Greetings Dragon Parents!

Welcome back Dragons! ENROLLMENT for the 23-24 school year will be held at Purcell High School on:

• July 24th from 8-3pm
• July 25th from 8-6pm
• July 26th from 8-3pm

Speed up the process by completing registration online.

Visit https://www.purcellps.org/o/purcell/page/enrollment to learn more about enrollment at Purcell Public Schools. I want to thank you in advance for your patience with us during enrollment. This is a new process for us and we appreciate your patience as we learn new ways to expedite this process.

Here are a few key points regarding upcoming Enrollment Confirmation

• Students will NOT be able to learn their teacher assignment without parents registering online (NOW) and confirming enrollment (July 24-26).
• If you do not register online prior to attending enrollment confirmation, you will be able to register online at the school. However, this will significantly delay the process of confirming enrollment.
• All parents/guardians must provide proof of residency yearly. Please bring proof of residency documents and a driver's license or government ID for enrollment confirmation.
• At least one parent or guardian must attend enrollment confirmation. Students can attend but are not required.
• Students new to PES must provide a copy of their birth certificate and shot record.
• PreK, Kindergarten and new students must provide an updated shot record to enroll.

Open House will be right around the corner and be here before we know it! We cannot wait to see you at Open House on Tuesday, August 8th from 5:00-6:30 PM at the Elementary and 5:30-7:00 PM at the Intermediate. If you have not yet completed Registration or Enrollment Confirmation, you will need to do this prior to Open House in order to meet your child's teacher. When you attend Open House, please ensure that your child's teacher is aware of the after-school plan for your child.

At Purcell Elementary, we believe in educating children about their emotions and how they can contribute to our positive school culture. We teach this through Conscious Discipline and Dragon CARES. I have included more information below about both of these in the Parent Resource section below. Thank you for helping us teach our children positive ways to learn how to grow socially and emotionally.

Making sure students get home safely is another priority at PES. Please help us accomplish this goal by following these safety practices:

• Adhere to the speed limit on 9th Street.
• No texting while driving in or near the school parking lots.
• Always use the crosswalk to cross 9th Street or at the front of the building.
• Please do not get out of your car on 9th Street if you are in the drop-off line.
• We will be loading Day Care Vans in the back of the school during afternoon pick-up so that we can open another car lane up top - please help us keep this lane flowing.
• Please do not park and get out of your car during pick-up. If you must get out, please park in the North parking lot by the library and walk over and not in the pick-up lane up top.
• Please help us with dismissal and stay in your car as you drive through the lanes.
• Together being kind and waiting our turn will make the lines move quickly. At first, it takes about 20-25 min and after the first couple of weeks, together we will get it down to about 15 min. We can do this by working together. :)

We will continue using car rider tags for after-school car dismissal to assist with safety. If your student is a car rider, you will be provided a tag to hang on your rearview mirror for when you pick up your child after school. You will pick up car tags at Open House. This procedure is just another step in our ongoing focus on student safety. Thank you in advance for helping us keep all students safe!

As you will see below, this year we will be moving from Bloomz to SeeSaw for communication with parents which will include our student learning platform. Please download the SeeSaw app and at Open House you will be given a QR code to connect with your child’s teacher for better communication as well as a platform for you to see objectives that your child is learning. Announcements from the school will also be sent out through this platform. We will continue to use our Facebook page, for public communication. We are excited to be moving to a platform that incorporates learning for students as well as parent communication!

The start of a new year brings change and I am excited to introduce you to our new hires at Purcell Elementary! We have hired a new Music teacher as well as a Kindergarten teacher, 1st Grade teacher, and a 2nd Grade teacher. We have also gained three new paraprofessionals! We are so excited to gain their knowledge and experience in the coming school year! They each have kind hearts and are great additions to our Dragon Family! Please see their introductions below. :)

All day, every day, attendance is essential at Purcell Elementary. Although we encourage attendance, we also want to encourage you to keep your child home if they feel ill. We appreciate your support in this effort to help everyone stay healthy. Please turn in doctor, dentist, or other notes for absences to the office to assist with attendance records.

