Paw Print - April - Kaufman Elementary

Kaufman Paw Print
April 2016
Volume 10, Issue 8
Upcoming Events
Grade Level Awards
4/1
Kinder & Life Skills
Field Trip
4/1
Kindergarten
Round-Up
4/4-4/8
AR Store
4/4-4/8
3rd/4th Math Benchmark 4/5
1st/2nd Reading
Benchmark
4/6
PTO Meeting
@1:30 pm
4/7
2nd Grade Field Trip
4/8
Neon Bash 6-8pm
4/8
Librarian’s Day
4/12
Gr. 2 Writing Benchmark 4/13
PTO Spirit Night
Chick fil A 4:30-7:30
4/14
2nd Grade
4/21-22
Reading Restaurant
Kindergarten Program
6:30 pm
4/21
Earth Day Celebration
4/22
Cupstack Tournament
4/22
PTO Spirit Night
Kendra Scott 6-8pm
4/26
1st/2nd Math Benchmark 4/27
3rd Grade Field Trip
4/29
A Note From Mrs. Oliver
Spring has finally arrived! The wonderful weather is bringing a new
sense of excitement as our students work hard during this last portion
of the school year. Our students have many new things to learn, and
our amazing teachers have great lessons and events planned to help
make the remainder of the year fantastic. Thank you to our parents
and families for encouraging your children to be the best Kaufman
Cougars they can be!
Sincerely,
Tina Oliver
Attendance Counts
Please help your child to be on time and present as much as possible each and every day.
We appreciate your continued support with our efforts to improve our attendance here at
Kaufman.
Placement for 2016-2017
If you have any information you would like us to know concerning placement for next year,
please contact Mrs. Simmons no later than May 6, 2016
Kindergarten
Happy Spring to everyone! During the month of April we will continue to orally blend
letter sounds to make words, identify digraphs (sh/wh/th, and ch) and read poetry.
After reading with your child every night, please review concepts about print,
comprehension questions and retelling the story to you in detail. We can't stress
enough how important it is to have your child read to you and for you to fill out the
reading folder. We are also preparing the students for their assessments at the end
of April, beginning of May. In math, we are studying data, and more addition and
subtraction. Spring is here, and we will continue to discuss soil, parts of a plant, and
how plants grow. Then we will study farm, wild, exotic, and ocean animals. A few
dates to remember: April 1st (Friday)-Kindergarten Field trip to Old McDonald's
Farm, April 8th- Kaufman Neon Dance, from 6-8 p.m. and April 21st (Thursday at 6:30
p.m.)- Kindergarten Program. *If you are going to be a chaperone for the field trip,
you must fill out a volunteer form on the CISD website. Keep smiling and Happy
Spring!
First Grade
First Grade is blooming this Spring in so many ways! You have probably noticed in your child's writing
already. At the end of March, First Graders completed a district-wide writing sample that spotlighted their
growth in writing 'All About...' a topic that they felt like they were an expert on~with topics ranging from
baseball, to camping, to jump-roping, to Easter. These little authors really showed their stuff as they put it
all together. If your child is writing at home, here are some questions you could ask to assist them in
guiding their writing for this format:
-Did I teach my readers about one topic?
-Did I name my topic in my first sentence to get my reader's attention?
-Did I tell about different parts of my topic on several different pages/sections?
-Did I write an ending?
-Did I put facts in my writing to teach people more about my topic?
-Did I use words and pictures as 'partners' to give facts? (labels, captions, etc)
Another focus this year as we draw closer to the close, both in the classroom and in working with your child
at home, is reading fluency. The district-wide expectation for the end of the year is for students to be
reading at a rate of 60 words per minute or greater on a first grade text. Studies show that reading at about
the same rate that people normally speak in conversation aids in a reader's comprehension. When working
with fluency with your child, here are a few tips about how to get the most out of this study time:
-Read the passage aloud to your child. Model reading it fluently and with expression.
Child reads for one minute. Chart their time/wpm
-Student reads the passage independently for one minute. Chart their time. If your child is reading less
than 50 wpm, you may need to offer supported reading-such as reading along with the student.
-For the next couple of readings, student reads to you fluently for one minute. Chart their time.
-Revisit previously read passages from time to time.
A great big thank you to parents who have hopped on board and volunteered their times this year by
sending in materials, assisting in making classroom materials, planning and manning grade-level events,
and a myriad of other ways. Kaufman is the coolest school in town!
Second Grade
Coming up first this month is our Second Grade field trip to the Houston Zoo on Friday, April 8 th. Thank you to all of the
parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who have volunteered to be a chaperone. We are looking forward to afun time!
In reading this month, we will have our Reading Restaurant, which will be held in mid-April. The students will be very busy
reading independently during every spare moment to increase their reading fluency, expression and comprehension. Each student will
prepare jokes, books, and original poetry and stories to share with their special visitors. It is one of our favorite events of the year!
“Save the Date” notes will be sent home soon! In Language Arts, we continue to work on writing, editing, and publishing.
In Science classes, we will begin studying animal adaptations, habitats, and life cycles. We are busy learning about natural
