Kirk Elementary
Tiger Tales 1/14/2023
School Information
Email: Kirk@cfisd.net
Website: https://www.cfisd.net/Kirk
Location: 12421 Tanner Road, Houston, TX, USA
Phone: 713-849-8250
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KirkElementary/
Twitter: @KirkElementary
Principal's Corner
Kirk families,
Please remember that our school day begins promptly at 8:15. Make every effort to have your child here at school by 8:15 each day. Our teachers begin teaching right after morning announcements and when your child is late, they miss out on important instruction.
We have benchmark testing for our 3-5 grade students on February 22, 23 and March 1st. Lunch visitors will not be permitted these days. Please make plans to join us at another time. Be sure to save the date for our Spring Fest hosted by our PTO on March 31st. It will be a great time of fun for all. Also, please be sure to register for the 10th annual Superintendent’s Fun Run! This event raises scholarship money for our CFISD students. I hope to see you all there.
Katie Ford
Principal
PBIS
Our character trait for the month is kindness. The Kirk P.B.I.S Matrices help teach our students to show kindness throughout the building. Ask your Kirk Tiger how they show kindness using our Voice Level Chart. How does our chart help protect the learning environment?
BOTB
For the months of February, our Mighty Tigers are learning about the character trait Kindness. Take a moment to discuss what Kindness looks like at school and at home.
Notice to Parents
As a parent of a student at a campus receiving Title I funds, federal law allows you to ask for information about the certification, college major, and advanced degrees of your child’s teacher(s). You also have the right to request information about the qualifications of a teacher aide or paraprofessional providing direct services to your child. If you would like to receive this information, you may contact the Cypress-Fairbanks I.S.D. Human Resources Department at 281-897-4099.
School Messenger: Text Message Sign Up
The directions for adding text messages to your School Messenger account are in the link below. All parents need to update their School Messenger Information:
General Information
Join CFISD staff, students, community members and business partners as we lace up our running shoes and meet at the Berry Center and Cy-Fair FCU Stadium for the tenth annual Superintendent’s Fun Run on Saturday, April 1, 2023.
Parenting our childrens.
If you want to participate in the Building positive behaviors: Parenting our children please click the link below and register for the next conference. For more information, please click here.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GnEcLcIucrSkHUSKZsqe6JWupo9cwJ1b/view?usp=sharing
Student of the Month for the Character Trait of Accountability
Ricardo Alamo
Prekinder
Michael Powell
Kinder
Milagros Cueva
1st Grade
Eliakim (Eli) Marchant
3rd Grade
Krishang Tagore
4th Grade
Paola Lona
5th Grade
January Character Trait - Accountability
Library Corner
We have covered so much in the library.
Groundhogs day
Pre-K sang songs and we acted as if we were groundhogs popping out of our burrows. Kindergarten sang as well but got to show off their drawing skills. While learning about Groundhogs day 2nd showed their knowledge of Nonfiction text features.
Drew Brockington
Author and Illustrator Drew Brockington came and talked to our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. They learned the origin story of the Catstonauts and all the hard work that goes into creating a graphic novel. 4th & 5th got to learn how to draw a Catstonaut character.
Trombone Shorty
We are currently kicking off Black History Month with the amazing story of Troy Andrews. Andrews didn’t always have the money to buy an instrument, but he did have the dream to play music. This is the story of how he made his dream take flight.
Your Librarian,
Mrs. Gallegos
Primary Practices
Happy Valentine’s Day, Primary! We are LOVING that we have completed our middle of the year assessments. This month, we have been digging into nonfiction in both reading and writing in all primary grades. Second grade just finished informational texts and How-To writing and are now starting Structured Constructive Responses so students are better prepared for the 3rd grade. In math, Kindergarten and 2nd grade are beginning their unit in measurement, and Kinder will have their Banana Lab this month where they can practice their skills! Check out this fun activity of kindness to complete with your family at home!
Adventures in Math
Second grade is learning about measurement and various units we use to make accurate measurements.Examples of nonstandard units of measurement are paperclips, colored tiles and pencils. You can practice measuring items at home using nonstandard units or rulers.
Third grade is starting their unit on extending their understanding of multiplication and division. Students are expected to transition their thinking about multiplication and division from array models to an area model. We also want our students to see multiplication and division as one in the same instead of two different operations.
Fourth grade is wrapping up their unit on decimals and diving into measurement. The students are expected to recognize customary and metric units of measurement as well as convert within the same measurement system. This skill pulls on the knowledge of multiplication and division. Practicing math facts up to 12x12 would be a helpful review for this unit.
Fifth grade is starting their unit on measurement as well. In this unit, students are expected to apply their learning from fourth grade with conversions and create their own conversion table within the metric system. Practicing math facts up to 12x12 would be helpful for this unit.
