Forest Trail March 8th Newsletter

FTE TRAIL BLAZER

March 8, 2018

Forest Trail Elementary

PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING

WE MADE IT!

I want to be one of the first to wish you a safe and happy Spring Break! The weather seems to be cooperating, and we should have a great week to get outside and enjoy. Whether you're traveling or staying local to battle SXSW badge holders, I hope your week away is full of family and fun.

This time of year also marks our attempts to begin planning for next year.

At Forest Trail, we believe that each teacher offers a unique set of strengths to his/her students. When students experience a variety of teaching styles during their educational career, it helps develop them into well-rounded adults who are comfortable working in any environment and competent in all academic areas. Sometimes, this process can be difficult for students. However, we believe that there is value in the struggle. Though it is never easy to watch your child struggle, it does give you an opportunity to parent (as in the verb), and it gives your child an opportunity to develop confidence, perseverance and resilience. At the same time, there are occasionally circumstances that you, as the parent, believe should be taken into consideration before we place your child into a class for the upcoming school year. In that case, I would like to hear from you. Beginning the Monday we return from Spring Break, a green information sheet will be available for pick up in the office for you to complete and return. This sheet is an opportunity for you to provide any insights into your child and is due back to the office by April 20, 2018. In order to allocate our full attention and time to the planning of best placement of every student at Forest Trail, we are really holding to April 20th as the final day for submission of these forms and late submissions will NOT be considered. This allows for an appropriate amount of planning time with all the busy activities that occur as the year begins to wind down. This informational form is the standard for all of the Forest Trail families as opposed to individual emailed requests. Your comments will be viewed by myself, your child's current teacher, and the school counselors as we finalize class lists. All comments will be read and considered, however specific teacher requests will NOT be granted. Thank you for trusting us to find the best fit for your child.

Have a great Spring Break!

Is there a FTE Staff Member You Would Like to Recognize...

Falcon Finest Acknowledgements

Please join me in spreading those feel good vibes around our campus. Everyday our bus drivers, custodians, office staff, and teachers are doing incredible things. If there is a FTE staff member you would like to recognize for their contributions, please let me know by clicking the link below.

Please Click Here

SCHOOL NEWS

FOREST TRAIL 2018-2019 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

WE NEED YOUR HELP! Do your friends and/or neighbors have a child that will be five years old by the first of September? Please help us spread the word! "Official" kindergarten registration for the 2018-2019 school year will be conducted on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 from 9:00–10:00 A.M. in the Forest Trail cafeteria.

At 9:00 on April 18th, all incoming kindergartners and their parents will meet in the cafeteria. At that time the children will be divided into small groups and taken to the kindergarten classrooms with one of the kindergarten teachers. Parents will remain in the cafeteria for a question and answer session hosted by one of the kindergarten teachers, the counselor, and the principal. After approximately 30 minutes, the children will rejoin their parents in the cafeteria where they may enjoy a morning snack. The morning will conclude with an official EISD school bus ride. For your convenience, the rear doors to the school will be unlocked that morning to allow for parking in both the front and rear of the school.

To be eligible for kindergarten, a child must be 5 years of age on or before September 1, 2018. Beginning April 2nd, parents may access and complete the on-line required forms which can be found on our website and at https://www.eanesisd.net/parents/enrollment. We request parents of next year's kindergarten students make every effort to complete the on-line registration by the morning of April 18th. The registration information is essential to determine the staff needed and the number of classrooms required.

After completing the on-line enrollment forms, parents will need to bring the following documentation to the FTE Front Office prior to Kinder Roundup on April 18th. Our receiving these items in advance gives us additional time to review the materials and will reduce your waiting time on registration day.

an original copy of child's birth certificate, preferably with a photocopy
a photocopy of child's social security card
a photocopy of child's completed immunization record (*This is required before school starts.)
a photocopy of guardian's valid driver's license
2) proofs of residency in EISD (current utility bill and copy of lease agreement, deed contract or recent tax receipt)

If it is not possible to obtain a photocopy of these materials before registration, a copier will be available in the front office. Parents may bring originals with them, and a member of our staff will help make any copies needed.

Miscellaneous forms will be found in Kinder Packets (i.e. FTE Directory Form, Bus Buddy form, School Supply information, Kindergarten Day information, etc.) and will be available for pickup in our school office beginning Monday, April 2nd .

Congratulations to our FTE Designation Imagination Winners!

"Falcon Bridge", our combined BPE-FTE Destination Imagination team, earned 2nd place last weekend in the Elementary Engineering "Drop Zone" division. They'll compete in the State Tournament on April 7th.

Liam Berrios, Marcus Scherer, Arnav Srinivasa, former Falcon Jacob Arnold and Thomas Inman.

Cleaning out your closets?

Please consider donating your gently used items to Forest Trail Elementary School's Clothing Drive! We are helping to fund a tiny home at Community! First Village and hope to raise $4,000 through this effort. Community! First is a village built to provide affordable housing to people who have been living on the streets.

We have begun accepting donations and will continue to do so until March 30th. On March 31st we will bring the items we have collected to Savers. They will pay us for the number of pounds we have collected.

Acceptable donations are anything you wear- clothing, shoes, hats, purses coats, etc. plus any household linens. No furniture can be accepted.

Donations may be dropped off at the back porch of Forest Trail Elementary at 1203 Loop 360 S. There are donation bins in place for your items.

Lost Creek is scheduled to have their annual garage sale on March 24th. Please spread the word to your neighbors that we would appreciate their leftover clothes, linens and books. We will have people helping to gather these items after the sale.

Tax receipts are available upon request.

Thank you for your help and support. We are excited to be working with our neighbors and community to make positive impact in Austin.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

FOREST TRAIL YEARBOOKS

Reserve your copy of the Forest Trail Elementary School ALL COLOR yearbook. Make sure your student has their very own yearbook so the memories of this year will not be forgotten. BOOKS ALWAYS SELL OUT AND CAN ONLY BE ORDERED ONLINE!

BOOSTER CLUB CORNER

Ready to Get Involved?! Calling for FTE Booster Club Executive Board Nominations:

Want to Get More Involved at FTE? - While we still have a few months to go until the end of another great school year, it is time for the Booster Club to ask for your continued support for FTE. We would like to invite you to consider a leadership position in the FTE Booster Club for the next school year. The Booster Club will be looking for nominations for the following Executive Board positions for the 2018-19 school year:

Co-President Elects (2) – Shadows co-presidents during the school year, attend general booster club meetings and executive meetings (each once per month), responsible for Muffin Morning organization for the 2018-19 school year. Support and attend booster club activities.

Treasurer-Elect – Shadow treasurer for the 2018-19 school year. Attend general booster club and executive board meetings (each once per month). Support and attend booster club activities.

Secretary - Records minutes for general booster club and executive board meetings. Support and attend booster club activates. Attend general booster club and executive board meetings (each once per month).

Technology VP – This newly created executive board role will oversee and be the point person on booster club software, communication screens, website and newsletter. This is an exciting and critical role for booster club!

The Booster Club appoints an ad-hoc Nominations Committee, which reviews all the nominations received for these Executive Board positions and recommends a slate of officers. The names of the Nominations Committee members, a call for nominations for the Executive Board positions, as well as a list of Committee Chair positions, will be presented to the members at the March meeting. The slate is announced at the April meeting, and voted upon in May. If you are interested in nominating yourself or a friend for any of these positions or are interested in a particular committee leadership position, please e-mail our current FTE Booster Club Presidents at ftebccopres1@gmail.com and we will include the names in the nominations process. Thank you for your continued support of the FTE Booster Club!

Forest Trail Carnival!!!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 21st, from 3pm – 6pm for FTE Carnival! More details and information on where/how to buy wristbands coming shortly!

Attention All 2nd, 3rd and 5th Grade Parents!!

Parent Social tickets for these grades are NOW on sale at on The Hub at: https://www.studentinfohub.net/fte/default.taf?process=&logout=now

Visit the FTE Booster Club Page for Complete Information, but see dates, themes and host homes below!

2nd Grade

Saturday, March 24th

Home of Chrissy and Brad Compere

Theme: Cheeseburger in Paradise

3rd Grade

Friday, March 23rd

Home of Shannon and Doug Fohn

Theme: Tacos & Tequila

5th Grade

Saturday, April 7th

Home of Katie and Doug Thomas

Theme: Camo Ball

EISD NEWS

Spring Break

Important: Sign up for Campus Dismissal Manager today!

Easily notify campus staff of dismissal changes, absences, early dismissals and late arrivals - all online! Every parent must set up their elementary child's dismissal instructions so teachers will know where to take your child at the end of the day.

SEL Highlights Social-Awareness

Social-Awareness and caring for others is the EISD SEL focus for the third nine weeks. Empathy is being able to understand and value someone else's perspective and having compassion for others even when they are different from ourselves.

Monthly Parent Book Studies Coming in January

Book Studies will focus on "The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting" by Brene Brown PhD, LMSW and "How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk" by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish