Dear Castle Hills Parents,

As you read this there are only 7 ½ days left of the 2018-2019 school year! Where did the year go? Right now, we are in the throes of State Testing for our 3rd- 5th grade students. Then comes the Readings Counts Party, Rise and Shine (we will be awarded our 3rd consecutive Model School designation), Dragon Awards, Fifth Grade Celebration, End of Year Parties, and lastly, we will finish up the year with the 5th grade walk on the last day of school. It has been another fantastic year here at “The Castle” with too many activities and programs to even try to review at this time. The one activity that I want to write about is Field Day. Coach Huppe knocked it out of the galaxy as he always does every year with his planning to make sure that the kiddos have a great day. Thank you Coach Huppe! Another BIG thank you goes to the PTA for their financial support and to Dr. Kreiger for purchasing shirts for the staff and 5th graders. A FUN day was had by all.  

Faculty and Staff changes – Every year changes of faculty and staff take place. Some changes happen before school ends and then of course there are always the surprise changes that happen after the summer begins. There will be only 5 classes in 4th grade next year. Therefore, there has been some movement within grade levels.

Ms. Huntsman will be joining the 1st grade team as we will now have 6 classes in that grade level. If you were not aware both Mrs. Lea and Mrs. Jones are retiring. The new principal will be hiring their replacements.

I do want to share with you that around June 21st if you go by the school you will see some activity. The front entrance of the school, vestibule, and the office is being redesigned for security purposes. This is a district wide initiative that is part of the last bond package. All elementary schools are being made more secure for safety purposes. There will be new procedures for entering the school next year that will be shared with you when the 2019-2020 school year begins.

One of the big interests over the summer is always the “post cards” that are sent out with student class placements. The post cards will again be on a bright yellow card stock and will be mailed the week of July 8th.  Please make sure that we have your current address. As I have shared many times in the past, the placement of students is taken very seriously. I can honestly say that each child, each class, each mixture of children, all special programs, etc. are carefully scrutinized for a proper balance and good mix. Requiring many (many!) hours. Students who participate in any special program at school are placed in classes first. After these students have been placed the rest of the student body is placed. Every student’s current teacher is involved in placing your child with his or her next teacher. Current teacher input is very important, as these individuals know your child best within the academic setting. We then take a step back and look at the class as a whole and continue to move students (with teacher input) until we are confident that every student has been placed in a class where they can excel. There were many rounds of working on classes over a number of weeks. Hopefully you can understand that a lot of thought goes into the process and we do not just pick names out of a hat. As this is a long process that the teachers and I take seriously, please do not ask for changes unless there is an absolutely critical issue that we somehow weren’t made aware of. Your new principal will appreciate your support in this area as this he/she does not know the children as the teachers and I do.

The office will be closed on Friday, May 24th and reopen on Tuesday, May 28th. The office will remain open through Thursday, June 6th which is Gina’s last day before her summer break. My last day is June 13th. The office will reopen on July 23rd.

As this is my last newsletter I want to take the time to thank all of you for allowing me to be a part of your child’s educational journey. It has been an honor and privilege to work with you, the community of Castle Hills, the students, and the most FANTASTIC educators in the State of Texas. My past seven years have gone by so quickly. I can still remember “Popsicles with the Principal” that you put together for me to meet the students and you. Together we have done so much for the students of Castle Hills. I look forward to hearing all about the great things and new initiatives that are going to take place under your new leadership.

I could never have asked for a better school to end my career with. Thank you. I hope you have a wonderful summer.

With love and admiration,

Mrs. Donna J. Taylor. M.Ed
Principal, Castel Hills Elementary 

NEW CHE Host Families Program 

CHE PTA is piloting a program in 2019-2020 where, when new 1st-5th grade families come to the school, they have the option of being assigned to 2 volunteer Host/current families that have students in similar grades. These host families would actively reach out to the parents on a regular basis to help them assimilate into the new school and make sure the parents are getting what they need. The goal is that the new families will have a primary person that they can contact with questions and a friendly face on campus.

Interested in being a host family or want to know more? Please click here or feel free to email me at waysquared@gmail.com with any questions.

Way-Way Pee
CHE PTA Hospitality (2019-2020)

 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

YEAR-ROUND

  Thanks for volunteering!

Congratulations to Raiya Shah, our Class of 2019 recipient of the LEF Castle Hills Elementary School scholarship! Once a Dragon, Always a Dragon!

How many years did you attend CHE and what grades?
We were one of the first families to move into Castle Hills when it was first being built, so Castle Hills is the only home I have ever known. My parents bough a house on Holy Grail across the street from a plot of land where Castle Hills Elementary was to be built. As a young girl, I watched CHE, my future school, being built from the ground up.

Do you have any siblings that attended or currently attend CHE?
I have a younger brother, Ravi, who is 4 years younger than me. My dad walked both me and my brother to CHE every morning from KG through 5th grade.

Where are you going to college? Do you have a major chosen?
I am planning to go to Southern Methodist University (SMU) this fall, with a major in Biology and a minor in Graphic Design.

What is your favorite memory at CHE?
My favorite memory of CHE is playing on the CHE playground in Mrs. Robins' 2nd grade class, and accidentally doing a flip over one of the bars -- I was so excited by the flip that I signed up for gymnastic classes after that. I also have many great memories from the camaraderie I felt in Mrs. Horiates' 3rd grade class. In Mrs. Howell's 4th grade class and Mrs. Cousins' 5th grade class, I enjoyed the creative writing activities we did that sparked my interest in writing.

Do you have any advice for current CHE students?
My advice to CHE students is to have as much fun as you can in elementary school, and to know that middle school is another great adventure to look forward to in the future!

Thanks again!
Raiya Shah

Congrats to all of our CHE PTA membership for helping our chapter achieve these milestones this year. Don't forgot to join CHE PTA for 2019-2020 in July (membership needs to be renewed annually); your voice matters! Joining the PTA does not commit you to volunteer your time, bake any cookies, or donate goods or services. Joining the Castle Hills Elementary PTA is the easiest way to support CHE and education across the nation.

Castle Hills Crossing Guards

To our families and staff of CHE,

Another year has come and gone, wow how time flies! We continue to enjoy greeting you all with a warm smile and wave each and every day. Again there is sadness with the end of each year; we are losing our awesome 5th graders, but not only them, we are saying Happy Retirement to Mrs. Taylor.

We hope everyone has a safe and wonderful summer! We will see you in the fall, when we welcome our new kindergartners and new principal.

Much love,
Maryann, Lisa and Manny

Remaining Lost and Found items will be donated on Monday, May 13th. Please have your child pick up his or her missing items before then!      

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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