Paw Print - May - Kaufman Elementary

Kaufman Paw Print
May 2016
Volume 10, Issue 9
Upcoming Events
A Note From Mrs. Oliver
Teacher Appreciation 5/2-5/6
Week
Cinco de Mayo
5/5
5/6
STAAR pep rally-3rd & 4th
3rd Grade Envision Expo
STAAR Math
STAAR Reading
Children’s Book
Week
5/9
5/10
5/16-20
Gr. 3 & 4 Science
Benchmark
5/17
Gr. 1 & 2 Science
Benchmark
5/18
War Eagle Challenge
5/18
AR Store
Gr. 2 Social Studies
Benchmark
5/25
Gr. 4 Program
5/26
Cool Cougar Lunch
5/27
PTO Fun Day
5/27
Kinder Fun Day
5/31
Gr. 1,2,3 Awards
5/31
Sincerely,
Tina Oliver
Attendance Counts
During this busy time of the school year, we want to encourage our
students to continue to have good attendance. Our teachers have many
exciting activities planned during the next month, and we don’t want any
of our students to miss out on the fun!
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.
6/1
Gr. 4 Awards & Clap Out 6/2
Kindergarten Awards
I hope the rest of the school year is fantastic for all of our students!
5/23-27
Gr. 2 Camp Learned 5/23-27
A Lot
Kinder Un-birthdays
It is hard to believe that it is already May and the school year is
almost over. It seems like yesterday that we were beginning our
new year, and now the last day of the school year is just around the
corner. We are extremely proud of the hard work and effort put
forth by our students each and every day as well as the academic
and personal excellence they have achieved. We appreciate all of
our parents and families for your continued support for your
children and our wonderful school.
6/2
Our campus will be
closed to visitors
May 9-13 due to STAAR
testing. No volunteers
or lunch visitors will be
allowed on campus.
A note from the Registrar...
If you are moving out of the CISD district, please
contact the Registrar to complete the necessary
paperwork.
Kindergarten
The end of the year is upon us. Our children are blooming like May flowers. We will
be finishing up our end of the year testing throughout this month. Please continue to
read nightly with your child and ask those important comprehension questions. In
math, we are reviewing addition and subtraction, making graphs, data, counting to
100 and Personal Financial Literacy. We will culminate the end of the year with
studies of wild/exotic animals, oceans and dinosaurs. Mark your calendars with
these dates: May 2nd-6th--Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3rd--Teacher
Appreciation Luncheon, May 5th--Cinco De Mayo Activities, May 27th--PTO Fun
Day, June 2nd--Awards at 8:30 in our classrooms and June 2nd--Last Day of school!
We have thoroughly enjoyed having your children this year. They have come so far
since the 1st day of school. It is hard to believe they will soon be First graders. We
would like to thank all the parents for all the support you have given us this year.
Have a wonderful and restful summer!
First Grade
What a fantastic year for First Grade! We'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of YOU,
parents, for your participation and support this year. We were able to make learning leap
off of the pages because of your support and involvement! Also, the time and energy you
spent working on homework with your child, reading nightly, and making sure they were
prepared each day made the year a fantastic one for students and teachers, alike. Please
keep up the reading, writing, and counting over the Summer! Some great reading titles for
entering second graders to check out over the summer are: Frog and Toad, Franklin, Fly
Guy, Fancy Nancy, Magic School Bus, National Geographic Kids. Some kids who are
moving on to more lengthy selections might enjoy the Hank The Cowdog series, Boxcar
Children books, or Magic Tree House series. Don't forget about nonfiction, as well. The
kiddos are fascinated with picking out nonfiction text elements such as titles, subtitles,
captions, glossaries, charts & graphs, and bold words. Magazines such as National
Geographic Kids, Time for Kids, Sports Illustrated Kids, and Highlights are great~both in paper
form and online. Keep up with those activities that strengthen that little pencil grip! If your
child is not excited about practicing handwriting, have them try other activities that keep
those little fingers limber, such as beading, building with legos, playing with clay or playdoh, braiding, or racing to pick up tiny objects with tweezers~they'll never know that they
are strengthening their hands to improve their handwriting at the same time!
Continue counting over the summer, too. In CISD, we believe that students learn basic
math facts by developing number sense and understanding number relationships.
Repeated practice with effective strategies creates reflective students who can think flexibly! Get a jump on second grade Fact Fluency, which includes addition facts with sums to
20 and their related subtraction facts.
As always, we wish you all a safe and wonderful summer from all of your First Grade
Teachers.
Second Grade
May is a very fun month in second grade. The most exciting week in second grade is coming at the end of May. Our classrooms will be transformed
into Camp Learned-A-Lot! This is a week to explore favorite topics such as space, insects, dinosaurs, and other fascinating units of study. They
students will participate in creative crafts, outdoor team building games, and exciting centers in a camp-like environment. The students are busy
earning camp tickets for good behavior, to spend on camp admission and other bonus activities. There will be more information sent home about
Camp Learned-A-Lot.
End-of-the-year testing has been taking place, and your child’s teacher will update you on your child’s progress as soon as testing is completed. You
may wish to schedule a conference if you have concerns about your child’s readiness for third grade.
As we send your children on to third grade, there are several ways you can help them over the summer. Encourage them to read, read, read, and tell
you about their books as they read. We have been working hard all year to build up their comprehension and fluency skills and hope they continue to
grow in their reading habits over the summer. Research shows that students who do not read during the summer months can lose several reading
levels. We want your child to maintain strong reading skills and be ready for third grade challenges.
Help your children continue writing about a variety of topics they enjoy. Ask them to write letters, stories, poems, lists, instructions, or anything they
can, to keep current in their writing skills. Also, summer is a good time to practice your addition and subtraction facts. Please continue to reinforce and
practice the skills we worked so hard on in math this year. When August comes around again, you will be glad you helped your child.
We are so proud of the accomplishments of your second graders this year. It has been our joy and privilege to partner with you on this learning
adventure.
Third Grade
What a great school year this has been! Our third graders have worked so hard this year preparing for the STAAR test and have had
many successes. We are so PROUD of their hard work! Our STAAR days will be Monday, May 9 (math) and Tuesday, May 10
(reading). On these days, please make sure that students get a good night’s sleep, eat a nutritious breakfast, and pack a sweater and
a book in their backpack. STAAR relax day will be on Friday, May 13. Students may bring games (cards and board games are best)
and books. We will alternate with game time and reading time and have a ton of fun! Thank you parents for all of the support you
have given your children and us as teachers. We are so very grateful for each of you!
Our school year is not yet over. Please continue to read with your child every day. Any kind of non-fiction is great for reading
practice. Things like menus, flyers, programs, newspapers, etc., all work great for reading for information. In class, we will be reading
novels and doing fun response activities. Our EOY Social Studies Benchmark is May 24. In math, we will finish the year with refining
skills so that students will be fully prepared and ready for 4th grade. Please continue to integrate math in your daily conversations with
your kiddos. For example, have them tell time, ask questions about schedules and how much time has passed, have them measure
for recipes while cooking, practice fractions, and practice flash card facts with all operations. All 3rd graders should be fluent in their
math flash card facts. This will help them be more confident 4th graders. We will be practicing facts in a fun way by competing as
classes in our annual multiplication baseball tournament, so everyone needs to be sharp! In science, we will finish out the year studying plants and their life cycles, how to protect our Earth, and keeping our bodies healthy. Our EOY Science Benchmark is May 17.
The last week of school will be fun filled with our awards ceremony, water day, pizza party, and game day. We will send out m ore
details as the week approaches.
It has been a great year! We have enjoyed your children and getting to know each of them. Thank you again for all of your help and
support while making this a team effort!
Fourth Grade
Is it possible that we are already at the end of the school year? Fourth grade has had a wonderful school year, and we are finishing up our STAAR
tests! Students and teachers both have worked very hard to prepare for these tests, and we are excited to show what we have learned all year long in
4th grade. The math STAAR test will be on May 9th and the reading STAAR test will be on May 10th.
In fourth grade, we are entering one of the busiest times of the year, so please mark your calendars for these upcoming dates.

Friday, May 20th: War Eagle Challenge

Friday, May 25th: 4th Grade Visit to Vogel

Thursday, May 26th: 4th Grade End of Year Program at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 2nd: 4th Grade Awards and Clap Out at 9:30 a.m.
More information for each of these events will be coming home soon. Please check your child’s Tuesday Folder carefully for notes regarding these fun
events.