You will notice our Upcoming Events calendar below. This monthly list should keep you abreast of all upcoming events. Please notice that there are some new items! Our wonderful PTO is starting a birthday celebration for students each month. This was once celebrated and called "Beautiful Day" and our PTO wanted to continue this and have named ours, "It's Your Glow Day!" More information to come on this but I wanted to share how excited we are to celebrate our students with them!

Each day your child comes to school to learn and to grow. We look forward to each upcoming accomplishment and event as the year unfolds. As educators, we are committed to providing a nurturing, positive, yet challenging academic experience for every student. In partnership with you, we will provide guidance and knowledge that afford every child multiple opportunities to be successful. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to serve you and your children! As always, please feel free to contact me anytime if I can ever be of assistance.

If you ever have any needs or questions, please reach out to me via phone or email.

Here's to a great year at PES!

Cindy Stone

Principal

New T-Shirts are available now until August 24th! $15 for each of the spirit t-shirts & $18 for the Dragon mom shirt! All profits from this fundraiser go right back into our schools through the PTO. If you’d like to order, go to https://massivegraphicsstore.com/collections/purcell-pto.

Be sure to add your child’s teacher & grade for the easiest delivery! If you don’t currently have a student, please add a note when checking out with your best contact info. Thank you for your support!

We will be moving from Bloomz to SeeSaw this year. Please download the SeeSaw app and at open house you will be given a QR code to connect with your child’s teacher for better communication as well as a platform for you to see objectives that your child is learning. Announcements from the school will also be sent out through this platform. We are excited to be moving to a platform that also encorporates learning for students!

Hi, my name is Christie Bradley and I will be teaching Kindergarten at Purcell Elementary. I received my bachelor’s degree from Adams State University in Colorado and have taught for twelve years. For the past eight years, I have taught Kindergarten. My husband and our two sons just recently moved from Colorado to Oklahoma last fall. My hobbies include watching football, traveling, hanging out with family, and being outdoors. I am very excited to be a Dragon.

See you soon!

Mrs. Bradley

My name is Jessica Chase and I will be teaching 1st grade. I have a Bachelor of Science in Education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, with certifications in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. I student taught at Lexington Elementary School in second grade. I’ve spent two years teaching third grade and the last three years teaching first grade at Lexington Elementary. I was one of Lexington’s 2022 Elementary Teachers of the Year. My husband is a K-9 Handler with the Oklahoma Inspector General’s Office. He is also a volunteer firefighter at Lexington. We have three amazing children, a 16-year-old son, a 3-year-old daughter, and a 3-month-old daughter. We spend our summers watching movies, hanging out at the zoo, and going to the water park. I am so looking forward to this new chapter teaching first grade in Purcell. Go Dragons!

See you soon!

Mrs. Chase

My name is Michele Underhill and I will be teaching 2nd grade. I love God, my husband, my three daughters, teaching, and travel! I have my Masters in Education Leadership from Southeastern Oklahoma Stat University and recently completed my principal internship with Norman Public Schools. I am secondary social studies certified and a certified principal PK-12th grade. I previously taught middle school social studies for over six years in Norman Public Schools. I transitioned to staying home when my family grew and taught online ESL with Elementary and Middle School students for VIPKID for five years. During my undergrad, I played NAIA Collegiate Level Softball for Saint Gregory's University and then finished out my BA in History/Education with the University of North Texas. I have coached fast-pitch softball and volleyball as well. I love helping children grow, learn, and explore new things! I am excited to get back into the classroom continuing my passion in teaching!

Blessings,
Mrs. Underhill

Hello! My name is Liz Scott. I have been teaching music for 24 yrs. in Oklahoma. I hold a bachelor's degree in Vocal/General music, and I'm certified K-12. My son, Jasper, and I recently moved to Purcell, and look forward to settling into our new community. I'm excited to sing and dance with the students here in Purcell. Music is a terrific medium in which to explore our world, express our feelings, and connect with others. It's a great day to be a Dragon!

I am looking forward to meeting you,

Mrs. Scott

Hi! I’m Mrs. B and I’m so excited for the upcoming year. I will be joining the Resource Team this year as a paraprofessional. I was born and raised in Lexington and live here with my husband, daughter, and two dogs. I have a passion for being in the classroom and love getting to know the kids and watching them grow. I can’t wait for the new year- it’s going to be great!

