Welcome Back!!!!

Alas the summer is coming to an end. As you read this, the teachers are back getting their rooms ready! I hope all of you have had a very restful summer with family and friends. With the beginning of every year there always seems to be some changes. This year is no different. We are welcoming back to “The Castle” Mrs. Angie Brawley. Mrs. Brawley will help in our Special Education department as Instructional Support. Ms. Faith Brown is joining the faculty as a Special Education Teacher. I am very excited to share that Ms. Laura Sulak is our new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) teacher. Ms. Sulak is part of our specials rotation. STEM is replacing Spanish in this rotation. You will hear more about this program in the near future. Mrs. Leslie Birch and Ms. Stephanie Huntsman are joining the faculty as Kindergarten teachers. Dr. Denise Evans-Jackson is joining as our LAS (Language Acquisition Specialist) replacing Mr. David Johnson who is our new Assistant Principal. I know that you will join me in welcoming them the CHE.

Teachers here at Castle Hills are excellent at modeling learning. Although they have taken time to relax over the summer they have found time to continue their own professional development participating in math, science, language arts, and technology trainings.

Fourth grade parents – We are proud to be continuing our 1:X program for students. Please pay attention to future communication regarding this program as well as the Digital Citizenship course that your student will take during the first few weeks of school. iPad deployment is scheduled for September 5th. Please make sure to complete all necessary forms in skyward prior and pay the necessary fees.

We are starting a new program here at Castle Hills this year. This program is called Ready to Learn. This program is designed to promote student independence and ownership of their learning. Ready to Learn also supports one of our Campus Improvement goals. Ready to Learn means that ALL students are on time for school and have all their materials to help them be successful during the day. (i.e. pencils, technology, books, homework, athletic shoes for PE, etc…)

All students who are Ready to Learn for the entire 9 weeks will have their name put in for a drawing for that 9 weeks. Five names will be drawn per grade level and announced during morning announcements. The students whose names are drawn each 9 weeks will also receive a prize. Any student who has been Ready to Learn all 9 weeks will receive a pin during Dragon Awards.

Lunch drop offs are not a part of this program.

Please make sure that you come to your grade level orientation, no children please. “Meet the Teacher” for grades 1st – 5th, Friday, August 25th from 8:15 AM to 9:30AM. Kindergarten, you have your own special “Meet the Teacher” on Wednesday, September 6th from 5:30 – 6:30PM. As always please contact the office if you need anything or have questions.

Speaking on behalf of the faculty and staff, we look forward to our 16th year and continued partnership in the education of your children. It is going to be a FANTASTIC year!

Donna J. Taylor, M.Ed

Hello, CHE Dragons! With only a couple weeks until school starts, I hope you and your family were able to relax and enjoy time with family and friends. My name is Nina Samuel, and I am the new CHE PTA President. My family and I are starting our 5th year here at the Castle. To our new Dragon families, you have joined an amazing school filled with the finest principals and teachers. We are looking forward to another successful year.

Our children’s success depends on the continued partnership among our school, our community, our parents and our students. I invite each of you to join me and become a member of our PTA. By becoming a member, you are committing to ensure all our students have an opportunity to take part in the many PTA led programs such as Science Night, After School Enrichment classes, Fall Carnival, and Family Game night to name a few. Please visit our website – CHEPTA.net - to learn how to become a member as well as discover all the great programs we have planned for the 2017-18 school year.

I look forward to getting to know your family. Please be sure to attend the grade level orientations the week before school starts. The dates and times can be found on our PTA website. In addition, our PTA Board would like to invite you to our Yahoo! Boohoo! Reception on the first day of school, August 28th at 7:45am in the CHE library. The PTA Board will be there to answer any questions or discuss any of our upcoming activities.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions. I am open to all feedback and ideas. Enjoy these last couple weeks of summer break. See you at the Castle!

Truly,
Nina Samuel
CHE PTA President 2017-2019
cnina76@hotmail.com

Visit our PTA Calendar online!

We need you to get involved in your child's classroom! Each year, we need 2 parents to volunteer as Room Parents. If you are interested AND a current PTA member*, please submit the "Room Parent 2017-2018" form that will be available this Friday, 8/18 at chepta.net under My Account. This sign-up will be closed on Friday, September 1st, and you will be notified if you were selected by Wednesday, September 6th.

Interested Kindergarten parents should still sign up without an assigned teacher.

*If you are not a current PTA member please apply for membership at www.chepta.net and you will be able to then view the form. This is a requirement for being a Room Parent.

Thanks again for your support!

The PTA Volunteer Program is one of the best ways that parents can support the students and staff at our school. 

Please review the brief descriptions of each volunteer area and indicate your preliminary interests. Your contact information will then be forwarded to the CHE PTA board member or committee chair that is in charge of that activity.  Someone will be in touch with you soon.

Don't forget your background check! It's required for all volunteers that will be at the school. It takes about three weeks to complete and is active for three years. Click here to complete the LISD form.

There are some opportunities under My Account such as Kindergarten Lunch Duty and Student Spotlight articles.  Here are also Sign Up Genius opportunities to support our school, teachers, and students:

• Event-Specific
  • Welcome Back Snacks (August 2017)
  • Teachers' Kick-Off Brunch (5th Grade only; August 2017)

• Year-Round
  • K-Cups for Teachers (year-round; Friday drop-off in office)
  • Library Shelving (year-round; school hours; flexible times) - Our wonderful librarian, Ms. Teal, needs help shelving books throughout the school year! The books pile up pretty quickly when our kiddos check them back in. Please sign up if you can share some of your time to help out, maybe before/after meeting your child for lunch, or during your child's library time.

 Thanks for volunteering!