Opal Parent Newsletter ~ Week of 9/29-10/3

Posted Date: 9/28/25 (11:40 AM)

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Parent Newsletter

Student Hours

7:30 AM Doors Open

no adults will be allowed in the building

7:30-7:50 AM Breakfast

7:50 AM Doors Close (Tardy Bell)

Parents will be required to walk students into the front office and sign students in.

3:35 PM Dismissal

All students must be picked up by 3:55

Parents will be required come into the office and sign students out if parents arrive after 3:55.

Check out Alphabest flyer below if you need your child enrolled for extended day.

Alphabest Hours 3:35-6:30PM

Week of Sept 29 - Oct 3

Dear Pirate Families,

✨ It’s been a BUSY week at Opal Smith Elementary! From parades 🎉, Johnny Appleseed fun 🍎, school spirit 💛🖤, and even a brave head shave 💇‍♂️—our Pirates are making memories, learning, and having fun every step of the way.

🎉 September was Attendance Awareness Month, and our Pirates showed up strong! We met our goal of 10 consecutive days with over 96% attendance 👏.

As their incentive, students voted—and the winning choice was for our assistant principal, Mr. McElroy, to get his head shaved 💇‍♂️! What a fun way to celebrate the power of showing up every day.

💰 Fundraiser Update

Our Big Kahuna sales are off to a strong start with $12,989.14 raised so far!

Congratulations to our current top-selling classes:

🏆 1st Grade – Ms. Janicek – $1,339.27

🏆 2nd Grade – Ms. Petroff – $1,141.72

🏆 3rd Grade – Ms. Rodriguez – $1,062.50

📅 Important Dates

Big Kahuna: Sales Close Wednesday, September 24 / Last Day for Online Orders: Thursday, October 2. Delivery Date: Tuesday, October 21 🚚
Please also review the campus calendar carefully—District Checkpoints (DCPs) for several grades and subjects will take place over the next two weeks.

⏰ Student Punctuality

The tardy bell rings at 7:50 AM. Arriving late causes students to miss valuable instructional minutes. Please help your child maximize learning by ensuring they arrive on time each day. 🏫📖

📌 Meal Applications

Don’t forget to complete your free and reduced-price meal application if you haven’t already. These applications not only support your child but also help provide important funding for our campus.

Together, we are One Crandall, One Family, One Purpose! 🏴‍☠️💪

With Pirate Pride,

Jennifer Scott

Principal

Silhouette of children holding a flag, with text 'Rising in Strength' and 'Rooted in Growth'.

A collage of photos shows children in various school and community settings.

CISD 25-26 District Calendar

Upcoming Events

SEP 25: Student Holiday/ Staff Learning Day NO SCHOOL

SEP 26: Student Holiday/ Staff Work Day - NO SCHOOL

OCT 1: 3rd-5th grade Reading DCP

OCT 2: 4th grade Science DCP & Pirate Fest 6-8 PM @ HMS

OCT 3: 3rd-5th grade Social Studies DCP

OCT 6: Class pictures & make-up for individuals

OCT 7: 3rd grade Science DCP

OCT 10: Kinder Math DCP

OCT 13-17: FALL BREAK - NO SCHOOL

OCT 23: Fall Festival -(info coming soon)

NOV 7: Student Holiday/ Staff Learning Day NO SCHOOL

NOV 20: Fall into Reading - Literacy Night

NOV 21: Turkey Trot (info coming soon)

NOV 24-28: Student Holiday/ Staff Holiday - NO SCHOOL

DEC 1-5: Winter Shop (info coming soon)

DEC 18: Jingle Bell Run (info coming soon) & Early Release @ 12 PM

DEC 19: Student Holiday/ Staff Work Day - NO SCHOOL

A colorful flyer announces 'Rock Your School Sports Week' with daily dress-up themes.

Promotional graphic for a school fundraiser featuring online sales and a collectible lanyard.

Promotional image for a school fundraiser, featuring gift items and online shopping.

Big Kahuna - 10/2 - Last day for online orders

END DATE: Wednesday, September 24th

LAST DAY FOR LATE ORDERS & ONLINE SALES: Thursday, October 2nd

DELIVERY DATE: Tuesday, October 21st

DELIVERY LOCATION: Opal Smith Parking Lot

A promotional graphic for Crandall ISD's Little Pirate Nation, featuring a football schedule and pirate imagery.

A child with face paint is featured in a flyer for the Annual CISD Pirate Fest.

A side-by-side calendar displays school holidays for Fall 2025, in both English and Spanish.

Teaching & Learning at Opal Smith

Campus Expectations

Arrival & Dismissal Procedures

ARRIVAL

7:30 AM Doors Open

7:30-7:50 AM Breakfast

7:50 AM Doors Close (Tardy Bell)

All students will enter the building using the front entrance on their own. Staff will greet and provided assistance when needed.
Parents: Please pull forward to drop of student using on lane for safety reason. No parking in the car line. If you need to enter the office, please park in the parking lot.
Any student that arrives after 7:50am, parents will be required to walk students into the front office and sign students in.

DISMISSAL

3:35 PM Dismissal

Car Riders: All car riders will be dismissed from indoors. Please utilize both lanes, pull forward to the cones, and ensure your car rider sign is visible when you arrive. Life Skills car riders: Please refer to the above map for designated dismissal location.
Walkers, Bike/Scooter Riders: Students in this group will continue to exit the building under staff supervision, these students will exit out of the cafeteria.
Bus Riders: All bus riders are escorted to the gym to load the buses.

Crosswalk Reminder

All individuals (parents and students) must only cross the street at a designated crosswalk location, this is for both LEGAL and SAFETY purposes.

Ride Changes Procedure

Email: OSRideChange@crandall-isd.net BEFORE 2:00 PM to request a ride change.

Attendance Matters

MISS A DAY, MISS A LOT!

Your child's academic growth is dependent on attendance everyday. When students arrive late and leave early, they are missing out on learning opportunities.

DOCTOR'S NOTES

All doctor's notes must have a date and the date(s) of the absence.

Bring your scholar back to school after a doctor's. appointment and receive credit for a full day attendance.

90 % ATTENDANCE IS A STATE REQUIREMENT - Compulsory Attendance Laws

If your scholar needs to be absent:

1. Send a written note justifying you scholar's reason for absence within 3 school days (only 3 per semester)

2. Send a doctor's note to verify the scholars absence

Submit Absent Notes

Lunch Schedule

Free & Reduced Meals

Children need healthy meals to learn. Crandall ISD offers healthy meals every school day. Breakfast costs $2.25; lunch costs PreK-5th grade is $3.50, and 6-12th grade is $3.75. Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced-meal prices. Reduced-price is free for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch. Contact amitchell@crandall-isd.net for questions.

Remember to (re)apply for free or reduced school meals for the

2025-2026 school year online.

APPLICATION FOR THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR IS NOW OPEN