Science Scholars
Second grade is learning about nature patterns in the world like weather. Students are expected to measure, record, and graph weather information, including temperature, wind conditions, precipitation, and cloud coverage, in order to identify patterns. They will also identify the importance of weather and seasonal information to make choices in clothing, activities, and transportation. Houston is a great place to live to see changes in weather patterns!
Third grade has just started their life science unit, focusing on ecosystems and the plants and animals that live there. New vocabulary for third grade is structure and function. An example of a structure would be the type of beak a bird has and the function would be to be able to eat specific food to help it survive in its environment. There are many examples of structures and their functions with humans, animals and plants.
Fourth grade is deep into their geology unit, focusing on types of soil including potting, sand and clay. Looking at the color, texture, ability to retain water and fertility of each soil is the expectation for these lessons. You’d be surprised at the types of soil you could find just digging in your backyard. Try it and see if you can test all the properties.
Fifth grade is starting their unit on forces and energy. Students are expected to explore the uses of energy, including mechanical, light, thermal, electrical, and sound energy. Also demonstrate that the flow of electricity in closed circuits can produce light, heat, or sound. And demonstrate that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object and is reflected or travels through one medium to another and is refracted. Students will discover these ideas through various hands-on labs throughout the next few weeks.
Loving Literacy
We are LOVING that we have completed our middle of the year assessments. This month, we have been digging into argumentative texts in both reading and writing in grades 3 - 5. We are learning about the structure of opinion essays and how the knowledge of that structure will help them write an Opinion/Argumentative essay for extended constructed responses to an argumentative article. The teachers are guiding the students to use evidence from their articles to support their answers.
Nurse's Corner
Please remember to send your child, no matter their age, with a change of clothes in their backpack. When the weather is wet some students fall in puddles during PE and recess and need a change of clothes. Our clinic has a great need for pants and shorts. We need pants, shorts, or sweatpants sizes 3T to Adult extra large. You can send donated clothes with your student or drop them off in the front office. Thank you so much for your support.
Counselor Corner
When your child makes a good choice, no matter how small, make a BIG deal out of it! Cheer for them, encourage them and reinforce this behavior. When your child makes a mistake, guide them toward a better choice. Try not to dwell on it and move forward together. Work with your child to find better solutions on their own the older they get. Steer them in the right direction by using key questions they can discover the answers to by using their critical thinking skills.
Counselor
Mrs. Casey and Mrs. Campbell
What’s Happening in Large Group?
Musical Magic
Hello Kirk Mighty Tigers!
All students will be finishing up Meter and beginning Families of Instruments.
Choir Festival Students will be preparing for their Berry Center Performance on April 18th. The 5th Graders are excited and diligently practicing their choreography and music.
Mrs. Craig
PE
Hello Kirk Tigers!
We had a great time with our bowling unit and you guys rocked it even if for some of you it was the first time bowling.
We are currently on our scooter unit and I am so happy that you guys are loving it.
We are going to continue with our scooter activities for the next couple of weeks and I am thrilled to try new skills while controlling our spatial awareness on the scooters
Thank you! 🙂
Coach Mati
Art
Hello Kirk Artists!
Younger grades have been prepping Valentine’s Day masterpieces for February. Kindergarten and 1st grade created heart suncatchers. 2nd graders have created Notan art of hearts. 3rd graders have been working on pinch pots. 4th and 5th graders have been finishing up work on their portfolio to start their own clay projects for the next following weeks. I look forward to seeing more masterpieces from our Kirk Tigers!
Mrs. Kranson
From Our PTO
Kindergarten families, the Banana Lab Science Demonstration has been rescheduled and will now be held on Friday, February 24th. Each of the kindergarten classes will participate in this demonstration where they will learn about measurement. We need 8 volunteers to help with each class, please see the Sign Up Genius link below to choose a time slot that works for you. Thank you!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA923A5FDC34-kindergarten
Please join us for a Kirk Spirit Night on Monday, March 6th at Willie's Grill & Icehouse (Copperfield/ Houston).
No need to bring a flyer, just be sure to mention that you are there to support our Kirk Spirit Night and then please check that your receipt lists "Spirit Night $X.XX" to ensure it was counted.
Online orders also apply so if you’re ordering online please enter SPIRITNIGHT into the "Coupon Code" field at checkout and click Apply. You will see a “discount” SPIRITNIGHT -$0.01 below Subtotal. This means that your ticket was counted towards our Spirit Night.
Thank you for your support!
Our wonderful librarian, Ms. Gallegos, is looking for some help on Thursdays in February and March. If you are interested in volunteering please review the Sign Up Genius link below. Thank you!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA923A5FDC34-library1
Interested in ordering the 2022-2023 Kirk Elementary yearbook? Click on the link below and use Yearbook ID code 14775723!