FAlcon FAMILY
Weekly Newsletter
January 2-5
Week 17
Courtney Brandel
Principal
Mrs. Brandel's Message
Dear Falcon Families,
This final week of festivities has been so much fun for our students and staff!
Some of this week's highlights included:
Starting the week with our students who served as principal, assistant principal, and counselor of the day.
Welcoming the Booster team who led our students in a game day for exceeding their canned food drive goal!
Our staff was spoiled this week by our PTA with yummy treats, massages, lunch, help with wrapping, and more!
First grade "traveled around classrooms" exploring holiday traditions around the world as a part of their Social Studies unit.
A whole of Nutcrackers filled our fish bowl space with such a fun variety to see; representative of different families, experiences, hobbies, interests, and backgrounds!
Our students enjoyed their holiday parties with their classes- thank you to our teachers and room parents for making these experiences and memories special for our students!
We ended the week celebrating the amazing character of our students who were recognized for RESPECT during our character assembly!
As you and your loved ones prepare for the holiday season, on behalf of Florence Elementary, I wish you all a wonderful holiday season filled with family, fun, rest, and merriment! I look forward to seeing everyone as we kick off the new year in 2024 and return for a wonderful second half of our school year!
In Falcon Spirit,
Courtney Brandel
HIGHLIGHTING THE TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE AT FLORENCE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!
Character Award Recipients: RESPECT
These students were selected by their classmates as the student in their class who is recognized for being respectful! Great job, FES students!
Kindergarten
Parten - Bryce Hetherington
Mistler - Adam Lebel
McLean - Aliyah Wright
Linkka - Everett Arita
Farmer - Adley Dulaney
1st Grade
Thompson - John Merola
Parkerson - Leyton Carroll
Harmon - Emma Blake
Anderson - Evelyn Guntert
2nd Grade
Sutter - Aubree Paris
Pak - Izbee Salicru
Jencopale - Knox Roden
Howard - Knox Whitacre
Harris - Aubrey Cantu
3rd Grade
Styne - Kingston Wood
Santos - Max Jones
Rice - Preston Blake
Howell - Sadie Cunningham
Gilland - Nora Hawley
4th Grade
Hetherington - Shep Page
Frey - Robert Peters
Burnett - Ayana Hegde
Brinton - Sammie Anderson
Aldredge - Ryder Boyer
Snapshots of Fun!
Principal, Assistant Principal and Counselor for the day
On Monday, our PTA auction winners took over in leading our school! Lula, Bridgett, and J.R. had a busy day that started with greeting all of our students, completing the announcements, visiting classrooms providing feedback to teachers, and other daily tasks! They also held a meeting to look at school processes and procedures and provided feedback on things that they were passionate about- with cafeteria meals being a hot topic. In the afternoon, they met with our cafeteria manager, Mrs. Gallegos and our district Sodexo director, Mr. Andrew to share some ideas for the cafeteria including suggestions for both sweet and savory snacks, and other types of fruit. They also conducted a security audit of our doors with Officer Greg, which prompted them to create a video PSA about keeping doors closed, and not letting anyone in the building, which was featured in the announcements. Our students were in great hands under this team of leaders who did a great job taking over the leadership of our school for the day!
Art Recognition
FES Student, Emma, was recognized at Monday night's school board meeting for her artwork which is featured in this year's district holiday card. Way to go, Emma!
Game Day Fun
Students were surprised by the Booster team who put on a game day for our students in celebration of exceeding their goal in our R.O.C.K. Club canned food drive last month! Thank you, Booster, for putting this on for our students and thank you, families, for your support of our drive!
Nutcracker Day
Thank you to all of our students and families who contributed to our Nutcracker display- what a magical site for our students! Our Co-curr team once again went above and beyond to crate a fun experience during co-curr and even dressed up as characters from The Nutcracker! Thank you to our PTA moms who helped to paint faces and filled our halls and classrooms with nutcrackers, reindeer, and smiling festive faces!
STAFF SHOUTOUTS
Mrs. Howell- December Golden Egg Recipient
Mrs. Howell was nominated and chosen by our staff as this month's outstanding staff member! She contiually goes above and beyond to serve her studnets and our school and she did a great job of leading this year's spelling bee! Thank you, Mrs. Howell!
