Stafford Elementary School

Stafford Weekly Announcements:

Monday, 25th
PreK Head Start Welcome Event/1st Parent Meeting (Spraberry's Class) 12pm-1pm
School Board Meeting at the High School 5:30pm

Wednesday, 27th
Fall and Yearbook Picture Day - To order online and choose different background options please go to www.mylifetouch.com using picture day ID: EVTZCBP26 Paper order forms were sent home this week and extras are available at the front office. If you do not order online, on picture day please send in completed order form with exact cash or checks made payable to Lifetouch.

Thursday, 28th
STAAR Spring 2025 Growth Incentive Party 5th-6th Grades

September
Monday, 1st
Holiday - No School for Students or Staff

Friday, 5th
All students and staff attend school

Stafford Reminders:
*Parents/Guardians are welcome to visit during lunches of scholars on any day except non-exempt days (i.e. STAAR, etc.). There is a designated area to eat with their student, during their lunch period.
*Parents/Guardians are not allowed to eat lunch with other students or bring food for other students.
*Please make sure and bring your driver's license to run through our security system for a printed badge every time for lunch, meetings, etc.
*For the safety of the students, please do not send students to school with glass bottles or containers. To help with water spills please send bottles that the straw flips in and closes all the way.
*We no longer have cough drops listed on our standing orders that our school physician signs for us. We must have a physician's order before administering any medication. Therefore, if parents wish to have cough drops administered to their child, they will need to have a medication form filled out and signed by the doctor and the parent will need to sign it. Once we receive the completed form, we can administer the cough drops on campus. The parents will need to provide a new unopened package to the nurse's office, and they can only be given per package instructions. As far as giving the children Tylenol for their head hurting, it is also only to be given as needed with a parents’ consent form filled out. We don't want to be giving Tylenol and masking an illness or injury that needs to be looked at by the child's Doctor to rule out an underlying medical condition that could be going on.
*Our dismissal procedures and completion time for our car riders are off to a strong start. Please continue to use and display your car tags, as this helps not only with safety but also with identifying students and cars more quickly. Please let us know if you need another car tag for family members who help pick up your student. For parents buckling smaller students in car seats, please use the outside lane and pull off into a parking spot, we will bring your child to you, and you can take your time buckling your student in. (School employees are not legally allowed to buckle students in.) This will allow us to keep our dismissal line flowing and moving. As always school and student safety is our number one priority.

Please go to www.italyisd.org, select schools, select Stafford Elementary for more helpful information throughout the year. Follow us on Facebook at Italy ISD.

Go Stafford!

Fall Book Fair and Grand Friends Week in September! Please bring your driver’s license to run through our security system for a printed badge. Students can shop at the book fair with their family during their lunchtime. The book fair accepts cash, cards or checks payable to Italy ISD. Grandfriends week is a cherished tradition at Stafford, thank you for being invaluable to our school community.

Thursday, 4th
ECSE & FLS – 11am
1st Grade – 11:15am
FLA – 11:45am

Friday, 5th
2nd Grade – 12:30pm

Monday, 8th
4th Grade – 12pm
3rd Grade – 12:45pm
Fall Book Fair Family Night 4:30-6pm

Tuesday, 9th
5th Grade – 11:30am
PreK and PreK HeadStart – 12:15pm

Wednesday, 10th
Kinder – 11:45am

Thursday, 11th
6th Grade – 11am

Please go to www.italyisd.org, select schools, select Stafford Elementary for more helpful information throughout the year. Follow us on Facebook at Italy ISD.

School Name: Stafford Elementary School

Fall and Yearbook Picture Day: Wednesday, August 27th

Picture Day ID: EVTZCBP26

To order online and choose different background options please go to www.mylifetouch.com using picture day ID: EVTZCBP26 Paper order forms will be sent home with students this week and extras are available at the front office. If you do not order online, on picture day please send in completed order form with exact cash or checks made payable to Lifetouch. Thank you!

