Spicewood Elementary School Dear families and community,
I truly enjoyed seeing parents and students on campus last Tuesday for student led conferences. I am also very proud of our students for being strong communicators as they shared their reflections and goals during their conferences. Today and tomorrow will be our first Principals’ Pride Ceremony of the year- I am so excited to recognize these students for exemplifying learner profile attributes! Please plan to join us Thursday evening for several events- I will be presenting Bond Informational at 5:00PM, Mrs. Vance and Kindergarten teachers will be presenting Information on Play Based Learning at 5:30, and we will also have our 2nd PTA General Meeting at 6:00. All events will be in the library. I hope to see you there!
CELEBRATIONS
The Teaching Garden is consistently used by students at Spicewood. This past week I had the pleasure of observing kindergarten students using this unique learning space.
Creating a scientific drawing in the Teaching Garden
Having said this, I would like to thank Kimberly Doerle, Spicewood Teaching Garden Chair for organizing the Fall Community Garden work day on Saturday! A huge thanks to parents and community members who also came out to help. Your dedication allows our students to continue to have enriched learning experiences.
Community Garden Work Day
IB PYP 101
(This section of the newsletter is contributed by our IB Coordinator, Jessica Vance)
With Student Led Conferences last week, parents were able to learn more about their child’s learning in the PYP program and their individual child’s goals. From digital portfolios, student sticky note reflections & learning in our flexible learning spaces, there are lots of amazing things happening on our campus. Take a look below for a quick glimpse over the past eight weeks.
To see even more inquiry and student learning, be sure to start following us on social media (we’re on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!). We’re actively posting and sharing all of their amazing student driven learning and inquiry that happens at Spicewood Elementary each and everyday. For those of you looking to connect more to the learning in our classrooms, this is a great way to continue to conversations about learning and inquiry at home.
THIS WEEK’S NEWS
Note from the Nurse
Please check your child’s health concerns before they leave for school. If your student is ill and has temperature of 100 degrees, please keep him/her home. RRISD District Policy as written in the Student/Parent Handbook states that “Students with a temperature of 100 degrees or above will be sent home. To prevent the spread of communicable disease, ill students must be symptom free and FEVER FREE FOR 24 HOURS without the use of temperature reducing medications before returning to school.” Please advise your child to wash hands thoroughly before eating food, after using bathroom, and etc as often as possible. Thank you.
Regards,
Nurse Sam
Input for Morning Welcome Music
In order to support our mission of being a globally-minded campus, we would like some input regarding the songs that are played out front while welcoming students into the building. We would love to use upbeat songs from all cultures. If you have a song suggestion (or multiple songs), please submit here!. Your input is greatly appreciated!
Fourth Grade Teacher and Staff Appreciation Luncheon
Each month we celebrate our teachers and staff with a different grade level hosting the lunch items. The Spicewood PTA Teacher/Staff Appreciation Team has been hard at work planning the next Teacher and Staff Appreciation Luncheon hosted by the PTA and Fourth Grade which is scheduled for Thursday, October 18th. The theme is Baked Potato and Salad Bar. Thank you to those that have already signed up to bring something! If you have a 4th grader and haven’t had a chance to sign up, it’s not too late. You can click on the link below to see what items are still needed. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gEI6gYk_ktTDBpPrc7OLN1yuTgKzPzjvrHYSPZ0jjyk/edit?usp=sharing
Please let us know if you have any questions. Lindsey Callegari, Zita Naik, and Amy Peeples
zita.naik@gmail.com Thank you!
Red Ribbon Week:
We are celebrating Red Ribbon Week October 22nd-26th. Students will explore and celebrate making healthy choices for their minds, bodies, and hearts through a variety of activities. Classes will watch a video and then explore different ways to be healthy and how being healthy can make us better learners, classmates, and friends. Students and staff members will create a personal goal about how to be healthier this year, with the option of displaying their goal in the hallway for others to leave notes and symbols of encouragement. Of course, we will also have our dress up days to rally school spirit and encouragement for living a healthy lifestyle!
Red Ribbon Spirit Days
Monday (October 22): REaDy for Red Ribbon Spirit Week! Wear as much red as you can
Tuesday (October 23): Your future will be BRIGHT when you make healthy choices! Wear neon or bright colors.
Wednesday (October 24): DREAM of healthier choices! Wear pajamas
Thursday (October 25) : Give unhealthy choices the BOOT! Wear Western attire
Friday (October 26): TEAM up for healthy choices! Wear your favorite professional or college sports shirt/jersey
BrightBytes Questionnaire
Dear Parents and/or Guardians,
We are partnering with BrightBytes, an educational data analytics company, in order to learn more about our students’ school and home technology use for learning. We are reaching out to ask you to take part in our questionnaire.
Your participation is essential in helping us form a more complete picture of technology use for learning in our students’ lives. Please know that all of your responses will remain anonymous to protect your privacy and they will help your child’s school choose the right technology for their classrooms. It will take approximately 5 minutes to complete.
The last day to complete this questionnaire is Monday, October 22, 2018. Please go to here to complete questionnaire
https://bbyt.es/start/7Z6MC
Thank you for taking part in this important initiative!
Bond 2018
Visit the RRISD Bond 2018 website to learn more about the Bond election on November 6, 2018. Here is the list of projects specific to Spicewood Elementary.
Math Information Night for Parents (October 15)
Parents/guardians of elementary students from Laurel Mountain, Caraway, and Spicewood are invited to attend a Math Night on October 15th at Canyon Vista Middle to learn about the math continuum from elementary school, to middle school, to high school. There will be a presentation from Canyon Vista & Westwood math teachers and counselors to explain the variety of math pathways available to meet the needs of all students.
