Communication

This newsletter will be your one-stop shop for all things FES- info, events, volunteer activities, and celebrations! Be sure that we have your current information so that you are receiving all of our campus, class, and PTA information.   Our official means of communication are through this newsletter, Parent Square, our website, staff emails, and the PTA Membership Tool Kit.  Should you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our staff members via parent square (email) phone, or appointment.  Please allow for a 24 hour response time from our staff members, especially teachers, who are engaged in working directly with students during school hours. If you have a time-sensitive matter, or emergency, please contact our front office at 817-744-4700. 

Parent Square

Have you set up your Parent Square account? Keller ISD is excited to launch a new way to stay connected with ParentSquare! This all-in-one platform brings you important updates from both Keller ISD and your child's campus in one convenient place. Click here for more information, including how to activate your ParentSquare account, a helpful FAQ, and much more.

🕒 Arrival Times:

Drop-off begins at 7:30 a.m. with class beginning at 7:55 a.m. Students are tardy after the 7:55 a.m. bell. At 7:55 AM, our staff members who are outside welcoming students will be coming into the building and are unable to wait for late arrivals. Any student arriving after 7:55am must enter through front door #1 (our main entrance) to be checked in at the front office.  Please do not leave your child before 7:30. 

🥞 Breakfast

If you want your child to eat breakfast in the morning, please arrive around 7:30 a.m. to allow plenty of opportunity to finish prior to 7:55 a.m.. The breakfast line will close at 7:50 a.m.  

🗓️Attendance- 🌟NEW Digital Form to Report Absences 🌟

While we want our students to be here to learn every single day, we understand that there may be days when they do not feel well and need to stay home or when you have an appointment.  Parents must report each absence 

Reporting Absences is going digital Starting August 25th!

We’re excited to make reporting absences easier and more convenient for our families! Starting Monday, August 25, Florence Elementary will begin using a digital absence reporting form. Instead of calling the front office, you’ll be able to quickly submit your child’s absence online at any time—day or night. This new process will help us streamline attendance tracking and ensure we have accurate, timely information about your student.

How it works:

1. Visit our school website and click on the Absence Reporting Form link found under Student and Families - Attendance we will also link it at the bottom of each week's newsletter for easy access.

2. Complete the short form with your child’s name, date of absence, grade, teacher name and reason. You can even upload doctor's notes should you have one.

3. Submit—and you’re done!

We hope this new option saves you time and makes communication with our school even smoother. Thank you for helping us keep our attendance records up to date and supporting your child’s success.

*Please note, a google account is needed if you are uploading a absentee note. You can still provide a note through email or turning it into the front office.*

If you have any questions about the digital process, please contact Tyler Lamon our attendance clerk at tyler.lamon@kellerisd.net.

🟡Absences/ Truancy

• When a student is marked absent, a campus automated phone calls to parents and guardians will be made notifying you when your student has been marked absent. 

• Students will be issued a warning notice when the student has absences without an excuse on three days or parts of days in a four-week period or five or more days or parts of days during the school year. Campuses will also request a conference with the student and parent/guardian to implement truancy prevention measures.

• Students without any documentation accompanying tardies or absences or who exceed four parent notes each semester are considered truant and will be referred to the KISD Truancy Tribunal which includes court dates, daily sign in sheet at the campus front office and with each teacher, and considerations by the Truancy Majestry.

• If a student fails to complete the KISD Truancy Tribunal expectations, they may be referred to the prosecutor of the truancy court of Tarrant County. The court can also file a criminal complaint against parents or guardians who contribute to the nonattendance of his/her student, regardless of the student’s age.

For more information on Keller ISD Attendance, please see the Attendance 101 document. 

🕒Dismissal Times

Thank you, families, for your collaboration and feedback during this first week of dismissal. Now that our students have mastered finding their dismissal location and procedures at the end of the day, we will implement to our regular dismissal schedule. Please note the updated times below for our staggered dismissal:

The following are the times in which our students will be exiting the building:

3:15 Bus Riders begin Loading Busses to depart by no later than 3:25

3:20 Walkers/Clayton/Daycare

3:25 Car Riders- Please plan to pick up your child by no later than 3:35 PM.

We appreciate your grace and patience, as have spent little extra time ensuring that students are in the correct location at dismissal time over the next week or so. Any students who are still here after the regular line ends will be brought to the front office and parents will need to come, show photo ID or car tag, and get them from the office. 

🔼 Changes in Dismissal

As always if you wish for your child's dismissal to change from the normal plan, please call our front office at 817-744-4700 before 2:30 PM so that we are able to communicate those changes to teachers.  If you email the teacher, there is the chance that they may not receive the email, as they are with students and do not often check their email until after school hours. 

🤝 Parent Orientation Meetings- Next Week!

