Current Principal's Blog
Notes from the Principal
Knights,
It's been a while since I have posted and so much has gone on and there are several things still to come! There are so many things to communicate, I am going to try to keep this brief and links to pages with more details.
What have we been up to???
- We finished the track season and the teams took either first or second at the district meet! Congratulations to the runners and coaches!
- We submitted almost 2,600 STAAR tests covering Math, Science, Social Studies, and Reading/Language Arts. Preliminary results are not expected until June 11th (Algebra is expected June 7th) and results are supposed to be available to families via the portal by July 24th (Algebra is expected July 15th).
- Thank you to the PTO and all the parents who helped shower the teachers will tokens of appreciation this last week.
What is coming up?
- Fine arts performances: Percussion solo concert, Choir Pop Show, and the Spring One Act "Oz" are all this coming week. See the KLMS calendar for dates.
- Chromebooks collection. All of the Chromebooks are now out of warranty and will be sold or collected. You can purchase the Chromebook that was assigned to your student for $20. Please know that students will have access to Chromebooks next year in their classroom, but they will not be individually issued to students. We will increase opportunities to access computers on campus during/before/after school but they will not have Chromebooks to take home. We want you to know this now, so that if you wanted your student to have a device at home, you could consider purchasing the Chromebook. Click here for more information about Chromebook purchases, collection schedule, and other important information regarding Chromebooks.
- Yearbooks will be distributed before school and during lunches from May 20-22. We recommend that students put their name in their yearbook immediately.
- Locker clean out day is May 22nd - students will be turning in their school-issued lock. If they have lost the lock, they can pay for a replacement (in person or at the webstore). Please know that replacement locks have to be specially ordered so that they match our master lock key - this is why students cannot replace the lock with a store-bought lock that looks and functions the same.
- Backpacks after locker clean-out are not needed or allowed. The students will not have a need for backpacks after locker cleanout because they are not carrying Chromebooks or other major items for class. If your student has special circumstances, please reach out to their counselor.
- Reward Day for 6th and 7th grade students is May 22nd. This is for students that have consistently met the school expectations in regards to attendance, tardiness, discipline, safety, and personal responsibility. Eligible students will receive an invitation.
- The 8th grade trip to Typhoon Texas is May 23rd during the day. See Ms. Sebesta's email for more information.
- Former KLMS students who are graduating this year are invited for a Graduation Walk on Friday, May 24th at 8:30 am. We will start at the front entrance of the school and the graduates will exit either near the 6th or 8th grade office (their choice). Parents are not allowed to follow graduates through the building.
- Knight Out is a school-wide celebration event on Tuesday, May 28th. See the Knight Out page for more information about the activities and schedule.
- Talent Shows are happening this year on May 28th during the day. Each grade level has their own show but at a different time than their Knight Out. Please see the Knight Out page for grade-level times.
- The End-of-the-Year Assemblies are on May 29th. Students will attend 1st, 2nd, and 4th period on that day and each grade will have their own assembly. The parents of students receiving awards will be notified that their student is receiving an award prior to the assembly. Lunches purchased in the cafeteria will be sack lunches on this day.
- 6th grade: assembly @ 9:45 and lunch @ 10:50 (following assembly)
- 7th grade: assembly @ 8:25 and lunch @ 11:30
- 8th grade: assembly @ 11:00 and lunch @ 12:00 (following assembly)
What are other important things you might want to know?
- We do have a new security officer at KLMS! Mr. Crouch is joining us from RRISD and you will likely see him on rounds in the morning or at evening events. This is in addition to our school resource officer, Sam Wilson.
- We are receiving another Assistant Principal position for next year - bringing us back to three. Ms. Martinez is leaving this year, so we are hiring two new Assistant Principals to join Ms. Embry and myself next year. If you would like to provide feedback, please complete this google form.
- We are excited that Ben Keilman is joining KLMS as the Boys Athletic Coordinator starting (officially) next fall. However, Coach Keilman (pronounced Kyle-man) has already been on campus and met several of the students. He is coming with several years of experience at the middle school level as a coach & coordinator (along with high school coaching experience). We are hosting a meet-and-greet for parents on Wednesday, May 15th from 5:30-6:30 pm in the gym. He will give a short introduction at 6:00pm.
- From the nurse:
- Incoming 7th grade students MUST have up-to-date immunizations before they can attend classes next year. Please make sure you have a plan to get the immunizations, or affidavits, before the first day of school to avoid any unnecessary difficulties or tears.
- If you have a controlled substance medication at school, you must pick up the medication before May 29th. After that date, we are required to dispose of the medication. This does not apply to over-the-counter medications; those will be sent home in accordance to how the original permission form was completed.
- The 6th grade camp for our new Knights is scheduled for August 1st. There will be more information posted and this is a great event to help acclimate students and support the KLMS PTO!
- Take Flight is the orientation for students headed to HHS. It is scheduled for August 12th (likely around 9-12) and we will be sending a flyer to current 8th grade parents in the coming weeks.
