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WPE Community Newsletter - Week of January 9
Whispering Pines Elementary
We are PREPARED, We are RESPONSIBLE,
We OWN OUR ACTIONS,
We are UNIFIED, We are DISCIPLINED
WE ARE PANDAS
Email: wpe_connect@humbleisd.net
Website: https://www.humbleisd.net/Domain/1690
Location: 17321 Woodland Hills Drive, Humble, TX, USA
Phone: 281-641-2500
Twitter: @HumbleISD_WPE
Message from the Principal
Welcome Back Families,
What a great week back! Students were excited to come to school and it was a pleasure seeing all those smiling faces. As we move into the second semester we are in full swing with our campus goal of achieving AT LEAST one year's growth with all students.
Learning is complex with many moving parts. We know that our students need lots of exposure to reading, counting, words etc but sometimes they struggle even with all of our best efforts so to start off the semester I want to focus on students and some of the barriers to learning and how we can partner with you to help remove these barriers. Today we will discuss WORKING MEMORY.
Working Memory is often referred to as THE ENGINE FOR LEARNING:
Working Memory is an executive function that plays a big role in how we process, use and remember information on a daily basis. Remembering a phone number, recalling directions, or writing an essay are all tasks that use working memory.
Working memory is what is needed when we must go beyond straight memorization and do something with the information. Examples of everyday tasks that require working memory include:
- Listening to, remembering, and following directions that contain multiple steps
- Remembering a question long enough to think about it and formulate an answer
- Carrying out the steps to a recipe when no longer looking at the recipe
- Engaging in mental arithmetic
We all want to give our children a 'leg up' when it comes to being successful students and if they are Dyslexic, ADHD or have a learning disability they oftentimes are challenged with their working memory even more. So what skills can you access to develop a strong working memory?
1. Work on visualization skills.
Encourage kids to create a picture in their mind of what they’ve just read or heard. For example, say you’ve asked your child to set the table for five people. Have your child imagine what the table should look like, and then draw it. As kids get better at visualizing, they can describe the image instead of drawing it.
2. Have your child teach you.
Being able to explain how to do something involves making sense of information and mentally filing it. Maybe your child is learning a skill, like how to dribble a basketball. Ask your child to teach you this skill. Teachers do something similar by pairing up students in class. This lets them start working with the information right away rather than waiting to be called on.
3. Try games that use visual memory.
There are lots of matching games that can help kids work on visual memory, like the classic game Concentration (or Memory). You can also do things like give kids a magazine page and ask them to circle all instances of the word the or the letter a. License plates can also be a lot of fun. Take turns reciting the letters and numbers on a license plate and then saying them backwards, too.
4. Play cards.
Simple card games like Crazy Eights, Uno, Go Fish, and War can improve working memory in two ways. Kids have to keep the rules of the game in mind. They also have to remember what cards they have and which ones other people have played.
5. Encourage active reading.
There’s a reason highlighters and sticky notes are so popular: Jotting down notes and underlining or highlighting text can help kids keep the information in mind long enough to answer questions about it. Talking out loud and asking questions about the reading material can also help with working memory. Active reading strategies like these can help with forming long-term memories, too.
6. Chunk information into smaller bites.
Ever wonder why phone numbers and social security numbers have hyphens in them? Because it’s easier to remember a few small groups of numbers than it is to remember one long string of numbers. Keep this in mind when you need to give your child multi-step directions. Write them down or give them one at a time. You can also use graphic organizers to help break writing assignments into smaller pieces.
7. Make it multisensory.
Using multiple senses to process information can help with working memory and long-term memory. Write tasks down so your child can look at them. Say them out loud so your child can hear them. Walk through the house as you discuss the family chores your child needs to complete. Using multisensory strategies can help kids keep information in mind long enough to use it.
8. Help make connections.
Help your child form associations that connect different details and make them more memorable. One way is to grab your child’s interest with fun mnemonics. (For instance, the made-up name “Roy G. Biv” can help kids remember the order of the colors in the rainbow — red, orange, yellow, and so on.) Finding ways to connect information helps with forming and retrieving long-term memory. It also helps with working memory, which is what we use to hold and compare new and old memories.
Memory-boosting tricks and games are just some of the ways to help your child build executive functioning skills. And see how trouble with these skills can affect a child’s daily life.
