Interview with Ms. Huntsman - Kindergarten
Question: What is your favorite daily activity to do to reinforce Great Expectations with your students?
Answer: Every morning, we have a Morning Meeting in which we do calendar, count how many friends are here, and count how many days we have been in school. We also discuss any changes in schedule and set the tone for the day. The calendar and attendance portions are student-led, which allows students to practice listening to one another, the Calendar Leader gets to stand and deliver, and the children are given the opportunity to help each other out when needed (Expectation #5).
Question: Can you give an example of how your class or a particular student exceeded one of your 8 expectations?
Answer: My class has really started exemplifying Expectation #6 (Recognizing every effort and applauding it). We are working on a 100 Acts of Kindness Board in which students can earn an act of kindness for things like helping someone clean up a spilled pencil box, using kind words, sharing, helping someone feel better, etc. When we first began, I had to recognize all of the Acts of Kindness. Now, I have kids coming up to me throughout the day saying, “He should get an Act of Kindness because he helped me clean up my pencil box,†or “She should get an Act of Kindness because she helped me up when I fell on the playground.â€
Photos
The first picture is of one little girl in my class choosing to read her Guided Reading book to a friend during Buddy Reading Time. She chose to share her learning and even helped her friend sound out a word or two!
The second picture is of our 100 Acts of Kindness Chart. The two kids showcased had just gotten to write their initials on there.
CULTURAL NIGHT
This month we would like to nominate Ofelia Nations for all her hard work on making Cultural Night another success this year! She was able to keep it fresh by introducing crafts around the world and it warmed her heart when several kids approached her to tell her they enjoyed the hands on experience making different crafts! Ofelia mentioned that the process of coming up with the ideas, researching each country and coordinating logistics is hectic but is fun! This is a list of volunteers that took time out of their busy schedules to create displays and represent a country during the event. They are the ones that helped make this event happen and they are the ones that deserve all the credit, so and extra special thank you to them!
- Carri Li (parent)
- MeghnaMeghani (parent)
- Patty and Bruce Larson (grandparents)
- Bushra Azis (parent)
- Aruna Koppanaur and daugther Brihati Krishnan
- Reena Balero (parent)
- Laura Torres (alumni parent)
- Rachel Fite (parent)
- Daniela Krasovsky (parent)
- Debra Muccio (parent)
- Diana Klotzman (parent)
Special thanks to our middle school alumni that prepared displays for England and Japan and took charge of leading their tables:
- Isabella Nations
- Daniela Torres
- Alysson Gerard
- Alana Soileau
- Ura Kang
We also had an overwhelming support from the Hebron NHS students. Last but not least, we need to send a big shout out to The Enchanted Artist, Z's Wok Restaurant and La Tapatia Meat market for their generous discounts and contributions! Thank you to Ofelia and everyone who volunteered their time to make this night such a success!
REFLECTIONS
We would also like to nominate Jessica Melker for all her hard work on making Reflections a huge success this year! Reflections has been a staple arts program in many schools for nearly 50 years. Through the efforts of our Local PTAs, millions of students have found a creative outlet in the areas of dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts. With positive recognition as the focus of this program, rather than competition, students of all ages and abilities can experience the benefits of creative expression and help in finding their own voice in telling their unique story. Started in 1969 by Mary Lou Anderson, then Colorado PTA President, Reflections has grown to be one of the largest nationwide programs of its kind, with more than 200,000 students participating annually.
Jessica was in charge of promoting and marking this national program, collecting entries and ensuring all requirements are met, coordinating judges, advancing entries to district PTA, printing student certificates and ribbons, displaying all artwork and entries in mini art exhibit in school hallway, Reflections presentation at PTA meeting, working with Council rep regarding rules and procedures and student advancement!
This year we had:
- 89 entries (more than 25 more than last year)
- 22 advanced to Council PTA
- 3 advanced to State PTA
A big thank you to these volunteers who helped with judging and the art display: Mrs. Stroud, Mandy Bain, Adrianne Miller, Kelly Little, Way-Way Pee, Sarah Durrant, Nina Samuel, Erica Wilson, Chinyere Etufugh
Thank you to everyone who made this event a HUGE success!
Thank you to all of our participants
for your creative and beautiful Reflections entries!
Thank you to all of the families that participated in the Breanna's Buddies Lemm Elementary Art Donation Drive. We were able to ship off two large boxes of supplies not to mention everything that was sent directly to the school via Amazon. Thank you to Breanna's Buddies for coordinating the drive. Look at those happy faces of the students that are ready to start creating!
Castle Hills Elementary Distinctions
We are proud to announce that Castle Hills Elementary has earned 6 distinction designations in 2016-2017. You can view our 2016-2017 School Report Card and Texas Academic Performance Report online. Click for more information.
Congratulations to Mrs. Canida, Mrs. O'Neill, and Dr. Krieger for receiving the 2017-2018 CHE PTA Honorary Lifetime Member Award! Thank you for everything you do for our students.
