Volume XVII, Issue 18 - April 15, 2019

Happy April,

Kudos for Castle Hills students, teachers, and staff..â€¦..

During the week of March 25th, a representative from Great Expectations visited our campus for 2 days. The purpose of this visit was to evaluate our implementation of Great Expectations. I am very happy to report that based on this evaluation we continue to be a Great Expectation Model School. This is our 3rd year in a row! In order to be awarded this designation, 90% of our teachers need to implement all 17 Great Expectations practices 100% of the time. All of the 20 classrooms visited implemented all 17 practices 100%. Our teachers and students are the BEST!

On March 26th Castle Hills Elementary was honored by the Lewisville Chamber of Commerce during their monthly meeting for being named the March School of the Month. School of the Month is awarded each month by the Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the Denton Area Teachers Credit Union. In addition, Ms. Danielle Stempel was honored as the March Teacher of the Month, sponsored by Huffines Auto Dealership - Lewisville and Brooke Hunnicutt was honored for being the March Student of the Month, sponsored by TIAA.

The last week of March our two parent book studies took place. We had wonderful discussions and all the parents who participated enjoyed the books and recommends them. If you couldnâ€™t participate but would still like to read the books they are: Raising Cain by Dan Kindlon, Ph.D. and Michael Thompson, Ph.D and No more Mean Girls by Katie Hurley, LCSW. There are many other books that I highly recommend in no particular order:

How to Raise An Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims
The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey
The Future of Happiness by Amy Blankson
The End of Average by Todd Rose
Gritt by Angela Duckworth
Mindset by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D
The Collapse of Parenting by Leonard Sax, MD, Ph.D

Can you tell I like to read? :)

This is another friendly reminder about our dress Code: Dresses/skirts/shorts should not be shorter than approximately where the finger tops hit when they are hanging down with the hand open. Another way to measure length is to make sure they are no shorter than 4 inches above the knee. Spaghetti straps are not allowed â€“ shoulder straps need to be the width of a dollar bill. This applies even to our adorable little kindergarten girls. It always bothers kids when someone has to speak to them about their clothing choices so please ensure they are not put in that position. If your child wants to wear a top or dress that is not in dress code, make sure they have a sweater to wear over the top or dress. This cover up will need to be worn at recess. Parents should follow the same dress code for students if you are volunteering or coming for any meetings at school. Thank you in advance for your help and support.

Kindergarten registration was wonderful. It is always exciting for us to get a glimpse of our new Dragons! If you know of anyone who will be new to the Castle next year and has not registered please communicate to them that the sooner they register the better it is. We are starting to place students into their classes for next year and knowing our numbers help us a lot. It is a process that we take very seriously and it takes a number of weeks for us to complete.

We are coming down the home stretch of the 2018-2019 school year. The first round of State testing is behind us but there is still more to come. Although our students and teachers still have their noses to the grind stone there is lots of fun things that will be taking place here at the Castle. Please stay up to date through the PTA website and teacher communications.

Mrs. Donna J. Taylor, M.Ed

THIS WEEK - Mon, Apr 15 to Sun, Apr 21

Mon, Apr 15 - Fri, Apr 19: Healthy Texas Week
Tue, Apr 16: PTA Board Meeting
Wed, Apr 17: Last Day for Reading Counts
Wed, Apr 17: 5th Grade Transition Talk
Fri, Apr 19: No School

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

Healthy Texas
Week

5th Grade Parent
Transition Talk

2019-2020
Save These Dates

Scholastic Reading Counts Program

Wednesday, 4/17 is the last day to count Reading Counts quizzes towards the Dragon Awards Pin and Reading Counts Party.

The point requirements are as follows:

Recognition Pins
-- Grade 1 - 10 points
-- Grade 2 - 20 points
-- Grade 3 - 30 points
-- Grade 4 - 40 points
-- Grade 5 - 50 points

Reading Counts Party
-- Grade 1 - 75 points
-- Grade 2 - 125 pints
-- Grade 3 - 150 points
-- Grade 4 - 175 points
-- Grade 5 - 175 points

NEXT WEEK - Mon, Apr 22 to Sun, Apr 28

Mon, Apr 22: No School
Tue, Apr 23 - Fri, Apr 26: Dressed to Learn Clothing Drive
Wed, Apr 24: T.B.D. Spirit Night
Fri, Apr 26: Camp Wanna Read Set-Up
Keep scrolling down for more information, and click graphics for details!

Dressed to Learn
Clothing Drive

TBD Kitchen
Spirit Night

Camp Wanna Read
Set Up

Please sign up to help set up and breakdown the decorations that brings Camp Wanna Read week to life.