Key takeaways
Teaching kids ways to visualize thoughts can help improve their working memory.
Card games and other fun activities can help build working memory.
Finding ways to connect information can help your child with long-term memory as well as working memory.
To access additional information and read the article through Understood.org
Next time we will discuss how device use can impact learning both positively and negatively. I hope you will join me! If you child comes to me or Mrs. Myres and says the phrase "I am the future" it is worth a Panda buck~
Happy Everything!
Wendy Anaya
Proud Principal
Whispering Pines Elementary
WPE Important Information
UPCOMING EVENTS
JANUARY:
11: Spelling Bee 8:30am Parents of competitors will be receiving an invitation!
16: School Holiday- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
25: Boosterthon Pep Rally
26: Boosterthon Kick Off Pep Rally
31: 100th day of School
FEBRUARY
02: Open House 6:00-7:00pm and 1st Grade Performance @ 5:30pm
03: BOOSTERTHON EVENT
Humble Basketball Youth Night
Order Your Yearbook Today!!!!!!
Hardcover = $25
Zoom current events insert = $3
Yearbook Stickys = $3
YBPay ID Code: 14419123
BOOSTERTHON COMING UP
Subject: “The Main Event of the Year | Save the Dates”
Whispering Pines Elementary families!
We are excited to kick off our Panda Palooza on 01/25/2023. Our goal is to raise $12,000 for campus improvements and to strengthen our school community.
Our school has always relied on fundraising to provide exceptional opportunities to enhance student learning and we need YOUR HELP registering your student(s) and sharing with friends and family.
Mark your calendars for the Panda Palooza fundraiser kicking off soon!
Key dates to remember:
● REGISTRATION OPENS - 01/11/2023
Register on MYBOOSTER.COM
● Panda Palooza Kick Off - 01/25/2023
● Event Day - 02/03/2023
We are grateful for our Whispering Pines Elementary family! Thank you for your support this year.
AVID information for current 5th Graders English/Spanish
Humble Middle School is looking for qualified students to apply to our AVID program for the 2023-2024 school year!
Learn more about AVID from our students by checking out the video below and reading about AVID program benefits:
Benefits of joining AVID
AVID students are tutored by college students every week in class!
AVID students attend college field trips twice a year!
AVID students develop a peer group with common post-secondary goals!
AVID students build leadership and academic skills!
AVID students experience a student-centered classroom focused on developing college readiness skills!
AVID students are provided transitional support as they move from elementary to middle school, and engage in their first advanced academic classes!
If you are interested in joining AVID at Humble Middle School, please complete the 23-24 AVID Interest Form.
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Latoi Lloyd at Latoi.Lloyd@humbleisd.net
¡La Escuela Intermedia Humble está buscando estudiantes calificados que deseen formar parte de nuestro programa AVID para el año escolar 2023-2024!
Obtenga más información sobre AVID de nuestros estudiantes al ver el video a continuación y leer sobre los beneficios del programa AVID:
Beneficios de unirse a AVID
¡Los estudiantes de AVID reciben tutoría de estudiantes universitarios todas las semanas en clase!
¡Los estudiantes de AVID asisten a excursiones universitarias dos veces al año!
¡Los estudiantes de AVID desarrollan un grupo de compañeros con metas postsecundarias comunes!
¡Los estudiantes de AVID desarrollan liderazgo y habilidades académicas!
¡Los estudiantes de AVID están en un salón de clases enfocado en desarrollar habilidades de preparación para la universidad!
¡Los estudiantes de AVID reciben apoyo de transición a medida que pasan de la escuela primaria a la secundaria y participan en sus primeras clases académicas avanzadas!
Si está interesado en unirse a AVID en la Escuela Intermedia Humble, complete el Formulario de interés AVID 23-24.
Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con la Sra. Latoi Lloyd en Latoi.Lloyd@humbleisd.net
PROPOSED 23-24 Calendar
Humble ISD’s proposed 2023-2024 calendar closely resembles this year's calendar to support consistency for students, parents and staff. The calendar was developed based upon prior parent and staff survey data that showed a majority prefer week-long breaks in October and February in addition to Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring breaks. The School Board is scheduled to vote on the 2023-2024 calendar at the January 10, 2023, meeting.
Acting on community input, Humble ISD first implemented October and February breaks in the 2019-2020 school year. Since then, Humble ISD has received positive feedback regarding the breaks. Other school districts have followed by implementing similar breaks.