See you soon!

Sara Bridgeford

My name is Yaceli Minor. I will be joining the Resource Team this year as a paraprofessional. My husband and I are parents to a sweet one-year-old girl. I love to travel and be with family. I am excited to be back in the school setting.

See you soon!

Yaceli Minor

Hello! I am Amber McAnally and I am so grateful for the privilege to join the Resource Team this year as a paraprofessional. My husband, Cody, and I have two children that both attend Purcell Schools. I am a proud member of Landmark Church Praise & Worship team. I also enjoy hunting, golfing, and coaching my kid's sports teams. l am looking forward to a wonderful school year with all of these amazing kids!

See you soon!

Amber McAnally

Please note this year we have included 4 Virtual Learning days on the school calendar:

October 13th, December 1st, February 2nd & April 5th.

There will be more information provided in the coming weeks about Virtual Days but here are the basics:

• All staff report to work on Virtual Days while students work online and/or offline from home.
• Attendance is taken as normal on Virtual Days and is based upon the timely submission of assignments.
• All teachers assign/post work to SeeSaw or Google Classroom.
• Students can work at their own pace as long as assignments are submitted on time.
• Teachers are available for help on virtual days via email, SeeSaw, or Google Classroom.

Listed below are all required safety drills schools are required to conduct each year. These are the MINIMUM requirements. We conduct additional drills if we deem necessary. The purpose of drills is to help students and staff feel prepared in case of an actual emergency.

Pursuant to Title 70, Section 5-148 and Section 5-149 of the Oklahoma State Statutes, all public Schools in the State of Oklahoma shall conduct the following school security drills each school year:

• Security Drills - No less than four (4) security drills are required per school and one of these drills must be performed within the first fifteen (15) days of each school semester. Security Drills are defined as, "securing school buildings to prevent or mitigate injuries or deaths that may result from a threat around or in the school." OSSI recommends that all schools incorporate their responding law enforcement agency in the performance of these drills.
• Tornado Drills - No less than two (2) tornado drills are required per school year and these drills must be performed in the month of September and in the month of March.
• Other Drills - No less than two (2) other drills are required per school year and the drills chosen should be consistent with the risks assessed for the appropriate facility. Other Drills are required to be reported to the OSSI; however, it is the school's discretion on which type of drill they would like to report. Other Drills include (but are not limited to): Earthquake Drills, Reverse Evacuation Drills, Hazardous Material in the School Drills, and School Bus Evacuation Drills.
• Fire Drills - No less than two (2) fire drills are required per school year and these drills must be performed within the first fifteen (15) days of each school semester. Fire Drills are not required to be reported to OSSI; however, schools are highly encouraged to submit these drill reports to our office for state documentation and school accountability purposes. OSSI recommends that all schools incorporate their responding fire department in the performance of these drills.

We will continue to need water bottles this year. We do have water bottle fillers and students can refill their water bottles but many times a clean one is needed. Students will not be drinking from water fountains at this time.

We have a few classrooms that are peanut-free due to student allergies. Parents, please help us with sending peanut-free lunches for your child as well as peanut-free snacks for the class. Thank you for helping us keep all students safe in our school.

What is Dragon C.A.R.E.S. ?

DRAGON C.A.R.E.S.

C - Cooperation

A - Awesome Attitude

R - Respect

E - Excellence or Empathy

S - Self Control

When staff/teachers give out Dragon CARES stickers, they will tell the student which CARES character trait they are demonstrating.

Dragon CARES Stickers -

Students can earn a Dragon CARES sticker on their own. This is an individual way to be celebrated when showing a Dragon CARES trait.

Dragon Class CARES Card -

This is a big card with a Dragon on it and it is given out by any teacher or staff member to a class Who is displaying one or more Dragon CARES traits. Teachers will start tracking how many Class Cares Cards that their class has been awarded so that their class can celebrate when they reach 100!

Thank you for taking the time to encourage positive character traits at home as we are at school. Together we are fostering and nurturing our children to be good citizens in our community. They are here to learn and this makes it fun to celebrate the learning with them!

