March 10-14
Dear FES Families,
As we march into March, it’s exciting to see how much our students have grown and achieved already this school year. The days are getting warmer, and we’ve been lucky to enjoy some sunshine and fresh air outside! It’s a joy to see them playing and learning in the open air, reminding us all of the importance of balance and well-being!
We are also incredibly proud to share the recognition of our staff members at the district level. This week, our school community celebrated several well-deserved honors, including the FACE (Family and Community Engagement) Award and the Support Staff Member of the Year Award (photos and more information below). It is inspiring to see the dedication and hard work of our staff members being acknowledged, and so fun to see the ways in which each and every role in our campus contributes to the well-being and learning of our students! We are grateful for their unwavering commitment to our students’ success.
As we approach Spring Break, I want to remind everyone that we will be off from March 17th through March 21st. This is a wonderful opportunity to rest and recharge, and we look forward to coming back refreshed and ready to finish the school year strong in the final quarter!
As we move forward, let us remember the words of Aesop: “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Let’s continue to foster a spirit of kindness and character in our school community, as these values will carry our students far in all their endeavors! In a demonstration of kindness, we invite you to join us on April 12th, as we give back together at our Big Event!
Wishing you all an enjoyable weekend!
In Falcon Spirit,
Courtney Brandel- Principal, Florence Elementary School
Our students celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday with some fun activities in PE on Monday that included a fishing relay where students found fish with the names of different bones and worked to fish out as many as they could! Our co-curr team goes above and beyond to create these fun and memorable themed activities for our students and we couldn't love it more!
This week, our 2nd-grade students had the incredible opportunity to experience the Traveling Technology Museum. The hands-on activities with past technology devices were a highlight, offering students a glimpse into how technology has evolved over the years. From rotary phones to early video game consoles, it was wonderful to see our students’ curiosity spark as they explored these historical gadgets. A huge thank you to all the educators and to the Hudson Foundation who made this memorable experience possible!
The Keller ISD Friendly, Above and Beyond, Customer Service Excellence (F.A.C.E.) Award recognizes outstanding achievement among operations and services employees. Our very own Mrs. Cindy in our cafeteria was nominated by the award by multiple member of our staff for her above and beyond efforts and selected as this quarter's district winner! She has stepped up in a big way to ensure that our Florence students are well taken care of every day, and has gone out of her way to help her co-workers, and is constantly a shining light at our school! She will be recognized at the next school meeting for her exceptional service. Congratulations to Mrs. Cindy for being selected as this quarter's district FACE Award recipient!
Our Substitute Coordinator and front office staff member, Mrs. Leah Dimmitt was celebrated at Thursday's District Support Staff of the Year ceremony! Leah always demonstrates exceptional awareness and attention to the needs of our Falcon community as our front office and substitute coordinator. Leah is a model of respect, kindness, and honor; displaying her love for others and the Falcon spirit in every interaction. She is always ready to assist, encourage, jump into action, and to highlight the positive and wonderful things she sees in others. Her patience, attentiveness, and reassuring demeanor are leave everyone she encounters with joy! She is such a loving and welcoming presence to everyone who enters our school and are lucky to have her here at Florence Elementary School!
Thank you, Haley Brazell and Louisa Kohl-Brunson for all the work that you do to serve the students at Florence Elementary! From evaluating our students, to collaborating with teachers and families to determine what is needed to support the unique learning needs of students, you do everything with heart! We are lucky to have you serving our students each day!
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!
"Mrs. Anderson is such a wonderful educator and person. No matter what my son does the first thing he tells me is how he can’t wait to tell or show Mrs. Anderson when he sees her next. Florence is very lucky to have such a kind, caring and compassionate teacher! "- Melissa, Parent
"Mrs. Hoag has such a gift for seeing student’s gifts. Each and every student has gifts & talents to share with the world. Karen Hoag sees & guides many students daily. She does so with great wisdom & an abundance of grace. She evaluates their cognition & simultaneously speaks to their hearts. Karen helps *all* children understand that their gifts are unique & highly valued. We are beyond grateful for all of the gifted teachers & staff at Florence Elementary. Thank you!!!"- Lauren, Parent
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.
This weekend, we have a special event happening – it's time to spring forward! On Sunday, we will move our clocks ahead by one hour. This means we get more daylight to enjoy all the fun activities we love!
What to do:
Before you go to bed on Saturday night, remember to set the clocks forward by one hour.
Get a good night's sleep so you're ready for a bright and sunny Sunday!
This change helps us enjoy longer days filled with sunshine and outdoor fun. So, let's all spring forward together and make the most of our extra daylight!
Have a fantastic weekend and see you all on Monday!
Remember, losing sleep during daylight savings is just a "nap" hazard.
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.
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.
Do any of these look familiar to you? Please stop by and check the lost and found before Spring Break.
Falcon Family!
Do you have a talent you can't wait to share? Dancing, singing, comedy, martial arts, drama, magic...the possibilities are endless! Register your single or group act today. Volunteer sign-up will be coming soon!
Sign up with the entry form: https://forms.gle/f9MMY4KCtJLkhzkVA
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
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.
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
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).