CATCH THE WAVE
at Abbett Elementary School
Enjoy a children's book about the ocean!
Welcome to the 2022-23 School Year!
The Abbett All Star staff would like to welcome you to the 2022-23 school year! We are excited to have your family join us for a "fun in the sun" year! Our theme for the year is "Catch the Wave"! Our students and staff will be in a tropical state of mind!
We are committed to providing exceptional academic opportunities, meaningful social interactions, and a safe environment for our children. We will continue the focus on our exciting initiatives ... academic enrichment, fellowship, and leadership development. As always, we will provide engaging learning activities for our students, as well as small group instruction in reading and math.
Abbett strives to provide exceptional customer service to our students, parents, and community members. We welcome your input, participation, kind words, and suggestions. There are a variety of ways in which you can be an active member of our All Star team. We invite you to participate in our special events, serve as a volunteer, join the P.T.A., serve on decision-making teams, or just stop by to say "hi"!
Let the waves hit your feet, and the sand be your seat!
Back-to-School Beach Bash!
We look forward to seeing you!
Our All Star Teachers!
Each year, we spend a great deal of time placing students with teachers with whom they will be successful! We have hired lots of new teachers this year, and they are so excited to join our All Star team! We will provide support to our new teachers to ensure student success!
Teachers will contact parents on August 2nd to introduce themselves and welcome children to the class! Please share any important information with teachers at this time.
Kindergarten
- Cynthia Brown
- Lilly Chau
- Amber Moore
- Abreshia Stancil
- Ana Gonzalez (Bilingual)
First Grade
- Barbara Ceka
- Linzie Herrera
- Laura Hikel
- Kara King
- Farah Taher
- Glenda Pleitez (Bilingual)
Second Grade
- Madi Battaglia
- Zoya Murray
- Jordyn Sharp
- Valarie Williams
- Edgar Macarty (Bilingual)
Third Grade
- Heather Adams (ELAR)
- Kim Howard (Math/Science/Social Studies)
- Delia Huss (ELAR)
- Jodie Hernandez (Math/Science/Social Studies)
- Kellee Kelly (ELAR/Math/Science/Social Studies)
- Fatima Interiano (Bilingual)
Fourth Grade
- Lisa Rowan (ELAR/Social Studies)
- Erica Fivash (Math/Science)
- Olivia Rosiella (ELAR/Social Studies)
- Sherrell Jones (Math/Science)
- Diana McBride (ELAR/Math/Science/Social Studies)
- Ina Valladares (Bilingual)
Fifth Grade
- Angela Drahos (ELAR/Social Studies)
- Daisy Zepeda (Math/Science)
- Jennie Chamizo (ELAR/Social Studies)
- Terri Tunnell (Math/Science)
- Krystal Ashton (Bilingual)
Special Education
- Heather Longfellow
- Debbie Iradi
Dyslexia Educators
- Estela Brooks
- Nicole Kelly
Specials
- Morgan Mouton (Art)
- Kai Robinson (Music)
- Amy Schaefer (PE)
- Jessica Tanguy (Library)
first day of school
Parents will have the opportunity to walk their children to class on the first day of school, if interested. Please ensure you park your car on the street and do not leave your car unattended in the drive-through lanes. For parents who do not plan to walk their children to class on the first day, please send your child with a note with his/her name, grade level, and teacher name. This will assist our staff in helping our students find their classrooms quickly and without stress.
If you will be unable to drop off school supplies at our Back-to-School Beach Bash on August 4th, you may have your child bring a few supplies each day of the first week in their backpacks so students don't have so much to carry, or you can drop off supplies in the front office during the first week of school.
The first day of school is so exciting!! We will make sure your little ones are safe and happy!
Safety and Security for Our Children
We will practice safety drills throughout the school year to ensure we are prepared for unsafe situations, as follows:
- Fire evacuation drills - one drill per month
- Lockdown drills - one drill per semester; assistance will be provided by the GISD Security department and Garland Police department.
- Shelter drills (weather) - two drills per semester
- All staff members will engage in SRP training (standard response protocol).
We are trained and prepared to take any action necessary to keep our children safe!
Arrival Procedures
The doors of Abbett Elementary School will open at 7:30 a.m. daily. All students will enter the building through the front doors. Breakfast will be available from 7:40 to 8:05 a.m. in the cafeteria. Students will report to the following locations from 7:40 to 8:00:
- Kindergarten through 2nd grades - gym
- 3rd and 4th grades - grade-level hallways
- 5th grade - library
Key points to remember:
- Supervision is not provided for students dropped at school prior to 7:30 a.m.; therefore, please do not drop your students or allow them to walk to school prior to this time.
