Hamilton Elementary
October Lions Lines
Upcoming Events
October Family Movement Calendar: https://tinyurl.com/Oct-Family-Movement-Calendar
October
2 College/Career Day - "College is Super!" Wear a super hero shirt
3 Storytelling Enrichment for 2nd & 4th grades
4 College/Career Day - "College is in my Future!" Wear a college shirt
6 5th Grade Garden Day
- College/Career Day - "Hats off to College!" Wear an HES school spirit shirt (or college shirt) and a college hat
- School Spirit Day
- 9:30 AM PTO Mtg.
9 Parent/Teacher Conference Day - Student Holiday
10 Storytelling Enrichment for 2nd & 4th grades
19 Fall Pictures by Lifetouch (taken during Large Group)
20 2nd Grade Garden Day
23 Red Ribbon Week: "Real Heroes Don't Do Drugs" Wear a superhero shirt
24 Red Ribbon Week: "Winners Don't Do Drugs" Wear a sports shirt/jersey
25 Red Ribbon Week: "Don't Fall For Drugs" Wear Fall Colors
26 Red Ribbon Week: "Be All You Can Be" Wear camouflage
27 Red Ribbon Week: "United We Stand Against Drugs" Wear red, white & blue
- End of 1st-9 Weeks
- 3rd Grade Garden Day
28 Storytelling Enrichment for 2nd & 4th grades
Counselor's Corner
Welcome to the 2017-2018 Counselor’s Corner! I’m looking forward to a great year with your children, and I am excited to finally have made it into each and every classroom to start my guidance lessons. What are guidance lessons, you ask? As a part of my role here as the Hamilton Elementary counselor, I get the opportunity to enter into every single classroom, once a month, to present fun and engaging character education lessons. Some of these lessons might include our “word of the month,” such as this month. Our word this month is “friendship- using your words and actions to show others you care.” Some lessons may involve impromptu issues that may arise in the classroom, or simply what may be occurring at that time of the year. For example, a lesson on getting along with each other and respecting one another might take place; or a lesson on how to relax during stressful times of the year- think STAAR testing! Guidance lessons are one of my favorite things to do as your school counselor- to have the opportunity to share ideas and lessons with your children as a whole group. It makes my heart happy, and allows me to reminisce the days, way back when, when I was a classroom teacher!
College/Career Days are Coming!
Hamilton Elementary will be participating in College Week the week of October 2. To help support college/career awareness along with us, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of that week, please see the schedule below. It is never too early to begin speaking to your children about attending college in order to have the career they want, and planting the seed now. Yes, even as early as Kindergarten! I encourage you to have a family discussion at home about your own college experiences, or your goals for your children as they move their way up through their Senior year in High School- and on to Higher Education!
· Monday, October 2: “College is Super!” Wear a super hero shirt
· Wednesday, October 4: “College is in my Future!” Wear a college shirt
· Friday, October 6: “Hats off to College!” Wear an HES school spirit shirt (or college shirt) and a college hat
Curriculum Videos
Our Watch Dog Dads Program
Our wonderful Watch Dog Program is back for its third year, and will begin on Wednesday, October 11. To sign up for a volunteer date, please click on the link below. Please make note of the following important reminders:
· If you have not yet been a Hamilton Elementary Watch Dog Dad, you will need to attend one of the two training dates. The sign up for the training dates is embedded within the main sign-up at the top of the page.
- October 9 (7:30 am or 5:30 pm)
- January 9 (7:30 am or 5:30 pm)
· As a First-Timer Watch Dog Dad, you must be trained PRIOR to your volunteer date, or you will need to move your date or be removed from your date altogether.
· You are not required to attend another training if you have been trained at Hamilton Elementary for our Watch Dog program.
· In order to allow as many dads as possible the opportunity to volunteer, only one volunteer date is allowed for the year at this time. If there are open spots still available, then information will be sent out that a second volunteer date is now open for volunteers.
Parent Teacher Conference Day - October 9
During the month of October, teachers will be requesting a conference with you to share information about your child. During your conference, the teachers will provide you with information about your child's strengths, what they enjoy doing at school and how they are progressing academically.
