Principal’s Update

Dear families and community members,

I am so excited to welcome students to another week of school! Last week, students and teachers spent a considerable amount of time developing their classroom community and preparing for an incredible year. We also had the honor of having our superintendent Dr. Steve Flores and area superintendent Mrs. Becky Donald visit our campus as well.  Beginning this week, we are asking that you drop off students at the entrance of the school,and allow them to walk independently to class. Last but not least, I would like to encourage you to attend our PYP information session presented by our PYP coordinator, Mrs. Jessica Vance and our the first PTA meeting of the school year on Thursday, August 30th at 6PM. I hope to see you there!

IB PYP 101

(This portion of Ms. Page’s newsletter is contributed by Mrs. Vance, our PYP Coordinator.)

In order to begin to work towards fulfilling our mission, “Spicewood aspires to be a caring community of innovative, globally minded citizens who take action.”, we need to first form as a community.

At the beginning of each school year, our teachers intentionally plan several days of team building activities, opportunities to explore the campus, create essential agreements, and a variety learning experiences in the classroom that allow our students to begin to get to know one another, share experiences, build trust, collaborate, and in turn, bond as a community. Our very own district superintendent, Dr. Flores, even came by to check in our Spicewood Panthers as they continued to build their communities over the week.

If you haven’t already, check in with your child and/or social media to learn more about what they did to come together as a community with their classmates & school. We invite you to make this a weekly habit to be able to stay more connected with our Spicewood IB community. You can also stay connected with our inquiries all year long by following us on Twitter @Spicewoodpyp, Instagram @spicewoodelempyp or Facebook @rrisd.spicewood. We look forward to seeing how our community grows and continues to come together to truly be living our school’s vision!

THIS WEEKS NEWS

Dismissal Process
During dismissal, students are seated by grade level under the portico. Students in kindergarten through second grade are seated under the the left wing of the portico. Students in third – fifth grade are seated under the right wing of the portico. As before, parents are asked to wait outside of the roped off area. Please know the roped off area is a no waiting/standing zone. However, once your child’s class exits the building and is seated in their assigned area, you may enter the roped off area through the designated entrance. (Please do not enter the roped off area to meet your child’s class as they are walking out.) Waiting for students to be seated will give teachers the time to make sure all students are accounted for before they begin to leave with parents. Once you have checked in with your child’s teacher and have picked them up, you may immediately leave the area through the designated exit. Enter and Exit signs will be visible to help direct the traffic flow. This week, staff members will be outside again to help direct and answer any questions you may have during the dismissal process.

Also, to help expedite the dismissal process please consider the following:

• Parents are encouraged to drive through the queue at the front of the school to pick up students. Upon your arrival, your child’s name will be called and he/she will be escorted to your vehicle. This will alleviate a considerable amount of congestion and confusion in front of the school.
• It will also be helpful if you have your child’s name and grade displayed on your windshield.
• If you are planning to walk to the pick up area, please be patient as my staff members direct you. They are sincerely trying to help and their goal is the same as yours- to get you to your child as quickly and safely as possible.
• Please do not park and/or leave your vehicle in the queue.
• Please do not park in ‘No Parking’ zones.
• Please cross at designated crosswalks only.

Join PTA (Parent Teacher Association)!
Your voice benefits your kids and your school! Joining doesn’t mean you have to volunteer or attend meetings, it is a simple way to stay connected and help support many of the fun and educational programs and activities at Spicewood. Please visit our new website www.spicewoodpta.com to join and learn more!

IB Information & PTA Meeting 
Our first PTA meeting is this Thursday, August 30th following Ms. Vance’s Introduction to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) presentation at 6pm. Please join us to learn more about the Spicewood PTA and our plans for the year!

Adventure Dash
Adventure Dash is coming back to Spicewood! We will kick off the fundraiser on Wednesday, August 29th and host the Fun Run – Dash Day! – on Friday, September 7th. Adventure Dash is a fun-filled week in which students participate in daily fitness lessons during their PE times and then they are able to challenge themselves to complete the obstacle course on Dash Day. More information on Adventure Dash can be found on our PTA website and we will be sending home fliers in your child’s Friday folders.

Chess Club Registration
Registration for new and returning students is open until Friday September 4th.
No knowledge of chess required- all levels are welcome. Visit http://www.spicewoodchess.org/ for more information

Spicewood PTA Ice Cream Social
Have questions about PTA? Want to know what we do and how we help at Spicewood? Find out the scoop at our free Ice Cream Social after school on Friday, September 7th from 3:00-3:45. Please RSVP via our Facebook event page so that we have plenty of ice cream for everyone!

Volunteer & Homeroom Parent Training
Our Volunteer & Homeroom Parent Training will take place on Thursday, September 13th at 6pm and Friday, September 14th at 11am in the library. Plan on attending one of these sessions if you are interested in volunteering this year. Additional information on volunteering at Spicewood can be found on our PTA website. If you have any questions, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Anne McWilliams at SpicewoodPTAVolunteer@gmail.com. Also, please note that RRISD requires all volunteers to fill out their Volunteer Application before they start volunteering with Spicewood.

Spirit Wear
Thank you to everyone who has purchased a Spicewood t-shirt. Some quantities are running low, but we will be placing one final order in September. Place your order on our website now to make sure you get this year’s shirt!

Math Pentathlon Club
We are actively looking for volunteers and coaches for all divisions for the 2018- 2019 academic year. If you want to learn more, please see the Math Pentathlon Website. Click here to sign up for a coach/volunteer position. Student sign up will begin on September 7, 2018 at 12 pm.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Thursday, August 30
6:00PM  PYP Information Night & General Meeting PTA Meeting

Friday, August 31- Friday, September 7
Adventure Dash Run Fundraiser

Monday, September 3
Labor Day – No School

Thursday, September 6
Spicewood Open House
5:00-5:30PM   Kinder & 1st Grade
5:30-6:00PM   2nd & 3rd Grade
6:00-6:30PM   4th & 5th Grade
5:00-6:00PM   Specials, Spanish (In the Library)
5:00-6:00PM   Be sure to stop by the Inquiry Lab and see what we’ve done with our Innovative School Grant!

Friday, August 31- Friday, September 7
Adventure Dash Run Fundraiser

Thursday, September 13
6:00PM        Volunteer & Homeroom Parent Training in the Library

Friday, September 14
11:00AM           Volunteer & Homeroom Parent Training Training in the library

Wednesday, September 19
7:00AM-7:40AM  Breakfast with Dads
(All dads and father figures are invited to join us for Breakfast with Dads in the cafeteria!)

Have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

Teyan Page
Proud Principal