Happy Fall, Y'all!
Garner ISD Newsletter
"Fall" in love with Garner!
The 2016-17 school year is off to a fantastic start, and we are thrilled to share with you some of the first six weeks' highlights as well as upcoming events and activities. In addition to our commitment to provide rigorous, relevant academics to all students, this year we are focusing on personal growth and leadership for all students & staff. We recognize the importance of developing our hearts as well as our minds and are working hard to provide a place where kids can fall in love with learning and leading as a way of life. Just as we are invigorated by the arrival of crisp autumn winds, our school's climate this year is refreshingly positive and full of hope. As always, if you have comments, concerns, or ideas on how to further Garner's greatness please don't hesitate to contact us. We'd love to talk with you!
Rebecca Hallmark, Superintendent
BJ Carlton, Principal
Diane Shaw, Asst. Principal (Editor)
Fall Festival is THIS SATURDAY!!!
Please make plans to join us for PTO's annual Fall Festival on 10/15 from 4-7pm. Students have been working hard selling $1 raffle tickets for a $500 Visa Gift Card. The student who sells the most will receive a $100 gift card, and the highest selling class will get a pizza party! PK-2nd graders are in charge of baked goods for the cake walk and items for an Outdoor theme gift basket, 3rd-5th graders are donating bags of candy and small prizes for the games as well as items for a Crockpot/Kitchen theme basket, and JH students need to bring 2-liter bottles of soda for our Ring Toss as well as donations for a gift card basket. It's going to be a great evening of fun for the whole family. See you there!
Join the Hulk Club!
As part of our "Leader in Me" initiative, each 6 weeks we will post a different challenge for students to recognize and write about "Incredible" examples of leadership. For the first 6 weeks we posted evidence from some of our favorite movies such as Zootopia, The Avengers, Divergent, and Pete's Dragon. Twelve students submitted work and received Hulk cupcakes during lunch. This six weeks we are looking for people from History (famous or not) who exhibited leadership qualities we should admire. Parents are welcome to help your kiddos with this! Email or share your submission via Google Drive by 11/3 to dshaw@garnerisd.net for a surprise green treat. :)
Readers are Leaders!
Another new avenue for exploring character and leadership development is through our school-wide literature program. All the teachers and students read the same book each 6 weeks and then post follow-up activities in the cafeteria for everyone to enjoy. Our first pick was Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco, and it inspired us to write thank you letters to teachers who helped each of us with particular struggles at some point. The students loved reading what staff wrote to people from their past and seeing that we have all overcome difficulties with the help of others. This six weeks we are reading Mr. Peabody's Apples by Madonna and reflecting on the power of our words and the impossibility of taking them back once they are out!
Super Reader Powers Activate!
As an added incentive to keep growing as readers, Elementary students are being chosen at the end of the 6 weeks to wear a special cape for the day to show off their SUPER reading achievement. Each teacher chooses different criteria such as most improvement, highest overall performance, AR points, etc. We are constantly looking for ways to celebrate effort and awesomeness, and we are excited to see who will be "caped" each time! Honorees for the 1st 6 weeks were: PK: Ellison & Avery; K: Jahvon & A'drina; 1st: Nathalie & Addison; 2nd: Kaden & Selena; 3rd-5th: Matilee, Amaya, Makenzie, & Abby
Celebrate Red Ribbon Week with us the LAST WEEK OF OCTOBER!!!
All month long we are learning to be "bucket fillers" rather than "bucket dippers," meaning that we use our words and actions to fill others up with encouragement rather than to drain them with negativity. It will culminate with our annual week long celebration 10/24-28 dressing up each day to focus on a different aspect of our theme:
"Choices for a Better You."
Monday - Sleep is good for the mind and body (Wear PJ's)
Tuesday - HERO: Help, Encourage, & Respect Others (Superhero)
Wednesday - Mix it up (Wear mix-matched clothes and sit with someone new at lunch)
Thursday - Team up and get ready to exercise (team jersey)
Friday - Good choices make you better inside out! (Dress as your favorite character/emotion from the movie Inside Out which we will be watching)
Pre-K is "falling in love" with the library!
