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The Howl - Our Parent Newsletter
September 5, 2023
Our 2023-24 Theme
September 5, 2023
Dear Carter Coyote Families,
Thank you for attending our Parent Orientation event! It was great to see all of our parents visiting the classrooms F2F or virtually. We hope you received some important information for you and your child.
Slide Day was a huge success, with students in Kinder and 1st grade sliding into their new houses for the first time! Students new to Carter also found a new house, and now have friends across the grade levels united by their house color. All students sliding into a house received a house colored lanyard.
We are looking forward to some cooler, fall weather, but until that day arrives, we are monitoring the heat conditions at recess daily. Due to an elevated heat index, your homeroom may go outside for an abbreviated time (10-15 minutes) or may not be able to go outside for recess at all that day. We are also ensuring that our students have additional water breaks.
Something on Everyone's Mind....
A HUGE thank you to parents who have solidified arrival and dismissal plans for their student, arrive & pick up on time, and plan transportation changes with the office before 2 PM. Your patience and understanding are extremely important for smooth operations of our large (980+ students) campus.
Important bulleted points about our current TRAFFIC situation and how we each can make it better:
- AM Car line--ARRIVE as Early as 6:45: There is absolutely NO pedestrian drop-off traffic crossing our busy car line in the morning. This is for the safety of everyone.
- â›”After 7:15 AM, your student is considered tardy. If you pull into the car line at 7:10 or later, you WILL most likely be tardy. Starting Monday, September 11, cars will be routed from the car line into the parking lot at 7:15. At that time, cars must park and bring their child(ren) into the office to check-in and receive a tardy slip. â›”
- PM Car line: PM car line is becoming very efficient. If you come to pick up your child in Car line after 3:00 PM, you may have to park and come in to the office to check out your child.
- AM and PM Car line: Refrain from using your cell phone on school property. We have seen an uptick in cell phone use while in the car line. Per elementary handbook, cell phone use in the car line is prohibited.
- Crosswalk: Please DO NOT park on Glass Peak Drive OR along Stonecreek Estates Drive on either side of the bridge and walk your student to the crosswalk--this road is not a parking lot. Lately an over congestion of cars parking near the intersections is causing an obstruction of a clear view for our walkers, bikers and crossing guard, particularly on the other side of the bridge where there is no longer staff assisting students and no crossing guard. Additionally, cars trying to come in and out of the neighborhood at Glass Peak Drive are blocked by cars parked to pick up or deliver walker students. The crosswalk is for students who are in the walk zone to Carter and do not have bus service due to their close proximity to the school.
- Pre-K and Kinder students: Students in this age category must have someone waiting to pick them up at the bus stop or cross walk otherwise they will be returned to school, causing inconveniences for you and your child.
House Shirt Orders
Parents Please Sign up in Smart Tag Portal for Your Child's Required ID Badge
Smart Tag is a MUST: If your child loses their Smart Tag, they will need to bring $5 to buy a replacement. Wearing a Smart Tag is an LCISD requirement and a security issue. Our students no matter what grade level have to get used to wearing it daily.
ALL students K-5 will receive a colored lanyard that identifies their House. Thank you, PTO!!
Registering for the Smart Tag Parent Portal is a vital safety measure that should be completed by ALL parents. Additionally, your child will use their ID Badge to purchase lunch and breakfast, on the bus, and library book check-out. Bus routing information will only be available in Smart Tag Parent Portal. The Smart Tag Parent Portal will show updated bus route information for your student before the first day of school.
The Smart Tag Parent Portal link can be found HERE
Library: News from Mrs. Garrette
Counseling: News from Mrs. Patel & Mrs. Hernandez
Important District Changes to the Student Code of Conduct That Will Affect All Students
Among some of the most important changes are:
1. Being in possession of a Vape or E-cigarrette will result in automatic removal from the home campus to the Alternative Learning Center for a period of time TBD.
2. Being in possession of a knife of any length will result in automatic removal from the home campus to the Alternative Learning Center for a period of time TBD.
3. Cellphones: Cellphones and personal electronic devices including smartwatches must be turned off and stored in backpacks unless given specific permission by a teacher to use for an instructional purpose. The district has outlined specific required consequences for violation of personal technology policy: See page 100 in elementary student handbook.