Conscious Discipline is what we use at Purcell Elementary to help students learn how to understand and manage their emotions. Here is a link to more information on The Basics of the Conscious Discipline Brain State Model.

Parent CliffsNotes for the Skills of Conscious Discipline

• Composure STAR Response Strategy- Smile, Take a deep breath, and Relax
• Encouragement of Self-Responsibility - You did it! You put all of the games back on the shelf so that you'll know where the games are when you want to play with them next time.
• Positive Intent - Add positive intent to breathing. Soften and open my heart to share words to help them regulate while giving them encouragement.
• Voice of Assertiveness - Focus on what you do want them to do instead of what you don't. Use a powerful statement of, "It's time to". It's time to go get your center and begin working. Change your request from Please do this to It's time to(do something) or It's important(and add why). It's important to bring our library books back to school.
• Choices - Two options that are both positive and are directed to what the goal is but shows them they have options and can own either of the things that work toward the goal. You've got a couple of options...
• Empathy - Helping students learn the formula in their own head of going from those lower centers of having that survival moment and then coming up and understanding they are in emotional space and then being able to pull that emotion up to that executive state so that they can problem solve. We can't just make it go away. They bubble up for a reason, not so we can tap them down and force them to go away. Use You seem instead of I know because you want them to be able to express what they are feeling and you may not know what they are feeling AND then pull them to that executive state by saying Breathe with me. You wanted... (not but). Breathe with me. I've acknowledged your story. You seem angry, you wanted to stay because you love doing this and it's hard when it's time to go and you still want to stay. So breathe with me cause it is hard. Now we offer choice again. You can choice 1 or choice 2, what works for you? Doesn't mean it turns to a happy situation but you are helping them regulate that movement up in their brain and it teaches them to learn how to work through situations positively.
  **Breathe with me. You seem angry... You seem frustrated... You seem scared... You seem sad... followed by you wanted(this is what made them angry) then breathe again and offer 2 choices.
• Consequences - (this is not a punishment) It is an outcome of what happened. How did that go? How might it go differently the next time? Natural consequences we don't have to do anything but provide empathy. You seem disappointed, you wanted to eat the ice cream cone all the way to the end, but when the ice cream fell onto the ground, that felt disappointing. That is hard because I know you wanted the ice cream. So breathe with me, you will be able to have ice cream again sometime and now you can finish the cone.

1. Natural Consequence - Allowing the natural act to carry out and showing how to overcome the disappointment that it created. Change the behavior because the outcome didn't work for me.
2. Logical Consequence - Where we don't want them to experience the natural consequence because it might be too dangerous or damaging for them. (bike example) I paid a lot of money for the bike and I don't want the natural consequence to happen to my child so I create a logical consequence instead. A natural consequence for leaving your bike out on the sidewalk is someone might take it. If you choose to leave your bike out on the sidewalk instead of putting it in the garage, then I will put it back in the garage and you will not have permission to ride it for a few days until we can really practice how you can be responsible to remember to put it back in the garage when you are finished riding it. We will work on a plan. So what happens if you leave your bike out on the sidewalk today? (You'll take it away) Your bike will go in the garage for a few days so that we can make a plan to practice putting your bike away so that your bike will be safe and you will be able to still use it. If you choose to this that's what will happen.

• Easy to Love, DIfficult to Discipline book for parents by Dr. Becky Bailey
• Parent online class found on www.ConsciousDiscipline.com

Resources to Handle the Upset and Conflict that Comes Your Way

Click HERE for more information. Four next steps that help families experience the power of safety, connection, and problem-solving at home.

Here is an example of siblings raised with Conscious Discipline. Siblings raised with Conscious Discipline have skills to handle rivalry, bullying, schedules, and more. https://youtu.be/XVejsY34qY0

Here is an example of managing anxiety: Name, claim, and tame your way through anxiety. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-jFv1Z5Qdg

Here is a link to some ideas to help with routines and simple schedules for children.

Click here to read.

Hat Days are a fun way to celebrate and wear a hat to school as well as give back to our friends in need. Be creative or just have fun wearing your favorite hat while helping us support our school community! The money from hat day will go to support students that might be in need of a coat, backpack, and other items that support our students and classrooms.

