Sep 23, 2024

Preston Elementary PTA

Volume 8 Issue 04

Information from Mrs. Wendland

Thank you to all who came out to the Jenny Preston Jamboree! It was my first Jamboree, and I was thrilled with the turnout and the community spirit at the event. I look forward to many more fun times together! A huge thanks to all who contributed to our No Fuss Fundraiser. Our PTA could not operate without the generous donations of our members - and besides, I wouldn't have an opportunity to kiss such an adorable goat if it weren't for all of you! I'm excited to see what our school and our PTA can do together to make this the best year yet!

Don't forget that we are hosting Heritage Night at Preston on Thursday, October 3.There is still time to register your child for the Parade of Countries taking place that morning at school!Click here to register. Parents are welcome to join us in the front hallway and watch the parade. There will be an opportunity for a group picture with students in their traditional dress in the cafeteria immediately following the parade. This is a new feature of our multicultural celebration that we hope you will enjoy! This will be a great time for us to recognize what makes us unique while celebrating what makes us ONE!

I want to thank each of you for tolerating and even embracing the Sign-up Genius for lunch visitors! It helps our office staff tremendously during those hectic lunchtime hours.

Please don't hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns. Thank you for trusting us with those who matter most to you!

Warm regards,

Mrs. Wendland

Lunch News

Parents and special guests may start visiting for lunch on Monday, September 9. Guests are limited to 2 per student, per day. We can only accommodate 8 guests per grade level. Please plan to visit only ONE time per week, as lunch time with friends is an important opportunity for students to practice age-appropriate social skills. Use this link to sign up so that our front office will know you're coming! Sign-up for lunch is something new this year and we thank you in advance for honoring this request. This will give our office staff time to print your visitors badge in advance, check that the visitors signed up are authorized to be with your child, and make sure that we have enough seating a space for your visit. Don't forget to bring your photo ID when you come.

Just a few lunchtime guidelines to keep in mind:

Parents and guests will sign in at the front office
Parents and guests will meet their student on the stage at the designated lunch time. Students and parents must remain seated on the stage throughout the lunch period - no one is permitted to leave the stage and mingle with students or teachers in the cafeteria.
Parents and guests are not permitted in other areas of the building.
Students will rejoin their class in the cafeteria at the end of the lunch period.
Please use trash receptacles provided and keep the area clean for the remaining guests.

The lunch visitor sign-up for the fall semester can be accessed HERE. You will also find it linked on the Preston website.

Message from PTA

School of Excellence Program

We are thrilled to be introducing the National PTA School of Excellence program at Preston! This year-long program is a collaboration between the PTA, the campus, & parents and is all about strengthening the connection between families and the school.

How Does it Work?

We will send out a survey on Sept 30th to gather feedback from families about how things are going at Preston.
The survey will show what the school's strengths are and what families see as an area for improvement.
The Excellence Committee will select an area to focus on and develop a plan to create change on campus.
We will carry out the plan from November through April and then gather more feedback at the end of the year.

Why Should We Do It?

School of Excellence standards for family-school partnerships embrace welcoming families, communicating effectively, supporting student success, speaking up for every child, sharing power, and collaborating with the community.
Our campus & PTA support these ideas and want to show our commitment of working towards them.
Teamwork makes the dream work! By focusing on the standards above, we can elevate the experience our students and families have at Preston.

wanted poster calling for preston readers on sept 4-oct 4

Saddle Up and Read

The book fair is next week, September 30th to October 4th! We are excited about getting books into the hands of eager readers.

Students will preview the book fair later this week to see what the options are. They will come to the book fair during their library time starting on September 30th to make purchases. Parents may shop with their student during lunch time and after school until 3:30pm. The book fair will also be open late from 6:00-7:30 pm on Oct 3 during Heritage Night.

The book fair accepts cash, checks, cards and Scholastic e-wallet. You can set up or refill your e-wallet using this link:

Scholastic E-Wallet

Volunteers are still needed for set up and to help the students browse and shop! This is a great opportunity to see your child's class during your volunteer time. Sign up here.

Delivery Day is Tuesday

Spirit wear is being delivered to classrooms tomorrow, September 24th.

Wanted to order but missed the first deadline? Keep an eye on the webpage, we will be reopening the store with limited stock in the next couple of weeks.

Copy Room Signup is Open

Copy room volunteers are some of the most treasured volunteers we have at Preston! You can help give teachers the gift of time by coming in on the day you select and running any copies that have been left in the copy box.

New to the copy room? We'll help walk you through the process. The signup for the first half of the year can be found here.

Watch DOGS Starts Today

The Watch DOGS signup calendar opened last week and the program begins today!

There are two program changes:

This year volunteers may sign up for a second date, as long as they wait until November 1st to do so.
Watch DOGS shirts are no longer required. The PTA purchased vests to make it easier for everyone.

If you are a dad or father figure and haven't heard of Watch DOGS, get more info here. If you are ready to sign up click here.

A Big Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Jenny Preston Jamboree! It was a great evening and wonderful to see everyone and spend time with our Preston Community. A special THANK YOU and shout out to our amazing volunteers!!! We could not have done it without you. Thank you, Preston Pride Volunteers!

Sincerely grateful,

Kerri

Family Engagement Coordinator

Preston Elementary PTA

Membership Meeting Recap

The PTA had its first membership meeting of the year on Sept. 10. The membership adopted the financial reconciliation & annual reports from the 23-24 school year and voted on budget amendments.

