Originally delivered on 12/4/2023 12:30 pm

SUBJECT: Preston Newsletter 12/04/2023

December 04, 2023Preston Elementary PTAVolume 7 Issue 7
Message from the Principal
Traffic Routes

Over the past few weeks, we have noticed an increase in the number of people not following the correct traffic routes during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal. Your cooperation in following the designated routes is important and appreciated. Please review the PES Traffic Route information and make necessary adjustments to follow the correct route. 

Crosswalk and Traffic

We had two close calls last week at the crosswalk of Tillman and Kent (the entrance to the gym-side parking lot). Driving around the Crossing Guard when her sign is up is NOT PERMITTED. ALL DIRECTIONS of TRAFFIC MUST STOP when our Crossing Guard is crossing pedestrians, no exceptions. 

Additionally, we continue to have 10-12 parents who are not following the designated traffic routes, both on the gym-side and in the front. If you are coming into the parking lot to park and drop off a student, you must still follow the correct route. Please do your part and follow our traffic routes.

Order your 2024 PES Yearbook!!

Our 2023-2024 yearbooks are on sale NOW!  Click HERE to order yours today! 

Donations Needed - New items

Student Council is collecting NEW cold weather items to donate to local families in need.

Love Week 2024

All proceeds from Love Week will be donated to Heartworks, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for Congenital Heart Disease. Pre-order Love Week shirts December 11th – January 15th

Winter Parties at Preston

Winter parties are just around the corner, and our classrooms will be bustling with holiday fun! PTA room parents will soon begin planning this special event for our students. Parent attendance is not required. As you consider attending winter parties, please be mindful that classroom space is very limited, and we want to ensure that our students have room to move around and enjoy the activities. One guest per student (and younger siblings) will be allowed; any guest, including room parents, who plans to attend must RSVP no later than Monday, December 18th. Please submit a separate RSVP for each party you plan to attend. The form to RSVP can be found HERE.

Message from Allen ISD
Absence Notifications

Beginning Monday, December 4, when your child is absent, you will receive an email and text message notifying you of their recorded absence. This is an automated message that will be sent out daily at 10:30 a.m. The phone number the text messages will come from will be 54968 or 60680.

When your child is absent, a note regarding the absence is due within 3 days of their return to school. Visit AllenISD.org/Absent for more information on how to submit that information.

Virtual Café - Coffee Chat Series for Emergent Bilingual

Parents and families of Emergent Bilingual students are invited to join our upcoming Virtual Café - Coffee Chat Series. These events are thoughtfully designed to provide valuable insights on crucial topics that will support both parents and students in navigating the school environment.

 

The topics to be covered in this session include:

1. Team Introductions

2. Emergent Bilingual Assessment Decisions/Reclassification

3. Providing Support At Home

4. Self-Care

 

Event Details:

- Date: December 7th, 2023

- Time: 9:15 - 10:30 am

 

To sign up for this exclusive series, parents can click Coffee Chat Series.

Father Daughter Ball

We would like to Welcome you to the 23rd Annual Father Daughter Ball on December 9th. Please join us for a night "Under the Sea" with dancing, light refreshments, pictures, and prizes. Like last year, we will have three dances.

Twilight Dance 4:30-5:30 pm KG and under

Evening Dance One 6:00-7:30 pm Gr 1-3

Evening Dance Two 8:30-10:00 pm Gr 4-6

The ages and grades are recommendations only; however, the dance format and music selections will be geared towards the targeted age groups. Registration is limited and is held on a first-come, first-serve basis. Tickets are dance specific. Cancellations will be accepted, and a refund will be issued as long as the cancellation is received by noon on December 7th. Each person must buy a ticket, we no longer offer “Couple Tickets”. To purchase tickets or find additional information, please visit the Community Services page on the AISD website.

 

If you have questions, please call or email Chrysti Alexander at 972-727-0502 or chrystan.alexander@allenisd.org.

Learn ‘N Playday

We have a few openings in the Learn ‘N Playday program.  Call us today to learn more! 