The fourth grade teachers would like to thank all of the parents and grandparents who have helped make this a successful school year. We would
especially like to thank our room parents. Our special days would not have been quite so special without your help! Thank you for all you have done
this year!
Thank you for entrusting your children to us daily. We don’t take that responsibility lightly, and we are very proud of the students they have become.
We look forward to the remainder of the year and wish them luck as they move on to fifth grade. Enjoy your summer!
ART
Wow, it’s hard to believe we are in our final full month of school before summer break begins! However, we still have so many fun and
exciting projects to complete before we can even think about vacation. Here are some of the things our Creative Cats will be working on
this month.
Fourth grade is finishing the glazing process and will soon be bringing their coil pots home. For their final project, they will either make a
radial name design or a diptych based on the wire sculpture they made last month. Third grade is working hard to finish their Aboriginal
art and Gyotaku fish collages then will be moving on to radial designs. Second grade is busy finishing Van Gogh flowers and painted
weavings. First grade is finishing 3-D paper masks and crayon resists. And last but certainly not least, our kinder friends are making
Picasso collages, flower prints, and marble painting. As you can see, we still have a lot of work ahead of us!
We would like give a huge congratulations to Leighton Scott and Olivia Booth for having their artwork selected to compete in this year’s
Montgomery County Fair Junior Fine Arts Show. This is the first year Kaufman Elementary has participated in this event. Both these
students did a great job in this very difficult competition. Their artwork competed against 3 rd through 12th grade students throughout the
Montgomery County area. Way to go! We are very proud of the both of you!
In other exciting art news, congratulations go out to Mia Bayarena, Riley Gay, Noah Phillips, and Lily Baumohl for having their artwork
chosen to represent our school in the Pearl Fincher Museum Student Art Contest. We are delighted to announce that Lily’s artwork
advanced to second round representing our district. Even though none of these students’ work was chosen for the final round, they are all
winners in our eyes and really make Kaufman shine!
We would like to give a big shout out to Jacob Johnson and Emma Jenks for being selected as April’s Artists of the Month! Both of these
students exhibit all of the wonderful qualities we look for in the art room- they are helpful, kind, hard workers, and go above and beyond to
improve their artistic skills. We love having them in our classes!
Please check our webpages for a list of those students chosen for our upcoming District Art Show and Superintendent Show. We hope
you have a wonderful summer! Until next school year…Happy Creating!
Mrs. Rowley and Mrs. Gregory
Music
Wow! It is hard to believe that the year is already near its end! Our young musicians have made so much
progress this year! They have learned many new songs and games, and have played lots of instruments.
We can read new rhythms and melodies, and can even write our own songs! During the month of May,
we will be reviewing all of the musical elements we have learned throughout the year, and we will play our
favorite singing and movement games.
During the summer, please further your child's musical experiences by listening to music - any type will do!
As you listen, ask questions about the instruments or voices, or how fast, slow, loud, soft, high or low the
sounds are. You can also explore new sounds by "playing" with your voice or using ordinary things
(pencils, pots and pans, etc.) to make new sounds and patterns.
On a personal note, I would like to give a thank you to everyone who has helped
make all of our programs a success! Thank you for the beautiful stage decorations
and props, and for encouraging your child to do their very best. Have a musical
summer!
PE
We are keeping very busy in P.E. class by being active and physically fit!
Our 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade Cupstack Tournament was so exciting! We are very proud of all the teams who displayed
such good sportsmanship and team spirit. Congratulations to Moss' Cupstacking Ninjas, Davidson's Destroyers, &
Welch's Wacky Stackers!
Our older students are also ready to start their Racquet Unit. This unit is one of their all time favorites consisting of
tennis, racquet ball, and scoop ball. All of these activities are great for improving their eye-hand coordination. Our
younger Cougars will also have fun revisiting some of their favorite rhythmic and manipulative activities while also
hitting the healthy heart track.
Parents, please encourage your children to stay active and moving this summer. Remember that “Seven days without EXERCISE makes one weak.” :)
Physical Education Department
Library
It is hard to believe the school year is almost over! We have really enjoyed helping students fall in love with books.
