PTA 2004 - 2005 Monthly Newsletter

 
The Cowboy Corner

5800 Colleyville Blvd – Colleyville, TX 76034 817-788-4440 Volume 18, Issue 2(9/03/04) Sponsored by the CES/PTA



Principal's Corner

Dear Parents,

Thank you for a great beginning of the school year. You have wonderful children and they have come to school ready to learn and participate.

We have a new version of the school discipline plan. With almost 600 children walking through our halls and cafeteria, we created new guidelines to make sure everyone was safe. We are asking students to travel down the halls without talking. We are teaching them the concept of walking on the right side of the hall just as if they were driving. At strategic locations in the building "stop" signs have been mounted to help with the flow of traffic. CES students are learning about traffic patterns and jams even in Kindergarten.

In the cafeteria, one grade level at a time will be sitting at the tables. We now have additional serving help and two checkout registers. The entire grade level is able to go through the line in about 7 minutes. The favorite addition for the students is a machine called the "Yacker Tracker". It monitors the noise level in the cafeteria. If the students are too loud the yacker goes off. Students are asked to remain on silence for 1/2 to 1 minute. During the last five minutes of the lunchtime, the lights are turned off or down. This is a signal for all students to finish eating, pick up their own trash and quietly get ready to leave the cafeteria. Students are taking their recess time before lunch, which helps with getting students to eat more food at the lunchtime.

In an effort to teach students to be responsible for their choices and actions, a classroom clipboard will be carried with the class to special classes, cafeteria, recess and the library. This gives the students good consistent feedback about their behavior and choices. CES students are excellent at monitoring their own behaviors but if they cannot get on track then they will have consequences such as missing recess.

In the first two weeks this has gone very well. Everyone is responding to the new guidelines. It is making a difference in our school.

Parents, please remember that we do not have people on duty before 7:30 each morning. Please do not drop off your students before this time. If a student arrives at school before 7:30 they enroll in the before school care, Kidz U. We have information about this in the school office.

Thanks again for your support.
Loretta Ross


Coming Up

September

September 6 - School Holiday
September 8 & 9 - 11:30 Dismissal for All
September 9 - 7 PM Dads' Club Meeting
September 14 - 4 PM CEC
September 16 - 9:15 AM - PTA Exec Board
September 16 - 7 PM Volunteer Orientation
September 17 - 9 AM Volunteer Orientation
September 20 - Newsletter Articles Due
September 23 - 6 PM Dads' Club Spaghetti Dinner
September 23 - 7 PM "State of the School" Presentation at PTA General Meeting


October

October 7 - 9:15 AM PTA Exec Bd Mtg
October 11 - School Holiday
October 12 - 4 PM CEC
October 16 - 3-7 PM Fall Festival
October 20 - Newsletter Articles Due

 


McDoniel's Memos

New Handbook Policies

Please take time to read the Elementary Student-Parent Handbook. The signed signature page needs to be returned to your student's teacher. These will be kept on file for the school year. I want to point out a few changes in policies.

There is a change in the make-up work policy. Students have a day for each day absent plus one to make up their work and receive full credit. If the work is submitted late, the student may receive a maximum of 70 percent credit for the work. See page 10 of the handbook.

Another change also deals with absences. When you check your students in late or take them out early for doctor or dental appointment, a note from the doctor needs to be brought or sent to the office. This is especially important since the compulsory attendance law is worded "is absent from school…days or parts of days…." See page 24. Please keep the attendance law in mind when you check your students out early to take a trip. A student may be counted absent if they miss part of the day.

The progress report policy is also new. Only students who are failing will receive a progress report at the end of the first 3 weeks of the nine-week periods. Progress reports for all students will be issued within five days after the sixth week. If your child receives a grade lower than 70 in any subject during a grading period, you are requested to schedule a conference with the teacher. All progress reports must be signed by the parent and returned to the teacher. See page 4.

