Hello Blackshear families!

I hope you had a wonderful break! We are excited to see our buffaloes back tomorrow, Feb. 16th, and have a busy week ahead filled with important testing and exciting community events. Please take a moment to review these updates so you’re in the loop.

TELPAS Testing: Feb. 17th – 20th
Our students will be participating in TELPAS testing starting this Tuesday. To ensure a quiet and secure testing environment for all scholars:

- No Lunch Visitors: We will not be able to host visitors for lunch from Tuesday, Feb. 17th through Friday, Feb. 20th.
 - Testing Tips: Please ensure your students get plenty of rest and arrive at school on time each morning!

PTO Dodgeball Family Fun Night - Feb. 20th
Get ready to duck, dip, and dive! The PTO is hosting a Dodgeball Family Fun Night this Friday, Feb. 20th from 6:00 - 7:00. Come out and have some fun playing dodgeball with friends! 

Denim & Diamonds Dance - Mar. 6th
It’s time to dust off your boots and find your sparkle! Tickets for our Denim and Diamonds Dance are officially on sale now. Grab yours early to secure your spot at the most glittering event of the season. Details in flyer below.

Go Texan Day RSVP - Feb. 27th
Don't forget to mark your calendars for Go Texan Day! If you plan on joining us for the festivities, please make sure to RSVP no later than February 25th. We want to ensure a smooth check-in process for all our guests.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support! Reach out if you need anything. 

Ashley Baker
Principal, Blackshear Elementary School

This is a reminder of upcoming TELPAS (Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System) online testing sessions for Blackshear students. Please ensure your child attends school on their testing day.

Grades 5 & 4

Reading & Writing: February 17 — all day

Listening & Speaking: February 19 — all day

Grades 3 & 2

Reading & Writing: February 18 — all day

Listening & Speaking: February 20 — all day

Please note: Due to changes in campus schedules and state testing directives, we will not be able to host lunch visitors for all testing days this spring. 

February:
2/9-13 - Mid Winter Break
2/17-20 TELPAS Testing
2/18 - Lego Robotics Team Interest Meeting - 5:00
2/20 - PTO Dodgeball Night 6:00 - 7:00
2/27 - Go Texan Day - Schedule and RSVP Below

March:
3/2 - Read a Thon Kick Off
3/2 - GT Campus Expo
3/3 - ELAR Benchmark
3/4 - Math Benchmark
3/6 - Denim and Diamonds Dance
3/9 - Book Fair Starts
3/10 - Science Benchmark
3/11 - 2nd Gr. Musical 
3/12 - Sci. Vocab. Parade - 9:00
3/12 - Big Kahuna Bus
3/12 - Spring Open House - 5:00 - 6:30
3/13 - End of Grading Period
3/13 - Buffalo Bucks Dance Party

Upcoming Testing Dates:
4/14 - ELA STAAR
4/16 - Science STAAR
4/28 - Math STAAR

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We hope this message finds you well. We have our official date and time for the District Research Symposium! Blackshear will be attending the District Research Symposium on March 2nd from 9:30-11:00. Student presentations will begin after students arrive at the KMPC from our campus. Presentation time and location for students will be shared closer to the event. 

Permission Slips for students have already been sent home. Please return no later than Feb. 26th.

Please Note: For security purposes, all visitors must obtain a Visitor Badge from the campus before arriving at the Klein Multipurpose Center. If you plan to attend, please complete the following Google Form. Guidelines for chaperoning can be found at the top of the Google Form. 

Also, reminder that our Campus GT Showcase is Feb. 24th at 4:30. Students will stay after school to set up. 

📣 5th Grade Parents Needed!

Join Blackshear PTO as we begin planning our 5th Grade Appreciation event!

📅 Monday, February 16

⏰ 6:00 PM

📍 Blackshear Library

Come see how you can help celebrate our amazing 5th graders—we can’t do it without you.

Family Dodgeball Night at Blackshear!

Get ready for an action-packed evening of fun! Join us for Dodgeball Night on February 20 from 6:00–7:00 PM in the Blackshear Gym. Grab your sneakers, bring your energy, and enjoy a friendly night of dodging, throwing, and cheering.

🍿 Popcorn and water will be served.

We can’t wait to see our Buffaloes out on the court! ❤️🖤

Join us for our Denim and Diamonds Dance on Friday March 6, 2026.

✨ Dust off those boots and find your sparkle! ✨

Tickets for our Denim & Diamonds Dance are officially ON SALE! 💎🤠

This is a family-inclusive event—we want to see our students shine alongside their favorite grownup! Whether they're coming with Dad, Grandpa, an Uncle, Mom, or a special family friend, all are welcome to join the fun. To accommodate our limited space and food, limit one adult per student please.

🎟️ Get your tickets here: Click Here to Purchase Tickets

Tickets are purchased Online Only. $15 per student

Enjoy a fun night to remember!

✨ One World. Many Minds. United by Discovery. ✨

Our #KleinFamily researchers are preparing to showcase months of curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking at the 2026 Klein Research Symposium — and they need you to help make it unforgettable.

Many students choose to receive feedback on their research projects, and volunteer appraisers play a vital role in encouraging their growth, confidence, and future discoveries.

📅 March 2–3, 2026
📍 Klein Multipurpose Center
🕘 9:00–11:00 AM or 11:30 AM–1:30 PM
🍪 Training and light snacks provided!

Join us in supporting the Promise to Purpose of our Gifted & Advanced Learners.

👉 Sign up here: https://forms.gle/KWSU8CiHpra7AJYj8 

#OneWorldManyMinds #KleinFamily #KleinResearch #GiftedEduca

Emotional Awareness Tidbit:
Helping children name their feelings is a powerful mental health skill. When kids can say “I feel worried” or “I feel angry,” they are better able to calm their bodies and ask for help. Talking about feelings at home builds emotional strength at school.

