12/7/2025
Dear England Families,
The next two weeks are sure to fly by, and we have so many exciting things happening on campus! Please be sure to read all the way to the end of this newsletter so you don’t miss any important updates and upcoming events.
With winter celebrations approaching, now is a great time to submit your volunteer application so it can be approved in plenty of time for classroom parties and activities. We were also so grateful to see members of our England community at the PTA meeting last week. Thank you for showing up and for the strong partnership we share.
If your student has been missing any items, our lost and found has been relocated to the front porch for easy family access. These items will remain available through our winter parties and then will be packed up for donation. A big thank you to our volunteers who helped move everything so families can easily check for their students’ belongings.
Lastly, referrals for Talented and Gifted testing are due Friday, December 12th, by 4:30pm. This is a hard deadline, and there are not any exceptions. Testing will begin in January of 2025. More information is available on our PeachJar Flyer, RRISD Gifted Services Website and EEE's TAG Website.
As we head into this joyful season, we’re thankful for our England families and the sense of community you bring to our campus each and every day.
In partnership,
Krystall Williams, Principal
Elsa England Elementary
krystall_williams@roundrockisd.org
EEE Updates and Reminders:
Morning Arrival, Tardies, and Attendance Reminder
Thank you so much for your continued partnership as we work together to ensure safe, smooth mornings for all of our Leopards. With colder weather, we’ve seen a significant increase in car riders and a rise in tardies this past week:
Monday: 121 tardies
Tuesday: 113 tardies
Wednesday: 58 tardies
Thursday: 79 tardies (We started tardies after the arrival line ended due to the rain.)
Friday: 72 tardies
To support on-time arrival and student safety, we kindly remind families that arriving between 7:15–7:25 helps ensure students are in class and ready to learn by 7:35. The back drop-off doors (Kinder–5th) close promptly at 7:35 and are not staffed after that time. Families arriving after 7:35 must use the front entrance. Please remember to pull all the way forward in the car line, have students ready to exit independently, and avoid parking and walking students up or dropping off in the parking lot for safety reasons.
This past week’s campus attendance average was 94.94%, and our goal is 96% or higher. A big shout-out to 4th grade for leading the way with 96.52% attendance. Thank you for helping us keep students safe, on time, and ready to learn each day.
Picture Orders Still Open
If you missed the chance to order your student’s original picture day photos or their recent retakes, Photo Texas has kindly extended the ordering window. The online link will remain open through Tuesday, December 10.
This is a great opportunity to place your order if you haven’t done so yet. (See flyer below for ordering details.)
December Dates:
12/8: Hey Dude, Nice Shoes Assembly for students; Parent/Caregiver workshop @ PRMS at 6:00
12/10: 5th Grade Science Fair
12/11: 3rd-5th Grade Author Visit- John Schu
12/15: 5th Grade Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns
12/18: Winter Parties
Please check our school website calendar for events. We try to post well in advance to help you plan.
Save the following dates for our England Winter Dress-Up Week as we count down to the end of the semester!
Monday, December 15: Don’t Sweat the Holidays!
Start the week comfy and relaxed in your favorite cozy sweats.
Tuesday, December 16: Candy Cane Countdown!
Show your winter spirit by wearing red, white, or both!
Wednesday, December 17: Leopard Spirit Shines Bright!
Wear your leopard print, school colors, or grade-level/school shirts to celebrate our England pride.
Thursday, December 18: Cozy Up for Winter Break!
Bring on the warm, snuggly pajamas as we head into the holidays together.
PTA Corner
PTA-Sponsored Anti-Bullying & Pro-Kindness Events: “Hey Dude, Nice Shoes”
We are so thankful to our amazing PTA for sponsoring a powerful anti-bullying and pro-kindness experience for our students, staff, and families featuring Carolyn Jennings Brown and her presentation, Hey Dude, Nice Shoes. This presentation has been shared at multiple Round Rock ISD schools and has received wonderful feedback for the impact it makes with students and families.
12/8 Student Assemblies (During the School Day):
• PreK–2nd Grade (morning- 30 minutes)
• 3rd–5th Grade (afternoon- 45 minutes)
Parent Workshop (RSVP Required):
📅 Monday, December 8
⏰ 6:00–7:00 PM
📍 Pearson Ranch Middle School Cafeteria
This is a short but powerful session filled with practical strategies families can use at home and throughout our school community. We hope you can join us!
👉 RSVP Here:
https://heydudeniceshoes.rsvpify.com
To learn more about this work:
https://heydudeniceshoes.com
https://www.facebook.com/heydudeniceshoes
https://www.instagram.com/heydudeniceshoes
Thank you to our PTA for their generosity in funding this impactful opportunity for our students and families.
Math Kangaroo Opportunity- message from our PTA Vice President:
We’re excited to announce that our PTA will host Math Kangaroo, an international math competition that encourages problem-solving, critical thinking, and fun challenges for students from Kindergarten through 8th grade.