Stafford Families,

Our dismissal procedures and completion time for our car riders are off to a strong start. Please continue to use and display your car tags, as this helps not only with safety but also with identifying students and cars more quickly. Please let us know if you need another car tag for family members who help pick up your student. For parents buckling smaller students in car seats, please use the outside lane and pull off into a parking spot, we will bring your child to you, and you can take your time buckling your student in. (School employees are not legally allowed to buckle students in.) This will allow us to keep our dismissal line flowing and moving. As always school and student safety is our number one priority.

Stafford PTO would love to have more volunteers!! PTO is an organization of parent and staff volunteers who work together for the benefit of the school. PTO promotes collaboration, open communication, parental involvement and positive school culture.

Meetings are on the second Monday of the month at 5:15pm in the cafeteria.

A few great reasons to attend: Connect with other parents. Hear about important news and upcoming events. Volunteer your time, at school or at home, to make a difference in our school community. You do not need to be a member to attend. If you are unable to attend the meetings but would like more information, please contact the PTO by emailing staffordptopresident@gmail.com or reach out to one of our amazing PTO board members.

President, Kaitlin Leach
Vice President, Eva DeLaHoya
Secretary, Ashlyn Conger
Treasure, Cassandra Enriquez

Follow us on Facebook: Stafford Elementary PTO

Every day volunteers give their time, skills, energy, kindness, love, wisdom, strength, compassion and a lot more to their communities. We appreciate you all very much!!

Thank you for your support!

RESERVED SEASON PASSES FOR FOOTBALL WILL GO ON SALE NEXT WEEK $30 EACH PLEASE

Stafford Weekly Announcements:

Friday, 8th
*All students and staff attend school.

Monday, 11th
*PTO meeting at 5:15pm in the cafeteria. The class that has the most parents join will receive a popsicle party! Forms were sent home this week, online or also available in the front office. A few great reasons to attend: Connect with other parents. Hear about important news and upcoming events. Volunteer your time, at school or at home, to make a difference in our school community. You do not need to be a member to attend. If you are unable to attend the meetings but would like more information, please contact the PTO by emailing staffordptopresident@gmail.com or reach out to on of our amazing PTO board members.

Monday, 11th – Thursday, 14th
*Fall Safety Week! Throughout the week, administration will lead campuses through different safety drills. The safety of our students and staff is a top priority.

Video Link from Dr. Bray: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T2adyV5nEtylvOS1kWDVufKqW1KVuF7b/view?usp=sharing_eil_se_dm&ts=689502ea

Please go to www.italyisd.org, select schools, select Stafford Elementary for more helpful information throughout the year. Follow us on Facebook at Italy ISD.

Go Stafford!

PreK, PreK Headstart and Kinder Families Boo-Hoo Breakfast:

· Wednesday, August 6th

· Enter through the front door and you will gather in the library. A light breakfast will be available in the library.

· Only 2 adults per student.

· PreK will be released about 7:45am.

· Then Kinder will be released about 7:50am.

· Parents will say goodbye to their student in the library. It is easier on the students to separate from the library instead of the classroom.

Ms. Barnes, school counselor, will be available in the library if needed for support and encouragement.

We will be having one final opportunity to pick up your schedule before the first day of school!!! Come now or stand in line on the first day!!! Tuesday, August 5th - 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM You will only verify registration is complete and pick up your schedule. Chromebooks will be given out after school starts.

Don't stand in line on the 1st day of school!!!! Be ready for Walk the Schedule/Meet the Teacher!!!
Pick up SCHEDULE TODAY!!!!!
3:30 - 7:30 PM
No schedules will be given out on Meet the Teacher/Walk the Schedule night!!

Stafford Important Information

2025-2026
Stafford Elementary Welcome Back Video from Dr. Bray!! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1exs2VwAiVAmYGtOlGgCryZXu7T12Eqz_/view?usp=sharing_eil_se_dm&ts=6887cab3

During the July 21, 2025 Italy ISD Board of Trustees meeting, the board selected the policy to designate a method for the storage of the device while the student is on school property during the school day through adoption of the revised Board policy FNCE(LOCAL). Regulations to implement the policy, as well as disciplinary measures,were also approved. Information can be found at the link included in this email, as well as a "Frequently Asked Questions" document.

Please see the new Cell Phone Information and Policies page on the school web site at https://www.italyisd.org/page/cell-phone-policies

Italy ISD Football/Athletic Parent Meeting

Online Registration for the 2025-2026 School year is now open for Italy ISD!!!

Stafford Elementary 2025-2026 Meet the Teacher Night will be Monday, August 4th from 5pm-6:15pm. Please enter through cafeteria doors and exit by front office.

Students MUST COMPLETE ONLINE REGISTRATION FIRST, before they will be able to meet their teacher. Please Complete Online Registration before coming to Meet the Teacher. Online Registration Opens on Wednesday July 23rd at 8:00am.

Italy Independent School District
Office of the Superintendent
Rachel Kistner
Principal J. Lance Bray, Sharon Graves
Stafford Elementary Italy Junior High-High School
New Texas Cell Phone Law
This summer Governor Abbott, with the support of our legislators, signed into law House Bill 1481 that takes effect with the 2025-2026 school year. It brings important changes to how students can use cell phones or any communication device during the school day. As a result, it will also create significant changes for how parents will communicate with their child during the school day.
What the Law Says
House Bill (HB) 1481 requires local school boards to adopt and implement a written policy prohibiting students from using cell phones, tablets, smartwatches, radio devices, paging devices, or any other electronic device capable of communication while on school property during the school day, unless the device was provided to a student by the school district, and requires the policy to include disciplinary measures which will include confiscation of the device.
The law allows the required policy to either:
● prohibit a student from bringing such a device on school property or
● to designate a method for the storage of the device while the student is on school property during the school day
It allows the required policy to include provision for disposing of a confiscated device after having provided the student’s parent 90 days written notice of the school’s intent to dispose of the device
It requires the policy to allow use of a device as necessary to implement an IEP or Section 504 plan, by a student with a documented need based on a directive from a physician, or as necessary to comply with a health or safety requirement imposed by law or the district’s or school’s safety protocols.
Why?
In summary, this law was passed to help students stay focused, reduce distractions in the classroom and improve academic outcomes across Texas. Research continues to show that limiting phone use during school hours supports better attention, deeper learning and healthier social interactions
So What Does This Mean In Italy ISD?
We are currently reviewing and updating our campus policies to align to this new law. While full details will be shared closer to the start of school , we want to give families an early heads-up. This gives everyone time to prepare for a more structured and distraction-free school environment,
Stafford
As of today, Stafford Elementary will likely require any students with devices to keep them in their backpacks during the school day.
Italy Junior High-High School
For the junior high/high school, after reaching out to some students for feedback on this mandate, we will likely be requiring students to store their devices in a locked container for the school day and . Students will be able to take their phones for extra curricular activities that are off campus, and any student needing their device for medical reasons will be allowed to maintain possession of their phone with proper medical documentation and guidelines for use.
For both campuses, students that refuse to turn in their phone or are caught using their phone during the school day will face consequences that could include taking the phone for an extended period of time and ISS. We do not want to turn this compliance piece into a battle, we just want to comply with the law.
Parents/Guardians
As parents/guardians, communications to your student will go back to how we communicated before cell phones. If there is important information your child needs to have during the school day you will call the school office and the message will be delivered to them.
We do not have all the answers, and we invite you to give us feedback. We just recognize that this is now a state law that we will have to work together to comply with.
But I Don’t Agree With the Law?
There are many laws you may not agree with but that does not exempt you from following them. This law, like most others in the state of Texas, was signed into law by our elected legislators and governor. As we shared with students, the lesson for all of us is understanding and executing our right to vote. Voting is where we are able to make the biggest differences in things we support or things we do not support.
Thank you again for your support and partnership with your students’ education. We look forward to creating the best learning environment possible for our students and helping them succeed one focused day at a time. Enjoy the rest of your summer!