Parents and families, please join us for your child's teacher's orientation session to learn more about your child's classroom and ways in which you can partner with our teachers to support our students! (See the calendar above for specific date, time and location by grade level).  This is also a great opportunity to ask questions and learn about what to expect this year!  Those parents of students in hybrid math grades 1-3 are asked to remain for 30 minutes after for a separate session where you will meet with your child's hybrid math teacher. If students or siblings are attending with parents, we ask that they join you in the classroom or meeting area, as there will not be child care available. 

🍲Dropping off Lunch

You are welcomed to drop off food/items for your child. Once you check in, the office staff will ensure the food/items are delivered to your child.  

*No Food Delivery Services accepted for students (Door Dash, Uber Eats, Restaurant delivery.)

🥘 Join Us for Lunch!

We love having our parents and family members joining our students at lunch time.  For the first couple of weeks, however, we encourage you to wait, as lunch is a great opportunity for students to get to know their new classmates and friends and especially for our younger students to adjust to the routines and procedures.  When you come to join us for lunch, please keep in mind:

• Please plan to arrive a few minutes early, as you will need to check into the Raptor system with your government issued ID.  You can wait in the office until it is your child's lunch time and then join them in the cafeteria. 

• We have a special set of tables reserved specifically for our students to sit with their parents.  For capacity reasons, as well as for confidentiality, only your child may join you for lunch. 

• You may bring food for your child only.  Please do not bring food to share with other students, as there may be allergies or dietary restrictions. 

🎂 Birthday Treats 

Birthdays are a big deal and it is so fun to celebrate with our students! If you would like to send a treat to share with the class, we encourage non-edible treats such as easers, bubbles, notepads, play-doh or other fun items.  If edible treats are sent in, they must be store bought and individually wrapped.  All treats will be given to students at the end of the day to put in their backpacks to eat at home. Birthday invitations may be given to either the entire class, to all the girls, or all the boys in a class if distributed at school.

☀️Alternate Recess

As we monitor the temperature and weather, we may move to an alternate or indoor recess plan, depending on the circumstances.  Under district policy, students will not go outside if temperatures or heat index are at or above 98 degrees Fahrenheit or if the wind-chill or temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.  If temperatures are between 32-40 degrees outside activity will be limited to 20 minutes. If Ozone levels reach red of purple, there will be no outside activity. Students will participate in activities in the classrooms or flex space and will have a choice of new games thanks to our PTA, hands on activities, movement and other options.  (Not an ipad time) 

🧥 Lost and Found 

We have an area in the cafeteria where we put all of our lost and found items. If your child is missing a shirt, coat, water-bottle, etc. please check our lost and found. Once our lost and found has too many items, we will make a donation. Of course, we will provide parents plenty of notice prior to donating. 

📳Cell Phones and Personal Technology- KISD is Phone Free

Student cell phones, smart watches, AirPods, Bluetooth headphones, communication transmission devices etc. are not allowed to be in use during instructional hours. Students will be expected to either leave their devices at home, or if they choose to bring them to school, to turn their device off and store it in a backpack, purse, or other bag for the entirety of the school day.  All students have access to iPads for classwork. If there is a medical reason to use a cell phone, use will be addressed per a 504, IEP, or health plan, with prior approval.

We understand that parents may need the ability to contact their child during the school day, so please do not hesitate to contact the office at 817-744-4700 anytime and we can relay messages to students as needed. More information about the implementation of this phone-free learning environment can be found online at www.KellerISD.net/PhoneFree. Thank you for your partnership as we work together as one for the success of all. 

Free/ Reduced Lunch Application for the 25-26 School Year

Keller ISD is currently accepting Free and Reduced Meal Applications for the 2025-26school year online. Families who qualify for free and reduced meals must submit an application in order to secure free or reduced lunches for the upcoming school year. To learn more about school meals and prices, visit KellerISD.net/foodservices. 

Bus Routes

Keller ISD is proud to have Texas Central School Bus as the District’s transportation provider! TCSB has a fleet of 243 buses and provides transportation to over 7,500 students across the District.  KISD is required to provide bus service to eligible students who live more than two miles from their campus of regular attendance and for special needs students who require transportation to attend school. In addition, the neighborhoods that are located south of 1709 are also eligible for bussing to FES. For more information about bus routes and stop locations, please use the Bus Stop Finder or call 817-744-1300.  We suggest that you also download the Here Comes the Bus Mobile App for updates and to see where your child's bus is. Transportation Website. 

Clayton

Clayton provides before and after school care at FES.  For more information, please visit their website:

https://claytonyouth.org/locations/category/keller-isd/

Daycare

Some local daycares provide pick up from Florence Elementary School. Please contact your daycare provider to see if this is an option available for you.  Students who ride a daycare bus will be escorted to their daycare bus by a staff member. 

Student Independence Day 

(August 22) We are encouraging all students to be independent and walk to class all by themselves! Wear your red, white, and blue! It will be a fun arrival as we celebrate our little ones who make that one step toward independence! We will be talking it up during announcements.