Principal Heather Lowe

January 5, 2024

Greetings and Happy New Year, TES Families!

I hope the winter break brought everyone lots of joyful time with loved ones.  Hopefully, everyone also got a chance to decompress after the busy holiday season.  Having those extra few days after New Year's to settle back in really felt luxurious!  

Before we hit the ground running on Monday, I wanted to put a few important details back on your radar:

• PTA Meeting Tomorrow (Monday, Jan. 6th) at 6:00 in the library or via zoom
• SART Lessons Jan. 14th-16th (See below for more information.)
• Talent Show Auditions Jan 22nd and 23rd 
• Mid-year assessments Jan. 13th-23rd
• No School Jan. 20th (MLK Holiday) and Jan. 24th (End of Quarter 2) 
• Talent Show February 5th @ PHS Rose Theater

In compliance with Erin's Law, we will host our first round of lessons on sexual abuse prevention this month. Partners from Jackson County's Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) will deliver these lessons in all classrooms.   The content of these lessons is age-appropriate and designed to help children understand healthy relationships.  Students are taught the importance of personal space, empathy, consent (asking first before giving a hug, for example), respectful relationships, and how to get help if they need it.  Students are encouraged to identify trusted, helpful adults in their lives that they can talk to.  If you would like to opt your child out of these lessons, please let me and your child's teacher know and we will arrange an alternative activity.  

That's it for now!  Rest up and get ready to roll into 2025 with gusto and grit!

With love,

Ms. Lowe

December 2024

Season's Greetings, TES Community!

It is with the warmest of hearts that I write today. As we enter the last calendar week of the year here at school, I am reflecting on our time together. The fall and early winter have been nothing short of fantastic here at TES. Students have settled in and are showing incredible growth both academically and socially. Our staff continue to demonstrate unmatched dedication to service. And our families (that's YOU!) continue to show up and support our mission in unimaginable ways. It is truly a humbling experience to be your leader when I am surrounded by such superstars. Thank you for making my holiday wishes come true.

We have a lot to look forward to as we round out the year and start 2025. This week we have our fabulous Winter Concert to look forward to on Tuesday at Talent Middle School. The ski program with Mount Ashland starts after the New Year. And, when we return from break, we prepare for mid-year assessments and host auditions for our annual Talent Show. Things sure are moving and shaking around here! Families, be sure to check the lost and found, there are so many winter coats hanging up on the racks, and I'm sure your kiddos will need them over the winter break.

Whatever your plans for the long winter break, I hope you find peace, joy, and some extra rest during this busy time of year. For most of us, I think the holiday season brings a very heighted sense of stress. (Or is it just me?!) My wish for all of us is that we are able to keep ourselves grounded in what matters...our children, our families, our friends, and our community. I know for me, the people that I love are what are most important. And, this especially includes you all. 💚

Warmly,

💫 Ms. Lowe

Proud Principal, TES

November 2024

Dearest TES Community,

I hope this finds everyone happy and healthy. We are heading into the busy holiday season when our regular schedules are thrown off a bit and when the seasons change drastically. These factors can add an extra bit of stress to our already busy lives as parents/caregivers. My hope for our community is that everyone can take good care of themselves and their loved ones. For me, I combat the pressure of the season by grounding myself in gratitude and noticing the little things that are going right.

Speaking of gratitude, I want to share my deep appreciation for all of our families and our staff here at TES. It is remarkable see the dedication and care that unfolds in our community each day. From students carrying in food donations smiling ear-to-ear with pride, to the countless volunteers who come in each day to help our students and staff, it is clear that this community cares about the wellbeing of each other. Thank you for lifting our school up in all the big and little ways that you do. We are here for the sake of our children and that fact shines brightly in our actions and interactions with one another.

As part of our continued improvement efforts, last night a group of parents and staff engaged in an in-depth analysis our school practices. We looked at how our systems support learning, engagement, and decision-making empowerment for staff, students, and families. It was an inspiring process and allowed me to hear from representatives across our communities. Our conversations spurred new, creative ideas and also offered small adjustments that can support our on-going growth as a school community. Thank you to all of the staff and parents who engaged in this important dialogue. If anyone is looking for ways they can be more involved here at school, please reach out. The doors are open for you to engage in whatever capacity that you have.

There is one final positive thing I want to point out in my correspondence today. You may have seen the message that went out last night from the district regarding attendance. If you missed it, there was some amazing news about TES...we have improved our regular attender rate by 8% from last year at this time of year. It may not seem like a big deal, but an 8% increase in this metric is a BIG deal. A huge shout out to everyone for this accomplishment. They say it takes a village to raise a child and together we are raising some wonderful children who will be well-prepared for the big world out there. Thank you for your concerted efforts in the getting your child to school every day when they are not truly sick. Congratulations to all of you!!!

With love,

💚Ms. Lowe

Proud Principal, TES

October 2024

Dearest TES Community,

And just like that, we are in the middle of October!! Can you even believe it?! There is nothing like the rapid growing of a child or the passing of months in a school year to make me feel older than the hills. ;-)

In the coming weeks you will likely see messaging coming from our school and district surrounding the vital importance of regular attendance. Like many other districts in the state, we are collaborating with families and community to reverse the trend we have seen in regular student attendance since Covid. This year we will ensure we have all hands on deck to support these efforts by making more strategic partnerships between our own local businesses and entities with the school. (I cannot wait to share more about what we have in the works when we have details ironed out!)

What we know is that regular attendance is directly correlated with higher student performance. There is no doubt that when students miss school, they miss key concepts and learning opportunities. Over time, skill gaps and misunderstanding grows exponentially. For some, a day here or there can feel like it's no big deal. But when we add up the days and instructional minutes over a school year, or worse, a school career, it can really impact a child's chances at future successes into their adulthood.