Thank you for your support!

Dates to wear your FAVORITE Hat!

• Sept. 8th
• Oct. 6th
• Nov. 10th - Free Hat Day! Help us honor Veterans by wearing Red, White & Blue!
• Jan. 12th
• Mar. 8th
• April 12th
• May 16th - Free Hat Day! We made it! Last day of School!

UPCOMING EVENTS - PES PARENT & FAMILY CALENDAR - Link to Calendar.

• NOW - Register online now for the 2023-2024 School Year!
• July 24th - All Enrollment Confirmation at PHS from 8-3pm
• July 25th - All Enrollment Confirmation at PHS from 8-6pm
• July 26th - All Enrollment Confirmation at PHS from 8-3pm
• August 8th - Back to School Night 5-6:30
• August 10th - Classes Begin
• August 30th - PTO - It’s Your Glow Day! Birthday Celebration
• September 4th - Labor Day - No School
• September 11th - 3:30 PTO Meeting
• September 15th - No School / Professional Development Day / Homecoming & Parade
• September 27th - PTO - It’s Your Glow Day! Birthday Celebration
• October 10th & 12th - Report Cards Go Home & Parent-Teacher Conferences 3:30-7 pm
• October 13th - Virtual Day / Asynchronous Learning
• October 19th, 20th & 23rd - Fall Break - No School
• October 25th - PTO - It’s Your Glow Day! Birthday Celebration
• October 24-27th - Red Ribbon Week & Dress-Up Days
• November 9th - Fall into Learning Carnival
• November 10th - Veteran's Day
• November 13th - 3:30 PTO Meeting
• November 20th-24th - Thanksgiving Break - No School
• November 29th - PTO - It’s Your Glow Day! Birthday Celebration
• December 1st - Virtual Day / Asynchronous Learning
• December 13th - PTO - It’s Your Glow Day! Birthday Celebration
• December 18th-January 2nd - Winter Break - No School
• January 3rd - Professional Development Day - No School
• January 4th - 2nd Semester Begins
• January 4th - Report Cards go home in TH Folders
• January 8th - 3:30 PTO Meeting
• January 15th - Martin Luther King Junior Day - No School
• January 31st - PTO - It’s Your Glow Day! Birthday Celebration
• February 2nd - Virtual Day / Asynchronous Learning
• February 5th-10th - Missoula - The Princess & the Pea
• February 12th - 3:30 PTO Meeting
• February 12th-16th - District Kindness Week / Acts of Kindness
• February 16th - Valentine deliveries after 2:00 PM
• February 16th - 50's Valentine's Day Celebration
• February 19th - Professional Development Day - No School
• February 28th - PTO - It’s Your Glow Day! Birthday Celebration
• March 12th & 14th - Student-Led Conferences / PTO Bake Sale / Book Fair 3:30-7:00 pm
• March 15th-22nd - Spring Break - No School
• March 27th - PTO - It’s Your Glow Day! Birthday Celebration
• April 5th - Virtual Day / Asynchronous Learning
• April 8th - 3:30 PTO Meeting
• April 24th - PTO - It’s Your Glow Day! Birthday Celebration
• April 26th - No School - Snow Day
• May 1st - PTO - It’s Your Glow Day! Birthday Celebration
• May 3rd - No School - Snow Day
• May 6th-10th - Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week
• May 7th - PTO Freedom Fun Run Annual Fundraiser
• May 15th - PTO Super Kids Day
• May 16th - Last Day of School / Parent Picnics / Report Cards go home

Football Homecoming is Sept 15th. You can now order online at the Massive Graphics Webstore! Link :

https://massivegraphicsstore.com/collections/purcell-homecoming

Orders are due August 23rd. If you have cash or check orders, direct them to Krysta Matthews at Purcell High School. Checks made to PHS StuCo. We will have order forms at the school after school begins.

Cindy Stone

Principal

Purcell Elementary

Email: stonec@purcellps.org
Website: https://www.purcellps.org/o/pes
Location: 809 South 9th Street, Purcell, OK 73080, USA
Phone: 405-442-0099
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Purcell-Elementary-School-151687648182161?view_public_for=151687648182161