Sincerely,
Judy McDoniel



CES PTA President's Report

The school year has barely begun and the PTA is already roaring with action. Listed below are just a few of the many PTA programs that will occur or have been completed this year…and it is only September!

• Tracy Hearn is creating the PTA Directory for the 2004-2005 school year to give you access to each student and parent contact information.
• Bryn Jepson, our Membership Chairman, is rounding up members for the CES PTA…and has a target of 100% participation. If you have not joined, please do. We need you!
• Julie Musser has delivered $27,000 worth of school supplies and presented a beautiful Tears and Cheers Breakfast for the parents.
• Janet Moore, our Copy Room Coordinator, has the copy room running smoothly. Did you know that PTA volunteers copy all papers for all classes at CES?
• Lisa Bernardo has collected tons of lunchboxes and backpacks for underprivileged children as a great start for the Community Liaison committee.
• Melanie Clardy is hard at work on Campus Beautification…sprucing the garden to give us an attractive entry and getting the outdoor classroom ready for use by our children.
• Laura DiCaro has delivered thousands of dollars worth of software, books, and teaching supplies to our teachers on behalf of Needs Assessment. She also coordinated the beautiful new additions to the teacher’s lounge.
• Maria Ewing has produced her second Newsletter for the year that you are reading right now!
• Kathy Watkins has already planned an exciting Student Theatre production for January.
• Nancy Holloway and Wendy Shane of our Hospitality Committee have planned a meal for our teachers every single month…and the August meal for the teachers was a great hit.
• Our Volunteer Coordinator Sonja Haynes is tallying volunteers for each PTA program…and has hundreds of you participating. There is always room for more if you want to be active in the PTA.
• Susan Davis established a communication process that is unprecedented in our district. The Electric Cowboy is a state-of-the-art means of keeping you connected to CES.
• Kim Folkes, Deana Pueblo, Lanese Turner, Renee Norwood, and Amy Chapman are already hard at work on the Fall Festival…one of our premier events of the year.

Thanks team for a great job.
Stephanie Rosenjack, CES PTA President



Talented Artists Needed!

Preparation of the new PTA Directory is underway. We are looking for cover art and inside art to use in our publication. Students, teachers, parents, siblings and other CES devotees are invited to submit drawings for use in the directory. Please submit pencil/pen drawings by September 10. Drawings must be scanned, so heavily drawn pencil works best. This year’s theme is "Pass the Torch."

Parents, if you have not done so, please turn in your directory permission form to your child’s teacher ASAP. Thanks!


Outdoor Classroom News
Calling All Gardeners!

If you haven’t visited the Outdoor Classroom lately, you are missing a real treat. New Butterfly and Hummingbird beds, summer perennials, and new weather station equipment are just a few of the additions made to this beautiful garden last year. Plans are underway for the addition of even more exciting and educational elements, including a Wildflower Planting area, new raised beds for classrooms use, and bright and colorful plant additions to existing beds.

The Outdoor Classroom is part of the PTA’s Campus Beautification efforts and is maintained and cared for by CES parents. If you are interested in volunteering to help with maintenance of the garden and plans for new programs, please call or e-mail Melanie Clardy at 817/656-9848 or melanie.clardy@comcast.net.

"THANK YOU to the McCullough family! They have graciously agreed to "adopt" the flowerpots at the entrance to our school for the upcoming year. We greatly appreciate their contribution toward making our campus more beautiful."


PTA Fundraising News

Thanks to all the CES families and friends who supported CES Applebee’s Night on August 23rd. It was a tremendous success. This is an easy way to raise funds for the PTA, all while having fun (and the best part - no cooking and cleaning up!)

The CES PTA Fall Festival is just around the corner. This is the big fundraiser that supports all the PTA-sponsored functions throughout the rest of the year. Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 16, 2004 from 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. This is the event your family cannot miss! Invite a friend. Everyone is welcomed! Come prepared to have lots of fun at one of the 30 classroom sponsored booths and "shop til you drop" at the silent auction. More details about the Fall Festival will be included in the October Cowboy Corner newsletter and information that will be sent home with your child as the event draws closer.

