Castroville Elementary
October/November News
Quote of the month
Anthony J. D'Angelo
Grade Level News
Kindergarten
Kindergarten is working diligently on decorations for our Veteran’s Day Program and Thanksgiving Feast.
Reading- We are focusing on story elements in stories that we read in class. We are also learning how to blend our letter sounds to make words.
Math- We will learn number recognition and comparing numbers 11-20 and 21-30.
Science- We will explore how certain objects move and become little geologists!
Social Studies- We will be discussing our customs and traditions that we have with our family for Thanksgiving. We will also vote on our favorite pet for election day and learn why our Veteran’s are very important people.
Kindergarten Teachers would like to thank all the loved ones that came out to our Kindergarten Spooktacular. The show was great and we hope you enjoyed every scary minute of it!
Congratulations to the students listed below for demonstrating the Character Trait of the Month for Effort:
Julian Canchola
Kase Ubancyzk
Vivian Krieger
Christian Davila
Sawyer Ayala
First Grade
Academics– What We’re Learning About
Reading/Language Arts/Writing: Students are working on blends within words. We have learned l and r blends. We also know the difference between a statement and a question. We can generate questions before, after, and during reading. We have planned and drafted personal narratives. We are enjoying literature from different genres and understand aspects of nonfiction text.
Math: In math we’ve been using a ten frame to represent numbers, make ten and parts of ten, and find the missing parts.
Social Studies: We understand the importance of being a good citizen. We learned about timelines and created a timeline of our own lives. We also learned about past, present, and future events. We know the true meaning of history!
Science: Did you know that engineers use science and math to do their jobs? We do and we got to pretend to be engineers for the day! We used the design process to come up with some handy backscratchers. Who knows one day you may be buying our products at the local Walmart! We are now learning about what materials are made of.
Fun Activities to Highlight-
Special Guests- Our High School sent the football players, cheerleaders, and panther mascot to come visit us. We had so much fun meeting them and listening to books read by these special superstars. We can’t wait until we can walk in their shoes and become role models to kids like us!
HERE COMES THE BRIDE! Our first graders had a wedding. Q and U got married. We had fun at the wedding enjoying the ceremony, eating yummy cupcakes, and dancing with our friends.
Pumpkin Book Reports- We got to show off our creative side by creating a pumpkin to represent our favorite storybook character. Our local businesses were very willing to show off our pumpkins. Stop by our local businesses and check them out! You won’t be disappointed!
Second Grade
During the middle part of October, students had the opportunity to learn about Force and Motion through some activities put on by Mrs. Madaline Sherrill. The highlight was the students using these concepts to shoot a bottle in the air by using pressure and water!
Polar Express tryout letters were sent home the last week of October. We will hold tryouts the week of November 6th.
2nd 6-weeks Common Assessments for Math and Reading will be early November.
Third Grade
It is hard to believe the second six weeks has almost come to an end. The third graders have been working hard on becoming independent learners and continue to amaze us each and every day. During the month of October the students had the amazing opportunity to work with our local science guru, Mrs. Madaline Sherrill. Not only did the students have a blast performing experiments, but they also learned all about chemical and physical changes.
Also, as you know each homeroom will be selecting a “Student of the Month based on different character traits. This month we focused on Respect which included peaceful problem solving, using polite words and active listening.
Congratulations to our October Students of the Month:
Phillips- Cash Lyons
Sittre- MaKayla Bendele
Teague-Julissa Lascano
Ortiz- Jonathan Julian
Pawelek- Emily Hutnyak
For the month of November we will be focusing on Cooperation. The traits we will be looking for are: the ability to compromise, including others, listening, taking turns, and sharing.
Fourth Grade
Castroville Elementary students voted for Student Council Representatives. Class winners from:
Ms. S. Tschirhart ; Hattie Burris
Mrs. J. Livingston : Madisyn Griggs
Mrs. K. Drake: Alyssa Zepeda
Mrs. A. Collins: Ariel McDonel
Ms. C. Tondre- Jay Guevara
Student Council representatives promote citizenship, scholarship, leadership, and school spirit as it fosters the development of the future leaders of our schools, cities, state, and country. They will also service learning as projects are planned to benefit the students, teachers, and the community
On Friday, October 25th students in Mrs. Livingston and Ms. Tschirhart's classes showed their love and support for their teacher and friend, Julie Livingston. Later that night, the district and community will show their support for TEAM LIVINGSTON with a "Pink Out" at the varsity football game.
Upcoming Events:
- November 8: Veteran's Day Program & Landmark Inn Field Trip
- November 12: Thanksgiving Feast
- November 19: Literacy Night
- December 13: Squid Dissection with Ms. Madaline Sherrill
(4th grade would like to thank PTO for asking and paying for the science camps taught by Mrs. Sherrill. )
Fifth Grade
What an exciting October it was in 5th grade! One of the highlights was our science lab with Mrs. Sherrill where students explored chemical and physical reactions by creating super bubbles and turning water into a gel solution. We also loved supporting our very own Mrs. Livingston by wearing pink on Cancer Awareness Day. The love and support from our 5th grade students for their 4th grade teacher was very heartwarming and inspiring. Congratulations to our homeroom class “Students of the Month.” These students are voted on by their classmates based on their wonderful characteristics such as kindness, dedication, work ethic, respectfulness, etc. Way to go!
5th Grade November Students of the Month:
Kate Bamul (Tschirhart HR)
Jolene Acuna (Lyle HR)
Amethyst Deleon (Herrera HR)
J.J. Jacobs (Mumme HR)
Dean Zurovec (Summerlin HR)
Viola Marrufo (Rodriguez HR)
Physical Education
Kinder, 1st and 2nd will be working on individual jump roping skills. They will learn how to turn and jump a small rope on their own. We will teach them both non jumping skills and jumping skills. We will also play some cooperative games to finish out the month of November.