Dr. Henry has provided a work release letter for parents to attend their child's conference. Please click on the link to access the letter:
English version: https://tinyurl.com/Conference-Letter
Below are some tips to help you prepare for your conference. The full article can be found at: http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/parent-teacher-partnerships/make-most-your-teacher-conference
Before the Teacher Conference
· Start preparing early. Don't wait until the night before to get organized. Create a folder at the beginning of the year in which you store test scores, big homework assignments, and your notes (about things your child has told you or any other topics you want to address).
· Talk to your child. Ask how she's doing in class, what's going on during lunchtime, recess, and when she goes to special classes like music or gym. "You want to find out both the positive and negative," says Rozea. If you don't like what you're hearing, investigate. Talk to other parents to see if their children are expressing similar concerns. "You need to find out whether your child is perceiving everything accurately or if she's misunderstanding a situation," she says.
During the Teacher Conference
· Arrive early. With only a few precious minutes to spend, you don't want to be late. It will shorten your time with your child's teacher and affect her day's entire schedule.
· Enter with the right attitude. The goal of both the teacher and the parent should be the success of the student, but sometimes parents have a hard time discussing tough issues. Rather than put the teacher on the defensive, arrive with a compliment to start the conference off on the right foot. ("My son is really enjoying the unit on space" or "We had a great time on the field trip.") Then address any concerns in a respectful way.
· Find out the communication protocol. Don't let this be the only time you talk to your child's teacher. Ask how she likes to communicate, suggests Sagarese, whether it's by e-mail, notes passed through a folder, or phone calls. "Reinforce that you are there if she wants to talk to you," she says. "Let the teacher know you want to be that kind of partner."
After the Teacher Conference
· Follow up. If the teacher brings something to your attention that needs to be addressed with your child, take steps to put the plan in motion, whether it's helping with organizational skills, getting extra help, or addressing a social issue.
· Update your child. Start with the positive things her teacher had to say, then fill her in on any concerns you and the teacher discussed. Explain how you can all work together to ensure your child has a successful year.
Lifetouch Picture Day
On October 19, Lifetouch photographers will be taking individual student pictures. All students will be photographed for school record. Order forms for portrait packages will be sent home. You can also purchase portrait packages online before picture day at mylifetouch.com (Picture Day ID: RW017096Y0).
If you are purchasing a portrait package for your child, please be sure to send the order form and payment with your child to school. They will hand this directly to photographer, so it is important to have it before they are in line to be photographed.
Any late orders will need to be handled directly through Lifetouch and are subject to additional fees. Their customer service number is 866-955-8342.
Red Ribbon Week is October 23-27
TThe purpose of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a visible commitment to a safe, healthy and drug-free lifestyle. The campaign is designed to accomplish the following:
- to create awareness concerning the problems related to the use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs
- to support the decision to live a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.
Red Ribbon Week began in 1988 in honor of DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, who was kidnapped and killed in Mexico in February of 1985. Agent Camarena, then 37, had uncovered a multi-billion dollar drug scam in which he suspected officers of the Mexican Army, police forces and government. As he left his office one day, five men appeared at his side and kidnapped him. His body was found one month later in a shallow grave; he had been tortured and beaten.
The first Red Ribbon Week was proclaimed in 1988 by the U.S. Congress in support of Agent Camarena and the cause he gave his life for -- combating drugs. The week is marked by the wearing of a red ribbon to send the message: Live drug-free!
Please see the attached information regarding the daily themes and what to wear throughout that week.
Gifted and Talented Testing
For parents interested in having their child screened for the Horizons (Gifted and Talented) program, the referral period for spring GT testing begins on October 2, and ends on November 30 at 4:00 PM. “Parent Survey and Permission to Test forms” will be available at the front office, from your homeroom teacher, or by contacting the counselor, Michelle Erickson at michelle.erickson@cfisd.net. Completed forms must be returned to the campus Counselor by November 30 at 4:00 PM. Late forms will NOT be honored, no exceptions.
· Kindergarten students will be tested on their campuses during the school day in January 2018, and students in grades 1-5 will be tested on their campuses during the school day prior to Spring Break. Specific testing dates will be provided to parents by the campuses, once the schedule has been created.
· Kindergarten students who qualify for HORIZONS will receive services beginning in March 2018 with parent permission.
· Students in grades 1-5 who qualify for HORIZONS will receive services at the beginning of the 2018-19 school year with parent permission.
Information for all 5th grade Parents
Planning for 6th grade begins now for 5th graders! Some students may qualify to take advanced/ above-level classes in their 6th grade year. The terminology we use to describe above-level courses for middle school is Level-1. Level-1 is the term that you will be hearing this year in order for your 5th grade child to qualify for 6th grade Level-1 placement for the 2018-2019 school year.