If you have a student who struggles with meeting our regular attendance threshold of 90%, please know that we are here to support you in any way we can. We recently sent out our first round of letters to families who have students who are not meeting our 90% target. These are not meant to shame or blame but, rather, to bring attention to this very important component of success in school. Some students have also been placed on formal tracking incentive plans. Others will receive direct contact from myself or a team member to help establish a plan for future success. Together, we/ve got this!

Lastly, please keep reading below because we have some really FUN events coming up. This Friday is our annual Pink and Demin Fun Run when staff raise funds to support local cancer survivors. Then on the 31st we have our highly anticipated Trunk-or-Treat event. Lots of good coming our way!

With all my heart,

💚Ms. Lowe

Proud Principal, TES

September 2024

Dearest TES Community,

Hello and congratulations on making it through the first few weeks of school! (ish 😉) It has been an absolute pleasure getting to welcome back our students/families and to be able to get to know many of our new students/families over these past several school days. The energy and zest for learning is palpable in our classrooms and hallways. Both students and staff are up and running with the school year learning routines, establishing classroom agreements, making friends, and diving into our learning resources. It is awesome to see how quickly our students have been able to readjust to the school setting. (A BIG hats off to our teachers and staff for their patience and structured practice as everyone gets reacquainted with how to be most successful at school!)

Now that we are back in business, we have some great things coming up in the next couple of weeks. We have outlined those below, starting with our monthly Fun Run on this Friday. Healthy kids + healthy families = Healthy Community! Then we get to welcome families for our annual Fall Family Night and BBQ on 9/24. And on 10/2 we have get to participate in the annual PHS Homecoming Parade, dubbed the Pirate Country Parade.

Speaking of the Family BBQ on 9/24, each year our incredible PTA sponsors a school-wide BBQ where our heroes from Fire District 5 grill up some good old fashioned burgers (and veggie burgers) and hotdogs. Following dinner, we will leave the kids in the care of our awesome staff while parents/guardians make their way to their child's classroom. (If you have more than one student, bring a family member/friend, if you can, to attend your other child's session! It takes a village to raise these babies!). During this adult time in classrooms, we will share important student performance data that we have been collecting these past couple of weeks and help families set goals for each child. In addition, we will share strategies that families can employ to help get their student to grade-level in a targeted standard area. These family engagement practices are researched-based and proven to accelerate student growth. We know that when we (schools, families, community) row our boat in the same direction, we get farther faster. With our collective efforts, I know we can achieve the highest heights this year.

There are so many other words that I would love to share with everyone because I am giddy about this year. However, I know you all are very busy. So with that, I will say one last thing: Thank you. Thank you for your support as we begin this new year. And most importantly, thank you for sharing your most prized and important little humans with us and entrusting us with their safety and future success. The opportunity to positively impact your family's life is not lost on any of us and we take that as a gift. We are in this together!

With all my heart,

💚Ms. Lowe

Proud Principal, TES

August 16, 2024

Amazing TES Families,

Happy New School Year!  At Talent Elementary we are beyond excited to kick off the new year with our incredible families.  Greek philosopher Socrates once said, “Education is the kindling of a flame not the filling of a vessel.”  Our goal this year is to do just that.  In the coming months we hope to fuel the flames of curiosity, passion, joy, friendship, and love of learning within our community.  

We stoke the flames of learning by intentionally co-creating experiences where children are empowered to take the lead in their learning journey.  Through transparent data sharing and targeted goal setting, students can take ownership of their academic and social progress.  Part of this empowerment is rooted in an understanding that each child has certain strengths that can be leveraged to help catapult their growth forward.  Student leadership will be a cornerstone of our efforts as we navigate our learning journey together.

This year we will continue our work to elevate family engagement practices, centering this mission on three key practices:

• Facilitate opportunities for families to connect and foster relationships within their students’ classrooms.

• Share student performance data and set strategic goals to help ensure students meet grade-level benchmark standards.

• Empower families to support learning at home by teaching high-leverage skills that bridge the school-home connection.

In addition to these key practices, we plan to further deepen these vital connections by inviting parents and caregivers to serve on various committees throughout the school year.  We have a wonderful Parent-Teacher Association whose members help us plan and fund many special student events.  We ask each classroom to have two formal “room parents” who serve as volunteer coordinators/liaisons between other families from your child’s classroom and the PTA.  We also have a Site Council which is comprised of parents and staff.  This committee oversees our School Improvement Plan and monitors progress towards our school and district goals.  We also boast school-wide leadership teams who carry our district initiative work forward.  This year we are aiming to include parents on our teams, especially our Family Engagement Team.  

We are eager to unveil all of the amazing upgrades that took place over the summer. If you had the chance to drive by the school grounds over the past few months, you likely noticed that the campus has been a major construction site.  Crews have been busy securing the structural integrity, making our buildings safer in the case of an earthquake.  In addition to these vital safety upgrades, classrooms, the gym, and the cafeteria are getting major facelifts.  Students and staff will enjoy new insulated walls, flooring, windows, and cabinetry in classrooms.  Our gym boasts a beautiful new floor and a special surprise that you will have to wait to see!  The cafeteria is bright and shiny making for a more enjoyable dining experience.  All of our roofs have been redone.  And, finally, some of our student bathrooms are getting a much-needed overhaul.   Three cheers for the amazing construction crews who have worked endless hours to bring us these beautiful and important upgrades!

It is going to be an incredible year at TES.  If there is anything that we can do to support your child(ren) or family this year, please don’t hesitate to reach out.  We are here for you!

In service,

Heather Lowe, Proud Principal, TES