Kim Folkes
CES PTA 2nd Vice President



Get Connected…

Get the latest CES news and important information delivered straight to your own e-mail box. Sign up for

The Electric Cowboy

Visit the CES website, www.gcisd-k12.org/schools/ces and enter your e-mail address in the sign up box. You will then be prompted for your name and interest categories. That’s it! You’re now plugged in to CES!



Mark your Calendars!!!!!!!!!!

CES PTA Fall Festival
Saturday, October 16th, 2004
3-7 p.m.
Colleyville Elementary School



Reflections

It is time for students to start thinking about what they would like to create and submit for the reflections program. Reflections is a cultural arts program sponsored by the PTA. It encourages students in grades K-12 to express their thoughts and feelings through creative arts.
The theme for 2004-5 is:


"A Different Kind of Hero"

.
Original works can be submitted in four areas: Literature, Musical Composition, Photography and Visual Arts. We are looking forward to some great participation this year! Deadlines and details will be forthcoming.

Monica Smith Arts in Education



Musical Notes

I am so excited to be the new Music teacher at CES!

Music classes are off to a great start with 1st and 2nd graders focusing on steady beat and rhythm reading while Kindergarteners are learning about the different types of voices---singing voice, speaking voice, etc. 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders are all beginning the year with an emphasis on correct singing and incorporating movement with their singing
.
Currently, plans are for each grade to present at least one musical performance during the year. As we begin rehearsing for your child’s musical, you will receive more specific information about that performance.

This year, we are going to have the first ever Colleyville Elementary School Show Choir! Fourth and Fifth graders are eligible to audition for this choir and should have already received information about it. If your 4th or 5th grader is interested in auditioning and you have not received any information about this choir, please contact me immediately.

If you ever have any questions/concerns about Music class or Show Choir, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to meeting each of you and to a great year of working with your child/children here at CES!

Musically yours,
Pam L. Platt
pam.platt@gcisd.net
(817) 788-4440—school
(817) 485-6475—home



Library Notes

Well here we are at the start of a brand new year. I hope everyone had a great summer and did a lot of summer reading. While on vacation this year, my family and I enjoyed books on CD in the car. It was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy books together as a family and be able to discuss them afterward.

I was proud to see so many of you at the Colleyville Public library this summer. The summer reading program there was a huge success. Remember the public library and its many programs are there for all of us. We’ve waited a very long time here in Colleyville for such a nice facility and it has been worth the wait.

With a new year comes the excitement of a new session of accelerated reader. The books are identified and ready for checkout in the library. For those of you who are new to CES or not familiar with this reading program you can read about it on the CES website. To see a list of AR tests available at CES, Click Here.

Once again, we are looking for volunteers in the library. Our success with your children is greatly a result of the quality of our precious volunteers. We have a great time, and the many smiling faces that pass through our library will reward your efforts. Don’t hesitate because of lack of experience because we will be very happy to show you everything you need to know, and we would love having you as a part of our team. Please contact Heidi McCullough, our library volunteer coordinator, or come by the library to let us know when you would be available to help.

I’m excited about our new year and the wonderful books that await us all. We’ve done a little rearranging to make room for more books and to make those we have, more accessible. We have the Bluebonnet books, the Newbery award books, and of course, the accelerated reader books.

Students will start coming to the library the week of August 30 and we hope to start checking out that week. Books are checked out for 2 weeks but students can return them before the two weeks if they are finished with them. We do not charge fines for late books, but books that are lost or damaged will have to be paid for.

We will schedule two book fairs for the year. Right now, we are set for one in November and one in March. The November book fair is a great time to get a head start on your Christmas shopping or to buy that special teacher a book off of the teacher wish list. Additional information will be made available as those events draw closer.

Kay Bradshaw
CES Librarian

Nurse’s Notes

We're back and ready for a great year of new things and new friends. We will start right off screening students to identify any hearing and vision problems. State requirement is kindergarten, first, third, and fifth grades, new students, and any student recommended by teachers or parents. The goal of pupil screening is to detect possible health problems. Early identification and correction of defects is essential to enabling students to take full advantage of their educational opportunities during the school year. Inadequate vision causes children to
become frustrated with learning, to fail to learn at a rate equal to that of their peers, to develop a negative self-image, and to drop out of school before the formal education is complete. Children are often not aware of their own visual impairment.

CES needs to stock our clothing bank for emergency situations. We are in need of jeans, shorts, pants, and shirts for K-5. We always need a change of clothes for those children who unexpectedly have an accident or find themselves in a muddy mess during rainy days. Your contributions are greatly appreciated.

Janis Talley R.N.



Counselor's Corner
Welcome to CES for all of you new and returning families. I hope you all had a great summer. I'm looking forward to being with your children this year.

As with all new beginnings, I have some exciting things planned that will begin this September. For our new students in grades 1 - 5, I will be sending home an invitation to participate in my Welcome Wagon groups. A written letter giving information about the groups will be coming home soon to all new students in those grade levels. These groups are a way for me to get to know your child, as well as a chance for the students to have a place to talk about concerns, successes, etc. The groups meet once a week for about four or five weeks. The sessions last thirty minutes. I keep the students with their grade level and try to work with the teachers to keep them from missing "core" information. If your child is new and would like to participate in "Welcome Wagon", just return the letter with your signature and I will do the rest. Your child does not have to be having any problems adjusting to school to be in Welcome Wagon.

Also beginning in September, and continuing through the first semester, will be an exciting new curriculum I will do in grades three through five. It is called Life Skills Training, and promotes health and personal development. The lessons incorporate self-esteem, decision-making, anti-smoking information, advertising, dealing with stress, communication, social skills, and assertiveness skills. This is a research-based curriculum, which I know the children will enjoy.

In kindergarten through second grade, I will be going into the classrooms to reinforce our Character Education program. For the month of September we will be discussing "Respect".

If you should need anything, or have any questions about my programs, please do not hesitate to call.

Donna Marshall
CES Counselor
817-788-4442
donna.marshall@gcisd.net

Developing Good Study Habits
Many issues concerning success in school revolve around developing good study habits and expectations regarding homework. Parents can certainly play a major role in providing the encouragement, environment, and materials necessary for successful studying to take place.

Some general things adults can do, include:

* Establish a routine for meals, bedtime and homework
* Provide books, supplies, and a special place for studying
* Encourage your child to get "ready" to study (refocus attention and relax)
* Offer to study with your child periodically (call out spelling words or do flash cards)

An established study routine is very important, especially for younger school age children. If a child knows that he/she is expected to do homework immediately after supper prior to watching television, he/she will be better able to adjust and get ready to study than if he/she is
allowed to do homework any time he/she pleases.

All children need their own place at home to do homework. The space does not need to be big or fancy, but it needs to be personal so that they feel it is their "study place." The study place can be designated by taking a walk with your child through the house to find that special corner that is just right.

Utilize your child's study time as an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with your child. Ask questions about his/her work, help solve a problem, or just check-in-every 20 minutes to ask how it'' going and to offer encouragement. You can also use this study time to listen to your child about issues in their life if homework just isn't getting done.

Good study habits are just that: HABITS. Success is the result of hard work and developing a habit of working towards the goals that will eventually lead to success. If you start out this year by helping your child to develop solid study habits good grades and success in school will follow.

I hope this is okay-it is what we would like to have in the PTA newsletter. Thank you.

Kay Stratton
kay.stratton@gcisd.net
GT SPECIALIST




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