Gleason PAWS
Excellence Begins Here
Gleason Vision
Gleason Misson
Gleason Elementary
Email: gleason@cfisd.net
Website: https://gleason.cfisd.net
Location: 9203 Willowbridge Park Boulevard, Houston, TX, USA
Phone: 281-517-6800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gleasontigers/
Twitter: @gleasontigers
January 8, 2021
Principal Message
Dear Parents,
Happy New Year! It is hard to believe that we only have three more weeks left of the 2nd marking period. I am so proud of the wonderful job that our staff, students and families have done during these unprecedented times. You have supported and followed all the safety guidelines and protocols to help keep everyone as safe as possible. Thank you for your continued encouragement and support.
The 3rd marking period will begin on February 1st. The survey window to make changes for the new marking period learning option will be open from Monday, January 11th to Sunday, January 17th. The change will be effective beginning February 1st. If your child will continue with the same learning option for the 3rd marking period, no action is needed.
Congratulations to Ryan Brown, Gleason Elementary Spelling Bee Champion and to Williams Uresti, our runner up. Ryan will represent Gleason at the district competition on February 2nd. We would like to take an opportunity at this time to congratulation all of our participants who worked hard to prepare for the competition.
This is a reminder that next Friday, January 15th is a Remote Learning Day. Face to face and CFISD Connect students will complete all assignments at home. Connect students will receive their remote learning day assignments through Schoology. Face-to-face students will receive a paper packet that they should complete at home and bring back on Tuesday, January 19th. These activities must be completed either online in Schoology or by turning in the paper packet in order for your child to be counted "present" for attendance. Teachers will not be available to parents on January 15th. All face-to-face students will bring home the packet and a breakfast and lunch from food services on Thursday, January 14th. Don’t forget that Monday, January 18th is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; a holiday for both staff and students. Thank you for your partnership with our school and district as our teachers plan and prepare during these unprecedented times!
Mrs. Melancon
Car Rider Information
Car Rider Information
For the safety of our students and staff, please read the below car rider procedures. If procedures are followed, it will also help with the speed of car riders.
Morning Drop-Off: 8:25-8:40 a.m.
- Please have students ready when vehicle pulls up to the school.
- Mask-On
- Shoes On
- Backpacks ready with all supplies inside. - Staff member will wave student out of vehicle. Student will open and close door, if assistance is needed please let staff know by rolling down the window.
- Please stay in line and exit with the flow of vehicles, even if your car is unloaded before others, to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
Afternoon Pick-Up: Begins at 4:10 p.m., please be in the car rider line no later than 4:20 p.m.
- Please fill out the link (click here) to be added to the car rider list and get a car rider number.
- Please place car rider number on the vehicle's mirror or where staff members can see it.
- A staff member types the car rider numbers into a form so the inside staff members can retrieve students and make sure that they know what color their vehicle will be located.
**Vehicles that are not on the list because they inserted into the line will have to wait at the orange balloon because the number will not be on the list to retrieve your student.**
STUDENT RETRIEVAL OF ITEMS- CFISD CONNECT STUDENTS ONLY
Grade Level News
Pre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten students have begun learning all about the winter season. In literacy, we are learning how to retell a story and respond to questions relevant to the text. In writing, we are continuing to discuss and contribute our ideas to class writing activities and learning how to write our first name. In math, we are learning to count from 1 to 10 with one to one correspondence. We will continue to subitize up to 5 and create patterns. We appreciate all of your continued support at home!
Kindergarten
Welcome back from Holiday Break! This month we will complete our assessments for reading levels and sight words. We will also collect a writing sample from each student. Connect families, please allow your student to complete these assessments independently! In Reading Workshop; we will continue our Be Brave unit by using our reading strategies to decode difficult words. For Writing Workshop; we will continue our Writing for Readers unit. We will work on coming up with ideas to write true stories and remember to use a capital letter at the beginning of our sentences, use finger spaces, and use a punctuation mark to end our sentences. In Math; we will explore more and fewer, and graphing. We will continue working on previously taught strategies that will help us become better mathematicians! Don’t forget your student needs a complete change of clothes (long-sleeved shirt, pants, underwear and socks) in his/her backpack. Also, send a snack and water bottle daily. If you are unsure of what snacks are approved, please reach out to your student’s teacher. Thank you for your continued support, the Kindergarten team sincerely appreciates you!
