Greeting Castle Hills Parents,

As you read this, we are shy just two days from being in school 4 weeks! Very hard to believe. This has been one of the smoothest starts to the school year in my 7 years as Principal. With such a large kindergarten class I didn’t know what to expect. Any concerns I might have had slipped away quickly. Kindergarten parents you rock! Independence Day came and went and your little ones did FANTASTIC. They understand the routine of school and the daily schedule. I don’t know if you noticed or not but they tend to be really tired after school. Their stamina will increase and by the end of six weeks they will not be as tired. I loved it when one of the kindergarten teachers shared with me that some of her students asked when nap time was. Our Kinder Quest again helped us place students in classes with the benefit of more information academically and socially. Meet the Teacher for Kindergarten was August 27th and was well attended.

iPad Deployment took place on Friday, August 24th for both 4th and 5th grade students. If your student missed the deployment we will be in touch as to when their deployment will be. One of my favorite days of the year is to welcome our Grandparents for lunch. Grandparents day was Friday, September 7th. As always, we had lots of Grandparents visiting. Other upcoming events for September are 5th Grade Coffee with the Principal on September 19th from 8:15am – 9:15am (more information will be sent), PTA General Meeting on Thursday, September 27th at 6:30PM, Curriculum Night on Tuesday, September 25th, and 3rd Grade is going to Elm Fork on Thursday, September 27th.

At the beginning of the year there is sometimes some confusion with drop off and pickup. This is just a friendly reminder. In the morning for drop off, please always pull as far up as you can before you stop your car. Please stay in your car. If one person gets out, others will do so too. Kinda of like monkey see monkey do :). Getting out of your car slows down drop off. We will make sure your child gets into the building so please do not wait until you see your child enter the building. In the afternoon. If your child is a car rider….students in grade 3rd – 5th get picked up in the back of the school. Kinder - 2nd grade get picked up in the front. Exception If you have a child in grades 3rd - 5th and a Kinder – 2nd grade the older student (3-5) will go to the front and be picked up with their younger sibling(s).

Walkers: If you are meeting a walker: 4th and 5th grade students go out the front door. 3rd and Kindergarten go out the door closes to the library. 2nd and 1st go out the 1st grade hall. Please, please, please, use the cross walk either by the front doors or at the beginning of the driveway if you parked in the lower parking lot. This is a safety issue when you walk in between cars in the pick-up line and it is not something that we should be teaching our children to do. Thank you in advance with your help with this issue.

Change and education are sometimes synonymous as we have already witnessed in the first few weeks of school. That said, change is happening again. Mrs. McWilliams was given an opportunity to use her skills as a compliance officer that she could not turn down (her old company contacted her). It gives her more flexibility and is what she loves to do.

Please join me in welcoming Gina Hamilton as our new CHE secretary. This will open up a receptionist position that has been posted. Gina will need your patience while she transfers into this position. This is a very big position with many moving parts. I am confident that she will adapt and excel in her new role.

As you are reading this the week of September 11th, I ask that you please take a moment to remember those we lost on September 11, 2001 and the sacrifices many have made and continue to make since that time to keep us safe. Thank you.

Mrs. Taylor. M.Ed
Principal Castle Hills Elementary 

The PTA Volunteer Program is one of the best ways that parents can support the students and staff at our school. 

Don't forget your background check! It's required for all volunteers that will be at the school. It takes about three weeks to complete and is active for three years. Click here or below to complete the LISD form.

Here are sign-up opportunities to support our school, teachers, and students:

 EVENT-SPECIFIC

YEAR-ROUND

  Thanks for volunteering!

Enrichment classes are offered at the Castle Hills campus immediately after school by LISD-approved vendors. The programs are extra-curricular, with fees paid directly to the vendor, and students are escorted to and from classes by a teacher or instructor. WE ARE PAPERLESS and flyers will not be going home via folders.

This month we would like to honor the Spirit Wear Team, Mandy Bain and Carly Dunson! Spirit Wear numbers are up a lot from last year as they offered a lot of different options to choose from. They would also like to thank Sarah McKittrick for helping so much with designs, meetings and making sure things were taken care of, even though she was rolling out of her roll as Spirit Wear Coordinator. They started in April, meeting with the designer to work on t-shirt designs and added new things this year like socks and headbands! They are so excited about everything they are selling! Thank you so much ladies for all your hard work and time!

Volunteer of the Month Spotlight: Let’s Get to Know Mandy Bain!

• About My Family: My husband, Bo and I have been married for 18 years. We moved to Castle Hills in 2005. Abby is in 5th grade and Hunter is in 2nd grade.
• If I could go back in time, I would like to have dinner with: I would have to say my grandfather. He was my most favorite person in the world!
• I have always wanted to: Be good at a sport
• My favorite place to travel is: San Francisco is my favorite city but Colorado and Watercolor in the summer are top family vacations!
• My favorite activity with my family is: Honestly just hanging at home! We love to grill out and watch football in the fall.

Volunteer of the Month Spotlight: Let’s Get to Know Carly Dunson!

• About My Family: My husband, Ted and I have been married for 11 years and live here in Castle Hills since 2007. We have twin 7 year olds, Presley & Sydney and they are in second grade.
• If I could go back in time, I would like to have dinner with: I would have to say Audrey Hepburn. Everything about her is fascinating to me!
• I have always wanted to: Learn how to play the violin. And go to Italy. I'm pretty sure Italy may more likely to happen!
• My favorite place to travel is: Everyone who know me knows I'm obsessed with Disney World and its my most favorite place to travel with my family! We absolutely love It every time!!
• My favorite activity with my family is: Our favorite activity is traveling! Besides Disney we all love the Beach! I can't wait for all the new places and adventures we will have in the future. The four of us always have such a great time together.
  

PTA's mission is to make every child's potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

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