Principal Update 7/30

Good afternoon Doss parents and families.  I hope you are having a wonderful weekend so far.

We are closing in on two week until the start of the 2022-2023 school year!  Whohoooooooo!  I cannot wait to begin the year with you all and celebrate a new year with you and your children.  Special thanks to our PTA and Mrs. Marquette Reddam for all of the great social media posts.  Your enthusiasm is greatly appreciated.

Last week, Doss assistant principals (Mrs. Sheridan and Ms. Wankel) and I spent the week in an AISD leadership retreat.  We appreciated the theme of building collaboration and getting reacquainted with both fellow administrators and central admin.  There was a feeling of true connection and support, which we hope to extend to our staff when they return next week.  

Next week will be FULL of preparation as we prepare for our staff to return on August 8.  There are many presentations and last minute adjustments we need to make this week.  Special thanks also to our office crew (Adriana Amador, Pat Minford, and Alfred Ibarra) for working MANY hours to support our staff and teacher’s return to work.  We are also experiencing an increase in student numbers.  In the spring, we were projected to have 835 students for the 2022-2023 school year.  As of today, we are around 860 which is great!  Thankfully, any addition to our teaching force will happen before classroom lists are posted to mitigate having to split classes in September. 

While things are incredibly busy, please do not hesitate to contact me or our office crew if you have any questions over the next few weeks.  We look forward to seeing you all very soon.

-Nathan

Back to School Schedule

• Classroom Lists Posted
  • Wednesday, August 10 (online and on café/front doors) @ 5:00 P.M.
• Meet the Teacher
  • Thursday, August 11 from 11:00-12:30
  • Meet the teacher is a quick, come and go event where parents and students can drop off supplies, say a quick hello to friends and the teacher, and walk through the school.  It gives parents and students a chance to orient themselves with the school and classrooms.
    • Two sessions:
      • 11:00-11:40 A-M
      • 11:40-11:50  Transition
      • 11:50-12:30:  N-Z
• Back to School Night
  • Back to School Night is when teachers invite parents only to the classroom to learn about procedures, expectations, and to ask questions.  We provide two sessions so families with multiple children can attend different grade levels.  ​
    • Wednesday, August 24:  Pre-k, Kinder, 1st, and 2nd Grade
      • Session 1:  5:30-6:10
      • Transition:  6:10-6:20
      • Session 2:  6:20-7:00
    • Thursday, September 1:  3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade
      • Session 1:  5:30-6:10
      • Transition:  6:10-6:20
      • Session 2:  6:20-7:00
• First Day of Instruction
  • Monday, August 15th
  • More information about the first day of school will be shared soon.

UPDATES

• Parent Volunteers Needed for In-Person Meet the Teacher
  • If you are planning to attend Meet the Teacher on Thursday, August 11, please consider signing up to volunteer to help at the informational booths as well as serve as Welcome Greeters. You can meet your teachers AND help out at the event – all volunteers will be inside this year!  Please consider signing for 1 (or more) shifts to help make our first official school event a success!
    • Click this link to see our SignUp on SignUp.com (Links to an external site.): https://signup.com/go/gYQVQPR (Links to an external site.)
    • Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.
    • Sign up! It’s Easy – you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.com (Links to an external site.).

• COVID-19 Safety Updates
  • I am waiting to understand what COVID-19 safety precautions and procedures will be and should be able to report them prior to the first day of instruction.
  • I do know, however, that masks will continue to be optional for staff and students.  Again, more specific information will be shared with the campus learning community in the next few weeks.
• Campus Safety Updates
  • Both AISD and Doss have always and will continue to make safety a #1 priority as we move into the 2022-2023 school year.  
  • Doss administration were provided safety updates last week and will work to ensure we are putting these procedures into place along with sharing with staff the week of August 8 and community prior to August 15th.  
• Student Meals for 2022-2023
  • If you are interested in your child eating breakfast or lunch at Doss this year, please read the following message for our food service team. 
  • Please note that breakfast and lunch will no longer be free for all students but rather for those who qualify.  I encourage everyone to apply just in case.  It’s quick, easy, and confidential.
  • Doss Breakfast/Lunch Flyer
• Campus Advisory Council (CAC) Summer Session
  • Thursday, August 4 from 8:30-4:30 at the Doss Community Room.
  • This summer session will be utilized to vote in new membership and to engage members in data analysis of all of our campus data to inform our campus improvement plan.
  • New members for 2022-2023 will be notified, by me, prior to our first official meeting on Thursday, August 25th.  More details to come soon.
  • Agenda