Paw Print - Kaufman Elementary

Kaufman Paw Print
November 2015
Volume 11, Issue 3
Upcoming Events
Food Drive
11/2-6
Gr 4 Writing
Benchmark
11/3
Crazy Sock Day
11/5
Group Pictures
&Retakes
11/6
Cool Cougar
Lunch
11/6
Book Fair
11/9-13
Book Fair Family
Night 4-7 PM
11/10
Gr 2 Math
Benchmark
11/11
A Note From Mrs. Oliver
November has finally arrived! Our students continue to give their best as they learn
many exciting things and give their all each and every day. Kaufman teachers are
the BEST because they strive to go “above and beyond” to instill a love of learning
within their students. As always, your continued support with your child’s education is
greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Tina Oliver
Attendance Counts
Mornings with Mom 11/11-13
6:45-7:30 AM
Congratulations to our classes with the best overall attendance in each grade level for
the first grading period! The top classes are as follows:
Sk8t Town Night
6:00-8:30 PM
Kindergarten– Mrs. Keenan
First Grade– Mrs. Suggs
Second Grade– Mrs. Moss
Third Grade– Mrs. Garza
Fourth Grade– Mrs. Jordan
11/12
Veterans Day Program 11/12
6:30 PM
Generation Texas 11/16-20
Week
Gr 3 & 4 Science
Benchmark
11/17
Gr 2 Science
Benchmark
11/18
Thanksgiving
Holiday
11/23-27
The class with the overall best attendance for the entire school is Mrs. Jordan’s class
with 98.7% attendance. Great job!
Nominations for Gifted and Talented Testing
Nominations are now open for Conroe Independent School District Gifted and Talented
program. Although the testing will not take place until February,
nominations are accepted at this time. Nominations can be made by the parents and/or teachers. It is recommended that parents of 2nd grade students wait until CogAT scores have arrived before nominating their child because CogAT scores are part of the GT assessment. If you
are interested in nominating your child, you may want to discuss this with your child’s
teacher at conferences. Nominations will be accepted through December 18. You may
request a nomination form from the front office, your teacher, or Tonya Twilla. You can
also find the nomination form and other GT information on the CISD GT homepage.
Kindergarten
WOW, we have had a busy October! We have been working a lot on numbers 0-10 in small
groups and in work stations. Continue to work on identifying, counting, and writing these
numbers at home using small manipulatives, stamps or stickers. Each child should be able to
identify numbers 0-20, continue to practice counting to 100, and identify, describe and compare something in the world that looks like each shape. In language, we have focused on all
letters and sounds, 28 sight words, syllables, and rhyming words. Please remind your child to
ONLY capitalize the first letter of their first and last names and to practice their handwriting at
home! It was an exciting month with all sorts of Fall stories, crafty work centers, “boo-ti-ful”
journal writings and awesome pumpkin carving math. We want to thank all of our spectacular
volunteers that have made all of these fun activities possible. Coming Attractions: 50’s Sock
Hop (Nov. 2nd) at 2 p.m. in cafeteria, Thanksgiving Feast, Nov. 20th at 11 a.m., and Thanksgiving Holidays (Nov. 23-27).
First Grade
First Grade is welcoming Autumn and the cooler weather in many ways. We have spent these past weeks reading all sorts of Fiction books and discussing elements that they have in common and now we are beginning to
explore Nonfiction. Autumn is the perfect time to read about leaves, pumpkins, owls, Thanksgiving, and other
topics that abound in November . We are going on scavenger hunts through books, magazines, and online to
find the Nonfiction text elements. We can identify bold words, titles, captions, charts, graphs, and glossaries!
We will add the Genre of Expository works to our Writer's Workshop lessons soon. This will include more practice on using writing for everyday purposes such as making a list and writing a letter or invitation. This is a perfect time to let your little author help you pen those holiday to-do lists or help create holiday letters or invitations
to family or friends. They will begin to see that writers write with a purpose.... to inform!
In word study, we have studied the 'Hh Brothers' digraphs and are finding words containing the sh, th, ch, and
wh digraphs all around us. Have your child retell the story of the Hh Brothers and act it out. They love to reenact this first grade Favorite! We have now covered all of the short vowel sounds, so combining the short vowels
and digraphs we can read and write oh so many words!
In math, we have continued with our study of addition and subtraction sentences and found multiple representations of the same number. This supports our CISD Fact Fluency goal of developing number sense and understanding number relationships with our basic math facts with sums up to 10 and their related subtraction facts.
