Dearest Young parents and families,

Congratulations on surviving the first full week of school! Our students are doing fantstic! I am so proud of each and every one of them! We are getting into a routine and have mastered most of the procedures.

I have included lots of valuable information in this week's newsletter. Please read carefully and please let me know if you have any questions. I am here to help!

Please also visit our webpage, Facebook page, Twitter, and grade-level newsletters for the latest news. If you need anything, please just let me know.

It is going to be a BRIGHT year!

Thank you for your support!

Lana Coffman, Principal

lana.coffman@decaturisd.us

(940)393-7400

Students must register for the bus services. Students who are regularly assigned bus riders are required to ride the bus home each day as expected. Parents who wish for their student to have a different mode of transportation than the bus, should call Young's front office prior to 2:30pm on that particular day. Any questions pertaining to Bus transportation need to be directed to Transportation at (940)393-7122.

We will be discussing safety drills with all Young Elementary students this week. Our school has adopted The “I Love U Guys” Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP). Students and staff will be training, practicing, and drilling the protocol. Below is the SRP Parent Handout. Please take a look and let us know if you have any questions.

We wanted to advise you of three important things to keep in mind about school attendance:

1) There is a 90% compulsory attendance law for all public school students in the State of Texas, regardless of grade level and regardless of whether the absences are excused or unexcused. A student who attends fewer than 90 percent of the days a class meets (maximum of 9 absences per semester) will be referred to the attendance review committee to determine whether there are extenuating circumstances for the absences and to determine how the student can regain credit or be considered for promotion.

2) Students who have unexcused absences for three or more days or parts of days within a four-week period, or ten or more days or parts of days within a six-month period are considered truant. Truancy is an offense prosecuted against both the student and the parents in a court of law, and it applies not only to full days of absence but also to portions of days absent (tardies, skipping classes, leaving school early, etc). The school will notify you in writing if your child is truant.

3) It is your responsibility as a parent to monitor your child’s attendance, to make sure they attend school each day and arrive on time. Our district policy states that students absent from school must bring a note signed by the parent that describes the reason for absence (Policy FEB and pages 15-18 of the Student Handbook). Excused absences include personal sickness, sickness or death in the family, quarantine, weather or road conditions making travel dangerous, or other unusual causes acceptable to the school. To ensure that an absence will be excused, the parent’s notification to school (including doctor’s note if needed) is required within three days of the student’s return to school. In addition to the legal consequences explained in items one and two above for truancy and for absences exceeding the 90% compulsory attendance law, the school may impose disciplinary consequences for students with unexcused absences or tardies.

If your child needs to be absent in excess of what is allowed by the state’s compulsory attendance law, truancy laws, or Decatur School District’s local policy, please contact us to arrange for a conference to determine what steps will need to be taken.

Beyond any legal or policy issues, it is important for your child to be in class in order to have the best opportunity for positive growth and achievement. We look forward to working together with you to ensure the success of your child at school this year.

Our “Pay the Day” Calendar Fundraiser starts Monday, August 21st and the due date to turn in your calendar envelope is Tuesday, September 5th.

● Calendars can be returned to your student’s teacher or you can have your students drop them off directly in the office. There will be a lock box in the office so money will be secure. Please make sure the student’s name & homeroom teacher are on the envelope!

● There are NO products for sale in this fundraiser – it is just a donation to the PTO. Our goal is to purchase school supplies for every student again next year, and to help kids earn prizes!

● Friends and family donate the dollar amount that corresponds to a date on the calendar. They write the person’s name on the date they choose, and collect their money. DONE! For example, August 22 = $22 donation to the PTO.

● Cash, checks made payable to “Young Elementary PTO” are acceptable payment methods, or you can PAY ONLINE by using the QR code on the envelope or by going to:

https://yes-pto-2023-24-pay-the-day-fundraiser.cheddarup.com

● Young Elementary PTO is a non-profit organization, and donations are tax deductible! (Depending on your personal tax situation)

● PRIZES!!

o If we meet our $30K goal - PJ DAY FOR EVERYONE!

o Level 1 – Turn in between $100-$199 = $10 Gift card!

o Level 2 – Turn in between $200-$299 = $15 Gift card!

o Level 3 – Turn in between $300-$399 = $20 Gift card!

o Level 4 – Turn in between $400-$495 = $25 Gift card!

o Level 5 – Turn in a FULL CALENDAR - $496 = $50 Gift card AND your name in a drawing for a $300 Amazon Gift Card or a Nintendo Switch

o The class to raise the most money wins a PIZZA party!

o You get to pick where you would like your gift card from too! You can choose from Main Event, Amazon, Walmart or Target!

Thank you in advance for helping us to make this a successful fundraiser so that we can continue to give back to the students and staff at Young Elementary!

https://youngpto-membership-2023-2024.cheddarup.com

https://www.remind.com/join/yespt0

Missed getting a shirt at Meet the Teacher? It’s ok—order TODAY by clicking on the link below.

https://www.inknstitch.com/youngelementary

With 3 different printed designs and 7 different shirt style options you can customize to your liking! Sweatshirts, Hoodies and Long Sleeve options in each style.

The online store will close on August 27th and are expected to be delivered the week of September 11th.

8/21/23 Young PTO Fundraiser Begins (more info. to come)

8/22/23 Young 101 Parent Orientation Night

8/31/23 College Color Day

9/1/23 Early Release, 12:30pm

9/4/23 Staff/Student Holiday