Allen ISD Kids Club is hiring!
Message from PTA
Congrats to the Spelling Bee Winners!

The annual Preston Elementary Spelling Bee was held on December 1st. A hearty congratulations to the winners:

  •  Olivia Zhang - 5th/6th grade Spelling Bee Champion
  •  Ishaan Navuluri - 5th/6th grade Runner-up
  •  Trinetra Bandyopadhyay - 3rd/4th grade Spelling Bee Champion
  •  Eleanor Bregman - 3rd/4th grade Runner-up

Olivia will represent PES at the Allen ISD District Spelling Bee in January. Ishaan will serve as an alternate.

Congratulations also goes out to all of the spelling bee participants. You all did an amazing job and we are so proud of you!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Every quarter, the Allen ISD Council of PTAs allows us to choose up to 4 recipients from our school to receive the Citizenship awards. At Preston, we choose two staff members and two volunteers. This award is for those in our school who have stepped up in various roles and for various reasons to do something extraordinary for our school community. 

Our October recipients are, Dawn Potter, The PB & Joy Crew (Mrs.Howard, Mrs.Carriere, and Mr.White), Ying Chu and Aarti Arumugam.

2023-24 Grant Recipients Announced!

Congratulations to all our recipients!

The following staff grants were awarded based on the recommendation of the Staff Grant Committee.


Learning Centre Science Kits (Ms. Nichols)                         $372.22

Flocabulary                                 (5th grade)                          $138

Flexible Seating                        (4th grade)                           $299.98

Novel Idea                                  (Library)                                $325.15

Stem Exploration                      (1st grade)                           $220

Flexible Seating                        (Dyslexia Team)                  $259.90

Do the "Write" Thing               (Mrs. Turner)                        $378.27

Sensory Calming Kits              (Resource Room)                 $300

Lexia English Program            (ESL)                                        $124.45

Paw-itive Behavior Incentives Programs (All Students) $473.03

Board Games                            (PALs Program, Mrs.Smith) $59


Thank you to Erin Byrd, Tejaswini Devireddy, Aarti Arumugam,  and Sarah Mandell, the Staff Grant Committee, for the time and dedication given to researching these grant requests.

CLICK HERE to see how you can contribute! 

Preston Publishers

~Registered students will have a Manuscript Kit. Each kit includes a cover page, inner cover, lined sheets for writing, blank sheets for illustrations, and an author page. The kit contains detailed instructions about the usage of the different types of pages.

~All completed manuscripts need to be turned in by 01/11/24. Mrs. Armentrout will have a station to collect the manuscripts at the Preston Elementary library.


Join Preston PTA Today!

By joining the PTA, you are supporting Programs, Events, Classroom Grants, and so much more. For just $10/member, you are creating a voice for all Preston children. Help us achieve the prestigious Voice for Every Child award from Texas PTA!

Click here to join!

Make Every Receipt Count

You can help earn cash for Preston Elementary by scanning any Box Tops for education product once purchased. 

Not sure how to start? Click here learn how to earn!

NEW! Follow us on Instagram

For all the latest updates and fun things happening with the Preston PTA, be sure to follow us on Facebook or our NEW Instagram account!

https://facebook.com/groups/prestonpta

https://instagram.com/prestonpta 

Link your Kroger card today

If you shop at Kroger you can link your shopper's card to help Preston Elementary earn cash for our school. Visit your digital Kroger account and sign up for community rewards. Click here to enroll in community rewards. Preston's Organization number is: VH344

You have to re-enroll your Kroger Plus card on an annual basis. 

12/06               Toma, Shereen
12/12                 Irving, Natalie
12/16             Jefferson, Tiania

Looking Ahead
Monday, December 4
Art Sparks Week
Tuesday, December 5
Art Sparks Week
Wednesday, December 6
Art Sparks Week
Thursday, December 7
Art Sparks Week
Friday, December 8
Art Sparks Week
Thursday, December 14
12:00a Presents, Peppermints, Pastries & More
Friday, December 15
12:00a Presents, Peppermints, Pastries & More
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