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Originally delivered on 1/9/2018 7:04 am

SUBJECT: Castle Courier Vol. 16, No. 10


 

Volume XVI, Issue 10 - January 9, 2018

Happy 2018!

I hope everyone had a wonderful break spending time with family and friends but most importantly found time to relax some. We just returned to school yesterday and I am excited to be back. That said, I don’t really have much to share other than some friendly reminders to start 2018 off to a GREAT start at the Castle.

In my previous article, I shared that we are revamping the WATCH Dog program. It is my hope that through these changes both teachers and Watch DOG’s will have clearer understanding of the expectations regarding the program. Mr. Johnson has scheduled a Mid-year orientation for January 16th at 7:00. Any and all dads who are or want to be a part of this program will need to attend this meeting. We will review how to sign up to be a WATCH DOG and the expectations of the position. You will receive a program handbook. We would greatly appreciate it if you would let Mr. Johnson know (johnsonddlisd.net) if you are planning on being at this meeting. If you have a conflict, please contact Mr. Johnson directly. This will help us with preparation and a make-up session should a need arise. We will start the sign up for the program after the orientation. Thank you.

I am looking forward to gathering the data for the end of our 2nd 9 weeks for our Ready to Learn Program that includes student tardiness. The data will be shared with you in the beginning of the 3rd 9 weeks. We didn’t do such a good job reducing tardiness during the 1st 9 weeks so I am hopeful we see improvement. Reducing tardiness is part of our Campus Improvement Plan. More importantly, tardiness negatively effects the education of your student.

In conclusion, the school will be close Monday, January 15th for MLK day and Friday January 19th is an early release day for students. As fast as the fall has gone, I know the spring will move even faster. Please take time and read all communications sent home from the PTA and teachers. If you have any questions, as always, please contact the office.

Mrs. Donna J. Taylor, M. Ed

Time certainly flies when you are having fun. Almost half the school ear is behind us.

As we move into second semester we have big things coming up.

KMS Visit for the fifth grade is just around the corner. They will load up on buses and visit KMS on February 1. During the time there, the students will visit Orchestra, Band, Choir, Art and Theater. There is also a time to ask students questions about middle school. DON’T WORRY Parents. A parent night should also be happening around that time. This is set to give parents the opportunity to ask questions before the students hand in their wish list of classes for next year.

I will host a Coffee for fifth grade parents on January 19th and hopefully be able to answer some burning questions at that time.

ALL PARENTS are invited to preview the new curriculum required by our district for counselor’s. There are two new units. One is on Bullying and the other is a Child Protection Unit. We will send an electronic letter at the end of January with some information. If you DO NOT wish your child to take part in it, sign the letter and return it to school.

Enjoy the cooler weather. Maybe some hot chocolate and cinnamon toast. That was the go to for my kids on a Minnesota Snow Day.

Carol Rains                        

CALENDAR AND UPCOMING EVENTS

 

Parents, if your child is too sick for school, he or she is also too sick for our extra-curricular activities. Please do not send your child to before- or after-school programs if they were not well enough to be in the classroom that day.

Also, please remind your children to avoid close contact with others who are sick, cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, clean/wash your hands often (especially before eating!), and avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose. 

Thank you for helping keep our school healthy!

PROGRAMS AND REMINDERS

  

Spring after school programs will be up on the PTA website soon
so please keep an eye out to register!  Thank you for your support!

SERVICE AND SUPPORT

We have year-round volunteer opportunities to help support our faculty, staff, and students! They can be found at CHEPTA.net under My Account --> Volunteer Opportunities:

 

Save your boxtops! Next collection due date is 2/21/18

THE FUN STUFF a.k.a. "Why We're All Here"

 

      

Great Expectations Teacher Spotlight
Jennifer Magana 4th Grade

1. What is your favorite daily activity to do to reinforce Great Expectations with your students?

I love reciting our creed and expectations. It is student led and it lets them take such ownership of the creed and expectations-they are theirs to uphold

2. How has your class or a particular student exceeded one of your 8 expectations?

When another student needs help with something (anything from cleaning up a spill to help understanding academic concepts), my class comes together to help one another. Expectation #5-help one another whenever possible- is clearly one that my class lives out each and every day. 

Congratulations to the following CHE students whose entries have been selected to advance to Texas PTA!

Reyna Daniels - Intermediate 3rd-5th, Literature
Hyeyeon Lee - Intermediate 3rd-5th, Visual Arts
Hayden Melker - Intermediate 3rd-5th, Dance Choreography

Thank you to all of our participants for your creative and beautiful entries! Participants will receive a certificate and ribbon at the Cultural Night & World of Art PTA Meeting on Thursday, January 25 and a Dragon Awards pin at the end of the school year. A special thank you to all of this year's judges for the time and care you gave in judging each entry and to the volunteers who are helping with World of Art.


Thank you to all the volunteers (Penny Moyle, Hollie Choe, Katie O’Neil, Nina Samuel, Liza Howard and Angela McCarthy) that made the Wall of Veterans another success! This year we did something a little different and created a "Flag of Veterans”!  We supplied the teachers stars so the kids could write the names of their veterans on them.  Then with all the stars collected we made an American Flag!   We also incorporated an “invite a veteran to lunch day”  that was very well received and the veterans got to see where their name was on the flag or even write their name on a empty star. 

The teachers and students enjoyed walking by it in the hall every day. What a great reminder of the love and sacrifice so many have made for our freedom. Thank you again to all the volunteers who made this a Wall of Remembrance!

       

       

 

Hi! My name is Brihati Krishna. I am in the fifth grade at Castle Hills Elementary. My favorite thing about being in fifth grade is that I get to participate in many fun events including the Snapping Dragons Honor Choir and the News Crew. My homeroom teacher is Mrs. Newell. My favorite thing about her is that she makes teaching Social Studies fun by including fun activities. For example, we did a skit to learn about Changes in European Explorations and I really enjoyed making and performing the skit.

News Crew is a fun event in which you get to speak on the morning announcements for the whole school to watch. You can speak to Mrs. Lee to audition to get into News Crew. I am happy to say that I got through the audition and going to be participating in News Crew. Around 20 students are selected. 5 out of the 20 selected students get to participate for 9 weeks and then they switch with another 5 students.

I am happy that I got through the audition and going to be participating in News Crew. I haven’t gotten to participate yet but I will in the next 9 weeks. My favorite thing about News Crew is that you get to tell all about the main events that happen in school like field trips, the weather, about programs at school like Reflections, Kingdom Tales, Red Ribbon week, upcoming school holidays, etc. There are usually four to five kids every day who do the announcements. I think other kids should join News Crew because it is fun, and it would be ideal for kids who like speaking to an audience. “That’s all for today from the Dragon Newsroom. Remember, dragon pride starts inside, make it a good day. Go Dragons!” :)

 



Castle Hills PTA
1025 Holy Grail Drive
Lewisville, TX 75056