During the parent education program, attendees heard about the bond proposal from Superintendent Dr. Robin Bullock, CFO Brian Carter, and head of Operations Brent Benningfield. Members then voted to have Preston PTA support the bond at the upcoming Council of PTAs meeting.

PTA members can see a copy of the meeting minutes on the Preston PTA website.

Celebrating Success: Thank You for Making Our No-Fuss Fundraiser a Huge Hit!

On behalf of the PTA and our entire school community, I want to express our deepest gratitude for your incredible support of our No-Fuss Fundraising campaign. Your generosity has helped us not only meet but exceed our goal, raising an impressive $13,143! This achievement will enable us to provide a wide range of exciting and enriching activities for our students throughout the year, and we couldn’t have done it without your support.

Special thanks to our principal, teachers, and the PTA board for their dedication in promoting and encouraging participation. Your leadership made a real difference!

Huge congratulations to Miss Qureshi's class for winning the top spot in our No-Fuss Fundraising Challenge! But hold on—it was such a close race that we have to recognize Miss Chapman’s class too, so we're giving them a special prize as well! Their extraordinary efforts and enthusiasm were truly inspiring, rallying their students and families to push us beyond our goals. Let’s celebrate their achievement and the incredible spirit they brought to this campaign!

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our amazing principal, Miss Wendland, and to Miss Qureshi for embracing the memorable challenge of kissing a farm animal! This lighthearted and fun moment not only celebrated our fundraising success but also brought smiles, laughter, and a sense of community to the entire school. It’s moments like these that make our school a special place, and we’re grateful for their joyful spirit and willingness to join in the fun!

Thank you again for making this fundraiser a resounding success. We look forward to an exciting year ahead!

Clinic Crew Debut

This year the PTA started a new volunteer opportunity aimed to support students through the nurse's clinic and the counseling room.

Clinic Crew volunteers receive a list of supplies that are needed or very helpful for Nurse Hannah & Mrs. Smith, including extra clothing, bandaids, and fidgets. The first round of donations started rolling in and are already being put to use.

If you want to be among the first to know when supplies are requested update your Volunteer Interest Form here. Want to see the PTA's Clinic Crew wish list? Click here!

Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers are vital to helping Run Club go smoothly! You will be:

Assisting students to get into the building at arrival
Ensure the students are completing their laps
Help track student progress.
Monitoring the health and safety of students while they are running
Making sure they exit safely

Run Club is most Tuesdays September 17th - November 19th.

It's Time to Get Creative

Do you have a budding artist who is always covered in markers and paint? Does your child dream of being a famous filmmaker? Are they always dancing or writing stories? Harness that creative energy with the PTA's Reflections program! The theme this year is Accepting Imperfection.

Reflections allows students to explore their own ideas, thoughts, and artistry through dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts. Submissions are due on October 17th in the art room.

We cannot wait to see the creative ways our Preston kiddos interpret this theme! Visit the PTA website for important dates and information.

Thank you to everyone who braved the heat and came out for the PTA's Jenny Preston Jamboree. It was a wonderful evening full of foam, farm animals, and fun! We loved seeing the Preston Pride having a great time. Thank to each and every one of our volunteers, both teens and adults, we truly could not do this without you!

We had a great turnout for our Watch DOGS Info Night. We're not sure who had more fun playing trivia on Kahoot, the kids or the dads & grandpas!

Lastly, the PTA needs to extend a big thank you to HEB Allen for their generous $500 gift card donation, which will be used to supplement a delicious lunch for the staff. We appreciate HEB's commitment to our local schools. #HEBHelpingHere

9/28	Cole, Valarie
9/30	Albatrookh, Nisreen

10/1	Armentrout, Hannah
10/2	Herzog, Melissa
10/6	Turner, Tracy

Information from Allen ISD

Student Nutrition

Allen ISD offers free and reduced-price meal benefits to students who qualify. Reduced-price meals at all campuses are $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch. Please use the following link to apply online or print a paper copy: https://www.allenisd.org/o/aisd/page/free-and-reduced-price-meal-applications

In addition, the following link gives additional details regarding our online payment system: MySchoolBucks

Please visit the Student Nutrition page of the district website https://www.allenisd.org/page/student-nutritionfor all other information, including our refund/transfer/donate form, account restrictions and disability and food allergen information. Feel free to contact our department directly with any questions or concerns at (972) 727-0545.

Looking Ahead

Tuesday, September 24

Spirit Wear Delivery Day (Tax Free Day)

Monday, September 30

Tuesday, October 1

Wednesday, October 2

Thursday, October 3

5:30p Book Fair Family Night

Friday, October 4

Monday, October 7

Tuesday, October 8

9:30a PTA Board Meeting

Wednesday, October 9

Art Sparks Week

Thursday, October 10

Art Sparks Week

Friday, October 11

Art Sparks Week

Subscribe to Our Calendars

Stay up to date on all things coming to Preston! Use this link to manage your calendar subscriptions including PTA Meetings, PTA Programs & Events, Allen ISD Academic Calendar and the Preston Elementary Calendar.

Navigate to your subscriptions on the PrestonPTA.org website under Account / Calendar Subscriptions.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PrestonPTA

http://www.instagram.com/prestonPTA

Parent lead Facebook Groups for each Grade Level also exist. These are a great way to meet other families and ask questions you may have!

Contact communications@prestonpta.com for more information!

SUBJECT: Preston Newsletter 09/23/2024