CATCH THE WAVE
November, 2022
Ten Reasons We are Thankful for Teachers!
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we are celebrating the hard work and dedication educators embody. As the famous Mr. Rogers once said “anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me.” We couldn’t have said it better, Mr. Rogers, so we are spotlighting the top 10 reasons we are thankful for educators.
#1: Dedication: Few professions are as dedicated to their work as educators are to their students. Educators make sacrifices daily and are generous with their time, energy and resources.
#2: Hard Work: Early mornings and late nights are a regular part of most educators’ daily routines. Most teachers can be found working on lesson plans or grading assignments, even after their families have gone to bed at night. We are grateful for the hard work and gift of time educators give to future generations.
#3: Selflessness: Whether it’s giving their lunch to a student who forgot theirs or using their own resources to purchase classroom supplies, we’ve all heard countless stories of selflessness from educators. As if that wasn’t enough, here is an incredible story about a teacher who donated her kidney to a student.
#4: Creativity: Educators are some of the most creative minds out there. They bring that creativity into the classroom in many different forms, in simple ways, like beautiful bulletin boards, and in more complex forms, like using creativity to make learning fun and individualized. We love this story of a teacher who uses hip-hop to teach science.
#5: Kindness: The heart of a teacher is truly unmatched. Encouraging notes on assignments and interventions with bullies are just a few examples of the kindness educators display on a daily basis. Grandiose acts of kindness are not uncommon either, like this story of a teacher who bought bikes for her entire school when she learned one student didn’t have one.
#6: Multi-tasking: Educators aren’t just teachers, librarians, and administrators. They take on so many other crucial roles for the benefit of students: nurse, social worker, head cheerleader, janitor, safety facilitator, mediator, separation anxiety counselor, story teller, Ms. Fix It and so many more.
#7: Inspiration: “Every kid needs a champion,” “Teach teachers how to create magic,” and “How to fix a broken school? Lead fearlessly, love hard,” are just a few of the Ted Talk titles on inspirational teachers. Inspiration is everywhere around us and we have educators to thank for that.
#8: Encouragement: We were serious when we called educators “head cheerleaders” back in #6. Educators set high expectations of their students and hold them to it, but not without a heavy dose of encouragement and support. We love this example of how one teacher helped a poverty-stricken student overcome obstacles to eventually become a school superintendent in a neighboring district.
#9: Love of Learning: Educators instill a love of learning in their students because they are lifelong learners themselves. This quality undoubtedly contributes to industry-wide innovation and the continual improvement of the world we live in.
#10: Impactful: Simply put, educators make a profound impact on the lives they touch. Click here to see how teachers impacted Bill Gates, Les Brown, Emily Blunt and Maya Angelou on everything from speaking phobias to embracing their identities.
-Article shared from EdIncites
Advice from Teachers on What Parents Should Say...
November Events
- October 17-November 4 - Parent-teacher conference window. If you have already attended your student-led conference, we hope you enjoyed the experience! If you are interested in providing feedback, please complete the brief feedback form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfoEGqdCESHYNuAaovR4H5ala9Hg_F1u1-RKrlxyNt3UTftJw/viewform?usp=sf_link.
- October 31-November 11 - Canned Food Drive. Thank you for providing healthy food options for the GISD families in need during this holiday season!
- November 3-4 - 3rd grade students visit the Planetarium at Lakeview Centennial High School.
- November 4 from 10:35-11:35 - Kindergarten Family Picnic. We would love to see you!
- November 4 - 2nd grade visits Sea Life at Grapevine.
- November 8 - Staff Development/Student Holiday. Teachers will be provided with ideas on extending and enriching learning to ensure student success.
- November 10 from 2:10-3:00 - Webb Middle School choir students will perform for our 5th graders.
- November 11 - 1st grade students will take the online Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). The test measures the level and pattern of cognitive development of a student compared to age mates and grade mates. These general reasoning abilities, which start developing at birth and continue through early adulthood, are influenced by experiences gained both in and out of school.
- November 11 from 11:30-12:15 - 3rd grade Family Picnic. Hope you can join us!
- November 14 - Kindergarten students will take the online Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT).
- November 14 - All Star Day!! Students and staff are encouraged to wear All Star shirts to show support of our amazing school!
- November 15-17 - 5th grade students will take the online Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT).
- November 17 from 5:30-7:30 pm - PTA will host an exciting night with the Perot Museum! Join us!
- November 18 - All students will participate in our annual Turkey Trot! The event will run from 8:30-11:30. Thank you to our Physical Education department for hosting this fun event! A specific schedule is provided below.
- November 21-25 - Thanksgiving break! We hope you enjoy the time with family and friends!
- November 28 - Surfs Up Day!! Students and staff are encouraged to wear beach attire to show that we are "Catching the Wave" to success!
A few dates in December:
- December 2 - Class pictures and retakes
- December 5-16 - PTA will host a Holiday store to allow students to purchase fun gifts for family ... and themselves!
- December 8 - PTA will host a Family Literacy Night.
Birthday Treats
- Store-bought cupcakes with napkins or individual treat bags. Please do not send a cake for the teacher to cut and serve.
- Treats should be carried by the student to class (if small enough) or the parent can deliver to the front office.
Treats will be provided to the class at the end of the school day.
Want to Volunteer?
News from our PTA
Letter from the P.T.A. President...
Hi Abbett All Stars!
In October we hosted our first ever Trunk or Treat and Chili Cook Off! Thank you to everyone who donated candy, hosted Trunks, made Chili, served as a Judge, and volunteered at this fabulous event! Our turnout was amazing!
In November, we are hosting a Perot Family Science Night on Thursday, Nov 17th. Join us for a night of educational and fun activities for all ages. This event is FREE to anyone with a PTA membership in their household. A single $8 membership gets the whole family in! Don’t have a membership yet? No worries, they can be purchased here https://abbett-pta-208495.square.site/. And remember only one membership is needed for everyone in the household to be able to attend this event.
In November, we are also hosting our annual PTA Reflections Art Contest and a Yearbook Cover Contest. You can win a free yearbook! More details will be sent to families and posted in Class Dojo.
Last week, our Clothing Bin was installed on campus. We are so excited to offer this to our families and community to help keep clothing and textiles out of landfills while earning money for PTA initiatives. Our environmental chair has also set up a Trick or Trash bin by the sticker machines to recycle all those Halloween candy wrappers!
Starting this month, we will also be launching our annual Fall Membership Drive. Our goal is one membership for every student on campus. There will be prizes and incentives for the top classes with the most PTA memberships. Details to come soon!
Lastly, PTA has started the application process for all staff to apply for Hope Grants this year. These Grants can help bridge the gap in classroom and club funding that the state does not provide. Our teachers and staff already purchase so much for their classrooms from their own funds. Hope Grants can help to provide needed instructional equipment, subscriptions, enrichment material, and so much more! Hope Grants are funded through various fundraising efforts throughout the year and would not be possible without your much appreciated financial support.
Thank you!
Tehra Dixon, President
Abbett P.T.A.