This is a goal that you can support at home, in the car, or anywhere you happen to be by using “Math talk”. We
have looked at number concepts with numbers up to 20 and know how to build numbers that contain groups of
tens and ones left over. Give your child a number and then ask them to tell you what that number would be if
you counted on 1 more, 2 more, 1 less, 2 less, 10 more, 10 less! Try to use a variety of 'math lingo' interchangeably.....such as greater, add, or count on for the word more. For less, try the words subtract, count back, or
smaller.
Accelerated Reader is a hot topic in first grade! First graders are beginning to take A.R. tests and some were
even able to shop at the A.R. store at the end of the first grading period. For those who didn't shop yet, it gave
them a preview of some of the benefits that come from being a reader! Shopping in the library occurs at the end
of each grading period. Students may either choose to spend their accumulated points or save them until a later
grading period to build up a larger sum to spend on a larger prize. Many students set personal goals for their
reading and testing. Times and guidelines for taking A.R. tests vary from teacher to teacher, so your individual
teacher will communicate those guidelines to your students. All students are able to take A.R. tests in the morning during Kaufman Kickoff time in the library, instead of going outdoors. This is just another reason to get to
school early!
Fall leaves us happy in First Grade!
Second Grade
We have been having a wonderful fall! Thanks to all the parents who provided goodies for our Fall Fun Day and helped us get
the students’ snacks together. The students enjoyed them very much and had a great time rotating through all of our Fall Fun
Day stations.
In Math this grading period, we are learning some very crucial skills. We will begin working on two digit addition and subtraction with regrouping. Fact fluency is an ongoing topic in math so please continue to practice math facts at home to 20. Graphing is another ongoing topic in math and we will begin working with picture graphs with intervals of one or more.
Please continue reading at home each night. Building independent reading skills is an important part of our daily schedule.
Sustained silent reading helps to build reading fluency. Hopefully their Accelerated Reading points are adding up too! In Reading, we will be studying the genres informational expository and poetry during the month of November. Currently in social studies we are learning about government officials and their roles in our community. We will also be learning and reading about the
first Thanksgiving.
In Science, we will have fun exploring and experimenting with energy from light, heat, and sound. We will experiment with
magnets and how they can be used to push or pull an object.
In addition to all of the wonderful things we are learning, we look forward to discovering more about our own heritage and history from
colonial times as well. Information will be coming home this month about our Thanksgiving feast. Each child will be given the chance
to contribute something to the feast. Some of the classes will be doing a fun, optional Family Turkey Art Project for homework during
the month of November.
Third Grade
We’ve been busy in 3rd grade! We had lots of fun during our Fall Fun Day Rotations! Also, THANK YOU moms for the
sweet treats and goodie bags!
In class, we have been learning lots too. We have started addition and subtraction word problems with more than one
stip. We are working on the many ways to solve them. We will soon be adding Personal Financial Literacy. We have
been working with the multiples of 0, 1, 2, 5, 10 and will soon be moving to 3. You can purchase multiplication flash
cards from Wal-Mart, Dollar Tree and many other retail locations. Reviewing these nightly will help your child gain automaticity, fluency, with their multiplication facts. Your third graders have explored the genres of Fiction and Nonfiction and
we are now diving into Poetry. Remember that readers are leaders, and it is so important to read to your child or have
them read to you daily. When you are finished, ask them to summarize what you read about and ask those higher level
questions like why would a character act or feel this way? Ask your child to retell you the events in order. Look for unfamiliar words and talk about the meaning as well as those words that have been targeted in their weekly word study.
These are useful skills needed in Reading as well as other subjects.
We are excited about our upcoming Thanksgiving Feast! Look for a note to come home with more details. The holidays
are upon us, and we have lots of fun planned in 3rd grade!
Boosterthon was a huge success and we had so much fun! A BIG thank you to our volunteers; we couldn’t do it without
Fourth Grade
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who sent pumpkins and helped with our annual Pumpkin Caper in Math and Science classes. What a fun day of experimenting it was! We always learn new things as we weigh, measure, and test the buoyancy of our pumpkins, and this year was no different.
In Social Studies classes, fourth graders have been learning about citizenship and government. Not only are we learning
about the branches of our state government, but we're also learning about the responsibilities we have as citizens. Soon we
will be learning about the Spanish Era in Texas and how people new to Texas lived long ago.
Language Arts classes are continuing to write every day. As we approach the holiday season, families are typically busy making memories. When your family participates in a special event or does something fun together, have your child write about it
in a journal. Writing is an important way that we communicate, and we work every day at school to become better writers.