First Grade
Hello, first grade parents! Happy New Year and welcome to the last half of first grade. This month we will be holding our middle of the year assessments; we will be assessing where your students are for their reading level, writing, as well as math. In reading, we are currently studying our favorite fiction characters. As you're reading at home, of course continue to work on sight words, but see if you and your firstie can talk about the characters in your books- how are they feeling, what kind of friend would that character be in real life? In writing, your student will be assessed on a "small moment" (past tense personal narrative) story. You can help your student prepare by talking over dinner what are some of the things that they remember doing over the winter break. In math, we just started place value. Please continue to work on friends of ten facts, identifying and skip counting a set of coins (pennies, nickels, and dimes only), and identifying the action of a word problem (addition, subtraction, or comparison.)
Second Grade
In reading, students will examine the characteristics of traditional literature, specifically fairy tales, fables, and folk tales. They will continue to analyze plot elements, character traits and the importance of setting. Students will also build on their response to texts, using text evidence to support their thoughts and ideas both orally and written.
In writing, students will focus on the features of a friendly letter and the importance of considering the purpose and the reader when composing a letter. Our students will also have an opportunity to refine their personal narratives by revising, editing and focusing on including important details in their personal narratives.
In Math, we will learn how to tell time to the minute and use AM and PM to describe the time of day for daily activities. Then, we will begin our geometry unit studying 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional shapes.
Our 2nd grade scientists will be exploring Earth’s Resources and Geology. We will begin by studying natural resources, soil and rocks. We will complete our unit by exploring fresh water and saltwater resources.
Third Grade
Our awesome readers and writers will continue their work in reading informational text and crafting informational paragraphs. In Reading, we will work on sifting through details to create key ideas about the text as well as determine the author’s purpose. We will explore different text structures such as: descriptive, sequence/chronological, cause & effect, and problem/solution. We will also determine why the author chose to organize their writing a specific way, and what message the author is trying to convey about the topic. In Writing, students will go back into their webs we created from our Love, Bug, Scare lists to plan and draft their informational paragraphs. Students will draft multiple informational paragraphs that include a central idea, supporting details, and concluding sentences. They will choose their favorite informational paragraph to revise, edit and publish.
Students are excited about the Virtual Author’s Visit on Tuesday, January 12th with Barbara O’Connor, the author from our read alouds Wish & How to Steal a Dog. We will begin assessing students both individually and whole group. Starting January 4th, students will be assessed on the following components: reading comprehension, writing sample and conventions. Results will be used to monitor their growth from the beginning of the year and determine what skills need to be reviewed.
It is an exciting time inside the classroom as we continue our Earth Science investigations! This month we are focusing on rapid changes in Earth’s surface such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides. We will also be learning about soil, natural resources and products, and conservation. We encourage you to talk to your child about why it’s important to recycle and reuse natural resources.
Our Magnificent Mathematicians will apply mathematical process standards to solve problems by collecting, organizing, displaying and interpreting data. We will discuss bar graphs, pictographs, frequency tables and dot plots. Students will also represent and explain fractional units. We will continue our work with building our fact fluency (x3, x4, x6, x7).
Fourth Grade
In Reading we are continuing to learn more about informational text. Students will become familiar with the different informational text structures such as description, cause and effect, problem and solution, etc. We'll also compare and contrast passages across the genres we have learned. For example, a fiction story and an informational text may be on the same topic but may present different messages. This month we'll be assessing students' current reading levels. Please be sure your child is reading every night for at least 20 minutes.
In Writing, we have finished our first essay. We are now working on composing our second essay. This essay will focus on a place that students are personally familiar with. Families can help their students at home by talking to them about the place they have chosen. Gathering ideas and memories about their place will allow them to generate supporting details for their essay.
In our Math unit we have wrapped up multiplication and division and will continue to practice those concepts. We are now moving into fractions re-familiarizing ourselves with parts of a fraction and how it's part of a whole. We will then move into fractions with more than a whole and eventually adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators. We will take the math district diagnostic test on January 13th.
