East Elementary News
Week of November 15
UIL
Chess Puzzle 5
- Logan Perez (6th)
Chess Puzzle 4
- Holden Gill (1st)
Chess Puzzle 2
- Judah Beden (5th)
Listening Skills 5
- Sophie Greenlee (2nd)
- Jaxon Stephens (5th)
Maps, Graphs and Charts 5
- Ashlynn Thiessen (1st)
Music Memory 2
- Emily Bordewyck (2nd)
- Laila Aguirre (3rd)
- Madison Duenes (5th)
- Kayzli Burnett-Thomas (8th)
Music Memory 3
- Brooklyn Powers (4th)
- Bree Hohrein (6th)
Music Memory 4
- Brandon Goodman (5th)
- Evelyn Earl (6th)
Number Sense 4
- Kallen Laverty (7th)
Oral Reading 3
- Scarlett Kirk (4th)
- Myles Brewer-Bigelow (8th)
Spelling 3
- Chloe Bulls (6th)
Storytelling 2
- Mia Versalles (4)
Upcoming Events
November 15-19 - The Adventures of a South Pole Pig Week 1
November 19 - Thanksgiving Lunch
November 22-26 - Thanksgiving Break/No School, The Adventures of a South Pole Pig Week 2
November 29 - December 3 - The Adventures of a South Pole Pig Week 3
Reminders from the Office
- Please contact the office if you need help with the student online verification in Skyward. Those need to be completed ASAP.
- Please drop off or email (mkotara@lcisd.net) your current electricity bill if we do not have one for the current school year! Especially those who registered with a home purchase agreement or a lease agreement.
- Always bring your driver's license into the office.
- Please review our lunch procedures below.
Thanksgiving Lunch
Parents will need to sign in at the door and receive a sticker. Parents may sign their student out in the cafeteria with their homeroom teacher. If you are needing to pull or checkout a sibling, you will need to go to the front office.
The Adventures of a South Pole Pig
Week 1 Discussion Questions
Chapter 1 (pages 1-9)
1. Flora’s environment is pretty constrained. She can see beyond her pigpen, but she hasn’t ever been outside the fence. From the opening pages, you can see that she has an adventurous spirit and a yearning to go beyond her little barnyard. If you had the chance to go beyond your neighborhood, where would you like to go? What adventures would you like to go on?
2. Flora’s life in the pigpen is so small that she doesn’t recognize the intruder – the small
fur ball. What do you think that fur ball is? Can you imagine what it would be like for
something so commonplace to seem new and exciting?
Chapter 2 (pages 10-15)
3. Luna tells Flora, “You don’t have to look for trouble. It will find you.” (p. 14) Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever been minding your own business and had trouble find you?
4. Luna goes on to say, “And when that happens, keep up that great spirit and make a plan, because nine lives is just a state of mind.” (p. 14) Have you ever heard that cats have nine lives? What do you think that means? What do you think Luna means by nine lives being a “state of mind”?
5. The author describes Flora as having “a heart born for adventure and hooves stuck in a pen.” What do you think that means? Do you know anyone like that?
Chapter 3 (pages 16-20)
6. Luna tells Flora that the farm has lots of dogs who are training for adventures. This part of the story is foreshadowing – it tells you just a little something about where the story is going to go. Do you have any predictions about the plot, based on this piece of foreshadowing?
Chapter 4 (pages 21-25)
7. Luna tells Flora’s mother that everyone has jobs to do on the farm, and her job is to kill rats. Think about groups that you belong to – your family, your friends, your class, your school, your community. What jobs do you have within those groups? What people don’t do their jobs within a group? What should other members of the group do to address people who are not doing their jobs?
Chapter 5 (pages 26-29)
8. Flora paid close attention to Luna’s attack on the rat, learning the proper pouncing
technique. Then she practiced and practiced while her siblings napped. Do you think
watching someone and then practicing is a good way to learn a new skill? Have you
learned a new skill this way?
Chapter 6 (pages 30-39)
9. Flora tries to run with the dogs, but she can’t keep up. What advantages do dogs have over pigs when it comes to running? What other areas might pigs have advantages over dogs? Think about the physical differences between dogs and pigs. How do those differences make pigs and dogs good at different things? Is the same true of people?
10. In this chapter, the man notices that Flora has “spirit,” and Luna made the same observation. What do you think they mean by spirit? Do you know anyone who has spirit in the same way that Flora does?
Chapter 7 (pages 40-47)
11. Luna doesn’t like the dogs – at all. She explains that dogs are really different from cats. Do you think it’s possible to be friends with people who are really different from you?
12. “Cats can’t wait to sleep, and dogs can’t wait to do stuff.” (p. 44) So, are you more like a cat or more like a dog?
13. Luna tells Flora, “Adventure comes to those who choose it but turns to trouble quick if you don’t know how to land on your feet.” (p. 46) Do you think this is true? Or, does adventure come even if you aren’t looking for it? And, what do you think Luna means by “land on your feet?” People say that cats always land on their feet – do you think Luna meant this literally or figuratively?
14. Flora makes a promise to herself that she will be prepared for adventure. What do you think a pig can do to be prepared for adventure? What can you do to be prepared for adventures that might come your way?
Chapter 8 (pages 48-58)
15. Flora practices landing on her feet with a game she calls Keep Your Hoof-Side Down. She also practiced pouncing with a game she called Cats and Rats. These games are like drills you might do at soccer practice so you can learn the skills you need to play soccer. Do you think pouncing and landing on her feet will be important skills for a little pig?
16. Mama tells her little pigs that they are farm pigs and have no control over their lives. Luna explains that cats and dogs don’t have much control either. Do kids have much control over their lives? What about adults?
Chapter 9 (pages 59-65)
17. What do you think of Flora’s decision to let the man catch her and put her in the truck? What would you have done if you were Flora?
East PTO Pie & Cookie Dough Fundraiser Update
City Bank Community Rewards - Vote Now!
COVID-19 Symptom Reminders
- fever greater than 100°F
- cough
- congestion or runny nose
- headache
- stomach ache
- chills
- body aches
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- NEW onset of loss of taste or smell
Any of the above symptoms may be indicative of COVID-19 or other contagious illnesses. If your child is exhibiting these symptoms, please keep your child home for additional monitoring and call the campus office to report illness. If symptoms continue or worsen, please contact your family medical provider for guidance. If you suspect that your child has COVID-19 and you do not have access to testing, please contact the campus nurse for assistance.
If you need to report that your child has a lab-confirmed case of COVID-19, please report this via phone call to the campus (do not come onto the campus). You can contact our friendly office staff at 806-776-2109.
Family Tech Tip
Pay Student Fees Online
2021-2022 Lunch Schedule
Pre K - 10:45-11:15
Kindergarten - 10:45-11:15
First Grade - 11:25-11:55
Second Grade - 12:05-12:35
Third Grade - 12:05-12:35
Fourth Grade - 12:45-1:15
Fifth Grade - 12:45-1:15
Life Skills - 11:25-11:55
2021-2022 Specials Rotations
Teacher/Staff Birthdays
Mrs. Baird's Teacher on the Rise
Is there an East teacher you or your student thinks goes above and beyond? If so, nominate them for the Mrs. Baird’s “Teacher on the Rise” award. Each month an elementary, middle school and high school teacher are selected as a "Teacher on The Rise". Winning teachers receive great prizes, and the students who nominate them will also receive a $50 Visa gift card. Parents, guardians, and students can nominate a teacher. To access the nomination form click here.