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Originally delivered on 3/18/2019 7:04 am

SUBJECT: Castle Courier Vol. 17, No. 16 - Mar 18, 2019


 

Volume XVII, Issue 16 - March 18, 2019

 

Hello there.

I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break whether you traveled or stayed at home. Now that our break is behind us, the rest of the 2018-2019 school year is going to go by at an extremely fast pace with lots of fun activities (field trips, field day, and end of the year activities) as well as state assessments for our third through fifth graders. The best ways to stay abreast of things going on at “The Castle” is through the PTA newsletter, Cyber Tuesday, and communication through your teachers. Your child’s backpack many times does have information in it too. It is a good idea (especially in the lower grades) to take the time to look through what might be a very organized backpack or a not so organized backpack. :)

The Spring Equinox (also called the March Equinox or Vernal Equinox) falls on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at 5:58 P.M. EDT. This event marks the astronomical first day of spring  in the Northern Hemisphere. Although it will be spring, here in Texas we experience hot weather one day and cold the next day. It can be cold in the morning and hot in the afternoon. It makes our allergies crazy and the unpredictability drives us all crazy. With that being said, please send your child dressed to ensure they are comfortable outside during recess.

The last week of March I will lead a discussion on two books. One is on March 26th at 9:00 am (Raising Cain Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys) and the other one is on March 28th at 9:00 am (No More Mean Girls). Both of these books are very good. If you are unable to come, please take the time to read these books. Also, during this week our Kindergarten registration for the 2019-2020 school year is taking place (March 27th, 28th, and 29th). Please share this information with any of your friends in the community who will have kindergarteners here at Castle Hills next year. If by chance you know of any 1st through 5st graders who will be new to Castle Hills next year let them know as they can come register at that time too.

If you chose to give input for student placement for next year, the form is due April 1st (no, it is not an April fools joke). These forms will not be taken after that date as we will be starting the process of placing students. The second week of April starts State Assessment for our 4th and 5th graders. This can be a very stressful time for your student. Although, here at Castle Hills we try very hard to not make a big deal of testing, some children still will get stressed. Please remember one test over a 4-hour period does not indicate what your student really knows. It is just a snapshot. It is helpful to make sure your student gets a good night sleep and good breakfast the morning of their test.

Below is something that was on FaceBook about testing that is worth reading!


The remainder of April we will have a long weekend, some field trips, and the always popular Camp Wanna read!

For parents of 4th and 5th graders, I need your help. Students are starting to text you or call you during the day from their personal or school device. We have never had a problem with this here at Castle Hills before. Students are not allowed to text or call parents during school from their personal devises. If your child is not feeling well, they need to let a teacher know and be sent to the nurse. If your child needs to contact you for any other reason, they need to speak with a teacher first. If it is an emergency or the teacher deems their concern to be valid they will be able to contact you using a school phone but not their personal device.  I greatly appreciate your support and understanding with using the proper channels of communication home from your student. Thank you.

Mrs. Donna J. Taylor, M.Ed

 

March Into Spring Healthy

After talking about the heart in February I’d like to encourage all of us to march into spring with an eye on the health of our bodies.


When you eat fresh fruits or vegetables there’s peace in knowing you are eating healthy. It’s when you eat something that has a “Nutrition Facts” chart on it that you need to watch what goes in your mouth. While calories and fat grams are what most people check, there are three other things to keep an eye on.


Sodium levels can be tricky. I’ve found that products marked low in sugar or fat tend to have more sodium. Even though the daily recommended amount of 2300 mg sounds like more than enough – it’s only 1 teaspoon’s worth of salt. Most of us easily exceed that amount daily. The more processed or fast food you eat, the faster your salt intake adds up.

Carbohydrates are another number to watch for. I found myself easily exceeding the recommended 45-65% of calorie intake. Once I started being mindful of the carb count I began to feel better. The trick with carbs is to check the serving size of the product you are eating. Cutting carbs can help in weight loss but please do not cut carbs out of your diet completely. That can harm you medically.

The last item I encourage you to watch for is protein. You don’t need to be a meat eater to get the adequate amount of protein in a day. Nuts, grains, legumes and dairy are also good sources. While you need it daily, you don’t want to overdo it either. The fact is, the amount of protein needed by the average person is relatively low. (0.36 gm per pound)

The key is moderation in every area. With our eyes on nutrition we can fight off any of the lingering winter viruses and head into a healthy, active spring and summer.