- The staff parking lot on the side of the building is for staff members only. Please do not drive through this parking lot to drop off students.
Students should be in their classrooms daily by 8:10 a.m. If a student arrives after 8:10 a.m., he/she is considered tardy. If a student arrives after 8:19 a.m., he/she is assigned a partial day absence. It is imperative that students be in their seats ready to learn by 8:10 a.m.
Please click on the following link for a diagram of the front parking lot.
Dismissal Procedures
We have three dismissal options for our students and families:
- Walk home
- Ride a school bus or daycare bus
- Car pick up
Walkers will be dismissed at 3:25 p.m. through the front doors. Walkers are expected to leave the campus immediately. Any walker who remains on campus grounds will be escorted to the front office after 5 minutes. Parents will be expected to sign out these students from the office. After three documented occurrences, the student will be released as a car rider for the remainder of the year and the parent will be expected to drive through the pick-up lane.
Students who are picked up by car, day care, or school bus will remain in their classrooms until their transportation has arrived. Dismissal will begin at 3:25 p.m. We will utilize the Pikmykid automated dismissal tool again this year. The tool provides for a safe, smooth, and organized dismissal! We know you will love it! Name cards will be provided to parents as soon as possible. Be prepared to share this name card with staff in the drive-through lanes. For the first few days of school, please provide a sheet of paper with your child's name, grade, and teacher's name to assist with dismissal until cards are distributed.
Key points to remember:
- To ensure an efficient dismissal, it is mandatory that all parents remain in their cars at all times while in the drive-through lanes.
- Car rider parents who fail to pick up their children by 3:40 p.m. will be required to visit the office to sign out their children. Consistent tardiness will result in the development of a plan for improvement.
- At the end of the day, students and staff are very tired due to their hard work. Please be mindful of this as you feel yourself getting frustrated with dismissal. A kind word, a smile, or a wave could really make someone's day!
- We have 670 incredible students at Abbett Elementary School! It is no minor feat to get them where they need to go safely every day. Your patience will be greatly appreciated!
Please click on the following link for the PikMyKid user guide. Parents will need to download the app and register your children. The Q&A document will provide helpful information on how to announce your arrival to school and change your child's pick-up mode. A video is also provided to assist parents with using PikMyKid!
Student Dress Code
The GISD Student Dress Code is intended to:
- teach students grooming and hygiene.
- create and maintain a respectful and positive learning environment.
- prevent the disruption, interference with, or detraction from the educational environment and school activities.
- minimize health and safety hazards.
Students and parents may determine a student’s personal dress and grooming standards, provided they comply with the following:
- Garments must allow for participation in all regular school activities while maintaining dignity and modesty.
- Apparel that advertises or depicts alcohol, drugs, nudity, tobacco products, any other substance prohibited under FNCF (Legal), violent or criminal themes, gang membership, obscene language and/or obscene graphics, will not be permitted. Any disruptive or distractive mode of clothing or appearance that adversely impacts the educational process is not acceptable. Extremes in modes of dress, such as see through clothing, exposed midriffs, or clothing normally considered as undergarments, are not acceptable.
- All articles of clothing must be worn as they are designed to be worn.
- Undergarments should not be visible.
- Shorts that are of modest length, loose fitting, and hemmed may be worn by students.
- Dresses and skirts should be of modest length and fit.
- Extremely sloppy, badly torn, or inappropriately torn/slit/ripped clothing is prohibited.
- Shoes must be worn. Taps, metal plates, cleats, or wheels on shoes will not be permitted.
- Students may not wear house shoes, pajamas tops or bottoms, boxers, or other sleepwear as outerwear.
- Hair, including facial hair, must be clean, groomed, and by the nature of the style does not intend to create a distraction.
- Hair color that is disruptive or distractive to the school environment is prohibited.
- Hair must either be a natural color or naturally tinted or colored in a blended and balanced manner.
- Hair must be kept out of the eyes and must not be a distraction.
- Students may not wear hair curlers, rollers, hair picks, combs, or brushes in their hair.
- Hats, caps, bandanas, sweat bands, hoods, visors, or other nonreligious head coverings should not be worn in the school building.
- Earrings are limited to the ears for all students. Earrings include clip earrings, pierced earrings or studs, or any item used as a post in a pierced ear.
- Facial and body piercing of any kind is prohibited.