Link to Elementary Handbook and Student Code of Conduct: HERE
Link to the Parent and Guardian Standards of Conduct: HERE
Tardies and Early Pick Ups
We attribute our achievement success to several factors, one being bell to bell teaching! Here at Carter Elementary School, our students can go straight to the gym/grade level pod at 6:45am and begin getting ready for learning activities to start at 7:00!
Any student not in class at 7:15am will be counted tardy. Students will be routed to the front office to get a tardy slip before being released to go to class. We know that it is important for students to acclimate to new routines so we will begin counting tardies on Sept. 11th.
Our announcements start promptly at 7:15am, therefore all our students need to be in class for the pledges and to hear important daily information.
If you drop your child off in the morning, the best time (with minimal wait) is between 6:45am - 6:55am. At 7:05am, traffic picks up tremendously. If you turn into the carpool area at 7:10am or later, you run the risk of being late.
We understand that you have absolutely no control of the pacing of the carpool line on any given day. For this reason, we strongly suggest you access our carpool lane during the earlier minutes (6:45am - 7:00am) so your child has time to exit the car, enter the building and make it to class before the tardy bell rings.
It is very important that students are at school everyday, on time and stay for the entire day. Just as tardies impact learning over time, early pick-ups also cause students to miss instruction. Tardies and Early Pickups are recorded by the front office staff electronically. If you must pick up your students early for appointments, our cut off time is 2:00pm.
PTO News
Carter PTO spirit wear is going on sale again next week! We'll have the same designs that were sold this summer, plus we'll have dri-fit, long-sleeve and hoodies. The sale will run from August 28-September 10 and you'll get your spirit wear a few weeks after that. Visit https://doncarterpto.ptboard.com/formvw?store=3815&form=7 to order your spirit wear. Please note that the link will not work until Aug 28. Thanks for supporting the Carter community!
Contact doncarterpto@gmail.com to learn how you can support our school!
Full Price & Free and Reduced Cost Meals - Breakfast and Lunch
Please click the link below to apply for Free and Reduced-Cost Meals, Breakfast/Lunch Menus, and all things about Child Nutrition. Students will be charged for all meals unless you apply and qualify for free and reduced-cost meals.
https://www.lcisd.org/departments/support-services/food-service
2023-24 LCISD Instructional Calendar
Uniform Information
Below, please find the uniform colors and uniform clothing items that can be worn for the 2023-2024 school year:
Bottoms: Solid color navy blue, black, khaki or blue denim pants, capris, shorts, skirts, skorts or jumpers. Leggings/tights worn alone as well as embellished and distressed jeans with rips and tears are not allowed.
Tops: Solid color, collared (polo style, no logo) shirts in red, white, navy blue (dark blue,) black or hunter green (dark green.)
Maroon, gray, olive, kelly green, royal blue and light blue are not Carter approved uniform shirt colors.
School and PTO approved Carter ES spirit shirts are allowed daily, such as the once a year Carter themed shirt.
Leggings/tights worn alone as well as embellished and distressed jeans with rips and tears are not allowed. Additionally, basketball shorts, roller shoes, shoes that light up and backpacks on wheels are not allowed.
If a student is not wearing the proper uniform, they will be sent to the Nurse to either call home or receive a change of clothes, as our inventory allows.
Arrival and Dismissal Areas for Car Line, Bus, and Walker/Bikers
Important Documents at Your Fingertips
Important Dates to Remember
September 6 - College Day 🎓
September 18-22 - Freedom Week
September 21 - Progress Reports released in Skyward Family Access
September 28 - Go Western Day
September 29 - Fort Bend County Fair Day/Student and Staff Holiday
October 4 - College Day 🎓
October 6-9 - Fall Break/Student and Staff Holiday
October 11 - Picture Day 📷
October 13 - End of 1st Quarter
October 19 - Report Cards released in Skyward Family Access
October 20 - House Spirit Day - Go ALL OUT in your house colors! 💗💛💚💙
Don Carter Elementary School
Leann Imrie, Principal
Mandy Casey, Assistant Principal
Aerika Dial, Assistant Principal
Website: www.lcisd.org
Location: 8500 A Meyers Road, Richmond, TX, USA
Phone: (832)223-5500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DonCarterES/
Twitter: @cartercoyotes