The Paw Print
December 2019 Edition
A Note from Mrs. Oliver
Welcome to the month of December! During the next several weeks, our amazing teachers are planning to have many exciting activities and events for our students and families to enjoy. Although this is a busy time of year, we will continue to help ensure that our students are engaged as they learn many new things while they work hard each and every day. Your continued support and involvement in your child’s education are greatly appreciated. As the holidays approach, we hope that you will enjoy every moment of this exciting time with your family.
Sincerely,
Tina Oliver
Upcoming on the Kaufman Calendar
December 2 - PTO Meeting @ 10:00 am
December 5 - 3rd Grade Program @ 6:30 pm
December 6 - Box Tops Collection
December 9-13 - Peppermint Village
December 10 - 4th Grade Reading Benchmark
December 11 - 3rd Grade Math Benchmark
December 14 - WCC Spirit Night
December 16-20 - Kaufman Giving Tree
December 18 - Kindergarten Holidays Around the World
December 18 - Jingle Bell Run in PE
December 19 - Holiday Parties 1st-4th grades
December 19 - Early Dismissal @ 12:10
December 20-January 7 - Winter Break
Attendance Counts at Kaufman
As we enter this holiday season, we want to reinforce the importance of school attendance. Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. This holiday season, the best gift you can give your child is a good education, and the best place to get that education is in school. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning, right up until vacation starts. We greatly appreciate your support.
Kindergarten News
November has been a very busy month for the Kaufman Kubs. We celebrated Veterans Day with an amazing performance from the Kaufman choir. How wonderful it is to honor our past, present, and future veterans. All month we have been studying about the First Thanksgiving, Pilgrims, and Native Americans. Our Thanksgiving Feast was a HUGE success. Thanks to our families for donating all of the food and paper products for the feast. The students learned about the true value of what it means to be thankful.
December will be full of many holiday activities and learning experiences. We will study different holidays around the world, including Mexico, Germany, Israel, and the United States. We will celebrate our Holiday Party on the 18th of December. We will also have a book exchange between the students. From all the kindergarten teachers, we would like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
First Grade News
We are jingling our way into December in first grade. Thank you to everyone who helped with our Thanksgiving feast. The children had a wonderful time. Keep your eye out for information on our fun festive days in December, including Peppermint Village, Polar Express Day and our Holiday Party. We have lots to learn in December and are excited for this festive time in first grade.
Hot Topics for December:
*Reading: We will wrap up our Word Detectives Unit and decode long vowel words.
*Writing: We will begin letter writing.
*Math: Students will count/identify nickels, skip count by 5's and add/subtract to 10.
*Social Studies: We will continue our unit over culture and celebrations.
*Science: We will finish up magnets and begin exploring characteristics of day and night.
We are looking forward to wrapping up 2019 with lots of festive activities. Please continue to read with your child every night. We appreciate your support!
Second Grade News
The holiday season is upon us. I think we are all still stuffed from our terrific Thanksgiving feast! The participation from our parents was tremendous and the day was a great success. Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers!
We will continue our annual tradition of making gingerbread houses on Friday, December 13th at 1:15pm. Parents always so graciously donate items and give of their time to help us with this memory-making experience each year. This is loads of fun for everyone! We couldn’t provide this wonderful activity without our special volunteer parents.
Our holiday party will be on Thursday, December 19th this year. Watch for a reminder to come home soon about the activities that will be planned for this fun day. The students will be making a craft, exchanging a $4.00 book for our gift exchange, eating delicious snacks in our classrooms, and having special candy treats. This is one of our three special approved candy days. Our room mothers are working hard, coordinating this fun day. Remember that this is also a half day and students will be released early.
Please continue reinforcing schoolwork at home by reading every day, going over take-home folder papers, and talking about school. Our second graders are learning a lot, as well as getting into the holiday spirit.
Happy Holidays from your second grade teachers!
Third Grade News
Happy Holidays from everyone in 3rd grade! We would like to send out a BIG thank you to our parents who volunteered, sent items, and helped out with our Thanksgiving feasts. We enjoyed every minute of it! Don't forget to send in your holiday red or green fabric for our wreaths. This is a great keepsake from your child's third grade year!
Our holiday program, “Holiday Zoobilee,” will be performed on December 5th at 6:30 for parents and December 6th at 9:30 for Kaufman. Students will need to dress as any zoo animal. Options could be monkey, tiger, zebra, lion, bear, seal, bird, hyena, owl, giraffe, leopard, penguin, and elephant. Speakers and dancers will need to dress as their character. Due to how warm our stage can get, heavy fabrics (fleece, wool, felt) are not recommended.
Our holiday brunch will be on December 19th at 9:00 am. We will send more information about the festivities in upcoming Tuesday folders. We will have an optional book exchange during our party. Boys will exchange with boys and girls will exchange with girls. We ask that each child bring a wrapped chapter book ($5 limit). Don’t forget that December 19th is an early release day!
We are continuing to work on basic multiplication facts in math. Please continue using flash cards at home to review all facts 0-10. We will be focusing on fractions up until the winter break. In social studies, we will be brushing up on our map skills. In science, we will be finishing our unit over the solar system.