Lillianne Kohler RN
Castle Hills Elementary 
Office: 972-350-5303

THIS WEEK - Mon, Mar 18 to Sun, Mar 24

 
  • Mon, 3/18 - Hot Air Balloon Exhibition
  • Tue, 3/19
    • PTA Board Meeting @ 9:30am
    • LISD Love & Logic FREE Classes Begin
    • LISD Kinder Info Session 
  • Wed, 3/20: International Day of Happiness
  • Thu, 3/21 & Fri, 3/22: Design and Mine Spirit Nights (pre-registration required)

Keep scrolling down for more information, and click graphics for details!

Free LISD Love &
Logic Classes
Begin Mar 19

 

LISD Kindergarten
Info Session
Mar 19 

 

Design and Mine
Spirit Nights
Mar 21-22

Pre-registration required!


NEXT WEEK  - Mon, Mar 25 to Sun, Mar 31

 

 CHE Book Studies
with Mrs. Taylor
Mar 26 & 28


 

PTA Meeting
hosted by 3rd Grade
Mar 28


This is also our Book Fair Evening Shopping event

 

Scholastic
Book Fair Week
Mar 25-29

Click here for volunteer sign-ups!

 

Kinder & New Student Registration 

 

Registration is on Mar 27-29 from 8:30-11:30am and 1:00-2:00pm. This is for both Kindergarten and 1st-5th Grade New Student Registrations.

 

Remember, not only do you need to first complete your online registration, there are also a number of forms that need to be brought with you.

AND BEYOND  - Mon, Apr 1 to Sun, Apr 14

 

Keep scrolling down for more information, and click graphics for details!

LISD Reel Voices
Film Fest
Entries Due

Entries due by 3:30pm
on Tue, Apr 2 

 

5th Grade
Coffee with the Counselor

 

LISD Choices
Whole Child
Series

 
"Ask the Doctor Panel"

SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS

Last Chance
Yearbook Sales

Order at Balfour.com
Deadline to Order: May 1

 

Cyber Safety and
Social Media

Did you miss the event? You can download the handouts here

 

 TBD Kitchen
Spirit Night - April

 

LISD Art Show Help

Hi Parents! We need some help to prepare kids' artwork that Mrs. Stroud will feature in the annual LISD Art Show. We will be doing some cutting and matting in the art room. Please sign up here.

 

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.

Please be aware that Board Policy requires that each volunteer undergoes a background check before working with students.  You will need to complete the background check during your VOLY account creation process. Go to VOLY now to get started:  

 

Here are sign up opportunities to support our school, teachers, and students:

EVENT-SPECIFIC

NameDateLocationCommitDetails
CHE Scholastic Book Fair NEW!Fri, 3/22
&
Mon, 3/25 - Fri, 3/29
CHE Library2+ hours The CHE Scholastic Book Fair is here and we need volunteers to help set-up, run registers, and tear down! The CHE Book Fair will be open until 8pm on Thursday, 3/28, and both school and evening hours are available for you to volunteer and shop.
Kindergarten Registration NEW!

Wed, 3/27 - Fri, 3/29

CHE 1-1.5 hrsKindergarten Registration is just around the corner! CHE will host incoming families Wednesday through Friday, March 27-29 from 8:30-11:30 am and 1-2 pm.  We are in need of a few volunteers to give school tours and greet the new families as they drop off their children's paperwork.   
LISD Art Show Support NEW!Mon, 3/25 @ 10:30am-12pmCHE Art Room 1.5 hrsWe need some help to prepare kids' artwork that Mrs. Stroud will feature in the annual LISD Art Show. We will be doing some cutting and matting in the art room.  Thank you!

YEAR-ROUND

NameLocationCommitDetails
CHE PTA Board and Coordinators 

Various

Starting 2019-2020 school yearCHE PTA has various PTA Board and Coordinator positions available starting the 2019-2020 school year. Half of our board rolls off each year, and we would like to fill these spots to keep all of our current programming available! For more information on spots available and position descriptions, visit here.
Toys and Trinkets for Specials (no sign-up needed)

Drop-off
(CHE front office)

0-15 minThe Specials teachers could use donated small toys or trinkets for their classroom treasure boxes (incentives for grand behavior)
Castle Courier Spotlight ArticlesHome30-60 minmax 1 per child; students write an article about a specific program, event, or club to be included in the bi-weekly Castle Courier newsletter.
WATCH D.O.G.SCHEAll Day

Welcome Castle Hills Dads!

Below you will find all of the information you will need for WATCH DOGS.   