3rd, 4th and 5th have been practicing for their upcoming Fitness gram test. The fitness gram is a comprehensive health related fitness assessment amd computerized reporting system. This test is a complete battery of health related items that are scored using a criterion-referenced standards. These standards are age and gender specific and are established based on how fit children need to be for good health. This is a state mandated test given to all 3rd- 12th graders. The principle mission of Fitness gram is to promote lifelong physical activity among youths.
Volleyball Clinic started Monday, Oct. 28th and will run for the next three weeks. The dates are Nov. 4,11 and 18th. This is for grades 3rd-5th. Clinic starts around 3:45 and ends at 5. Students are allowed to stay after school for the clinic to start.
Music
Technology Applications
Reading News
Ways you can help your child with reading!
Teaching Reading will only help.(It is never too early to start reading to your child.)
Teaching Reading is not different than teaching other skills.(Mothers and Fathers have been teaching their children how to read for thousands of years.)
Talk to your kids. (alot)
Read to your kids.
Have them tell you a story.
Teach phonemic awareness (manipulate sounds in language through rhyming, songs, segmenting and blending.)
Teach phonics (letter names and sounds)
Listen to your child read.
Promote writing. (write your child a note and they can reply in writing.)
Ask questions.
Make reading a regular activity.
Shanahan, T. 2015, September 9. 11 Ways Parents Can Help Their Children Read. Retrieved from www.readingrockets.org
“A book is a gift you can open again and again”.-Garrison Keillor
Math News
The Power of YET……
Go from “I can’t do it” to “I can’t do it...YET”
We are now fully immersed into our math curriculum and new skills and concepts are being introduced weekly, if not daily.
Our mindset plays a crucial role in our success. If you see your child struggling with a particular concept, stop and go back to a skill they feel comfortable doing. Reinforce the idea that they ARE good at math, and that the new skill will come with time and practice. Change “I can’t do it” to “I can’t do it..YET!”
Learning math is like building a pyramid. You need to lay down a good foundation, or as new skills begin to be introduced, our structure weakens. As a parent you can help strengthen this foundation by incorporating “math talk” into conversations. Use everyday experiences to reinforce and develop math skills and vocabulary. Measurement, fractions, shapes, time, and money all benefit from real world application.
Free Websites and Resources to help with math engagement and practice.
Student Council
Student Council Officers attended a Leadership Workshop at Forester Elementary in San Antonio on October 10. The officers learned so much useful information on how to hold a meeting, community projects, and ideas on how to make the school better for everyone! They are eager to help the school celebrate Red Ribbon Week and will begin working on a community project in November to get the school to come together to help others in need. So, be on the lookout for more information to come home as to how you can help their efforts.
Student Council also had class representative elections this month and are proud to announce the class representatives for 3rd-5th grade!
Back row standing: 5th grade representative Raelynn Wiemers, Historian Haevyn Mester, Secretary Allison Persat, President Julia Winker, Vice-President Amethyst DeLeon, Treasurer Arthur Sandoval, Parliamentarian Jeric Lopez, 5th grade representative Evie Kovacs
Sitting: 3rd grade representatives Charlie Grace Keller, Maya Leiss, Caelix Mercado, Jonathan Julian, Emily Hutnyak
Kneeling: 4th grade representatives Alyssa Zepeda, Ariel McDonel, Hattie Burris, Jay Guevara, Madisyn Griggs
Front row sitting: 5th grade representatives Emily Collins, Curtis Binford, Pedro Flores
Counselors News
Classroom Guidance Topics
October Personal Safety & Problem Solving
November Problem Solving & Gratitude
We had an awesome turn out for our WATCH DOGS Pizza Night. We have over 50 dads that will volunteer at our school over the next several months. We are so excited to welcome them to our campus! We also celebrated Red Ribbon Week! In guidance class, we had meaningful conversations about healthy lifestyle choices. We are so proud of our students and their pledge to live healthy lives!
Office News
October 25th was a wonderful reminder of the community that exists in Medina Valley ISD and at Castroville Elementary. We were so humbled to see everyone support the “Pink Out” Night. Not only is the message of hope and unity shared with our teacher, but also the lesson of human kindness, strength and compassion is passed on to our students. For your love and support, we thank you.
A few reminders:
November 8th is our Veterans Day Celebration. If you know that you will be attending, please take a moment to come by the school office with your Driver’s License. Your ID will be ready and this will assist in preventing delays. For student safety, all campus visitors MUST have their ID.
November 11th is Veterans Day and a school day.
November 12 is our Thanksgiving Luncheon. Tickets will go on sale on Monday November 4th. The price per ticket is $6.50 for adults and for children it is the regular priced lunch. Please bring exact amount in the form of cash or check as we do not keep change in the office.
All students should be dropped off in the back by the gym in the morning beginning at 7:15. Students should not be dropped off in the front. If your child arrives at or after 7:50, they must be signed in at the office.
Calendar of Events
Nov. 2nd - PTO Fall Fun Run
Nov. 8th - Veterans Day Program
Nov. 8th - End of 2nd Six-Weeks
Nov. 12th - Thanksgiving Feast at Lunch
Nov. 19th - Literacy Night
Nov. 25-29 - Thanksgiving Break
Castroville Contact Information
Email: cesnotify@mvisd.org
Website: www.mvisd.com/ces
Location: 1000 Madrid Street, Castroville, TX, USA
Phone: 830-931-2243
Facebook: facebook.com/CastrovilleMV/
Twitter: @CastrovilleMV