Writing at home is a significant way to help your child become a better writer.
In Math, we just finished our fraction unit. We have just started our addition and subtraction unit. Have your child practice their
addition and subtraction facts, as well as their multiplication facts daily.
Thank you again for all that you do to help your student be successful!
ART
As we start the 2nd 9 weeks of school, fourth grade through first grade is working hard to complete their
Western Art projects. We are excited to say that all of their efforts are beginning to pay off! Fourth grade is
using all that they have learned about the element value to create effective compositions that emphasize
both perspective and form. Depending on which art class they attend, they are either completing a
watercolor still life or a batik painting of a barn. Third grade is putting all that they learned last month about
creating the illusion of space into their western themed Pointillistic drawings or stained glass inspired
paintings. We are sure you are going to be just as proud of their accomplishments as we are! Second
grade will soon be finishing their sandpaper prints and will then be learning how to make earthen clay
pinch pots. This is always a very eagerly anticipated project that our students just love and cannot wait to
bring home to share with their families. First grade is putting the finishing touches on their painted
barnyard scenes and will then be investigating the element of art texture. Our kindergarten creative cats
are learning all about the element line and then they will begin to study shape.
Lastly, we would like to give a huge congratulations to Ali Fleischman and Kacey Culbreath who have
been selected as October’s Artists of the Month! These girls are not only very talented young artists, but
they always give more than 100%, are helpful to others, follow rules, and strive to learn new things and
continue to improve their art skills each and every time they come to art class. We are extremely proud of
them both!
Until next month…Happy Creating!
Mrs. Gregory and Mrs. Rowley
Music
Our young musicians are continuing to sing, play games and play various instruments!
Kindergartners are focusing on steady beat and determining fast/slow and loud/soft within a song.
1st graders are learning about quarter and eighth notes (ta and ti-ti) and rest (no sound) rhythms.
2nd and 4th graders graders are reviewing simple rhythms and the melodic elements "do,
re, mi, so and la". 3rd graders are beginning to work on their upcoming winter program
called "Crazy Carols", which will performed on Dec. 10th at 6:30pm (for family and
community members) Dec. 11th at 9:30am (for the school).
The Cougar Choir is off to a great start! We are having a great time and making wonderful music
together. The Choir will present their first concert honoring our Veterans and Armed Service
members on Nov. 12th at 6:30pm (for family and community members) and Nov. 13th at 9:30am
(for the school).
PE
Happy Fall Kaufman Cougars!
We have many fun fitness activities going on in Physical Education class. First, we want to congratulate all
our third and fourth grade Kaufman Cougars who participated in the Oak Ridge Fall Fun Run. They did a
great job representing Kaufman with great speed and awesome sportsmanship! During November, second, third, and fourth graders will participate in a football unit. We will take advantage of the beautiful fall
weather by punting and kicking outside. Kinder and first grade students will begin their rhythms unit with
bean bags and lummi sticks. They will also enjoy the cooler temperatures outside on
the healthy heart track. Parents, please remember to send your cougars in safe PE
shoes. Their safety is our number one priority :)
FITNESS FACT- IF YOU DON'T TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY, WHERE WILL YOU LIVE?
Library
The students in grades 1-4 enjoyed our first AR Store for the school year. They saw their favorite prizes from the past with some cool additions.
Students are encouraged to read AR books on their reading level and take AR quizzes to test their comprehension. Students may spend or save
their points. It's quite an economics lesson! We would love to THANK our parent volunteers for helping: Angel Frank, Sarah Snowden, Rachel Barfield, Rebecca Watt, Tara Edwards, Jennifer Zuckero, Jenny Pinkley and Stephanie Bell. Plus a special thank you to our awesome library
liaison volunteer, Helda Martins. Our second AR store will be held the week of January 18t h, so students have plenty of time to rack up those points.
.Once again, the Storybook Pumpkin Museum was a huge success with over 75 Kaufman Cougars participating. Our students held nothing back,
exhibiting outstanding creativity. All classes were allowed to visit the museum and vote for their favorite pumpkin.
The Scholastic Book Fair will be coming, November 9th – 13th!
Special events:
FAMILY NIGHTS: Tuesday, November 10th, from 4:00 pm -7:00 pm. Visit with CLIFFORD the BIG RED DOG and enter a drawing to win
$25.00 in FREE BOOK FAIR materials.
MORNINGS WITH MOMS: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, November 11th, 12th and 13th at 6:45 am. Shop and eat or eat and shop!