Level-1 courses are more rigorous and in-depth in content, often move at a faster pace, include different types of assignments and may require additional outside reading. Level-1 classes are designed to challenge students beyond grade-level academic courses and prepare them for success in future advanced coursework. Beginning in sixth grade, Level-I classes are offered in core content areas: reading/language arts, math, science, and social studies.
There is very specific criterion for a student to be eligible for Level-1 classes:
· Earning a yearly average of 85 or above at the end of their 5th-grade year in the Level-1 subject(s) in which they desire to enroll, or
· Earning “Masters Grade Level” on the STAAR exam for the corresponding subject area.
Are you Interested in Becoming a Mentor?
We need you! Are you interested in making a difference in a child’s life? The Cy-Fair Mentor program is a cooperative effort of volunteers from buisnesses, faith-based and/or non-profit organizations, the community, and Cy-Fair ISD designed to encourage students (K-12) to finish school and to focus on future education goals and career choices. A committed mentor can be a wonderful role-model by helping a student with his/her academic and social development. Mentors meet with students one-on-one for approximately 45 minutes one day a week, on a specific day and time.
If you are interested in making a commitment to a child here at Hamilton Elementary, you will first need to attend a district training session at the Berry Center, complete a mentor application, and consent to a criminal histroy record check. If you would like to get more information, or to sign up for a training session and access the mentor applications, you can log onto the CFISD website at www.cfisd.net/mentor, or contact Leslie Francis in the Community Engagement Department at leslie.francis@cfisd.net or at 281-894-3950.
Small Group Counseling
As part of the counseling program at Hamilton Elementary, I will be offering small group counseling sessions (grades 1st-5th). The purpose of small group meetings is to help children to be more successful in both school and everyday life. Possible Topics may include:
· Friendship-making friends and getting along with others
· Divorce- issues dealing with a recent divorce or separation
· Grief-dealing with a death/loss in family
· Anxiety- learning how to manage stress and gain coping skills for success
· Self-Confidence- build self-esteem for those shy or withdrawn students
· Anger Management-Identifying and coping with anger
Groups will meet for 4-5 sessions during a non-instructional time. Groups will be made up of approximately three to eight students from their grade level. Enough group members need to participate in order for the group to be formed.
If you would like for your child to participate in a counseling group, or would like more information, please contact Michelle Erickson, Counselor, at michelle.erickson@cfisd.net or 281-320-7055.
Birthday Books
Evynn Dale
Victor Dimiceli
Kate Ellis
Dylan Hoover
Kaylind Hufft
Trey Knight
Zac Priska
Jack Schuth
Jack Suleiman
Jordan Suleiman
McKayla Walker
Avery Henderson
Brooke Henderson
Dominic Locandro
Emma Mangold
Ethan Martinez
Ethan Miller
Toby Mosscrop
Reese Murray
Addison StoutDylan To
Alexis Allen
Benjamin Allen
Samantha Campbell
Emma Carroll
Nathan Chu
Jamie Diamond
Easton Fields
Logan Herrmann
Jared Klaus
Wyley Mallory
Luka Minica
Cora Miller
Karolina Monar
Hosanna Patterson
Javier Rangel Jandres
Cori Schulz
Abigail ShipesAlexandra Shipes
Ashton Swindell
Norah Wiseman
Mark Wittliff
Hamilton Elementary Information & Quick Reference
Hamilton Staff - Who to Contact
Assistant Principal: Kerry Iselt (kerry.iselt@cfisd.net) / 281-320-7097
Assistant Principal: Lorie Gregurek (lorie.gregurek@cfisd.net) / 281-320-7098
Counselor: Michelle Erickson (michelle.erickson@cfisd.net) / 281-320-7055
Diagnostician: Ann Le (ann.le@cfisd.net) / 281-320-3206
Registrar: Amy Hoffman (amy.hoffman@cfisd.net) / 281-320-7051
Front desk: 281.370.0990
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Hamilton Elementary
Email: hamiltonelem@cfisd.net
Website: http://hamiltones.cfisd.net/en/
Location: 12050 Old Kluge Road, Cypress, TX, United States
Phone: 281.370.0990
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonLions
Twitter: @Hamilton_Lions