If you would like to be a WATCH DOG and have not been through orientation or have any further questions, please contact David Johnson (chewatchdogs@gmail.com).

Get your background check.

Get your official, required WATCH DOGS shirt here.

Watch DOGS Handbook

WATCH DOGS Sign Up Form

Thanks for volunteering! 

THE FUN STUFF (AND WHY WE'RE HERE)

        

    

      

 

This month we would like to honor Maria Baradell and Angela McCarthy for Kingdom Tales! They did a fantastic job with everything and worked countless hours to make this years Kingdom Tales a huge success! A record 83% of CHE students registered to participate in Kingdom Tales this year. They modernized the program by outsourcing the binding of 500+ books to a publisher of school books. They would like to thank the wonderful 16 Grade Level Coordinators who made this amazing program possible and we hope that all the authors enjoy their books for the years to come. They certainly loved looking at the marvelous illustrations and interesting stories and to see how happy they were at the author receptions. Thank you so much to you both for volunteering your time!

Let’s Get to Know Maria Baradell!

  • Family: Scott and Maria have been married for 7 years and have 4 children: Juliet, Benjamin, Jack and Christopher.
  • If I could go back in time, I would like to have dinner with: my grandmother
  • I have always wanted to: have a big family
  • My favorite place to travel: the beach
  • My favorite activity with my children/family is: watching movies and chillaxing. 

Let’s Get to Know Angela McCarthy!

  • Family: I have been married to Mark for 15 years and have lived in Castle Hills for 10 years. We have three kids, Carter (7th grade), Davis (4th grade) and Reese (Kindergarten). We also have a Goldendoodle named Bailey.
  • If I could go back in time, I would like to have dinner with: My Dad. He passed away when I was just 1 years old.
  • I have always wanted to: Invent a new product/service and go on Shark Tank!
  • My favorite place to travel: I love the energy of NYC, not to mention the shopping! But I will never, ever pass up the opportunity to travel to a beach with clear blue water and white sand!
  • My favorite activity with my children/family is: Grilling/eating outside in the backyard when the weather is nice. We also love going to the movies and watching sports!

 

2nd Grade Guest Speaker - Dr. Rathore!

Our 2nd grade Dragons had the privilege of having Dr. Rathore, Professor at Texas A&M University come speak to them a few weeks ago. Dr. Rathore has spent 20 years developing a type of cotton that has silenced a toxin in the protein-rich seed, making it edible for humans and animals. This new type of cotton opens up many new avenues for farmers to sell the same crop in a few different ways and unlocks a potentially huge protein-rich food source for developing countries. Earlier this year the USDA announced the approval of his cottonseed. Our students got to see the difference between a regular cottonseed vs. one with the silenced toxin. They got to hear about his journey and they asked some questions that he was very impressed by! Dr. Rathore is the grandfather of our very own student, Jay Fannin.

                                       

 

CHTA Artwork Display

Check it out! Artwork by CHE 2nd graders are now on display at Castle Hills Taekwondo America (CHTA) in the Village Shops. Second grade parents, if one of these artwork was created by your child, stop by CHTA to claim his/her free t-shirt! All you have to do bring your kiddo to the studio to take a selfie with his/her artwork and post it on Facebook or Instagram (tag CHTA). For contact info, visit: http://castlehillsta.com/

             


     


Here is what your students are doing this 4th Nine Weeks in Specials:

 

 
My name is Erica Gupta, and I am in 4th grade.  I like 4th grade because of my great teachers, Mrs. Buell, Mrs. Pierce, and Mrs. Howell.  My homeroom teacher is Mrs. Buell, who is thoughtful and creative, always finding fun ways to teach!  Mrs. Buell runs the school spelling bee and that event just can’t fit me any better!  The spelling bee is meant to encourage students’ spelling skills.  In a nutshell, qualifiers (from 4th and 5th grade) take a random number in the beginning and have their turns to spell in that order.  When they are given a word, they can ask for the language of origin, the word in a sentence, the definition, etc.  If they get the word correct, they go to the next round.  If not, they must wait until the end of the current round, then go off stage.  The winner and the runner up (the 2nd place winner) advance to the Hebron High School feeder bee, and they can advance up to the Nationals.  I like the spelling bee because it improves my spelling skills by helping me learn new words that are on the study list.  Anyone can participate because everyone is able to spell.  No matter how hard you think spelling is, you should definitely give the spelling bee a try! ðŸ˜Š

PTA's mission is to make every child's potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

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Castle Hills PTA
1025 Holy Grail Drive
Lewisville, TX 75056