ONLINE SHOPPING: great for shopping at home for friends and family near and far begins October 31st.
http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/georgekaufmanelementarysch
The Conroe ISD Librarians will work in conjunction with the Montgomery County Librarians to host the 20 th Annual Children's Festival. The festival
will take place on Saturday, November 14, from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm and Sunday, November 15, from 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the gate. Our purpose is to promote reading for children of all ages. CISD's booth will sponsor teenagers reading books to younger children and children playing Wheel of Fortune to win books and other prizes. We hope to see you there.
SAVE THE DATE: The library will be hosting our 2nd fundraiser, the Great American Opportunities Magazine Sale in January! I hope you can
encourage family and friends to delay their magazine renewals until then.
Parents, don’t forget you too can check out library books…seven at a time! We also have the “Cougars in Training” area for our future cougars that
might be accompanying you to the library. Please feel free to stop in and take a look.
Keep 'em Reading!
Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Martin
Clinic
A student with the following symptoms will be sent home from school :
temperature of 100 degrees or more
vomiting or diarrhea
suspected contagious condition/illness
too ill to function in the classroom
severe stomachache, headache, or earache
PLEASE NOTE: A student should not be sent to school if fever-reducing medication is required to get the
temperature below 100 degrees. To help keep our Kaufman family healthy, students must be 24 hours free of
fever, vomiting or diarrhea before returning to school following an illness.
November is Diabetes Awareness Month.
Over approximately 30 million Americans have diabetes including students in our schools. This year's theme,
Eat Well America, encourages everyone to lead a healthy lifestyle by enjoying foods that are nutritious and
delicious. This along with proper rest and exercise helps us to achieve good health and wellness every day
and our students enhance their performance.
PTO News
Veterans Day
In honor of Veterans Day on November 11, 2015, Kaufman Elementary will be hosting its first annual “Thank You Hero” project. Personalized flags donated by H2O Solutions will be displayed in the front of the school courtyard from November 9 th-13th. All proceeds
from the flag sales will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project on behalf of Kaufman Elementary.
Mornings with Mom
The Kaufman Elementary PTO will be holding our annual “Mornings with Mom” Breakfast on November 11th, 12th, and 13th from 6:45
am to 7:30 am in the school cafeteria. You can choose 1-2 donuts per person along with milk, orange juice, or coffee. Due to federal regulations, we are not allowed to serve donuts and/or beverages after 7:30 am. Pictures will be available at the event
until 8:00 am for $4. The library will also be hosting their annual book fair during the breakfast. We will need a few helpers to make
this event a success. Please consider helping one morning! Sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e084aaba729ab9mornings2
Important Dates
Sk8 Town Spirit Night is Tuesday, November 3 rd. Spirit Store will be open November 6th during all lunches. Our next PTO meeting is
November 5th at 1:30 in Room 406. Future Cougars are welcome.
Yearbooks
From now through December 31st, 2015, you can purchase a yearbook for only $25. After this date, the price will go up to $30. Go to
www.balfour.com and search for “Kaufman Elementary” today.
Box Tops
Thanks to all the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, relatives, neighbors and friends who submitted Box Tops. The winners of the
1st 9 weeks challenge are:
Kindergarten – Mrs. Keenan’s class
1st grade – Mrs. Dodd’s class
2nd grade – Mrs. Cordaway’s class
3rd grade – Mrs. Rhodes’ class
4th grade – Mrs. Barber’s class
Submission dates for the 2nd 9 week competition are Tuesday, November 10 th and Thursday, December 10th. The 2nd 9 weeks is a
brand new competition so it doesn’t matter who won for the first competitions the count starts fresh. All Box Tops count toward the
grand prize at the end, so just keep submitting!!!
SAM’s Club is also offering Bonus Box Tops 100, 200, 300 or 400 Bonus Box Tops are up for grabs. Go to the link below for more
information http://www5.samsclub.com/Featured-Brand/general-mills/box-tops-for-education/?xid=vanity:boxtops
Thanks to Michele Blair for helping clip, sort and count. Thanks to THE UPS Store on Rayford Road for shipping all of our Box
Tops for free. 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]
You can keep up with news and volunteer opportunities at the school by liking Kaufman PTO on Facebook and/or subscribing
to the Kaufman PTO website at www.friendsofkaugman.digitalpto.com
****Bicycles and Scooters****
Please make sure all bicycles and scooters that are brought to school are
locked to the bike racks.
Unfortunately, there have been unlocked
bicycles and scooters taken (after school
hours) that were left overnight.