Spicewood Elementary School Dear Families and Community,
You still have until February 9th to give our district feedback by completing the Family Climate Survey. Also, please plan to attend the general PTA meeting Thursday evening as we prepare to vote on how we will use funds raised during the Adventure Dash and Silent Auction and selecting our Nominating Committee for this year’s PTA Executive Board elections. Your voice and vote matter!
CELEBRATIONS
Spicewood Students Compete in Campus Spelling Bee
Almost 70 Spicewood students competed in the campus Spelling Bee on January 16th. The competition had everyone on the edge of their seats with our students spelling words like tergiversation, Leipzig, flambeau, eviscerated and jacquerie.
Our school winners were Claire in first place, and Anoushka in second place. Congratulations to them both!
The evening ended with a twist of humor; the last word to break the competition was ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ which is German for goodbye! Special thanks go out to our Spelling Bee Chair Herschal Trivedi, who worked incredibly hard getting the program together, Ellen Tuthill, who did a fabulous job as the pronouncer, and our judge Lakshmi Kondubhatla. Also a big thank you to some of our Spicewood staff, Ms. Cruz, Ms. Bryzkcy, Ms. Craig and Ms. Burton, who all stayed until the end of the competition!
PYP 101
This portion of Ms. Page’s newsletter is contributed by our PYP Coordinator, Jessica Vance.
The spring semester means our students are more independent learners who are ready to take on personal and free inquiry projects, applying the skills and knowledge they have gained during the fall semester. During the final year of the PYP program at Spicewood, our fifth grade students get the opportunity to engage in collaborative inquiry to celebrate their learning. Next month we will host a Parent Information session to be able to share a bit more about this unique time for your PYP learner and what role the parents play during the Exhibition.
Any questions about this event, please email: jessica_vance@roundrockisd.org
THIS WEEK’S NEWS
Join PTA (Parent Teacher Association)!
We are so close to achieving the Platinum Award! Spicewood Elementary PTA currently has 750 Members (88% 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.
PTA Meeting
Our next PTA meeting will be held on Thursday, January 24th at 6pm in the Spicewood library. We will be voting on how to spend the money we have raised from Adventure Dash and auction and we will be selecting our Nominating Committee for this year’s PTA Executive Board elections. Please join us!
2019-2020 PTA Executive Board Nominations
The PTA is currently working to fill our executive board positions for next year. Becoming a board member is an excellent way to get to know more Spicewood parents and staff members while providing an invaluable service to our school.
Our PTA can be no more effective than its leadership. We’re asking that you consider stepping up and giving back to PTA, and Spicewood, by getting more involved! It is critical for parents to volunteer so that PTA can continue to grow and accomplish more good work for Spicewood.
If you are interested in any of the positions, please throw your name in the hat for one (or more!) of the board positions through our online PTA Executive Board Nomination Form.
For more detailed information regarding the positions that comprise the PTA Executive Board along with brief descriptions of each role, please visit this page.
Science fair Registration
Science fair will be held from Jan 28th-Jan 30th . All completed science fair boards must be brought to school on Jan 28th.
Registration for science fair is now open for all Kinder – 3rd grade students. All 4th and 5th graders will register projects with their respective teachers. To register for science fair please visit:
https://spicewoodpta.membershiptoolkit.com/sciencefair
Science fair Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to help with the science fair. 2 hour shifts are available for all days. If you would like to volunteer, please signup by visiting
https://spicewoodpta.membershiptoolkit.com/sciencefair
If you have any questions or would like to help with the science fair, contact Manisha Gupta at manigupta11@gmail.com
Please participate in the 2019 Family Climate Survey
Parents, please take a few moments to participate in the 2019 Family Climate Survey today. Each day staff, students and volunteers at Spicewood Elementary work hard to ensure academic programs and the campus environment meet the needs of all children. You are a critical part of our success! The survey will only be available for a short time, please participate today.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019_FamilySurvey
Adopt the Teaching Garden
Thank you to all of the families and groups who have signed up to take care of our Teaching Garden this year! But we still have some openings! Please consider adopting the garden for a week.
This is a great opportunity for your family to be a part of this special addition to our school. It also allows you and your family a more personal, hands-on experience in the garden. Your weekly responsibilities will include: watering, weeding and maintaining the garden. As a reward for volunteering, you will be able to harvest some of the vegetables/herbs that are ready for picking and enjoy them at home! To sign up, please visit this page
Attention All Parents of 5th Grade Students
Now that we have entered the spring semester, the preparation for our students’ transition to middle school begins! Please see below for information and important dates regarding choice sheets, parent information night and instrument selections for students choosing band or orchestra as their elective. You are also encouraged to see Mrs. Kentopp’s Counseling website for additional information.
During the week of January 21st, Mrs. Kentopp will schedule presentations and distribute choice sheets.
February 8th Choice Sheets will be due back
March 12th Parent information session for CVMS
6:00-7:00pm (CVMS gym)
March 30th Band instrument testing
8:00am-4:00pm (Band Hall)
One World, One Night
Would you like a chance to travel the world without buying a plane ticket? What would be better than to give our students and their families a passport to cultures around the world? Please join us for One World One Night on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm at Spicewood Elementary.
At the festival you will find tables hosted by fellow Spicewood parents sharing their cultures by exhibiting artifacts and traditional clothing, teaching crafts and games and providing culinary samples. Last spring the event featured Korea, China, Israel, Ethiopia, Philippines, India, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Italy, Peru, France, Bahamas, India, China, Ethiopia, Korea and Iran. This year we will also feature Taiwan! Each year the number of countries grow and we encourage all cultures at Spicewood Elementary to consider participating in this “One World One Night” Festival. It is a great way to introduce our students to cultures from around the world and embrace the IB education.
This event can not be possible without your participation, if you would like further information or are interested in participating in this event, please do not hesitate to email us at Spicewoodoneworldonenight@gmail.com.
Spicewood’s Spring Carnival
Mark your calendars! Carnival will be held on Friday, April 12th from 4-8pm and we will have food trucks, inflatables, a rock wall, petting zoo, carnival games, cake walk, and face painting!
DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday, January 21
Martin Luther King Jr Day – No School
Thursday, January 24
6:00PM – General PTA Meeting #3
Wednesday, January 30
5:00PM – 7:00PM – Science Fair Viewing
Thursday, January 31
Picture Day
Friday, February 1
STEAM Day
Tuesday, February 5
Spirit Night at MOD Pizza (11521 N Ranch Road 620, #450)
5:00pm – 800pm
Thursday, February 14
Valentine’s Day Parties
Monday, February 18
President’s Day – No School
Tuesday, February 19
District Professional Development for Staff- No School
Thursday, February 21
6:00PM – General PTA Meeting #4
Wednesday, February 26
5:30PM – 7:30PM – One World, One Night
Tuesday, March 5
Spirit Night at Moonies Burgers
5:00pm – 800pm
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Teyan Page
Proud Principal