In reading, we will begin exploring the elements of mystery. We will be looking at predicting, using context clues, and the element of surprise. Please continue to read each night with your child and focus on their comprehension skills.
Again, thank you for ALL you do. We appreciate you and are so very thankful to be at such a wonderful school in such a giving community!
Fourth Grade News
Once again, THANK YOU to EVERYONE who helped us celebrate Thanksgiving with our school family. From donating money or items, to setting up and cleaning up, we couldn’t have done it without you. Many of your children have been here since kindergarten, and we know it is bittersweet celebrating your final Thanksgiving at Kaufman. .
Alas, we are not done!! We are very busy at school during these next 3 weeks leading up to our Christmas break. There is a lot to pack into the three short weeks. In ELA, we will be reading, analyzing, and writing poetry. In math, we will be working on Geometry- always a favorite with the students. Please try to be here every day if you can!!
We hope that you are enjoying the sights and smells of the season. It is always a fun time for children and adults alike. Please look for information to come home soon about our class holiday parties.
Art News
Wow, it is hard to believe the winter holidays are upon us! Both art rooms are working hard to complete several different projects before the New Year begins! Fourth grade will be completing their Barnyard Portraits and Coffee Barn paintings before moving on to Value Candy Canes. Our third grade friends are finishing Western Art watercolor paintings and prints. Next, they will be learning about portrait drawing. Second grade is creating colorful Paper Weaving and textured Clay Pinch Pots. First grade is also exploring earthen clay with whimsical Slab Birds and precious Hand Bowls. Kindergarten is finishing their Line Monster paintings and will then be creating Truffula Tree sculptures.
We would like to congratulate Cole Cousins and Kenley Martin for having their artwork chosen as Kaufman’s Capitol Art Show Representatives! We should know in a couple of weeks if their artwork will be moving on to the next round of judging at the district level. We wish them both lots of luck!
No newsletter would be complete without announcing this month’s “Artists of the Month”! Thank you Benjamin Peart, Annabeth West, Abigail Gorring, and Blake Smith for always coming to art class with a positive attitude, fantastic behavior, kind hearts, and ready to learn and try new things! We love having you in our art rooms!
Until next month…happy creating!
Mrs. Gregory and Mrs. Rowley
Music News
Our young musicians are making great progress in their musical skills. The students will enjoy a variety of world, classical and winter holiday songs as they play pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments.
Third graders will perform their winter program "Holiday Zoobilee" on Thursday, Dec. 5th @6:30pm (doors will open at 6:15pm) and Friday, Dec. 6th @9:30am.
The Cougar Choir will be busy this month as they perform a few songs on Friday, Dec 6th, immediately following the third grade musical. The group has been invited to perform at the Montgomery County Food Bank's "Holiday Fun Food Drive" on Monday, December 9th. They will perform at the Glade Gallery in The Woodlands from 3:30-4:00pm. The Choir will have their final event, a party, on Tuesday, December 10th from 3:15-4:15pm.
Fourth Grade Festival Choir information will be going home to fourth grade Choir members soon. Please read through it carefully and be sure to return audition/permission slips by the deadline! No late slips will be accepted.
Have a wonderful, restful, and musical holiday season!
PE News
Merry Christmas!!
Wow, did November fly by? The Turkey Trot & Thanksgiving Stations were a blast! We also had lots of fun with Super Hero break-out boxes.
We are so excited for December. This month we will get active in participating in holiday activities that promote a healthy heart, good sportsmanship and fun for all. On December 18th, we will have our annual Jingle Bell Run during CAMP time. We will also be collecting new socks for the homeless. More info to come in Tuesday folders.
Please encourage your children to wear safe tennis shoes on P.E. days. Boots, slippers, and crocs are not considered safe shoes.
Your Pumped Up PE teachers,
Mrs. Hutyra and Mrs. Flanagan
Computer News
I am so proud of all my students! It’s very exciting to learn new things, and they are working really hard with their typing skills.
Kindergarten through first grade are continuing to learn to type! We are using keyboard basics to familiarize where the home keys are positioned and gradually inducing other letters. I am seeing such progress, and we will be learning to type with so many other lessons through the year.
Second grade through fourth grade are learning to log into Google Docs and Drive with their usernames and passwords. We are continuing to work on our Graphic design bubble map projects.
Content subject for Graphic design projects:
2nd grade- What produces heat energy?
3rd grade- Comparing two different holidays and what they share in common.
4th grade- The branches of government.
All grade levels are also learning computer programming /coding. This lesson demonstrates for each student problem solving skills. We also continue to learn our online internet safety rules.
Wishing you the best of holidays this magical season!
Sincerely,
Ms. Alonso
Library News
The Kaufman Library is looking forward to the hustle and bustle of the holiday excitement that December brings. The KAUFMAN GIVING TREE will be up and ready to accept new or gently used books beginning December 16th. Students are invited to place a new or gently used book under our tree to be donated to organizations in need of children's books. After students place a book under the library tree, they may take an ornament from our small library trees to hang on their tree at home. The collection of books will end on December 19th. We hope you can join us in contributing to the Giving Tree, a Kaufman Cougar tradition.
Students are doing a great job of reading books and filling out their Cougar Bingo sheets. The last day to turn in sheets for this 9 weeks is December 18th. We will be pulling names of bike winners on Thursday, December 19th. If your student hasn’t had a chance to earn prizes, they can continue their Bingo sheet during the 3rd 9 weeks, plus they will receive a new one. Every time they finish 5 boxes in a row they can earn a prize and be entered for a chance to win a brand new bike.
Parents are always welcome in the library. You may check out up to 7 books at a time to share with your children. You are always welcome to ask questions and offer suggestions. Please try to read 20-30 minutes each evening with your children. You will both be glad you did!
Keep 'Em READING!!
Mrs. Wright
Clinic News
Flu season is upon us! Remind your child about the importance of handwashing before eating, after using the restroom, and anytime in between. Handwashing really is the best way to prevent the spread of infection and the flu. If your child is sick, make sure that they are fever free for 24 hours before coming back to school. This will give their little bodies time to start recovering from illness and help prevent spreading the illness to their friends at school.
There are occasionally times when our little Cougars have accidents. Providing your child with an extra set of clothing in their backpack will prevent us from contacting you to bring clothing. Please return laundered clinic clothing as soon as possible as we have a limited supply to share. Now is also a good time to switch out extra clothing more suitable for the colder temperatures.
Counselor's Corner
*Help For the Holidays*
Last year, CISD Police Department provided Christmas gifts to over 709 children in 269 families within Conroe ISD. We would like to invite you to help make a child’s dream come true. We are collecting new unwrapped gifts for boys and girls of all ages. There is a toy collection bin placed in the front office at Kaufman. These gifts will be wrapped and given to families who, without our support, may not otherwise have a wonderful Christmas. All gift donations should be made by Friday, December 6, 2019 to ensure the gifts will be wrapped in time for Santa to deliver. Please help if you are able.
If you are needing some assistance this holiday season, please let me know.
Thank you,
Shannon Simmons
Kaufman Counselor shsimmons@conroeisd.net
Nominations for GT Testing
Nominations are now open for the Conroe Independent School District Gifted and Talented Program. Although the testing will not take place until late January/early February, nominations are accepted at this time. Nominations can be made by the parents and/or teachers. If you are interested in nominating your child, you may want to discuss this with your child's teacher at conferences. Nominations will be accepted through December 19th. You may request a nomination form from the front office. You can also find the nomination form and other GT information on the CISD GT homepage.
PTO News
Dates to Remember for December:
2nd - PTO Meeting @ 10:00 am
6th - Box Top Collection Date
5th – 6th 3rd Grade Musical Program
9th - 13th – Peppermint Village Holiday Store
14th – World Champions Center Spirit Night
17th – Teacher Holiday Luncheon & Volunteer Lunch Duty
19th – Christmas Parties & Early Release
20th – January 7th - Winter Break – No School
PTO WILL BE PASSING OUT THE PRIZES FOR THE 10 FOR $10 FUNDRASIER NOVEMBER 21ST THROUGH DECEMBER 16TH!
Submit Photos to Yearbook! Send In any pictures you take when visiting Kaufman. You can email all your pictures to Stefanie Bohuslav at kaufmanyearbookpics@gmail.com. You can also submit your pictures on the Balfour Image Share App using code 018770.
ENROLL IN THE KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM! This program is a great way to raise money for our school, no need to re-register if you did last year. Please register at https://www.kroger.com/account/enrollCommunityRewardsNow/. Our organization number is KPSSO.
AMAZON Smile When you shop, support us on Amazon Smile! (https://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-5195849) Kaufman Elementary PTO
BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION Keep collecting those Box Tops! Collection date is just around the corner! If you are interested in joining the Box Top Clip and Count Club, please contact sarahmabile@yahoo.com.
VOLUNTEER We would love to have you volunteer on campus. All adults that visit the campus while school is in session must submit a volunteer application form to CISD. This form can be found at https://apps.conroeisd.net/volunteer/. This application must be re-submitted each new school year.
JOIN PTO Joining the PTO is free! Visit https://kaufmanelementarypto.wildapricot.org/ to find out more about the Kaufman PTO as well as updates for upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and how you can help support our school!
Take a moment to "Like” us on Facebook: Kaufman PTO.
Sign up for text reminders/updates with the remind app. Text @kaufmanpt to the number 81010 or https://www.remind.com/join/kaufmanpt
QUESTIONS? Contact the Kaufman PTO for more information at KaufmanPTO@gmail.com.
Information
Email: toliver@conroeisd.net
Website: kaufman.conroeisd.net/
Location: 2760 Northridge Forest Drive, Spring, TX 77386
Phone: 832-592-5600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaufmanCISD/
Twitter: @KaufmanCougars
The Conroe Independent School District (District) as an equal opportunity educational provider and employer does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in educational programs or activities that it operates or in employment matters. The District is required by Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as Board policy not to discriminate in such a manner.
For information about Title IX rights or Section 504/ADA rights, contact the Title IX Coordinator or the Section 504/ADA coordinator at 3205 W. Davis, Conroe, TX 77304; (936) 709-7752.