- Jewelry that causes a distraction or that could be dangerous to the student or other individuals are prohibited (i.e. spiked/studded jewelry, chokers, dog collars, necklaces made out of safety pins or chain links, etc.)
- All inappropriate or distractive tattoos must be covered at all times while in the school building or at school-related activities, or school-sponsored events. Non-distractive tattoos may also be required to be covered (campus administrator discretion).
GISD School Calendar
Back-To-School Forms
All parents must complete the back-to-school forms in Skyward. More information can be found at the following link:
Student Meals
GISD is utilizing a fantastic new program, SchoolCafé , to assist families with the following tasks:
- Making payments
- Setting up auto pay
- Setting purchase restrictions
- Getting low balance alerts
- Submitting meal applications
- Viewing letters
- Viewing purchases
- Viewing menus
Breakfast is available in the cafeteria from 7:40 to 8:05 each morning. The cost of breakfast is $1.75. Our lunch schedule begins at 10:35 and ends at 1:30. The cost of lunch is $2.95.
Our cafeteria is very small in comparison to the number of students we serve. During lunch, there can be over 200 students seated in the cafeteria. We have little to no space for parents to join students for lunch. We understand, however, that a parent might want to join his/her child for lunch on special occasions. If a parent chooses to eat lunch with his/her child, the parent will sit with the class. No parents will be allowed to have lunch with their children during the first two weeks of school to allow staff to teach/reinforce cafeteria routines and procedures.
Families who need help paying for school meals can apply for free and reduced meals. Our district participates in the National School Breakfast/Lunch program, a federally-assisted meal program available to students in school. Students who qualify will be able to have meals at school at a discount or for free, depending on need. Families must submit an application every school year to request approval for free and reduced meals.
Please click on the following SchoolCafé link to create an account. The free and reduced application form must be completed prior to the first day of school.
Birthday Treats
- Store-bought cupcakes with napkins or individual treat bags. Please do not send a cake for the teacher to cut and serve.
- Treats should be carried by the student to class (if small enough) or the parent can deliver to the front office.
Treats will be provided to the class at the end of the school day.
Student Attendance
We want all students to succeed, which includes attending every class, every day, on time. Please ensure your child attends school daily, and let us know if we can support you in any way.
Texas Attendance Law
The Texas State Compulsory Attendance Law requires a child to attend school each school day for the entire period the program of instruction is provided unless exempted by law. Violation of the law occurs when a child accumulates unexcused voluntary absences on 10 or more days or parts of days within six months, or three or more days or parts of days within four weeks.
Arrival Procedures
Students must arrive from 7:40-8:10. At 8:10, the tardy bell rings, and all students who arrive after 8:10 are considered tardy. Students will visit the the office to receive a tardy pass to give to their teacher. The tardy pass also serves as documentation for reporting partial day absences. According to the State of Texas policy, a partial day absence will be recorded for students who arrive at 8:21 a.m. or after, or leave before the end of the school day. Students must be in the building by 10:00 A.M. to be counted present for that day.
Absence Procedures
When your child is absent due to illness, please submit your absence note through Skyward for it to be considered as an excused absence. These electronic attendance notes are accepted for full-day absences for illness.
Steps:
Log into your Skyward Family Account.
Click the Absence Requests link and click on Add Request.
Fill in the required fields on the Add Requests screen including:
Start date
End date
Reason
Comments
Click the Save button to submit the request.
If you are unable to submit an absence note through Skyward, a written statement must be sent to the office upon your child's return to school and will be accepted no later than three school days following the absence. The statement must be signed by a parent or guardian, stating the date and reason for the absence. Failure to complete either option will result in your child receiving an unexcused absence. By law, your child must be in attendance 90% of all class days. Excused absences may be considered for illness, doctor’s appointments, or a death in the family. Vacations or other absences will be considered unexcused. Students will be allowed to make up work and/or tests due to unexcused absences.
Attendance Intervention
- An automated phone call will go out to parents for each absence.
- A 3-day warning letter will be sent after 3 unexcused absences.
- At 5 or more unexcused absences, parent contact will be made to review and monitor attendance through an attendance plan.
- At 10 unexcused absences, a parent court filing referral is initiated.
- A student whose attendance falls below 90% of the total required days for the year may be subject to denial of credit to pass the school year.
Students leaving early
All students leaving school before the official end of the day must be signed out in the office by a parent/guardian or someone else who is authorized to do so.
Parent/guardian must show a driver’s license or government-issued picture ID to the office staff before the child is called for dismissal.
