Bobcat Pride
Sunset Valley Elementary - week of January 9th
Student Holiday - Friday, Jan. 13th & Monday, 16th
Important Dates to Remember
- January 10 - Picture Make-up Day
- January 12 - Bobcat Pride Rally
- January 12 - end of 3rd 6 weeks
- January 13 - Student Holiday
- January 14 - Keller Showcase for Theater @ 11:00 am
- January 16 - Student/Staff Holiday - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- January 19 - Keller ISD Board meeting/invited SVES students will lead the pledge
- January 20 - Kids Teaching Kids - "Leo the Lion" Assembly
- January 20 - Report Cards available
- January 20 - Bobcat Bash (by invitation only)
- January 20 - PTA Movie Night (more info coming soon!)
- January 20 - KISD Area Spelling Bee - Good Luck Taliyah!
- January 23 - West Fork HOA Meeting in Cafe @ 5:30 pm
- January 24 - 2nd grade music performances
- January 26 - SVES/BWES Band Spirit night at Chick-Fil-A @ Alliance & Presidio locations
- January 30 - February 3 - SVES Book Fair
- February 2 - SVES Open House 6:00 pm- 7:00 pm
The Principal's Den
Dear Bobcat families,
Happy New Year! We hope that your holiday season was one filled with joy with your family, friends and/or loved ones.
As we begin a new calendar year, I wanted to share some information with you about a new state rating system you may begin to hear about in the news or on social media. The new ratings system is a result of House Bill 2804, passed by the 84th State Legislature and requiring that every public school in Texas be given an A-F rating on five different areas of performance, which will then be combined into one grade. The first official ratings are scheduled to be released on August 15, 2018; however, today the Texas Education Association will release preliminary ratings based on 2016 data.
Keller ISD, Sunset Valley, and most school districts across the state oppose the A-F rating system. Clouded by complicated rules and calculations rather than clear and concise data that everyone can understand, the A-F Ratings are not reflective of a community-based accountability system. While intended to seem simple, the ratings actually include five areas of focus (“domains”), each with its own set of criterion and complicated data formulations that will not truly reflect the quality of a school or a school district.
These preliminary ratings are simply a sample based on data from 2016 STAAR tests, and we expect that the ratings system will evolve between now and spring 2018. Should you have any questions or concerns about this new system, I would encourage you to reach out to your elected representatives and ask them how the ratings will be determined for each of the five domains.
Your Sunset Valley faculty & staff will not let these hypothetical scores distract us from the important work that lies ahead for our students. We believe we are on the right track toward providing exceptional educational opportunities for our community, and we appreciate your support as our teachers continue to lead all students in engaging and effective instruction.
Please follow us on our Twitter and Facebook page (links at bottom of newsletter) and continue to read through your child's grade level newsletter as well as our Bobcat Pride newsletters. Your child will continue to experience a true joy of learning!
KISD Superintendent Dr. Randy Reid has posted a video on the Keller ISD website. You can reach the video by going to our campus webpage or the district website. Our webpage can be found by clicking HERE. Just click on the A-F Accountability Ratings link on the right side of the page.
Wishing you a very warm weekend,
Kristen Eriksen, Principal
Outside Activities
- At or below 40 degrees including wind chill factor, elementary and intermediate students may go outside if clothing allows for proper coverage and protection from the cold. (long sleeves/pants, jackets would be best)
- At or below 32 degrees including wind chill factor, all elementary and intermediate students stay inside.
- Rain, lightning, sleet, snow, and/or ice, all elementary and intermediate students stay inside.
Attention 4th grade Drama Club Students
We are headed to the Broadway Bound Keller ISD Theater Showcase! We will be performing with the other Elementary theater classes as a fundraiser next Saturday, January 14th! We will perform a musical theater number to "There's no business like Show business" and a skit "Give a Cheer."
- REHEARSAL: On Friday, January 13th (No school for students) we ask that parents drop their student off at 3:30 p.m. at Timber Creek HS in the front where the auditorium is. We will have an introduction at 3:45, a group rehearsal for the musical number at 3:50, and we will wait in our "Green room" until 5:40 when we will rehearse our skit on stage. Parents may pick up and sign out students at 6:10. ***We ask that parents do not attend the rehearsal as to not effect student behavior and focus during rehearsal.