The proposed calendar must meet the state criteria of 187 contractual days for teachers. Principals said it would be better for teachers to have more inservice days to prepare for the beginning of school and fewer inservice days at the end of the school year. Therefore, the proposed calendar has seven inservice days before school begins and one after school ends. To meet the 187-day state requirement for teachers, the proposed calendar schedules the first day for teachers on Monday, July 31, 2023, and the last day for teachers on Friday, May 31, 2024.
The calendar also must meet state criteria of a minimum of 75,600 minutes for students. For students, the proposed calendar’s first day of school is Wednesday, August 9, 2023, and the last day of school is Thursday, May 30, 2024.
The proposed calendar also includes:
One-week Thanksgiving Break (Nov. 20-24, 2023)
Two-week Winter Break; (Dec. 18, 2023, to Jan. 1, 2024)
One-week Spring Break (March 11-15, 2024) that coincides with Lone Star College.
First semester ends and final exams are held before Winter Break
Holidays on the Fourth of July (July 4, 2023); Labor Day (Sept. 4, 2023); Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 15, 2024); Good Friday (March 29, 2024); and Memorial Day (May 27, 2024)
All Student Holiday/Staff Workday on November 7, 2023; January 2, 2024; and May 31, 2024.
Elementary Only Student Holiday/Elementary Staff Workday on September 18, 2023; November 1, 2023 (Parent/Teacher Conferences); February 19, 2024; and March 18, 2024.
School in session on state testing days
School begins on Wednesday, August 9, 2023. Starting classes mid-week supports a smooth first week because offices will be open on Monday and Tuesday for families who need to complete registration. This also allows students to adjust by having a shorter first week.
The district comp days are within the February break. This allows campus employees who are hired near the end of summer or during the school year the time to earn comp days by February.
There are sufficient minutes to keep the calendar in place in the event of a brief weather-related closure.
You are invited to leave a comment about the proposed 2023-2024 calendar using your unique link.
Or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:
https://humbleisd.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9yNuEa2LpVdoqJU?Q_DL=zgqNX8k4LJzwxLC_9yNuEa2LpVdoqJU_CGC_ewUka3hVMNNhaiN&Q_CHL=email
News from Nurse Lindsey
Happy New Year!
Prior to the winter break referrals were sent home for hearing, vision, scoliosis and AN (acanthosis nigricans) for students who did not pass their health screening. Please follow up with your child's pediatrician, eye Dr, specialist, or healthcare provider regarding the referral. If your student is already under care with a provider for the problem referred, please let me know. The referral form has a place for the healthcare provider to fill out the results of their exam and then please return the form to me. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your student's referral please do not hesitate to contact me.
A. Lindsey Ferrell, BSN, RN, NCSN
Whispering Pines Elementary
(281) 641-2505
Counselors Corner
Parents: Interested in having your student attend another school? The middle school transfer link is pasted below. The window is from Jan 9 -Feb. 10.
https://documents.humbleisd.net/Forms/StudentTransfer2023
Humble ISD Middle School Parent Orientation Information
Hello Panda Families!
Please mark your calendars for the incoming 6th grader Parent Orientation for your child’s middle school. All middle schools are listed because many of our students are attending different middle schools.
Please make sure you attend the orientation for the school your current address is zoned to or the school you have an approved transfer for. If you are not sure where your child is zoned to you can enter your address here. https://www.infofinderi.com/ifi/? cid=HIA1YAYVFQAX
The orientation is a great way to stay informed on all the upcoming dates and requirements needed for your child’s transition next year. Please check your middle school website for any changes or additional information.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Thank you,
Mrs. Dabney and Ms. Foster
Whispering Pines Elementary School Counselors
281-641-2583
HHS PRESENTS THE ADDAMS FAMILY - THE MUSICAL
Read More about HHS Theatre's The Addams Family
HHS Theatre Video
SCHOOL MARQUEE CELEBRATE YOUR STUDENT
This is not limited to birthdays only. If you are wanting to celebrate any accomplishments for your child, please feel free to reach out.
Please complete this form and return it to the office with $5 (cash only)
Names are displayed for one week, Monday through Friday.
This is a fundraiser for Whispering Pines Elementary PAC (Parent Advisory Committee)