Mrs. Barton read a non-fiction book about leaves to the Pre-K students and surprised them with a shower of beautiful fall foliage after the story. It's never a dull moment in here. In fact, this class was featured in a video on Frog Street Live, seen by PreK classes all over the country! We are proud of our littlest Longhorns for sure!
IT'S BOOK FAIR TIME!
Ahoy, mateys. Arrrrrrr you ready to score some treasure at our Bookaneer Book Fair? Come in to the library this week 10/10-10/14 7:45-4pm and throughout the Fall Festival for an awesome selection of books for all ages. Proceeds support our school library. You can also surprise your favorite teachers with books from their wish baskets. This is a great opportunity to support our school AND support your own child's literacy development as well.
Kinder Reading Buddies
Kindergarten is a year full of important milestones, and learning to read certainly tops that list. One of the ways we support this is by pairing each student with a 5th grade Big Buddy who reads with and helps them take AR tests once a week. Recently our Kindergarten students got to be "big buddies" for once, reading their library books to stuffed animal friends. They are well on their way to being the best readers in the west. Keep up the good work, kids!
It's National School Lunch Week!
As if our cafeteria isn't already awesome enough, prepare to be delighted this week with interesting, new fruit and veggie choices every day in honor of National School Lunch Week. Tuesday - Jicama and Rainbow Carrots; Wednesday - Butternut Squash and Sauteed Mushrooms; Thursday - Roasted Broccoli, Watermelon Radish, and Guava; Friday - Sweet Potatoes and Pickled Okra. Families are always invited to join us for lunch. Just let your child's teacher know so we can prepare enough! We had a HUGE crowd on Grandparents' Day and love to host our Garner parents and loved ones anytime. See you soon!
Voter Registration
Mrs. Wakefield's JH Boys Tech Class have been doing an excellent job helping all our PK-8th graders register for the upcoming Presidential Election. Students used their name, birthday, grade level, and homeroom teacher to complete an application before taking an oath and having their picture taken for a new Voter ID card. The cards will be required in order for students to vote in our mock election on November 8.
Elementary All A Honor Roll
Congratulations to the following students for achieving all A's on their first report card! Front row: Nathalie Cardenas, Titus Lynch, Brock Beavers, Addison Mitchell, Noel Butler, Raigen Roe, Bailey Hons Back row: Laney Horton, Abby Buschow, Kaden Waggoner, Caden Murphy, Lily Youngblood, Samantha Hernandez, Olivia Brian, Sadie Roach
Junior High All A Honor Roll
Everyone knows all A's is an impressive feat, and these students are to be commended for exceptional effort and success this first six weeks. Preslee Shields, Matt Fox, Mia Donahew, Adryan Brian, Bella Shaw (and Tracey Hull, not pictured). Way to go, everyone!
Join a UIL Team!
It's time to begin practicing for our 2nd-8th grade UIL Academic Competition in December. October will be spent practicing and learning about the various events, and we will hold a qualifying meet on Friday, November 4 to determine who will represent us on each team. Interest forms went home last week, so if you still want a chance to participate call the office or ask Mrs. Shaw for another form. Our goal is for every event to have a full team this year, so find a way to get involved!
Extreme Makeover: Workroom Edition
A huge, heartfelt thanks goes to Bethesda UMC for donating time, money, and talent to completely redecorate our Elementary Teacher's Lounge. What was once a glorified storage room now feels like a special retreat to energize for the day with a cup of coffee, enjoy lunch with friends, and prepare lessons and activities in an organized, peaceful setting. Our teachers are some of the best in the world, and we appreciate this show of community support.
Lady Longhorns Volleyball
Our 7th and 8th grade girls have worked hard this season, and there's still time to catch one more game Monday, October 17 @ Poolville. It's worth the short drive to cheer on our Lady Longhorns one last time! Team Members are Kyleigh McBride, James Ramsey, Jocelyn Bailey, Samantha McDonald, Adryan Brian, Lilli Williams, Dez Durand, Karen Esparza, Bella Shaw, Ally Fox, Mirian Esparza, Jordyn Fields, Quinci Turner, and Mia Donahew, and they are coached by Kristin Radde.