Eagle Updates
November 8, 2020
In this Issue:
- A Message from Mrs. Barry
- Parent Night - Cyber Safety
- Bicycle Safety
- Counselor's Corner
- November Specials Calendar
- School Choice Window
- Should I Refer my Child for GT?
- From the Library
- Staff Spotlights - Specials
- MWE Calendar of Events
- From the President
- Thanksgiving Dinner Info
- School Bell Award
- Reflections Contest
- Project Study
- Reflections Art Project
- Turkey Trot
- MWE Redemption Program
- Yearbooks!
District Information
- We're Hiring!
- Superintendent's Message
From Mrs. Barry:
Traditions. This is the time of year that is filled with traditions, at least in my family. From what is served at Thanksgiving Dinner to how we decorate the house for the holidays, we seem to be inundated in these special practices. This year, it looks like COVID will put a damper on some of our beloved customs. My family is already discussing how we can modify things to have a wonderful holiday, while maintaining the health and safety of all of our family members.
The same is true for our Meadow Wood family. As a staff, we are trying to determine how to carry on some of our major traditions, while staying true to the current guidelines from the district and state. This means that some of our programs and activities may look and feel a little different. For example, we were unable to host the Pre-K/Kinder Storybook Character parade. Unlike previous years, students were not able to parade through the building to show off their costumes to parents and upper grade levels. Instead, we had the children walk across the stage, while the rest of the school and parents zoomed in to watch. We actually found this worked well, and we may incorporate some of these ideas into future non-COVID years.
We know there are certain events that just cannot happen - carnival, the Nutcracker, our holiday sing-a-long - but we are committed to trying to find ways to make other traditions continue, especially this year. Examples include 5th grade Colonial Day and 2nd grade Polar Express Day. We will be asking for your help in preparing for these and other events, and we would also love your input on how we can successfully make them work. Again, please know how much we value our MWE traditions and are dedicated to doing everything we can to have them continue this year.
Thank you for all of your continued support. Together, we are Growing Great Minds.
Parent Night - Cyber Safety
With children online more than ever, it is important that parents learn about current cyber trends, new apps and popular games. Join us on Thursday, November 12th, at 6 p.m. for important information on cyber safety for children. This presentation discusses predatory activity and victimization of children on the internet in conjunction with social media, live streaming, gaming and online challenges. Learn how to monitor social media as well as what to watch for, safety settings, restrictions and parent monitoring software.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://springbranchisd.zoom.us/j/95831380388?pwd=YWtvNTRUOEhWYUwxdGZpSm5HSFdRZz09
Meeting ID: 958 3138 0388
Passcode: 372559
Bicycle Safety
Counselor's Corner
This month we’re talking about Gratitude! The dictionary defines it as: “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” The definition we are using in class is:
Gratitude: choosing to notice and appreciate things in our life, things in others, and things in the world.
We want to make sure we share with students that Gratitude is 1) a choice that we get to make over and over again on where we put our focus and 2) doesn’t always have to be about something positive. We can feel grateful even for tough or challenging things in our life! There is plenty of research that shows a strong connection between Gratitude and reduced anxiety, increased happiness, and better relationships. Over the course of the month, we will talk about amazing people who demonstrate Gratitude in various ways. We will talk about what we are grateful for in ourselves and in others. And we will even find Gratitude in some things we wouldn’t expect to be thankful for!
Conversation Starters:
•Talk about why you were grateful for the teachers and mentors in your life then ask your children why they are grateful for theirs. Have they had a favorite teacher? If so, who? What makes that teacher a favorite? If they haven’t had a favorite yet, find out what makes a great teacher in their eyes.
•Gratitude takes practice! What can we do as a family to work on expressing Gratitude more regularly to each other and those around us?
•Discuss why you are grateful for your child. Be specific: who are they? How do they make you feel? Ask them what they are grateful for about your family, your home, your neighborhood, etc..
Questions You Could Ask:
•Has anyone ever said, “What do you say?” when they want to remind you to express Gratitude? Why do you think that saying “thank you” is so important? Why do you think we refer to it as one of our “magic words” when we’re trying to teach you to say it?
•What if you woke up tomorrow and only had the things you expressed Gratitude for today? What would you still have? What would disappear? How can you express Gratitude daily?
•How do you know someone is grateful for you? What do they do? How does it feel to receive Gratitude? How does it feel to give Gratitude?
November Specials Calendar
School Choice Window
SBISD offers students and their family a wide range of school choices and is committed to preparing students for college and career opportunities after completing high school.
- Choice School Application Window is from Monday, November 9, 2020 through Friday, January 22, 2021.
- The Choice School website is www.springbranchisd.com/choice.
- The complete timeline for Choice is attached.