Mrs. Hoag- Gifted and Talented Teacher
"Albert Einstein said, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." Mrs. Hoag is an amazing teacher who truly brings this quote to life within her classroom! She inspires creativity and encourages out of the box thinking. She makes learning fun and goes above and beyond for her students. Mrs. Hoag cares about all her kiddos and is such a wonderful, engaging educator. We are so grateful for Mrs. Hoag!" - FES Parent
Mrs. Burnett- 4th Grade Teacher
"My student loves having Mrs. Burnett for class! He comes home excited about all the new concepts he’s learning this year and really enjoys her class. Mrs. Burnett is an incredibly knowledgeable teacher who challenges her students to learn, grow, and meet high expectations. She truly cares about her students’ success and works hard to engage them in interesting lessons. We are grateful for Mrs. Burnett!" - FES Parent
Want to shout out an FES Staff member for embodying the tradition of excellence?
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!
upcoming events
January 2- Professional Development (Student Holiday)
January 3- Classes Resume
January 3 - College Spirit Day
January 5 - K-4 RLA Performance Task Due
January 12 - PTA Spirit Store
January 15 - District Holiday
January 18 - FES STEM Night (STEM night- 6:00pm-7:30pm- Science Fair 4:45-5:45)
January 22 - PTA/3rd Grade Film Festival (6:00pm-7:00pm)
January 26 - Western Day
January 30 - CEIC Meeting
New News
🗓️ Save the date for one of our favorite events at Florence! STEM Night is coming in January! We will have a Student Science Fair, our favorite vendor-Creepy Critters 🦎, fun demonstrations and more!
It’s a good time to be thinking of a science fair project to do with your student during the month of January. Get your thinking caps on! Also, don’t forget to register using the link below.
We are looking for judges with STEM experience! If you are interested I judging the science fair projects this year please fill out the form below
The Big Event
Florence Elementary Big Event Schedule
On Saturday, April 6, 2024, each KISD campus will come together at the same times across our district and the surrounding communities to serve and give back. Our campus is thrilled to share that we will be participating in the following activities on the day of The Big Event:
9-11 a.m.:
9-11 a.m.: Kindergarten -- Make friendship bracelets for children at Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (The bracelets can be mailed or personally delivered.)
9-11 a.m.: 1st grade -- Work on the school's garden in the courtyard and make individual flowerpots for Metroport Meals on Wheels recipients (Metroport Meals on Wheels currently has 260 home delivery participants.)
9-11 a.m.: 2nd grade -- Pick up trash at Royal and Annie Smith Park (Keep Southlake Beautiful will donate gloves, trash bags, and grabbers for the trash pick-up. We will pick these up from their office and deliver them to your campus prior to The Big Event.)
9-11 a.m.: 4th grade -- Donation drive for grippy socks and make cards for residents at Heritage House at Keller Rehab and Nursing (They didn't give an exact number of residents, but said the more socks and cards, the better.)
12-2 p.m.:
12-2 p.m.: 3rd grade: Make blankets for the homeless at Salvation Army of Tarrant County (They didn't give an exact number of blankets needed, but said they appreciated any and all they could get.)
The Big Event is Coming to Florence Elementary!
Hello Florence Elementary Parents,
We are so excited to share campus-specific details about The Big Event, happening across Keller ISD on Saturday, April 6, 2024. We know it’s still a bit away, but as you’re marking dates in your calendars for 2024, please save this date!
The Big Event is a district-wide day of service open to all KISD students, their families, and staff members from each of KISD’s 42 campuses. The event is designed to not only join and unite our district and campus together through service-oriented activities, but also to express gratitude for the support of the communities who give back to KISD in various capacities. Think of it as a giant, tangible “Thank You.”
In the coming months, there will be a secure online sign-up on KISD’s website where you can sign your child and your family up to volunteer; we will send you that link as soon as it’s available.
Be on the lookout in March for an email containing specific, day-of details for the job(s) you signed up for. This event is not mandatory, but we’d love to have as many Florence Elementary families, students, teachers, and staff participate in this special day. This is a family-centered event, so we’d ask that families attend with their children if at all possible. Note that each student who participates in The Big Event will receive a free T-shirt to wear on the day of the event. Additionally, service hours for organizations like National Honor Society (NHS), National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), Eagle Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc. will be granted for participation in The Big Event.
Click the link for a helpful Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, and you can also find more information at: www.kellerisd.net/bigevent. We are so excited about The Big Event and hope you’ll make plans to join us (or the campus of another child in your family) on Saturday, April 6, 2024, to serve and give back!
We LOVE VolunteerS!
✅Get Cleared to Volunteer! All volunteers must complete a yearly background check. Click the link to apply for a volunteer position through KISD.
Click here to access the KISD background check application.
✅ Check out the PTA Website for upcoming Volunteer opportunities.
Do you love to cook? The spring Cooking Class, through Cook Learn Grow is open for Spring registration. Sign up now before the slots are taken.
Watch D.O.G.S.
Calling all dads, uncles, grandparents, etc. to join our campus for a day! If you would like to volunteer for Watch D.O.G.S., please complete a KISD background check and forward your approval email when you receive it to Mrs. Bowen at angelina.bowen@kellerisd.net to get access to the sign-up.
Please upload all your pics from Kinderfeast & Turkey Day! Don't forget to purchase this year’s yearbook. www.TreeRing.com
School code : 1016599729561880
PTA Events and Volunteer Opportunities
Information Central for PTA!
Check out Membership Toolkit for valuable information concerning PTA events, dates, ways to volunteer, directory, teacher favorites list and much more. Check it out! ➡️
Just JOKING! It's still $10! But most of it comes right back to Florence! That's how we subsidize a lot of the celebrations your kids enjoy! Happy Happy Happy to celebrate the holidays with our FALCON FAMILY!! Happy Happy Happier if you became a proud member of the PTA! No work! All Play! JoinPTA.com TODAY! Happy Holidays! You still get a window cling when you do the THING!
👉🏼Don’t forget that we still have two designs available for purchase on our PTA Website Spirit Wear page! 💛💙 https://florenceelempta.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/759
Signup on the PTA Website!
📣Huge shout out to Stephanie Bartuch and Jill Martin for donating their time and neck massage talents yesterday !!! It was such a blessing and treat to all our teachers. It was a BIG ask of Stephanie and Jill to give up an entire day at this time of year, therefore we truly appreciate them.
🥰Also, thank you to all our Volunteers who have helped during “Gifts of Time”, Nutcracker Day and Class Parties! We appreciate the time you have spent during this busy holiday season to make these events possible!
🧁Thank you to our very own Florence mama, Megan Rountree with Legacy Cakes for donating some wonderful sweet treats to our FES teachers today! 🧁🎄
🐧Thank you to our Florence Mama, Jennifer Randklev with Penguin Patch, for her generous donation of all proceeds made by the Penguin Patch Holiday Shop at Florence earlier this month.
❤️ Penguin Patch has contributed these proceeds to our school for many years now and we cannot thank Jennifer enough for her generosity. 👏🏼👏🏼
Cafeteria Menu- January 2024
Cafeteria information
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.
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.
Contacts
FES Front Office: 817-744-4700
Allison Stetz- Front Office / Substitutions: allison.stetz@kellerisd.net
Leah Dimmitt- Front Office/ Reception/ Attendance: leah.dimmitt@kellerisd.net
Terra Peters- Campus Secretary: terra.peters@kellerisd.net
Sue Piehler - Nurse: susan.piehler@kellerisd.net
Esmeralda Gallegos - Cafeteria Manager: esmeralda.gallegos@kellerisd.net
Kelly Roberts- Librarian: kellene.roberts@kellerisd.net
Angelina Bowen - Counselor: angelina.bowen@kellerisd.net
Tammy DeLeon - Assistant Principal: tammy.deleon@kellerisd.net
Courtney Brandel - Principal: courtney.cullum@kellerisd.net
Jessica Fry - PTA President: ptaflorencees@gmail.com
Connect with and Follow Us!
FES PTA Facebook
FES on X (formerly Twitter)
Also, be sure to follow @MrsBrandel
Blackboard Communications
Be sure that your email is correct in your infosnap to be sure you receive all of our Blackboard communications (emails and texts).