- PERFORMANCE: We will perform on Saturday, January 14th. At 10:15 a.m. we ask parent volunteers to arrive (I will need 3 parent volunteers who will get 1 complimentary ticket each for the performance.) Tickets will go on sale at 10:20, are $5 each, and will all go to our elementary theater department. 10:30 is student drop off time in the front of TCHS near the auditorium. And the show starts at 11:00 a.m. !!
- COSTUMING: For our skit, "Give A Cheer," I would like the students to bring heavy coats, gloves, hats, and scarves. The skit is about how cold it is out side. They may wear jeans and normal winter clothing underneath. For the Broadway Bound group musical number, students will have top hats and gloves. I will let you know what else is expected to be worn in that musical number ASAP!
Thank you so much for giving your time to take your student to all of these events!!! I am so excited to see their wonderful performance! PLEASE bring as many people as you can so that they can see your fabulous actor and we can raise money for our theater department to get cool things for the classroom and do more theater field trips!
Please e-mail me at haley.wilborn@kellerisd.net if you have any questions!
Haley Wilborn
SVES Theater Director:
Keller ISD Film Festival
Calling All Filmmakers!
CLICK HERE TO ENTER YOUR MOVIE IN THE FILM FESTIVAL
The 9th Annual Keller ISD Student Film Festival is here and we need your entries!
The festival is an opportunity for students to develop their visual literacy and expand their educational experience in Keller ISD by fostering the creativity, artistic, communication and technical skills required for producing a movie.
Students have seven entry categories to choose from including Story, Comedy, Music Video, Documentary, PSA Plus and Animation, and have the chance to be honored at an Awards Ceremony on May 11, 2017, where they can win trophies, certificates, prizes and more!
The period to submit your entries is January 3-March 20, so get working on your films! Click here to view the rules and find a category to develop your movie. Work on a solo project, involve your friends, or work with your teacher to turn it into a class project! Remember, you can enter as many films as you like, in as many categories as you like, so get your creative juices flowing and start making movies!
There is additional information available HERE that you will need to enter this year's Film Festival. Good luck, and... ACTION!
For more information, please contact:
Matt Hill
Director of Media Production
matt.hill@kellerisd.net
817.744.6980
ROCK - Message of the Week
Spirit Day
Crossing Guard Needed at Horseman & Canchim Street
This crossing guard position is with the City of Ft. Worth but the individual will be assigned to Sunset Valley Elementary. Coach Dunson has been volunteering for this position since the beginning of the school year. This job has been posted with the City of Fort Worth but has not had any interested applicants so far. I am reaching out to you to see if you would be interested and I am asking that if you have a friend or neighbor that might be interested to please pass along the information. Here are some details about the position.
- Part-time (3 hours a day - 1 1/2 hours in the morning & 1 1/2 hours in afternoon)
- Monday-Friday
- $7.49 an hour
- 15 hours average per week
- Equipment and training provided
- Crossing school students/pedestrians
- Helping kids & families right here in our own neighborhood
Officer J.R. Barron 817-925-3304
Reporting an Absence
Ready to Volunteer?
How do you make a teacher SMILE? Chocolate!!
Our Campus Webpage
SVES Social Media
text @9bc72 to 81010
Our Facebook Page
SunsetValleyES
https://www.facebook.com/SunsetValleyES/@sunsetvalleyes
Who Ya' Gonna Call?
- Front Office - 817-743-8200
- To Report an Absence please call 817-743-8200 or 817-743-8218 or email ruthann.kiefer@kellerisd.net
- Nurse's Office (Anna Barnes) - 817-743-8220
- Cafeteria (Ednydia Rivera)- 817-743-8225
- Fax number - 817-743-8238
District & Community Information
Mark Your Calendars Now...
January 13, 2017 – Student Holiday (Teacher Professional Development)
January 16, 2017 – District Holiday (Martin Luther King Day)
February 20, 2017 – Student Holiday (Teacher Professional Development)
March 13-17, 2017 – District Holiday (Spring Break)
April 14, 2017 – District Holiday (Bad Weather Make-Up Day)
April 17, 2017 – District Holiday (Bad Weather Make-Up Day)
May 27, 2017 – High School Graduation (at UTA's College Park Center)
May 29, 2017 – District Holiday (Memorial Day)
June 2, 2017 – Last Day of School