We are proud to share that we are only the second PTA in RRISD to bring Math Kangaroo to our campus, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and support of our incredible parent volunteers and school staff. Thank you for helping make opportunities like this possible for our students!
Because of space and coordination requirements, we need to verify interested families before sending the official registration link. To participate, please complete the form
https://forms.gle/7FarrAwzGmFUyYow8. After receiving the invite, please complete your child’s registration here.
**Math Kangaroo is organized and run entirely by our PTA and is not affiliated with campus staff. Please direct all questions to: elsaenglandptavp@gmail.com**
Great news- Upcoming Event:
Our PTA is already planning our Meet Your Neighbor Night. This is one of our most well-attended events and a wonderful way to connect with other England families and neighbors. Please see the flyer below for all the details!
Direct Donation Drive Impact: Fall Semester Campus Update
What a full and busy fall semester! As we close out this part of the year, we wanted to take a moment to share how your generous Direct Donation Drive contributions were used at the campus level.
As a reminder, the PTA and the campus operate under separate budgets and spending requirements. The PTA continues to review and share its budget and expenditures at each PTA meeting, and all families are always welcome to attend. At the campus level, our fall spending and budget will be reviewed at our January Site-Based Committee meeting.
At England, our staff is always learning. We work intentionally to design meaningful professional development that is driven by teacher feedback and campus trends, while also staying aligned with district expectations and state requirements. Your support allows us to do this work in thoughtful, impactful ways.
Below is a summary of how your donations directly supported teaching and learning this fall:
Professional Development for Teachers
During our August professional development, our instructional staff received on-campus training from Solution Tree focused on strengthening our Professional Learning Community (PLC) process. This work streamlines lesson planning, success criteria, and reteaching strategies across grade levels to ensure consistency and collective responsibility for student learning.
At the same time, RRISD rolled out new curriculum across K–5. This professional development allowed our teachers to align instructional strategies, ensure lessons met the needs of England students, update planning practices, and strengthen flexible small-group instruction, especially in grades 3–5, to support mastery of priority TEKS.
Because of your generosity, all K–2 teachers (42 total) received two full days of this professional development with guest educator coverage. We have already seen direct impact through:
• Calibrated instructional practices across classrooms
• Teachers using their professional expertise to adapt lessons based on student needs
• Stronger instructional strategies and student responses
We now have a campus-embedded PLC rotation during arrival, allowing teachers to come back together every other week to design and implement targeted reteach strategies based on current student performance data. This would not be possible without your support.
Amount Invested: $10,290.00
Learning Walks: Teachers Learning From One Another
Thanks to your generosity, we hosted our first round of Learning Walks focused on student engagement. We held one morning and one afternoon session, allowing 10 teachers to participate in this powerful learning experience.
Teachers observed classrooms, used a shared “look-fors” document, and then calibrated together on how to immediately apply their learning the very next day. Teacher feedback has shared that this process allowed them to fine-tune and improve instructional practices that impact all of our Leopards.
Amount Invested: $650.00
England Exceptional Experiences (Enrichment)
We successfully completed our first round of England Exceptional Experiences, and all materials purchased for students came directly from your donations. These hands-on enrichment opportunities provided meaningful, interest-based learning for our students.
We will have another round in the spring, and we are excited to continue growing this experience.
Amount Invested: $1,085.32
Mystery Science Subscription
Our campus subscription to Mystery Science is currently being processed. This resource supports enrichment, builds background knowledge, promotes inquiry, and most importantly, sparks student excitement about science.
We also hosted a staff-led professional development session to demonstrate how teachers can integrate this resource into instruction.
Pending Amount: $2,099.00
What’s Coming Next
Because of your continued support, this spring we will also be able to provide:
• Another round of Learning Walks
• Additional enrichment materials for students
• One final round of PLC professional development days for K–5 staff
• In the works/pending: A guest speaker/assembly for students
We will continue sharing pictures and updates along the way and will send another full summary as we close out the spring semester.
We cannot thank you enough for supporting our Leopards through teacher professional development, student enrichment opportunities, and instructional subscriptions that directly strengthen learning experiences across our campus. Your generosity truly makes a difference!
Get Involved
RRISD Volunteer Application: All family members who plan to help on campus (including field trips) must complete the application each year. Apply here: https://www.roundrockisd.org/o/rrisd/page/volunteer
Your partnership and involvement truly make a difference for every student.
We would love to welcome volunteers to assist in the cafeteria throughout the month of December. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy lots of smiles and wonderful conversations with our Leopards! Please sign up using this link.
Know Someone Who Wants to Stay Connected with England?
Community members, extended family, and alumni can now sign up to receive our weekly updates! Please share this link so they can stay connected with all the exciting things happening at England: https://rrisdschools.org/2526CommunityComms