We would like to give a HUGE shout out to our SENSATIONAL weekly library volunteers: Sarah Snowden, Miriam Amend, Jennifer
Pargmann, Angel Frank, Ami Corkhill, Shannon Bennet, Mary Ann Barcak, Rachel Barfield, Christie Philpot, Pam Brightman, Sarah Allman,
Kim Lower, Rebecca Watt, and our Spectacular Liaison, Helda Martins. We could not have made it through the school year without your
help.
Children's Book Week is COMING!!!!
May 16th – 20th
Students are encouraged to show their love of books by participating in the daily themes throughout the week.
Monday: Cougars are CRAZY for Books! (Everyone is encouraged to dress crazy from head to toe.)
Tuesday: Dreams Come True with Books! (Everyone is encouraged to wear pajamas to school.)
Wednesday: Hats OFF to Great Books! (Everyone is encouraged to wear their favorite hat.)
Thursday: Books Give You SUPER POWERS! (Everyone is encouraged to dress up as a superhero, traditional or create your own.)
Friday: Cougars READ Like Rock/Super STARS! (Everyone is encouraged to dress in Rock/Super Star attire.)
Here are some important upcoming dates involving the library:
Children's Book Week
Week of May 16
Last AR Store
Week of May 16
Last week to check out
Week of May 16
All library books due
Monday, May 23
Please make sure your student returns ALL library books on time. Students may clear their library record by returning their books or by paying for
lost/damaged books. Your money will be refunded if you pay for a lost book and find it later.
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 Reading, even in the summer! The Kaufman eBooks will be available and the Montgomery Public Library has many exciting reading
programs, too! Also, students can earn a FREE BOOK from Barnes & Noble bookstore.
Step 1:
Read any 8 books and record them in
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/summer-reading/379003570/ )
the
Reading
Journal
(you
can
find
this
on
their
website:
Step 2: Bring the completed Reader's Journal to your local B&N store.
Step 3: Choose a FREE Book from their selection on the Reading Journal list at the store.
Have a wonderful summer AND…Keep 'em Reading!
Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Martin
Clinic
Please remember all medications brought to the clinic this school year for
your child must be picked up by June 2, our last day of school. Emergency
medications should stay on campus until this date. Any medications
remaining will be discarded.
Reminders for immunizations required over the summer will be in this
month's Tuesday folders. These will be due in August to start the 20162017 school year.
Thank you to our PTO for their generous support of the Kaufman Clinic.
PTO NEWS
PTO MEETINGS
There are two remaining PTO meetings this year. The first is Tuesday, May 3rd at 1:30pm in the library. Our last meeting for
the year will be Thursday, May 19th at 1:30pm in room 406.
TEACHER APPRECIATION
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 2nd – May 6th. Our teacher luncheon is scheduled for May 3rd during all lunches. We are
asking parents to bring in salads and desserts. We would also like to have volunteers sign up to cover lunch duty so that the
teachers can enjoy lunch together. Sign up at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e084aaba729ab9-teacher1
MAY FUN DAY
May Fun Day will be May 27th during specials time. We are planning to have bounce houses, outside games, fingernail, face
and hair painting, fake tattoos and snow cones. We need many volunteers to make this a fun time for the kids. Please come
visit during your student’s specials time and volunteer to help out before or after. Sign up at:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e084aaba729ab9-mayfun
SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR
Pre-packaged school supplies will be available for sale again this year. We are working with School Tool Box who delivers the
supplies straight to your door. You will be able to personalize your order as well. For example, you can add additional boxes of
crayons if you’d like extras, or you can remove scissors if you already have them. Watch for our flyers and links on Facebook
or www.friendsofkaufman.digitalpto.com
YEARBOOKS
Yearbooks are no longer available for sale online. They will be sold at May
Fun Day on May 27th. They are $30 cash only and will be available on a first come, first served basis. UPDATE: I had recently
shared on Facebook that there would be no blank pages for autographs, but I have since been told that there is white space
available (at least two pages worth). Sorry for any confusion!
BOX TOPS
Thanks to everyone who submitted Box Tops this year. The last collection date of this school year will be Tuesday, May 10th.
Please send in all remaining Box Tops before this date. The End of Year Contest has some close races right now, especially
in Kindergarten, 2nd and 3rd grades. Check the cafeteria bulletin board to see how your class is doing in the competition.
Remember to clip and save over the summer. Ask relatives and friends to save, too. We will have more Box Tops
competitions for 2016-2017. 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]