resources and conservation in Social Studies. Our next unit will be economics, and we will participate in our flower pen factory.
In Math, we are learning about geometry and fractions. We continue to practice regrouping in addition and subtraction, as
well as fine-tune all of the math skills we have learned this year. Don’t forget to continue to practice basic addition and subtraction
facts to 20. We want to be able to finish 30 math facts in addition and/or subtraction in two minutes or less!
The month of May will be a busy time as we prepare to take our district benchmark tests in every subject area. We will be
working hard to make sure our students are well prepared. We also know that third grade is just around the corner and we want our
students to be ready for that big step! Parents, thank you so much for all of your support at home.
Third Grade
We are all so proud of the effort that our third graders have been putting in this year. It’s amazing to think that they are getting ready to
be fourth graders very soon!
We will continue working with perimeter and area and then we will shift into our unit of measurement. Tuesday, April 5 th is our
upcoming math benchmark. Try to incorporate math into your daily lives. Ask your child to count money or how much change they will
receive, let them help you cook in the kitchen to practice measurements, ask them the time, or quiz them on multiplication and division
facts. Any time we can incorporate Math into our everyday lives, it makes it real for our students.
When your child is reading nightly, have them read aloud to you and tell you what they are reading about. They can tell you t he
summary of the story (not every word or detail but a Beginning-Middle-End of the chapter or book as a whole). Please work on
vocabulary that may be unfamiliar. If your child doesn’t know what a word is ask them, “How can you use the clues in the story to
figure out the meaning of the word?” Pay close attention to prefixes and suffixes. Also, discuss the main idea of a paragraph or
chapter. Ask your child, “What is that part mainly about?” Predict what might happen next in the story? Last but certainly not least,
have your child draw conclusions and infer. Ask them “what if” or “why” questions. All of these types of questions will be a helpful
review and will get your child thinking while reading. We will begin reviewing poetry, as well as writing our own poems. Remember
Readers are Leaders!!
Our field trip to Minute Maid Park is scheduled for Friday April 29th. You will be getting more information in your child’s Tuesday folder.
Thank you so much for your continued support! We are so very lucky to have you!
Fourth Grade
Fourth graders have just finished showing what super writers they are on the Writing portion of the
STAAR test. The fourth grade teachers are extremely proud of the effort put forth! It has been a great journey
to watch our students grow into the writers they now are.
We are glad to have one STAAR test complete, but we are continuing each day to learn as we
prepare for the Math and Reading portions of the test. These will be taken on Monday, May 9th and Tuesday,
May 10th and will be our chance to demonstrate the math and reading skills that we’ve learned this year.
Please continue to help at home by practicing multiplication and division facts and by having your child read
each night at home. These will help ensure success!
Please also remember that school attendance is very important. In fourth grade, we are busy each
and every day learning new skills and building on previously learned skills. Students who are frequently
absent miss valuable instruction and important assignments. Not only is attendance important, but being at
school on time is important as well. Students are dismissed from Kaufman Kickoff to enter their classrooms at
7:50 a.m., and teachers have assignments waiting for them at this time. Arriving later than this often causes
students to feel rushed or behind. Please help your child by having him at school on time.
Thank you once again for all that you do. The success of your child depends greatly on you!
ART
Hello to all of our Creative Cats as we count down another month! Now is the time of year we start to worry a little bit about having
enough time to finish all the wonderful work we have planned and getting work chosen and ready for art shows. Please help us by
making sure your child is in school everyday because attendance is key to great art projects. As you can see below... we've been very
busy in the art rooms!
Our 4th graders are working on 3-D sculptures through Wire Sculptures or Crazy Clay Coil Pots, while 3rd grade is exploring cultural art
through Japanese Gyotaku Fish Prints and Aboriginal projects combining 2-D and 3-D clay and paint. Our second graders have been
learning about Vincent Van Gogh's brush stroke techniques and will be moving into fun with weaving. First grade is learning the
difference between 2-D and 3-D art through cultural mask-making and kindergarten will be doing the same with Roller Coaster
Sculptures. Kindergarten will also be working on Spring Butterflies and Seascape collages. As you can see, we are very busy artists!
We are sending out BIG Congratulations to the following students who've been selected to represent Kaufman at the TEAM Artshow
(Texas Elementary Art Meet): Jordyn Lunkwitz, Lily Campos, Morgan Adams, Sruti Palla, Taylor Sutton, Cady Montgomery, Memphis
Strait, Rebecca Haynes, Presli Wright, and Andrea Shi. They will be judged and critiqued individually based on style, technique,
organization, and personal expression. This is the elementary version of the VASE contest for Jr. High and High School art students. We
are so very proud of them and can't wait to see how they do!
And finally, we're very happy to announce our Artist's of the Month for the month of March! Big celebrations go out to Bree Johnson and
Hudson Stewart for always coming into the art room with a smile, good manners, a helping nature, and a willing heart. These
students always go above and beyond, which is why they've been selected for this high honor.
We hope you continually celebrate your little artists as they bring home paintings and projects that they have spent a lot of time
developing. Building confidence in art helps to build confidence in other areas. Ask questions about the steps it took to make the art, ask
what materials they used, etc. You'll see how they shine when they get excited that you're excited.
Until next month.... happy creating!
Ms. Gregory and Mrs. Rowley
Music
It is hard to believe that April is already here!
Our young musicians will be
reviewing concepts learned throughout the year as they apply it to new music. 3rd
and 4th graders will be wrapping up their recorder unit with an original composition be sure to ask them to play it for you! 1st and 2nd graders will be reviewing rhythms
and melodic patterns and will create their own song to sing and play on xylophones
and percussion instruments. Kindergarteners will be working hard on their music
program, "Gettin' Down with Mama Goose" which they will perform on Thursday,
April 21st, at 6:30pm (for parents and community members) and Friday, April 22nd,
at 9:30 (for the school). We hope to see you at their concert!
PE
Our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students get so excited this time of year because they know it's that time to practice,
practice, practice their cupstacking in order to increase their speed and mobility for cupstack tryouts. We are looking
forward to our annual cupstacking tournament at the end of the month. Our kindergarten and first grade are going are
having great fun with jump roping skills which is an awesome heart healthy activity. We are also excited about hitting
the healthy heart track with this beautiful Spring weather!
Jump Rope For Heart Update: We are so happy to announce that our fabulous Kaufman Cougars collected $9,700
to donate to the American Heart Association. Our top collectors include Katelyn Dulaney, Austin Fisher, Bradi
Rhodes, Reese Garza, James Henderson & Brooklyn Soptick. We are so proud of all our Kaufman Cougars with this
great ACT OF KINDNESS!
Fitness Fact: Daily exercise and healthy eating leads to increased awesomeness!
Thank you, Physical Education Dept.
Library
Our 3rd AR store will take place April 4th – 8th. I am so proud of how many books the
students have been reading and how well they are doing on the quizzes to earn points.
They will be able to use those points to shop at the AR store. If you would be interested in
working this fun event, please contact Library Liaison, Helda Martins at
[email protected].
Be on the lookout for a Children's Book Week flyer. Kaufman Cougars will be
taking part in the celebration during the week of May 16th. Each day will be a different
theme, which celebrates the love of books and reading. We can't wait!
Please remember that parents are ALWAYS welcome in our library. YOU may check
out books too! We support Dr. Stockton's READ FOR A BETTER LIFE initiative: students
are encouraged to read 20-30 minutes each evening to encourage a life-long love of
reading and learning!
Keep 'em Reading!
Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Martin
2016-17 Kindergarten Round-Up
April 4-8, 2016
Go to….
http://kaufman.conroeisd.net/registration/
for more information and to schedule an appointment.
We look forward to meeting your future Kaufman Cougar!!
Clinic
Head Lice:
Conroe ISD follows recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) as well as those contained in the
position papers of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association of
School Nurses (NASN) in the treatment for lice. Head lice, although not an illness or disease, is
common among children and can be spread through head-to-head contact during play and sports,
and when students share things like brushes, combs, and hats. The best treatment for lice is
prevention. Conroe ISD appreciates our families assisting us in the prevention and control of head
lice in our schools with routine family inspection, prompt and effective treatment, and educating your
student to avoid direct or indirect contact with other people's hair. Throughout the school year,
check your child's hair weekly and after overnight visits with other children.
If careful observation at school indicates that a student has head lice, the school nurse will contact
the student's parent to determine whether the child will need to be picked up from school and
discuss a plan for treatment. If the procedure used to treat the head lice is not effective, please
contact the school nurse or your physician for further recommendations for treatment.
PTO NEWS
PTO MEETINGS
There will be PTO meetings on Thursday, April 7th and Thursday, April 21st at 1:30 in room 406.
Please come join us as we begin planning for May Fun Day. Future cougars are welcome!
KAUFMAN NEON BRTHDAY BASH
Kaufman’s 10th Birthday Bash is Friday, April 8th from 6-8pm. Admission fee is due by Friday, April
1st. Order forms went home in the Tuesday folders and can also be found in the front office or online
at www.friendsofkaufman.digitalpto.com
SPIRIT NIGHTS
Thursday, April 14th is a Spirit Night with Chik-fil-a on Sawdust from 4:30-7:30pm.
Tuesday, April 26th is a Spirit Night with Kendra Scott from 6:00-8:00pm. Come out and support
your school.
BOX TOPS
Thanks to everyone who submitted Box Tops this year. The 3rd 9 week winners are:

Kindergarten: Tie between Mrs. Bradford and Mrs. Patterson

1st grade: Mrs. Gilbert

2nd grade: Mrs. Cordaway

3rd grade: Mrs. Santana

4th grade: Mrs. Jordan
The last two collection dates of this year will be: Monday, April 11 & Tuesday, May 10. Check to see
how your class is doing for the End of Year Competition as well as the current competition on the
Box Tops Bulletin Board in the cafeteria. Keep on clipping and turning in. Thanks to Michele Blair
and Estera Kryshu for helping clip, sort and count. If anyone else is interested in helping with the
Box Tops Clip and Count Club, please contact Kimberly Holmes, Kaufman Box Tops
Coordinator at [email protected]
STAY UPDATED
Search for and like “Kaufman PTO” on Facebook and register for weekly emails on our webpage at
www.friendsofkaufman.digitalpto.com to stay updated.
GT Nominations
The window for nominating students for GT testing is open April 1 st through April 30th.
Parents or teachers can nominate students for testing. The form used for nominating will be
located in the front office and is due to Mrs. Twilla by April 30 th. Students nominated in
grades 2-4 will be tested 8:00-12:00, June 7- June 9, 2016 at a location to be determined.
Any questions concerning this process can be directed to Mrs. Twilla.
Spotlight Magic
Audition to Performance
Theater Camp
Does your child have anxiety when performing in front of an audience? Do they love to act, sing and
dance? Join us in a fun exciting camp to overcome their fears and enjoy what they love doing.
Learn techniques to prepare a winning audition leading to callback and performance. Students will
experience acting, costuming, makeup, art, and song that culminates in a showcase.
For students entering in 4th-8th Grade
July 25th-29th
August 1st-5th
Entering in 4th or 5th Grade
Entering in 6th, 7th or 8th Grade
Camp Information

9am - 2pm

$175.00 includes supply fees for one session

Registration Deadline is on June 1st
Copy and paste link below to register:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10HjFFqOknPPVkeD7hQ_6wH1vDwpreJRq4vZe3qLkLHc/viewform
1544 Sawdust Rd., Suite 407, The Woodlands, TX 77380 * (832) 447-1447 * [email protected]