And lastly, a couple of reminders:
- Students cannot have food delivered to them from 3rd party vendors (ex: uber eats, door dash, etc.) or directly from a restaurant (ex: pizza, Jimmy John's, etc.). Our front office cannot accept these deliveries.
- Students should still adhere to the dress code and ID expectations. Students will get a new ID next year, but they are expected to have one on at all times (in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct) until the very end of the school year.
- Please stop for pedestrians who are in the crosswalk (legally, no car should enter the crosswalk if a person is in the crosswalk). In addition, please do not encourage students to run across the street, step out from between cars, or do U-turns in the loading dock. These actions are more likely to result in an accident and we want everyone to be safe.
Thank you for the partnership and a successful year!
Dina Schaefer, KLMS Principal
Knights,
I hope this message finds your house healthy, happy, and excited for the last nine-weeks of school! Here are a couple of notes from school:
- I have created a page called "Email Archive" in the Principal Blog section (Found in About Us) to help you locate old emails. This way you can search several messages at one time - I loaded everything from early November until now. Link Here.
- STAAR testing starts this week. We are going to test all reading on April 10th instead of stretching it across two days - we think this will help alleviate the disruption to regular instruction for students and keep the campus calmer overall. If it is a success (we've tested this with interims and field tests) then we will also do this for math and all students will test STAAR Math/Algebra on May 1 instead of May 1 & 2. We will let you know ASAP for planning purposes.
- ATTENTION 6th grade students/families -students must have updated immunization paperwork on record with the school before they can start 7th grade. Records can be dropped off to Raquel Perkins in the mail office or emailed to Raquel.Perkins@pfisd.net. The earlier the better - it is awful when we have to pull a student from the first day of classes!
- As the warmer weather approaches, students are more likely to be in their summer-like attire. Please help by checking your student meets the dress code expectations prior to leaving the house. The dress code is fairly relaxed and designed to help all students/parents determine what the student should wear. However, the Board of Trustees has determined that certain body parts should be covered at all times ("abdomen, genitals, buttocks, and chest/breasts are fully covered with opaque fabric"). For more information about what students must, may, and cannot wear see the PfISD dress code (link here).
- We should see tops and bottoms that provide coverage, shoes, and their ID.
- We should NOT see: their stomach/ waist, slippers, blankets used as coverage, foul language, icons/images/words that depict or promote drugs or weapons, clothing with hate speech or profanity, and swimsuits [this is highlighted list, for the complete list refer to the dress code].
Thank you all for your continued support of the students and staff at KLMS. Your partnership is what makes this a great school community!
Dina Schaefer, KLMS Principal
Knights, here is a guide to upcoming meetings and events!
TRANSITION PLANNING
Current 5th grade students will come to KLMS in February, followed by a parent meeting to help those students transition to middle school. More info here.
Current 6th and 7th grade students will be meeting with their counselors in the next few weeks to make their course requests for next year.
Current 8th grade students will visit HHS this week, followed by a course fair and a KLMS parent meeting next week. More info here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The PTO meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 23rd at 6:30pm. During this meeting, the TAPR and School Report Card information will be presented. Paper copies of these reports will be available in the front office or online (click here).
Spirit Wear weekly promotion ends Jan. 25th. Click here to see what's on sale! Click here to browse the spirit store (all proceeds benefit KLMS PTO).
Credit Recovery for students that failed the fall semester of a core/HS credit class begins Jan. 27th. If your student needs credit recovery, be sure to speak with a counselor. Report cards are available through the student portfolio in Skyward.
Soccer season kicks off January 31st. This year, there are two, mixed grade teams (1 girls and 1 boys).
We will administer a STAAR Field Test for Reading 6 and Reading 7 on Feb. 7th. This is State required and we will not receive results. The 8th graders will take their Science and Social Studies interim tests on this day. For more information about STAAR testing, click here.
The Valentine's Dance will be Friday, Feb, 9th. 6th grade students are from 6:00-7:30 with drop-off and pick-up in the front of the school; 7th and 8th graders are from 7:30-9:00 with drop-off in the back and pick-up in the front of the school.
COURSE SELECTION NOTES
- Elective options are determined by staffing and that information is generally formalized later in the semester. Therefore, we may not be able to offer all of the electives on the choice sheet; however, we will do our best to set the master schedule classes based on student interest. Elective requests can also influence hiring decisions.
- Students can change between advanced and grade-level core courses between years. If you are thinking about a level change, reach out to your student's teacher and counselor for more information.
- Level changes for math involve different curriculum and can require placement tests. If you are seeking to advance in math beyond the natural progression (in other words, skip a math grade), you must speak with the grade counselor to determine placement testing.
Knights,
Congratulations to the UIL coaches for an excellent showing on Saturday, Dec. 9th! KLMS students won 9 of the events, placed 2nd in 4 events, and 3rd in 9 events! Overall, the Knights won sweepstakes, which means they won the overall event. We placed first in Modern Oratory, Editorial Writing, Chess, Math, 6th grade spelling, 7th/8th grade Ready Writing, 7th/8th grade Social Studies, 7th/8th grade Spelling, and 7th/8th grade Listening. For a complete list of UIL events, click here. There is still time to participate and prepare for the February District meet; interested students should look in their Google Classrooms for information or email Nancy.Schaare@pfisd.net.
