles-Because of your hard work, 27 of our students placed in All-City Orchestra and 16 of our students placed in All-Region! Not only have we tripled our Solar Girls numbers, we know that this is because of all the hard work you pour into this program. We truly appreciate you.
Ms. simpson & Kinder team - My child is so motivated by Fun Friday and thrilled to share with me what she did whenever they’ve earned it! Thank you for keeping learning relevant and fun for our children!
Ms. WILLIAMS- Ms. Williams really went the extra mile to help my daughter feel comfortable and confident in class. She handled a difficult situation with so much care and understanding. Thanks to her support, my daughter can now focus and enjoy learning again!
MRS. STADELMANN- I just want to take a moment to give a huge thank-you to Ms. Staddelmann for always going above and beyond during pickup time. Every single day she makes sure the girls cross the street safely, and always speaking, waving, and spreading positive energy in the parking lot. You can tell she genuinely cares about the girls and their families.
Ms. Staddelmann, thank you for being so down-to-earth and present. I absolutely love this kind of energy for our girls — it matters more than you know.
ms. marquez- Ms. Marquez is such an incredible asset to the Solar team. As a parent to one of her students, I am SO grateful for the fun and effective instruction she provides my daughter in the classroom, how easy it is to communicate with her, and the warm and caring manner with which she approaches the children, while still having full control over classroom management (not always an easy balance to strike - bravo!).
On top of her teaching responsibilities, the amount of time, effort and energy she put into the amazing Hispanic Heritage Celebration and assembly is both not easy, but also so valuable. One of Solar’s great strengths is the incredible diversity of students, staff and their families. During the Hispanic Heritage Celebration, as I watched the girls, younger and older, with a rainbow of different skin colors containing such varied life experiences, enthusiastically waving their friends up to the stage to join them so that all together they could smile and laugh and sing “De colores,” the beauty of that joyful shared girlhood experience was so profoundly beautiful that it brought tears to my eyes - and that was just one of many special moments that would not have been possible without Ms. Marquez. <3
MS.gillespie- Ms. Gillespie may be brand new to Solar but she has already made a great impact! Thank you Ms. Gillespie for believing in my daughter and fostering a love and passion for art!!!! You rock!
MS.stubbs- Ms. Stubbs is an incredible teacher who is passionate about her students! She has poured into my daughter time and time again and I really appreciate how she has impacted my daughter’s life! Thank you Ms. Stubbs for all that you do!!!!!
UPCOMING EVENTS AND DATES
UPCOMING EVENTS AND DATES
TRUNK-OR-TREAT
TRUNK-OR-TREAT
🚨 🚨We need more trunks AND volunteers in order for this event to be a success! Please see the PTA section below for more information on the roles that are needed. Click on the flyer to sign-up. We need your support!
READ-A-THON
READ-A-THON
For more Read-A-Thon information, visit the the PTA wwebsiteebsite
SPIRIT WEEK
SPIRIT WEEK
GT Updates
GT Updates
ALL THE PERMISSION FORMS
ALL THE PERMISSION FORMS
You probably noticed that you received a LOT more permission and consent forms than every before this year. I first want to apologize that all the forms have come home without explanation. I will work to ensure that in the future with each form that comes home is well explained.
New legislation from the 89th Texas Legislative Session requires parents and guardians to provide annual consent for certain school-based services and activities. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) distinguishes between services that require opt-in consent (consent must be provided before service can be delivered) and services where parents may opt out (consent is assumed unless declined). Some services are always provided in emergencies or as general caretaking.
If you do not complete the form:Your child will not receive services that require opt-in. They will continue to receive opt-out services (unless you decline in writing) and services that are always provided.
These are the forms that have gone home so far:
Health Services Opt-in form. (this includes consent for mental health/counseling)
Clubs Permission forms (if we do not get these this week, your child will not be allowed to stay for clubs)
Girl Scouts Permission form (Because GS is an outside entity that provides us with curriculum to deliver during the school day, and students become GS members through our partnership, a separate form is required.) We were originally given the wrong from by the Girl Scout team which asked for a social security number. This was not correct. We will be sending home the revised form and shredding the previous forms that were returned.
Socio-economic form. This form impacts our funding and state accountability. We have to have a form to document each family's income. In order to retain our 50/50 status, we need to have forms to prove socio-economic status. You can check on the form that you prefer not to share your total income and it will automatically assume that you make over the amount listed here. In the future this form will be sent in an envelope so that you are able to return the form directly to the front office.
As part of FERPA and DISD laws, all information shared with our staff is confidential and will not be shared with any other person or entity. We appreciate your support Please reach out to your child's teacher if you need to upate information on a form or if you need a new form. Please reach out to me directly if you have any feedback or need any more information.
QUICK LINKS
QUICK LINKS
⚕️👩🏻⚕️ NURSE VISITS & IMMUNIZATIONS: If you have not submitted your immunization documentation or filled out your student's permission form, please do so.
👚👖 UNIFORMS/ATTIRE: Click the uniforms button below to purchase house shirts, girl scout shirts, spirit shirts, and uniforms.
PTA AND FALL CARNIVAL SUPPORT
PTA AND FALL CARNIVAL SUPPORT
Spirit Wear Update: Orders went out in backpacks on Tuesday, October 7th. If you have issues with your order, a PTA volunteer will be on campus Tuesday, October 14th and Wednesday, 15th 2p - 3:20p to assist. Yard signs can be picked up at the front office and are labeled by student. For safety purposes, we are not able to send the yard signs with the metal stakes home with students.
PTA Reflections Art Contest: Parent information session on Wednesday, October 29th - 6:00p Video call link: https://meet.google.com/rpj-kayu-gug
TRUNK-OR-TREAT Leaders Needed - The success of our event is depends on the efforts of volunteers. We need 4 more volunteer leaders to ensure the success of trunk or treat.
Please email solarprepgirlspta@gmail.com or text Tierni Sulgrove, 972.345.2574 if you are interested in one of these roles.
📸 #FallFamPhotos - Are you creative and love a good photo op? We need a leader to design an “Insta-worthy” fall photo backdrop for families to enjoy at Trunk or Treat. You’ll have a set budget to work with, and the display will stay up through Friday, Oct. 31, for families to continue using.
🗺️ Emperor/Empress of the Map - This person will create the event map showing where each grade’s trunks will be located, assign each trunk a space number (chalk-marked on site), handle check-in at setup, and oversee layout flow and logistics on event day.
🍬 “I Want Candy” - Partner with the Emperor/Empress of the Map to ensure every area has adequate candy support. We have a small budget to supplement donations, but communication and planning will help trunks distribute candy evenly throughout the 90-minute event.
🎈 Full of Hot Air - We’ll have two inflatable obstacle courses this year! Read-A-Thon participants will receive wristbands as prizes, while others can purchase wristbands for $5 for unlimited turns. This leader will coordinate day-of setup with the vendor, manage the cashier table, and oversee volunteers monitoring the inflatables.
BIKE LESSONS
BIKE LESSONS
PARENT TOURS
PARENT TOURS
Do you know someone interested in attending Solar next school year? Our parent tours have begun! These tours are a chance for prospective families to see what makes SOLAR so special. We will host tours every Tuesday morning at 8:00am. If you know of anyone interested in joining the Solar family for the 2026–2027 school year, please share this link to our SignUpGenius.
GET TO SCHOOL ON TIME
ATTENDANCE UPDATES & POLICIES
ATTENDANCE UPDATES & POLICIES
SOLAR PEACE PANTRY
SOLAR PEACE PANTRY
Volunteers Needed!
The Solar Peace Pantry is looking for volunteers with all different skills and schedules, but particularly, we are in need of volunteers who are available on Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:30 (without kids with them) to staff the pantry during our busiest shift!
It's a tricky time slot for many parents so if you're one of the rare people available and childless then, please send us an email! -- solarpantry@gmail.com
NOMINATE A FIERCE FEMALE
NOMINATE A FIERCE FEMALE
SISTERHOOD CIRCLE FIERCE FEMALES
If you know any fierce females who you would like to see featured at our Sisterhood Circle in the fall, let us know by filling out THIS FORM!
GRADE LEVEL NEWSLETTERS
GRADE LEVEL NEWSLETTERS
REGION 6 LEADERSHIP
OFFICE HOURS
7:30am - 4:30pm
ARRIVAL
7:30-8:00 am
BREAKFAST
7:30-7:55 am
SISTERHOOD CIRCLE
8:00-8:15 am
EARLY DISMISSAL ENDS
2:15 pm
PIKMYKID DISMISSAL CHANGES CUT-OFF
2:45 pm
PRE-K/K DISMISSAL
(Henderson Doors)
3:10 pm
DISMISSAL
3:20 pm
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