Important Information for Parents Regarding GT Referrals
The GT Parent Referral Form is now available on-line. This form must be completed and submitted by November 19th. If your child has previously tested and you would like them evaluated again, you are able to submit the referral form for this school year.
https://springbranch.projectgt.org/home/NewGTParentReferral
For questions, please contact kristin.graham@springbranchisd.com or your grade level counselor.
Lynne.luberger@springbranchisd.com (Grades K, 2, and 4)
Patricia.waldrop@springbranchisd.com (Grades 1, 3, and 5)
From the Library
Author Allie Condie and Brenson Reichs will virtually visit 4th and 5th Grade students on November 17th. Both virtual and in-person students will be able to participate. They will share their experiences and talk about the writing process as well as their new book, The Torchbearers.
You can purchase a copy of The Torchbearers and the other Darkdeep books below from Blue Willow Bookshop. https://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/virtual-visit-ally-condie-and-brendan-reichs
If you would like to place an order, please click “add to cart” to continue the purchasing process. Your book purchase is critical to keeping us here and offering virtual school visits like this, and we hope to do that for many years to come!
PLEASE NOTE: Books will be available for pickup or delivery to the campus once the books arrive. Please wait for Mrs. McCracken to let you know when books will be distributed.
Staff Spotlights!
Coach Hollmann
Howdy Meadow Wood Family!
I am so excited to be here for my fifth year as the Health Fitness Coach. I am originally from the Austin area where I grew up with my parents and two brothers. I earned my undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2008, as well as my Master’s in Health Education in August 2016. This will be my 12th year teaching elementary school including classroom experience in second through fifth grades. When I am not teaching I enjoy working out; I coach in the evening and manage a CrossFit gym. I also volunteer for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo going on 11 years now. In any spare time, I love relaxing with friends and family, going to A&M games, swimming and watching movies. It is an honor to serve as your child's Health Fitness coach and I know it is going to be an amazing year!
Mrs. Camey
Hi! I’m Michelle Camey and I am the music teacher here at Meadow Wood!
I am from Houston and grew up in the Spring Branch area with my parents and younger brother. I have loved music my entire life and come from a very musical family. I have played the flute for 20 years. I have a bachelors of music from Texas Tech University. I also have extensive knowledge and education in the Kodaly method, which is a well rounded music teaching method that I use to teach music here at MWE. This will be my 8th year teaching. I taught for three years in Lubbock, and now this is my fifth year here at MWE. This is also my 5th year as a director for the Spring Branch Boys choir, our district honor choir for grades 4-8.
I got married last year to my wonderful husband Adam. He is also a musician and plays the saxophone. We met at Texas Tech while we were both at school! In my free time I love to bake, organize, play my flute, listen to music, play board games, watch movies, and spend time with my friends and family.
Mrs. Waggenspack
MWE Calendar of Events
Please note: Every Thursday is T-2-4 Thursday and every Friday is MWE Spirit Day!
November 11
General PTA Meeting - 9:00 a.m. via Zoom
November 12
Parent Night - 6:30 p.m. via Zoom
November 16-20
GenTX Week
November 20
5th grade Colonial Day
Project Study proposals due
Progress Reports Go Home
November 23 - 27
Thanksgiving Holidays
December 1
Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night
From the President
Hello Meadow Wood Families,
Hope you are all well! A few things I'd like to remind you of:
MWE Thanksgiving Meals: If you would like to donate money to help provide a Thanksgiving meal for a family in need, we are collecting money through November 13th. Please send whatever you can contribute via Venmo to @kelly-williams-159. Thank you for helping other families this holiday season!
Project Study: Our program that pays for supplies, programs, etc., for classrooms is up and running and requests are due on Friday, November 20th. Reach out to a teacher and see if there is anything he or she would like to request for the classroom!
General PTA Meeting: Our November General PTA Meeting will be held this Wednesday, November 11th at 9 AM via Zoom. The login information is below:
Meeting ID: 959 6015 7523
Passcode: 326244
School Bell Award: As you know, teachers and staff have gone above and beyond this year to make everything run as smoothly as possible. See below on information on how you can celebrate one by nominating them for the School Bell Award!
Take care and thanks as always for your support!
Catie Winegar
Thanksgiving Dinner Information
School Bell Award
Each year, the SBISD Council of PTAs awards its School Bell Award to an outstanding SBISD Staff Member (teacher, administrator, counselor, specialist, etc.) who promotes the objectives of the PTA and is an advocate for all children. What are the objectives of the PTA, you might ask? Briefly, they are ensuring that every child's potential becomes his/her reality, promoting the welfare of our Eagles in home, school and community, as well as promoting greater cooperation between parents and teachers to enhance the educational well-being of our students.