Kelly Lane Middle School has been named a "Best Middle School 2024" by US News and World Report! Thank you parents/guardians and all community/family members that help support our students on a daily basis!
Here are some end-of-semester events happening over the next 2 weeks:
Scholastic Book Fair is Dec. 11 - 15. Click here for the Book Fair homepage (online shopping a e-wallet set up). Tuesday is family night from 3:30-6:30pm in case you want to come browse the library book fair with your students. All purchases through the Scholastic Book Fair benefits the KLMS library. KLMS Book Fair information page.
Peppermint Lane Winter Dance is Dec. 15th. Tickets will be sold Dec. 14th and 15th during lunch for $3 or at the door that night for $5. Students are encouraged to wear red and white, but that is not required. Dance information page link. If parents would like to volunteer - please complete the SignUp Genius (click here for sign up) - we look forward to seeing you!
- 6th grade - dance from 6:00-7:30pm. Drop off and pick up are in front of the school.
- 7th/8th grade - dance from 7:30-9:00pm. Drop off is in the back at door #11 and pick up is in front of the school.
Spirit Dress Up days are listed below. Pajamas and "onsie" outfits are NOT permissible, even on dress-up days.
- Dec. 18 - Ugly Sweaters
- Dec. 19 - Holiday Bling Day (wear holiday accessories)
- Dec. 20 - Grinch Day (wear green or Grinch attire)
- Dec. 21 - Candy Cane Day (wear red and white)
Food Drive Dec. 18th - 20th. Keep Families Fed, a local non-profit, is partnering with Kelly Lane to collect canned or boxed food for the Pflugerville food pantry. Collection dates are Mon-Wed, 12/18-20. Students can drop-off items in the marked boxes by the cafeteria.
Fall Knight Out is December 21st, the last day with an early release at 12:45. This event is a celebration of the semester and all students may participate. The students will go to 2nd, 4th, and 6th period on that day and end the day in their fall clubs. Click here for the events scheduled, class schedules, and information about getting tickets.
Thank you so much for your continued partnership and communication! Our partnership is one of the things that makes Kelly Lane a great community :).
Dina Schaefer, KLMS Principal
Knights,
With the new website design, I am going to try some new things to help communicate information. As we have events, I will add them to the events tab (under About Us). These are events that previously I would have used a banner for on the front page- things like dances, special assemblies, special events, or other campus-wide activities. I will use the blog to put all announcements in one place and the school messaging program to let you know I have posted updated information. This may cause you to have to navigate the site a little more, but I am hoping it will allow the Blog messages to be concise and complete.
Here are our upcoming events and news:
District Cross-Country meet AND Fall Choir Concert - Wednesday, October 18th. The district cross-country meet will be in the back of the school, while the parking for Choir will be in the front of the school. To help ensure the safety of the runner, the drive on north end of the campus that connects Falcon Pointe Blvd. to HHS will be closed from 5:00-8:30pm during the meet. Please do not open these gates during that time and be prepared for more traffic and congestion around the campus tomorrow evening.
CAAC (Campus Academic Advisory Committee), October 26th is the first meeting of this school year. If you are a parent, business member, or community member and interested in joining the CAAC - we need you! Please click here to read more about the committee and the expectations; the meeting dates/times and a link to sign up for the CAAC are at the bottom of the page.
Veteran's Day Assembly, November 9th at 8:20AM - this is a special assembly where we honor active duty and veteran's with student performances and presentations to honor all Veterans. Click here for more information or click here to email Kristi Henderson an RSVP (please note the name of the Veteran attending and their branch of service).
IXL Donation Drive - this is a donation request to help us purchase IXL amidst the budget cuts. Click here to read more about how we use IXL, the amount our students have already used the program, and our general donation drive requests. There is a donation link at the bottom of the page.
Announcement from the Nurse: Although parents sign for their students to have Tylenol/Motrin/Benadryl in the beginning of the school year, I am unable to give those medications unless its an emergency such as a broken arm or a severe allergic reaction. There is a change in practice and we cannot call parents and ask permission to give these for headaches (or other minor issues) anymore. If a parent wishes to bring a bottle of Tylenol or Ibuprofen to school and they fill out a medication form, I can give the medication a total of 10 times in the school year abut then a prescription for the medication is needed. Please email Raquel Perkins with questions (click here for link).
This Friday is the end of the nine-week grading cycle; the grade snapshot is at 4:30 PM. For those of you with eligibility concerns, this report card can help a student regain eligibility or lose it if they are failing any class. Click here for the UIL eligibility calendar; note that from this point forward only the nine-week report cards determine if a student loses eligibility.
HHS Community Pep Rally at Hawk Stadium, October 27th @ 8:30 AM. We will be attending the community pep rally on the 27th. Students that are late for school will wait on KLMS campus until we return and resume the normal school day.
I hope you all enjoy the cooler weather!
Dina Schaefer, KLMS Principal