In Science, we have ended our Energy Unit in December and are starting our Matter Unit. We will explore the physical properties of matter and identify observable properties as well as measurable properties. In addition to measuring temperature, and mass we will really take a close look at finding volume. We will have our science district diagnostic test on January 20th.
Fifth Grade
Happy New Year!
In Reading, 5th grade students will be exploring Informational texts and analyzing the many characteristics, structures, and features of the genre.
This learning will support students in Writing as they work to research and craft their own pieces to inform about chosen topics of interest.
Our 5th grade scientists will be learning about Weather & Astronomy in Science. Topics will include weather and Climate, Planet Order, Earth’s Rotation and Physical characteristics of the Earth, Moon and Sun.
In Math we will be working in Unit 6 to Multiply and Divide Fractions. We will have our January Diagnostic Assessment on Jan. 13 – 14. We will work through Unit 7 Measurement (Jan. 19 – Feb. 8).
A Note from the Nurse....Mrs. Compton
Staff and Students are doing a great job of keeping Gleason a safe and healthy learning environment. A few things to remember as we move into the winter months:
Parents must screen students daily (prior to entering a school bus or school) for the following signs and symptoms of COVID-19:
1. Are you experiencing any of the following in a way that is not normal to you?
• Feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.00 F
• Loss of taste or smell
• Cough
• Difficulty breathing
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Chills
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Shaking or exaggerated shivering
• Significant muscle pain or ache
• Diarrhea
• Nausea or vomiting
2. Have you had known close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 14 days?
• Students must stay home if they answer “yes” to any of the above.
• Students who show symptoms of COVID-19 at school will be evaluated by the nurse. The nurse will determine whether that child can remain at school.
• Before a student may return to school, established criteria must be met
Please be aware that if your child needs medication, including over-the-counter medication, cough drops, or ointment during the school day, a parent/guardian must bring it to the clinic and complete a “Request to Administer Medication” form. Medication cannot be transported in a student's backpack.
If your child has had any changes in his/her health please email sarah.compton@cfisd.net, or call the clinic 281-517-6808 to inform the nurse.
From the Library....Mrs. Jones
Virtual Author Visit with Barbara O'Connor
On January 12, 2021 Gleason Elementary will co-host a virtual author visit with Barbara O'Connor at 10:15 a.m. sponsored by Blue Willow Book Shop. She is the author of student favorites How To Steal a Dog and Wish, and she will discuss her newest book Halfway to Harmony. 4th grade students will participate during large group time. 3rd graders will participate in their classrooms if the instructional schedule allows. Virtual learners may participate also. Autographed books are available to purchase through Blue Willow BookShop and will arrive 2 weeks after the visit. To order a book (and support an independent, small business), use this link: https://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/virtual-school-visits-barbara-oconnor
Name That Book
As with so many things in the 2020-21 school year, Name That Books will look different. The District is still planning how the Regional and District contest will be presented on March 30, 2021.
If you are new to this program, our mission is to foster a life-long love of reading in all 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. A list of books that encompasses a wide variety of genres has been provided, and students are encouraged to read as many as possible. The 100 books are chosen by CFISD librarians and are available at our library or online with Sora app available in each student’s classlink. Campus students can login to the Gleason library website to put NTBooks on hold and connect students can reserve a copy of the book on Sora. At this time there is no curbside pickup for library books.
Name that Book list link: https://www.cfisd.net/download_file/29700/1525
Students interested in participating in the NTB contest can click this link to join the NTB Club on Schoology.
https://cfisd.schoology.com/course/4508334196
OR
Join the course with this code:
PBIS NEWS
We hope everyone had a wonderful and restful winter break! As we start a new year, we will be reviewing with students what it means to show "ROAR"ing behavior- by discussing what ROAR looks like and sounds like. This is a perfect opportunity for students to reflect on how they can be Respectful, On-task, Accountable, and Responsible every day. Our campus-wide PBIS ROAR matrices describe expected student behavior and are provided below. Teachers will continue to use Class Dojo points as an incentive to reward students for positive behavior. We are so happy to be back and looking forward to starting a great new year here at Gleason!