If you know of any staff member who goes above and beyond for our students and who has had a tremendous impact on the school community, please nominate them. Feel free to enlist the help of students for your nominations. Recent recipients include Tabitha Pena, Ami Rapp, Lynne Luberger, Rhonda DeLeon, Natalie Waggenspack, Jessica Leonard and Laura Weber.
Kindly send the name of your nominee and a description as to why you think they should win the School Bell Award to Keisha Barnes at ksbarnes@gmail.com. Please submit your nominations by Friday, December 4th. We look forward to reading them. Our nominee will attend the Founder’s Day Banquet hosted by SBISD council of PTAs in February.
Reflections Art Program
SIX ART CATEGORIES AVAILABLE:
●Dance Choreography
●Music Composition
●Film Production
●Photography
●Visual Arts
●Literature
RULES:
●At least one person from the student’s primary household must be a
member of the MWE PTA
●Theme: I MATTER BECAUSE
●Students may enter ANY OR ALL of the six categories
●For Program Rules and Entry Form, visit:
https://sbisdcpta.membershiptoolkit.com/reflections
●Entries due to MWE by Friday, November 13th
●Please pay close attention to the requirements for each type of entry
●Entry submission(s) now digital
●Questions and submissions: President@meadowwoodpta.com
Project Study
It’s time for the PTA Project Study Program! This program allows any PTA member to apply for funds to enhance the school and/or support student needs. We need parent and teacher committee members to help with the application process. The volunteer time is minimal, anticipating 2 after school Zoom meetings, and will consist of reviewing applications and interviewing the applicants.
If you are interested in serving on the program committee, please send an email to Nicole Knutsen at nicole281@yahoo.com. Names will be drawn lottery style, so get your name in the hat now!
If you are interested in submitting a proposal for the committee to review, applications are due November 20th. Requested items include, but are not limited to, teacher and instructional materials, classroom equipment, PTA-sponsored programs. See the MWE PTA website (https://meadowwoodpta.membershiptoolkit.com/projectstudy) for details on the program and the application.
Turkey Trot-5K Run and 1 Mile Family Walk-Saturday, Nov 21st @ 9:00am
MWE Redemption Programs
We have many programs that bring “free money” to our school. Please review the following programs and see how you can participate!
1. Box Tops for Education
Don’t forget, Box Tops are digital now! Download the Box Tops
Mobile app to scan your store receipt within 14 days of purchase.
No more clipping or sending Box tops to school.
2. Kroger
Register your Kroger plus card online at
www.krogercommunityrewards.com. You have to re-
enroll every year. Create or log in to your account and
enter MWE’s number (81657).
3. Randalls
Fill out the Good Neighbor Program form and indicate MWE as
your charity (1082). MWE earns 1% of your purchases.
www.randalls.com/shopstores/good-neighborhood.page
4. Amazon Smile
We all shop on Amazon! Register your account with
Amazon Smile to earn money for MWE. Go to
www.smile.amazon.com and login to your account.
Select “Pick your own charitable organization”; type
Meadow Wood Elementary. DO NOT click on the “select
and start shopping” button-this will choose the charity
that is up there at the time. Choose “PTA Texas Congress 5056
Meadow Wood Elementary-Houston TX”. Make all purchase
through Amazon Smile. You can also turn it on in the App under
settings and then programs.
5. Josephine’s Day Spa
They donate back 10% to the charity of your choice.
Superintendent's Message
Dear SBISD Families,
As we approach progress report time, here are a few reminders about important resources available to you, as well as ways to continue to help your student be successful.
Keep your child reading!
- Books are books; whether they are eBooks, real books or audio books!
- Campus librarians are a great resource. SBISD school libraries are welcoming, safe places that support literacy and foster academic achievement for all students!
- K-2nd Grade Parents: Register to attend the upcoming Parent U session on November 12. It will focus on unpacking the ReadSBISD Parent Guide – what it is, how to use it and how it can help you support your child’s literacy development!
Check for success
- Regularly monitor your students’ grades and attendance in Skyward Family Access
- Be sure to keep up with your student’s progress through the ItsLearning Parent Portal
Learning model selection deadline
- Families who would like to change their learning model for the third nine weeks may do so beginning on Friday, Nov. 13. The window will close on Friday, Nov. 20, at midnight. Please watch for more district communication next week. The second nine weeks begins on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021.
As always, be sure to visit the In-Person Learner and Distance Learner websites for more information and reminders.
Thank you for continuing to support your child’s learning and playing a role in their success. With families’ ongoing engagement and partnership, we believe that Every Child in SBISD can thrive!
Wishing you a safe and fun weekend,
Jennifer Blaine, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools