March 3-7
Dear FES Families,
As we move into the vibrant and hopeful season of Spring and begin the month of March, I wanted to take a moment to share my appreciation for all the hard work our students have put into their learning this school year. It’s been a wonderful journey watching them grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Spring brings a renewed energy and excitement, and we’re looking forward to finishing the year strongly together!
Spring is also a great time to reflect on the importance of our school community. One of the most powerful aspects of Florence Elementary is the partnership we have with our families. We truly believe that when families and schools work hand-in-hand, our students thrive. Your support—whether through volunteering, participating in school events, or being involved in your child’s education—makes all the difference. Let’s continue to foster this partnership as we move into the final months of the school year.
In addition to our efforts within the classroom, I want to highlight an amazing local event that is making a big impact on our community—Casey’s Kids Fun Run. This inspiring event supports the needs of families in Keller ISD through the counseling department. The funds raised help provide vital resources for our students and families who need extra support. It’s a beautiful example of how we all come together to support one another. We have another opportunity to give back next month in the Keller ISD Big Event! This year, we will be supporting Cook Children's Hospital and look forard to working together on April 12th to say a big falcon "thank you" to our community! The sign up and donations links are shared below.
As always, thank you for being an essential part of our Falcon Family. We couldn’t do it without you. Here’s to a fantastic March full of growth, learning, and community spirit. With Spring Break just around the corner, we are wrapping up our third quarter!
In Falcon Spirit,
Courtney Brandel
Principal, Florence Elementary School
Sawyer and Adalyn did an outstanding job at this year's Keller Shake!
The Keller Shake competition helps students develop essential communication skills, including voice projection, diction, eye contact, and the power of a strong handshake. A big round of applause to all participants for their hard work and dedication! #CelebrateKISD
Aside from enjoying a beautiful morning for a run, students, parents, and staff from schools across Keller ISD joined in support of the 28th annual Casey's Kids Run! Florence was recognized as one of the 5 schools with the highest participation and we even had several Falcons win medals in the 5K race for their age division including Beckham (4th grade) and family members, Beckett (3rd grade) as well as his mom and dad, our very own Ms. Aldredge, and Ms. Howell! It was fun to see Falcon families join in the fun!
The FES Student Council voted on how to utilize the funds that they raised! In addition to purchasing some equipment for recess, they wanted to give back in some way and decided to donate $1000 to the Humane Society of North Texas! We are proud of their leadership and their hearts for serving our community!
Thank you, PTA for a "SOUPER" way to end the week! Staff were treated to a variety of delicious homemade soups and goodies, courtesy of our PTA! They even included recipe cards to go along with it so that teachers and staff are able to recreate everything they loved!
We love celebrating the tradition of excellence at FES! As a part of that process, we will be recognizing our amazing staff members and would like your help.
Please share the name and information of the staff member you feel who is deserving of recognition along with some words that share the reason they are being recognized. Please note, your response with be shared with the staff member and may be featured in our publications/ social media and any student names that are included may be omitted for confidentiality.
Fill out a shout out on this Staff Shout Out Form to help us celebrate excellence among our FES teachers and staff!
March 3- Dr. Suess Day (Wear your favorite Dr. Suess outfit)
March 5- College Spirit Day
March 6- PTA Executive Board Meeting (9:15am-10:15am)
March 11- Program- PTA Meeting/Film Festival
March 13- Kindergarten Field Trip- Zoo
March 14- Library Author Visit
March 14- End of the 3rd 9 weeks
March 17-21- Spring Break- No School
March 28- Spring Group Pictures
April 2- Paraprofessional Appreciation Day
April 4- School Librarian Appreciation Day
April 7- Program-PTA Meeting/4th Grade
April 7-11- National Assistant Principal Week
April 9- 1st Grade Field Trip- Nash Farms
April 10- Talent Show (5:00pm-7:30pm)
April 11- Volunteer/Watch Dog Breakfast
April 12- The Big Event
*More 2024-2025 information and dates to come. Plan ahead by visiting our new website to access our full year FES Campus Calendar.
As a part of our goal of ensuring that we are consistently communicating the academic progress of our students, we encourage families to utilize our existing systems to monitor your child's progress. Over the last few weeks, there have been some questions as to what a parent should expect to see when logging into the Parent Portal in Aeries. Parents have the ability to monitor their students progress through the Parent Portal in Aeries for grades 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
There are two different grading scales in elementary; Standards Base Grades and Grade Reporting.
Standards-Based Grading (SBG) - Kindergarten and 1st: Students will not have a progress report, only a report card. Report cards will be posted in the Parent Portal at the end of the 9-week marking period. For all subjects, students will be evaluated on their learning progression. These established pieces of evidence will align across campus grade levels, and be based on giving parents the most accurate developmental picture possible of their child's progress. Parents do not see weekly updates in the Aeries Parent Portal for SBG grading. Your child's progress can be seen through work that is sent home each week by the teacher and
Grades Reporting - 2nd, 3rd and 4th: Throughout the nine-weeks, teachers will assign grades in the categories of RLA, Math, Science and Social Studies consisting of Formative and Summative categories, and progress reports are be reported at the 4th week of the marking period. Completed assignments will be posted in the electronic gradebook and visible to parents in the Parent Portal. Report cards will be posted in the Parent Portal at the end of the 9-week marking period.
If you have any questions concerning your child's academic progress, whether it is SBG or Grade Reporting, please reach out to your student's teacher.
Do any of these look familiar to you? Please stop by and check the lost and found before Spring Break.
Save the date! We are excited to announce that The Big Event is returning on April 12, 2025 from 9:00-11:00 at Florence Elementary! This districtwide day of service is open to all Florence Elementary School students, their families, teachers, and staff members. Learn more about The Big Event at www.KellerISD.net/BigEvent.
This year, FES is supporting Cook Children's Hospital with toiletry kits for parents who are staying unexpectedly and with arts and crafts kits for kids who are staying in the hospital, as well as cards to accompany patient's meal trays. Our goal is to bring a bit of sunshine and Falcon Spirit to those who are facing difficult times.
This year's registration will be through a google form. Students must be accompanied by a parent, so make it a morning of family fun through service. Register here to join us on April 12th!
Donations Needed<--Click for Amazon Wishlist Link
Between now and then, we need your help in providing donations for the items that we will be assembling together on the Day of the Big Event! Our Campus Big Event Coordinator, Mrs. Hannah McLean, has made it easy and created an Amazon Wish List where you can see what is needed and purchase the items.
Monday, March 3rd is Dr. Seuss Day celebrated during co-curr as a celebration of Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss' birthday!
Students will be playing Seuss themed games, that follow the stories of the beloved author and Co-curr invites students to join in the fun with your favorite Seuss-like attire!
We’re thrilled to announce that award-winning children’s author Tammi Sauer will be visiting our school! Tammi has written over 30 beloved picture books, including Nugget & Fang and Mary Had a Little Glam. During her visit, she will inspire students with her fun, engaging stories and share what it’s like to be an author.
Keller ISD parents utilizing SchoolCafé to manage cafeteria payments for multiple students will notice a change to the process for transferring funds between student accounts beginning Saturday, March 1.
Going forward, users will only be able to transfer funds if a previous payment has been made to both students within the account that is equal to or less than the requested amount to be transferred.
Currently, there is no requirement of previous payments to have been made for transfers to occur. This new process is being implemented to enhance security measures for users. These changes only apply to the transfer of funds between student accounts and will not impact other features of SchoolCafé.
If you have not made a previous payment and need to request a transfer of funds, please reach out to your district’s Child Nutrition office for assistance.
Phone: 817-744-3982 or 817-744-3980
Email: stephanie.greving@kellerisd.net
Parents are always welcome at FES! If you are interested in volunteering, you must fill out the Keller ISD Volunteer Application. All FES visitors are required to enter at door #1, go through the front office, provide picture identification, and obtain a visitor badge before proceeding to any part of the building which must be worn in a visible area for the duration of the time on campus. Office staff will verify the visitor is a parent, guardian, or approved contact for a student.
Guests are only allowed in designated areas to minimize disruption of the learning environment and may not go throughout the building, to the playground, or classrooms.
Guests are required to exit the building through the office during school hours. We value and appreciate guests and all volunteers at FES!
FES 2024-2025 yearbooks are on sale NOW! Everyone is a yearbook photographer with the Treering App. You can upload photos from FES events as they happen throughout the year to be included in the yearbook. Each book also comes with two free custom pages. Grab yours today! 📚📸
https://web.treering.com/create-account/1016599729561880?PassCode=1016599729561880
Sodexo has received several concerns regarding the printed menu reflecting options which are either substituted or changed completely on the serving line due to product unavailability or use of State provided commodity items. While Sodexo strives to minimize the number of changes to the menu, they are still at the mercy of product manufacture shortages and logistical challenges from all providers which places a burden on the program to provide the menu as previously planned.
To improve the communication of menu changes Sodexo has recently launched new and improved online menus for Keller ISD through Nutrislice at https://kellerisd.nutrislice.com/menus-eula .
This change will provide students, staff and families the most up-to-date printable and digital menus that are reflective of any changes that need to be made to the menus.
Did you hear? There are FIVE choices for lunch each day this year!
https://kellerisd.sodexomyway.com/
What time is breakfast? Breakfast will begin at 7:25. The line will close at 7:50 for students to be in class at 7:55.
What is offered? This school year Sodexo will be offering 3 hot side options and 2 cold side options.
How do I add money to my child’s cafeteria account? You may place money on your child's lunch account by setting up an account for them on School Cafe. The link is below and you will need your student's ID # to do so.
Sodexo - Breakfast and Lunch.
Tyler Lamon- Front Office / Attendance: tyler.lamon@kellerisd.net
Leah Dimmitt Front Office / Substitutions: leah.dimmitt@kellerisd.net
Terra Peters- Campus Secretary: terra.peters@kellerisd.net
Sue Piehler - Nurse: susan.piehler@kellerisd.net
Jessica Sustaita- Librarian: jessica.sustaita@kellerisd.net
Christina Jones - Counselor: christina.jones@kellerisd.net
Chelsea Price - Assistant Principal: chelsea.price@kellerisd.net
Courtney Brandel - Principal: courtney.cullum@kellerisd.net
Nicole Seidel - PTA President: ptaflorencees@gmail.com
Esmeralda Gallegos - Cafeteria Manager: esmeralda.gallegos@kellerisd.net
Kindergarten: 10:40-11:10
1st Grade: 11:10-11:40
2nd Grade: 11:40-12:10
3rd Grade: 12:10-12:40
4th Grade: 12:40-1:10
4th Grade:8:10-9:10
3rd Grade: 9:10-10:10
2nd Grade: 10:10-11:10
1st Grade 12:50-1:50
Kindergarten 2:00-3:00
Marimba: 3rd, every Tuesday 7:25-7:50
Marimba: 4th, every Thursday 7:25-7:50
Falcon Choir: 3rd & 4th, every Thursday 3:25-4:15
R.O.C.K Club: 1st-4th, the last Wednesday of the month 3:15-4:15
Run Club: 3rd & 4th Grade, every Monday 3:25-4:00
Florence Elementary, in partnership with iCode Southlake, presents the Tech Club: Empowering students with essential STEM skills! Through hands-on activities in coding, game design, and digital arts, your child will build problem-solving abilities and real-world tech knowledge. From Minecraft creations to Python mastery, we're preparing them for future success – all while having fun! For more information, contact iCode Southlake at 817-527-5270 or email southlake108@icodeschool.com
Dear Florence Parents,
CookLearnGrow is returning to Florence with NEW curriculum and recipes for the spring semester. After-school enrichment classes for 1st - 4th grade will be on Mondays or Tuesdays, starting January 27 & 28 from 3:30 - 4:30 PM.
Register here https://cooklearngrow.com/dallas-classes/
Spots are still available for both sessions!
While we appreciate a phone call letting us know your child is absent, with the updated Attendance procedures, we will now request a written explanation of absences for each day they were absent.
This may be an email sent to Tyler.Lamon@kellerisd.net or a written note that is sent upon your child's return. An absence is considered to be a partial absence any time that a student leaves early or arrives later than the first 15 minutes of the day and parents may utilze a parent excuse for these if there is not documentation. Please see the Keller ISD Attendance 101 for more information. https://www.kellerisd.net/students-families/resources/students-families-resources/attendance-truancy
Please be sure that your child is coming to school with weather appropriate clothing including a jacket or a coat, as they will continue to attend recess outside when the temperature falls within our district policy. Please be sure to label all coats, jackets, and winter accessories with your child's name as this is the time of year where our lost and found tends to grow!
As we monitor the temperature and weather, we may move to an alternate or indoor recess plan, depending on the circumstances.
We will continue to follow the KISD guidelines for outdoor activity including recess and PE:
Wind chill or actual temperature between 40-32 degrees Fahrenheit – Students must have the ability to cover all extremities. Limited outside activity not to exceed 20 minutes.
Wind chill or actual temperature below 32 degrees Fahrenheit – No outside activity.
Students will participate in activities in the classrooms or flex space and will have a choice of games, hands on activities, movement and other options. (Not an iPad time)
*** Please be sure your child is dressed for the cold weather with their arms, legs, and body covered and with a coat, gloves, and winter hat on cold days. ***
With the winter season here, Keller ISD’s emergency operations team will be closely monitoring upcoming weather conditions. Any decision about altering our schedules due to weather conditions will be made after considering the conditions of roads and sidewalks in the District and surrounding areas, building conditions, and forecasts from the National Weather Service.
Should there be any winter advisories that would impact the district, updates will be posted by the school district to www.KellerISD.net. An email notification will also be sent to all Keller ISD families, employees, and students. Updates will be posted to Keller ISD’s official social media accounts, as well (Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter).
We encourage everyone to remain weather-aware throughout the weeks ahead and throughout the winter season and to be sure that your contact information and emergency contact information is correct and up to date. (See your parent portal in Aeries to see all information and contact Terra Peters terra.peters@kellerisd.net if you need any changes or updates.)
- Clayton before-school programs will be unavailable when schools are delayed to open in the morning.
- Clayton will be closed when schools are closed for the entire day.
- Clayton will be closed when schools close early or cancel after-school activities with reasonable notice to families.
- *If schools cancel afterschool activities late in the day and close to dismissal times, Clayton employees will arrive at campuses at normal time and contact all families to pick up as soon as possible because we will be closing early. Clayton staff will stay until the last child is picked up.
The Elementary Math (K-6) Department has created a 9 weeks newsletter using SMORE. We will share the links with specific grade-level teachers. Please communicate this information as well with your teachers and families. The newsletter contains an overview of upcoming material, important concepts, student misconceptions, ideas for supporting their student at home, and DreamBox support.
Be sure that your email is correct in your infosnap to be sure you receive all of our Blackboard communications (emails and texts).