AND BEYOND - Mon, Apr 29 to Sun, May 12

Mon, Apr 29 - Fri, May 3: Camp Wanna Read
Wed, May 1: Yearbook Sales end
Fri, May 3
- 5th Grade Coffee with the Counselor (bring 4th Grader parents with you)
- Field Day (more info to come)
- Last Day to check out library books
- No Lunch Visitors
Mon, May 6 - Fri, May 10: Teacher Appreciation Week
Mon, May 6: Field Day Rainout Date
Tue, May 7: PTA Board Meeting
Tue, May 7: Moose the Worry Mutt Book Orders Due
Wed, May 8: RSVP due for Family Bingo Night
Thu, May 9: PTA General Meeting @ 6:30pm - 5th Grade Ukuleles & Snapping Dragons performance
Fri, May 10
- PTA Turnover Breakfast
- All Library Books Due
- Moose the Worry Mutt Visit
- Family Bingo Night @ 6:30-8:00pm

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

Camp Wanna Read is a fun time for the students to read books in an indoor camping environment. Please sign up to help set up and breakdown the decorations that bring this week to life. Please note that May 3 is also Field Day.

Last Chance Yearbook Sales

5th Grade Coffee with the Counselor

5th Grade parents, bring some 4th Grade parents with you!

Teacher Appreciation Week

Moose the Worry Mutt Book Pre-Orders

Pre-order your autographed copy of Moose the Worry Mutt Goes to Doggie Daycare!
Along with the co-authorsâ€™ signatures, Moose will also â€œpawtographâ€ the book for your child.

FREE Family
Bingo Night

RSVP at CHEPTA.NET under My Account --> My Online Forms

PTA General Meeting
5th Grade Ukes & Snapping Dragons Musical

KMS will be on-site selling Spirit Wear, Wrap Packs, and more!

SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS

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

Name	Date	Location	Commit	Details
STEM Staying Afloat Project NEW!	Due by 4/24	Drop-off CHE	15 minutes	Ms. Sulak is needing 24 Diet Coke cans for a project for the 4th grade by April 24. Sign up here to donate.
Camp Wanna Read Help NEW!	4/26 @ 12pm-3pm and 5/3 @ 9am-12pm	CHE Library	3+ hours (but might go faster!)	Please sign up here to help set up and breakdown the decorations that brings Camp Wanna Read week to life! Please note that May 3 is also Field Day.

YEAR-ROUND

Name	Location	Commit	Details
CHE PTA Board and Coordinators	Various	Starting 2019-2020 school year	CHE 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 min	The Specials teachers could use donated small toys or trinkets for their classroom treasure boxes (incentives for grand behavior)
Castle Courier Spotlight Articles	Home	30-60 min	max 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.S	CHE	All 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 Mahie Ghoraishi for Great Expectations! She has really enjoyed volunteering as the PTA Great Expectations Liaison. This position allows for increase parent awareness of the GE mission and how the principles are implemented at CHE. The GE PTA Liaison also maintains communication with the PTA Board about plans for sharing the GE mission and other activities. She has enjoyed representing GE at Meet the Teacher, representing GE at PTA General Meetings, and creating and maintaining 2 Bulletin Boards promoting student awareness of GE including weekly updates of the Word and Quote of the Week. Thank you so much, Mahie, for dedicating your time to this great position!

Volunteer of the Month Spotlight: Letâ€™s Get to Know Mahie Ghoraishi!

Family: Saj and I met 17 years ago and have been married for almost 16 years. We have two children, Ariyana (7) and Shayan (4).
If I could go back in time, I would like to have dinner with: My grandmother. I have only known her through my mother who glows whenever she speaks of her. I love surrounding myself with strong women and role models. My grandmother was both.
I have always wanted to: Go back to school and get my doctorate degree philanthropic studies. I am a social worker by profession and passion. I love giving back to the community, identifying and addressing needs/gaps. Being on the receiving end of funds, developing and implementing community programs, has been amazing. I would love to be on the giving side as well, raising and directing funds to address areas of need in the community.
My favorite place to travel: Anywhere with sand! My absolute favorites have been Turks and Hawaii.
My favorite activity with my children/family is: We love all activities that allow us to spend time together. But we love traveling together the most!

Congratulations to our Spring 2019 Box Top Winners! Thank you so much for your support! Mallory Barko Kimberly Sharp Emi Phillips. Keep clipping those Box Tops. Every Box Top counts!

My name is Matthew Holloway and I am in Fifth Grade. I love Fifth Grade because I have one of the best teachers on the planet, Mrs. Canida. I love Mrs. Canida because she always wants you to be better and focuses on helping you improve while being kind and open-hearted. One of my favorite things about Fifth Grade is the Snapping Dragons choir. In Snapping Dragons, we sing and put on amazing performances and, most importantly, have fun while doing it. My favorite things about this wonderful program is that you get to be you and that nobody will judge you. I think everyone should be part of this activity because while you have fun and put on performances you also learn, a lot. Whether it is about being able to sing clearer or being able to articulate better, by the end of the year, you are always better than when you first started out.