A partial-day absence will be assigned if the student leaves prior to 3:20 p.m.
Leaving early frequently can lead to a parent court filing referral.
What you can do to help your child be successful?
Introduce your child to his/her teachers before school starts, if possible.
Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before school.
Keep your child healthy and ensure his/her required vaccines are up to date.
Develop backup plans for getting to school if something unexpected happens..
Try to schedule medical appointments and extended trips when school isn't in session.
If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, and other parents for advice.
If your child must stay home due to illness, ask the teacher for resources and ideas to continue learning at home.
Additional information can be found at:https://www.attendanceworks.org.
GISD Back-to-School Immunization Clinic
GISD is offering easy access to shots for the 2022-23 school year. Free vaccines are offered for those who:
- do not have insurance
- are Medicaid eligible
- are American Indian/Native American or Alaskan Natives
Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: Manuel & Maria Valle Student Services Center, 720 Stadium Drive, Garland, Texas
Must bring current shot record.
Walk-ins are welcome!
Amerigroup is providing free school supplies to students getting vaccines while supplies last.
Positive Communication through Class Dojo!
In addition to serving as a powerful communication tool, Class Dojo can be utilized to help students manage their own behaviors. Students will have multiple opportunities throughout the school day to gain and lose points based on their behavior choices. Teachers will work diligently with students on reinforcing the positive behaviors, minimizing the negative behaviors, and setting goals for improvement. Parents will have the opportunity to view student points so they can praise/assist their children as needed. As a parent, it will be important for you to support the teacher as he/she helps our children become responsible for their own behaviors.
Please look for an email from your child's teacher during the first few weeks of school so you can register for Class Dojo! Again, this will be our primary communication tool, so it is critical for parents to "Join Dojo"!
Want to Volunteer?
Golden Apple Award!
A successful PTA is one that is supported by district and campus leaders, teachers, parents, and the community in an effort to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. The Golden Apple award is presented to schools who have 100% membership from their full-time staff. Abbett was honored to receive the Golden Apple award in the 2021-22 school year! This means that our staff sees the value in our partnership with parents and the community! I challenge each family to join our amazing PTA with at least one membership. Let's show Garland ISD and the Texas PTA that we are all advocates for students!
News from our PTA
Letter from the P.T.A. President...
On behalf of the Abbett Elementary PTA Board, we are so excited to “Catch the Wave” of excellence, community building, and achieving shared goals that benefit our students and families this 22-23 school year!
Abbett is fortunate to have an active and engaged PTA on campus. In fact, we are an award winning PTA! Our board is comprised of parents (both moms and dads), grandparents, and staff as members. Together, we are able to provide fabulous family program nights (most of which are FREE to members), help support the Abbett garden, provide Hope grants for classroom needs, maintain a Watch Dogs volunteer program, host an array of educational and enriching events, and advocate for our students!
Our activities happen with a successful partnership with each and every one of you in three ways:
- Volunteerism. Volunteers are needed - whether you can donate your time as a board member, on a committee, or can volunteer to work occasional events throughout the year. We have roles both big and small with flexible hours to meet your availability. To volunteer, please email abbettallstarpta@gmail.com to express your interest.
- PTA Memberships. We ask that every family have at least 1 PTA membership. Your $8 membership helps support the enriching events, activities, and programs that PTA provides to both students and families. Anyone can be a PTA member – students, parents, grandparents, siblings, etc. Members do not have to volunteer or attend meetings, and there are membership perks! Last year, members received free attendance to the majority of our family program nights! To join PTA as a member, please go to https://abbett-pta-208495.square.site
- Partners in Fundraising. Throughout the year, Abbett holds spirit nights at local restaurants, sells All Star merchandise, and has various fundraisers scheduled in order to help fund initiatives. We ask for your financial support where you can give it.
The biggest reason to get involved on campus is that children are statistically more successful when family members are engaged in their education. PTA is also a great way to meet fellow Abbett families, work toward common goals with staff and administration, and to be present and involved with your student.
We look forward to seeing new and returning faces on August 4th at our Back-to-School Beach Bash! Not only will students have the opportunity to meet their teachers, but you can stop by our PTA table and ask questions about volunteering or memberships, get this year’s t-shirts, school supplies, and join PTA. We will begin to hold general membership meetings starting in September, as well as fun family programs.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or to learn more about how you can become part of the team to ensure that all children at Abbett reach their full potential!
Tehra Dixon
2022-23 Abbett PTA President