This week's Monday Memo is on a Tuesday

My apologies Little Griffin community! I am still in Summer mode and the Monday Memo I promised slipped my mind. Fortunately, Mr. Tabor reminded me and here it is a day late. I would like to introduce myself so you know who puts together these newsletters. My name is Tara Brawley. I am the Music teacher and Communications Coordinator for our school. Your students will come to Music class once a week as part of our Enrichment program. Students will also visit S.T.R.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math) in our library with Mrs. Melanie Odom once a week and will spend the other 3 days in P.E. with Coaches Julia Barbo and Stephanie Locke. Our Enrichment team also serves during car line drop off and pick up as well as teaches a W.I.N. (Whatever I Need) intervention group each morning. We wear many hats around campus.

As for me, my Communication Coordinator duties includes putting together the Monday Memo each week, updating our website and Facebook page, coordinating the yearbook, helping parents with ROOMs messaging, and creating slideshows and announcements for our display monitors around the school. I will be at a table at Open House on August 4th from 3:00-6:00 to help anyone who needs it to make sure you are set up with our DeSoto Parish Schools App, ROOMs messaging, Class DOJO App and the Student Progress Center.

If you have any pictures of our little Griffins having some summer fun for our back to school slideshow, you can email them to me at tara.brawley@desotopsb.com. The students enjoy seeing pictures of themselves during lunch in the cafeteria.

School Bus Information

We are extremely excited to have the Edulog system here in DeSoto Parish, as it has already proven to be a great asset. The system allows you to track the bus your student rides and will give you accurate pick up and drop off times. If you have not already done so, please go and download the App.

Contact your Bus Operator or the Transportation Department for instructions and codes.

As always, do not hesitate to call our office, (318)925-2383 with any questions.

Campus Construction

If you would like to know more about the construction project going on, you can click here.

The following link is a message from our school district regarding the North DeSoto Schools construction. Click here.

Due to Construction, parents are not allowed to walk students to class on their first day.

We welcome and encourage all parents to use the opportunity to visit with your child's teacher and walk them to their classrooms during our Open House on Monday, Aug. 4th from 3:00-6:00 pm. There will be plenty of DeSoto Parish Staff on hand the first week of school to ensure all students get where they need to go. Your students are in good hands.

Pre-Pay for School Fundraisers at Open House

NDLE Families: We are excited about offering this easier option for y'all this year! Please see Mrs. Tracy and Mrs. Dena at their table in the multipurpose room at our Open House to take of this advantage of this opportunity! Reminder: Open House ~ August 4th ~ 3:00-6:00.

Staggered Start Schedule

We would like to remind everyone about the staggered start schedule. Everyone should receive a teacher letter this week with detailed information about which day your Kindergarten or PK student attends. Below is general information about staggered start days to give you time to arrange for childcare. You will get specific dates for your child when you receive your letter.

Thursday, August 7: All 1st Grade + first half of Kindergarten
Friday, August 8: second half of Kindergarten students
Monday, August 11: All Kindergarten
Tuesday, August 12: First third of Pre-K
Wednesday, August 13: Second third of Pre-K
Thursday, August 14: Final third of Pre-K
Friday, August 15: All Pre-K students attend

PreK parents, please notice that the first day of PreK is later than the other grade levels.

School Supplies and Uniforms

DeSoto Parish Schools provides all school supplies for students in Pre-K through 12th grade. Parents are responsible for providing a CLEAR or MESH backpack and student uniforms.

Uniform Tops:

Red, navy, or white collared shirts
North DeSoto spirit shirts may be worn on Fridays with uniform bottoms.
You can purchase spirit shirts with this link Hometown Spirit Shop

Bottoms:

Navy or khaki shorts, pants, skirts, or skorts
Elastic waistbands are preferred
Students must be able to use the bathroom independently
Leggings/biker shorts may only be worn under skirts/dresses

Dresses:

Polo-style collared dresses in red, navy, or white
Sleeveless navy or khaki dresses ("jumpers") must be worn with a collared shirt underneath
Shorts, bloomers, or similar should be worn underneath dresses or skirts for comfort and modesty during play and floor activities

Shoes:

Closed-toe shoes with backs are required
No Crocs or backless shoes
Athletic shoes are preferred for active participation in P.E., music, library, recess, and classroom brain breaks
If your child cannot tie shoes, opt for Velcro or slip-ons. If your child wears lace-up shoes to school, please double-knot them and remind them not to untie them during the day.

Why so much about shoes? Untied laces can become a safety issue, distract learning, become damaged, and get mysteriously wet (use your imagination), which makes shoe-tying a challenge for teachers and students alike!

Outerwear:

Red, white, navy, or gray jackets and sweaters are allowed in class
Label all outerwear with your child’s first and last name (their name is easier than monograms!)
Check out these name labels for all your child's belongings Click HERE
Remind your child to store jackets in their backpack or locker and not take them to the playground or enrichments

Big Picture:
Dress your child in comfortable, functional clothing that they can manage independently—especially for bathroom breaks. Function over fashion is always best for our young learners.

Special Dress Days

Throughout the year, we will have special dress days (jeans days, free dress, theme days like Homecoming, Red Ribbon Week, Autism Awareness, etc.). You'll be notified in advance by your child’s teacher and the school. On these days, please ensure students can still use the bathroom independently and safely participate in daily activities.

Cafeteria Information

All DeSoto Parish students receive free breakfast and lunch.

Pre-K students eat in their classrooms
Kindergarten and 1st Grade eat in the cafeteria
Breakfast is served before class begins, so Kindergarten and First grade students who eat breakfast at school should go directly to the cafeteria when they arrive

Students may also bring lunch from home. Please label all lunchboxes and water bottles. Help your child practice opening containers and cleaning up after themselves—important life skills we’ll reinforce at school.

Birthday Treats

Must be store-bought (no homemade items allowed)
You may leave treats in the front office to be served to their class during lunch
Please let your teacher know beforehand

School-Wide Behavior Expectations: S.O.A.R.

We implement our S.O.A.R. expectations to support a positive and safe learning environment. Please review these with your child:

S – Safe Behavior: Keep hands to yourself; use equipment properly; stay with your class
O – On Task: Listen, follow directions, complete work
A – Act Respectfully: Be kind, use manners, share, and take turns
R – Responsible Choices: Clean up after yourself, care for belongings, respect school property

These expectations will be taught and reinforced at school—but support from families makes a big difference!