Spicewood Auction – Friday, Nov. 9th
Spicewood PTA’s annual Gala Night and Auction is taking place on Friday, November 9th from 6pm – midnight at Balcones Country Club. Tickets went on sale this morning, Monday, October 15th at 6am. General admission/individual tickets are on sale for $40 each and reserved tables are on sale for $550 each, which seat 10 people per table. All tickets include hors d’oeuvres, one hour beer/wine open bar, full dinner buffet and local desserts. If you still need to purchase your tickets and tables, please so here: https://spicewoodelementary.schoolauction.net/2018auction
Spicewood Auction – Baskets
Thank you parents for your generous donations for the baskets that will be included in the silent auction portion of the evening. Your generous support will benefit the students at Spicewood!
Spicewood Auction – Sponsorship
CALLING ALL BUSINESSES! We are looking for local businesses to help sponsor our Gala Night and Auction. Your donation will help us meet our fundraising goal. We have three levels of sponsorship available. Gold: $750, Silver: $500 and Bronze: $250. Interested please contact Nicole Giannetta at niknick1@yahoo.com for additional information!
Join PTA (Parent Teacher Association)!
Thank you for your tremendous support! Spicewood Elementary PTA currently has 707 Members (84% representation of our student body). Help us reach our goal of 100% representation and join today. Together we CAN back the future!! Thank you for supporting Spicewood PTA.
REFLECTIONS Creativity Contest
This PTA-sponsored program allows your child to come up with her or his own way to express this year’s theme: Heroes Around Me. Children can enter as many pieces as they’d like across six categories (literature, visual arts, photography, film production, dance choreography, and musical composition). Your child does not have to be an accomplished artist or expert writer to enter. It’s all about a child’s interpretation and expression of the theme. The deadline for submitting entries is Friday, October 26, 2018. For more information, including rules and entry forms, check out the Spicewood PTA Reflections website. Please email Sharon Gu with any questions.
Spelling Bee
The registration deadline for the Spicewood Spelling Bee has been extended to midnight Nov-6-2018. Please sign up here. The classroom grade-level is on Nov-8-2018. The date for the school-level Spelling Bee will be announced later.
Spicewood Spirit Night is coming up at Jenna’s Asian Kitchen!
Inviting all Spicewood families to come together and enjoy some great food! Mention Spicewood Elementary at checkout/ to your server and part of the sales proceeds will be donated back to the school!
When: October 24, 2018 from 5pm – 9:30pm
Where: Jenna’s Asian Kitchen:
at 12300 Ranch Rd 620 N, Austin, TX 78750
All 1st grade teachers will be there for part of the night and the 1st grade class with the highest attendance will get to keep Woody till the next Spirit night!! Come in large numbers and make this Spirit Night a success! Thank you for your support!
Youth Lacrosse Festival
Spicewood boys and girls are invited to the free Youth Lacrosse Festival Sunday, October 21. There will be fun and games for children, plus a clinic where they can try out the sport. Kids will also get sideline access as our Westwood High School teams play McNeil! This year’s event is at McNeil High School on 10/21. At noon, the Westwood Women take on McNeil; at 1PM, there will be a free youth clinic; at 2:30PM, the Westwood Men will face off against McNeil. A piñata and treats will follow the men’s game. Kids are invited for any part of the Festival. Lacrosse, which originates from Native Americans, is the fastest-growing sport in the country. For more information, please visit https://www.texastomahawks.com/fallfestival.
Note from the Nurse
Please check your child’s health concerns before they leave for school. If your student is ill and has temperature of 100 degrees, please keep him/her home.
RRISD District Policy as written in the Student/Parent Handbook: Students with a temperature of 100 degrees or above will be sent home. To prevent the spread of communicable disease, ill students must be symptom free and FEVER FREE FOR 24 HOURS without the use of temperature reducing medications before returning to school.
Hand Washing: Please advise your child to wash hands thoroughly before eating food, after using bathroom, and etc as often as possible. Thank you.
Regards,
Nurse Sam
DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday, October 15
8:00AM – 8:30AM Principal’s Pride (K-2)
6:00PM – 6:30PM Math Night at Canyon Vista Middle School
Tuesday, October 16
8:00AM – 8:30AM Principal’s Pride (3-5)
Thursday, October 18
5:00PM-5:30PM 2018 Bond Informational Presentation
5:30PM-6:00PM IB information Night (Play Based Learning)
6:00PM -7:00PM PTA General Meeting #2
Thursday, October 18
5:00PM-5:30PM – 2018 Bond Informational Presentation
Monday, October 22 – Friday, October 26
Red Ribbon Week
Thursday, October 25
6:00PM-7:00PM 4th grade Music Program
Saturday, November 3
8:30AM-12:30PM World Class Student Leadership Conference @ England Elementary
Tuesday, November 6
8:00AM-8:20AM – Veteran’s Day Program (K-2nd)
8:30AM-8:50AM – Veteran’s Day Program (3rd-5th)
Thursday, November 8
6:00PM-7:00PM TAG Referral Parent Meeting
Friday, November 9
6:00PM- Midnight Spicewood Auction at Balcones Country Club
Wednesday, November 14 – Friday, November 16
5th Grade Students at Outdoor School
Monday, November 19 – Friday, November 23
No School – Fall Break
Thursday, November 29
6:00PM-7:00PM 3rd grade Music Program
Have a wonderful week!
Sincerely,
Teyan Page
Dedicated Principal