Bernice Brunell-Blackshear Counselor
832-375-7635
bbrunell1@kleinisd.net

SPRING PLAY SEASON

Join Drama Kids – Enroll Today and Perform in May!

After School Tuesdays 3:30PM – 4:30PM

www.DramaKids.com/TX2

281-855-2555

dramakidstexas@gmail.com

We encourage families to apply for Free and Reduced Meals, by visiting https://www.schoolcafe.com/KLEINISD and completing the application.

FRONT OFFICE IS NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT DROP OFF LUNCHES.

Parents can sit at the assigned Visitor Table or the Picnic Tables outside. Please do not sit at the student tables.

Please follow the below schedule to help our front office plan for visitor check in. Contact admin if needing approval to join a different day.

Monday - PreK and 3rd Gr.
Tuesday - Kinder and 1st Gr.
Wednesday - 2nd Gr. and 5th Gr.
Thursday - 4th Gr.

ALL visitors must check in in the front office. Please bring ID to receive your temporary badge.

Get involved- Join the PTO!! 
Want to make a difference at your child’s school? Click the link below join! Help support our students, teachers, and community! We would love to have you on the team. 
Click Here to Join PTO

1. Fill out Klein ISD volunteer application

2. Review the Orientation Slide Deck

3. Fill out sign up form

4. We will email potential dates to get started

For questions email: sanderson6@kleinisd.net

Celebrate Your Student’s Birthday in Lights!
With a $25 donation, your student’s name will be showcased on the digital screens around the school during the week of their birthday!
https://KleinISD.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/101180/27/False/True
Important Details:
Requests must be submitted at least one week before your student's birthday.
Summer birthdays (June & July) will be celebrated on the screens during May.

Send your student’s photo and a birthday message to:
bhowell1@kleinisd.net
Let’s make their birthday unforgettable!

Make a Splash – Be in Class! 

Doors will open at 7:45 for all students, please do not leave your child unsupervised before this time. Please review the procedures for drop off and reach out with any questions.

Bus Riders: Look up Bus Routes, Pick up and Drop Off info HERE

Car Rider Drop Off:

• Use Red Lot ONLY

• Follow staff direction for the safety of all.

• Drive through lanes, pull all the way up to stop sign.

• Cars will split into TWO lanes at the last turn, by the buffalo statue.

• Students stay in car until all cars are stopped in the drop off zone.

• Parents do not move car to leave until stop sign drops.

• NO walk up parents.

• Please do not release students from your car until 7:45

Parents, please do not park in the Bus/SPED Lot, Staff Lot, or Car Rider Lot to walk your students to the door. It is a serious safety concern having students walk through parking lots that have moving vehicles. All parents walking up must walk from the neighborhood sidewalks.

Thank you for following the dismissal procedures in place. Please know that all decisions are made based on available staff, district guidance, and, of course, our students' safety.

Walker/Bike Rider:

• Students should be walking/riding off property, NOT to a car in the parking lot. The only cars moving in our parking lots at dismissal are following the car rider procedures.

• PreK - 1st grade walkers will be held in the student area until their parent comes to pick them up. Parent will need to have the Dismissal Tag or photo of it to pick up child from walker area.

• 2nd-5th Grade Walkers will be escorted from the building and walked to the crossing guards by a Blackshear teacher.

• Please keep pets at a distance from students on property. An accidental bite or scratch can be a liability for Blackshear.

• We encourage all bike riders to use a lock for bikes on property.

If you are driving to pick up your child, we encourage all parents to use the car rider line. It is safe, organized, and has become more efficient with practice.

If you choose to park off campus, please follow these safety measures:

• State law states that you cannot park within 30 feet of a stop sign.

• Parking in front of a drive way is liable to be towed or ticketed.

• Pedestrians, especially our amazing students, always have the right of way

• Drive slower than the posted speed limit to be able to keep watch for students

Car Rider Pick Up:

• Every car rider must have a Dismissal Tag (car rider number). You can pick up your hanging tag at Meet the Teacher or we will send home on the first day. Please take a picture of tag for any additional pick up people. Teachers will add a small car rider number disc to the ID tag required on your child's backpack to help us find car tag numbers quickly while students are still learning their car tag numbers. If you need a tag, you can come up to the front office to get one or call the front office and we will deliver one to your child.

Parents who pick EC/ACCESS students up in bus lot must have a SPED LOT Sign to park in bus lot. Your child's teacher will give you this tag. All other parents picking up students in a car will need to get in car rider line and get a dismissal tag. Thank you for following our dismissal procedures.

The SMART tag Parent App allows parents to

• View their student profiles and assigned routes.

• Monitor their student's riding activity.

• Sign up to get notified when their student gets on/off the bus at their home stop and school.

• Sign up to get notified when the bus is arriving at their home stop.

• Manage guardians authorized to receive their student at their PM drop-off stop (for the primary parent in Skyward only).

Download SMART Tag App HERE

The Family Curriculum Guides are resources designed to help guide parents through the content and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills your children learn throughout the school year. They provide information by grade level for each quarter and include:

• Key concepts and skills students are expected to master for each subject

• Questions to ask your child

• Tips on helping students learn at home

• Additional tools for success

We are proud to share that Blackshear Elementary has earned an A in the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) 2025 A–F Accountability Ratings. This achievement is a direct result of the dedication of our students, the expertise of our staff, and the strong support from our families. Congratulations to our entire school community! To learn more about Klein ISD’s ratings, please visit our Accountability Website.