January Core Value-Responsibility
From the Counselor....Mrs. Salazar
In the month of January, we will be focusing on the value Responsibility. The definition that Core Essentials uses is showing you can be trusted with what's expected of you. We all want this our kids to have responsibility. But it starts with us, the adults. We must model, teach, and allow our kids to have independence to show responsibility. But what is the right balance for your child's natural craving for independence and the need for setting limits and keeping your child safe?
1. Allow your child to make age-appropriate decisions. You may need to set limits by giving choices and allowing your child to choose out of the choices that you are willing to accept.
a. Clothing is a great example of an age-appropriate decision.
i. Younger children may need guidance due to weather. "It's cold outside, so you can choose to wear jeans or sweats."
ii. Older children may need guidance as to what is appropriate for certain places as their bodies develop and they start playing with their sense of style.
2. Your child is an important member of the family and all members are responsible for chores that help the entire family.
a. Your child can do most chores around the house. Remember it may not be to your standard, but it's important that they ar.
i. Making bed, folding laundry, sweeping the floor, taking out trash, dishes, helping to cook and etc..
ii. Teach your child the new skills before asking them to do it on their own.
3. When your child is responsible and does something without a reminder, give positive reinforcement to encourage the behavior to continue.
4. Allow your child to experience consequences to their actions, positive or negative.
a. Your child will associate the feeling they had with the action they did.
b. Avoid interfering with a consequence determined by another adult in leadership. That will create a feeling for your child that they can "get away" with their actions.
c. Consequence with Empathy from Love and Logic to help grow success for the next time.
Step 1: Use Empathy: "How sad."
Step 2: Send the Power Message: "What do you think you (child) are going to do?"
Step 3: Offer Choices: "Would you like to hear what other kids have tried?"
Step 4: Have the Child State the Consequences: "Which choice will work for you?"
Give permission for the child to either solve or not the problem: "Good luck. I hope it works out for you."
5. If you have pets, allow your child to care for the pet.
6. Make an emergency plan with your child.
a. Do talk about natural disasters and other emergencies, but also talk about when they are uncomfortable about something.
b. I encourage students to have a code word between their parents and them. This way if they are around other people and something happened or are uncomfortable, they can say the code word and that will be a hint to help them with the situation.
i. Code word: bat cave (something you don't use often): "Man, I wish I had a bat cave. I think that would be super cool."
The main thing to think about as we allow from more independence, is the choice a safe, healthy, and positive choice? We all learn though mistakes, so allow mistakes to happen. It's best that children make these mistakes when they are younger, learn from the mistake when the consequences are still small, and we can be there to help guide them and problem solve with them so they can correct the problem.
Breakfast and Lunch Application
In order to continuing receiving additional funds for our campus we must continue to show a need. We are asking for ALL CFISD Connect and face 2 face students' parents to fill out this application. Please click here to complete a lunch application.
We also wanted to make sure all our families are aware of the breakfast and lunch programs. CFISD does have breakfast and lunch available for all students (on campus or CFISD connect).
Families that are on-campus or CFISD Connect
- We encourage families that are eating CFISD breakfast and lunch to sign up through school cafe at https://www.schoolcafe.com/CYPRESS-FAIRBANKS%20ISD where you can:
- Make Payments
- Set Purchase Restrictions
- Submit Meal Applications to see if your family qualifies for free or reduced meal prices
- View Purchases
- Set up Auto Pay
- Get Low Balance Alerts
- View Letters
- View Menus
For more information on CFISD breakfast and lunch Information visit our district website at CFISD.net. Click the tab for parents & students and there are many resources under nutritional services.
CFISD Connect Families
- Curbside Connect Meals: https://www.cfisd.net/en/parents-students/food-service/curbside-meals
- CFISD Connect students still have access to school breakfasts and lunches. Please click the above link to find out locations and procedures.
Please reach out to us if you have any questions or need additional resources.
Upcoming Events
January 15- Remote learning
January 18-Student/Staff Holiday
January 29- last day of MP 2
February 1- first day of MP 3
February 12- Remote Learning
February 15- Student Holiday/Professional Day