Tiger Time News
News from the O.C. Taylor Principal, Lisa Young
Young@Heart, October 23, 2016
This week we have a few 5th graders introducing our Tiger Time News Video Edition: https://www.touchcast.com/octaylorelem/tiger_time_news_10_24
Thank you so very much to our amazing PTA for organizing and hosting the annual O.C. Taylor Fall Festival! I saw kids and families having a blast together. You will cherish the memories of these elementary school events. The funds raised will help us see our school mission and vision to fruition. Thanks to all!
This is a friendly reminder to be reading every night. O.C. Taylor does not assign work for the purpose of completing it at home, i.e. "homework." Instead, we want everyone to instill the love of reading. Children who are read to at home have a higher success rate in school.
The National Education Association reports, "The substantial relationship between parent involvement for the school and reading comprehension levels of fourth-grade classrooms is obvious, according to the U.S. Department of Education.7 Where parent involvement is low, the classroom mean average (reading score) is 46 points below the national average. Where involvement is high, classrooms score 28 points above the national average - a gap of 74 points. Even after controlling for other attributes of communities, schools, principals, classes, and students, that might confound this relationship, the gap is 44 points." Click here to read more facts about children literacy.
As always, my door and email in-box are open. Let me know what we can do for your little Tiger!
To the greatest of days,
Principal Young
Email: lisa.young@gcisd.net
Website: http://www.gcisd-k12.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=16665
Location: 5300 Pool Road, Colleyville, TX, United States
Phone: (817) 305-4870
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OC-Taylor-Elementary-School-361871583888299/
Twitter: @OCTYoung
Upcoming Events
Red Ribbon Week: Wear Red, White and Blue
October 25
Red Ribbon Week: Wear mismatched socks
October 26
Red Ribbon Week: Wear animal print
October 27
Red Ribbon Week: Wear a hat
2:55 Choir
October 28
Red Ribbon Week: Wear P.J.'s
2:55 PTA OCT Spirit Shop
Red Ribbon Week at OCT!
O. C. Taylor Tigers Don't Monkey Around With Drugs! We will be supporting the Red Ribbon Campaign in an elementary-friendly way. Click here to read more about the Red Ribbon Campaign.
10/24 Monday: Elect To Be… Drug Free!
Wear Red, White and Blue
10/25 Tuesday: Don’t Get Mixed Up In Drugs!
Wear Mismatched clothes/socks
10/26 Wednesday: We’re WILD To Be Drug Free
Wear animal print or animal t-shirt
10/27 Thursday: Keep Your Head On Straight, Stay Away from Drugs
Wear a HAT
10/28 Friday: Stay Away From Drugs and Follow Your Dreams
Wear PJ’s
Show Taylor Tiger School Pride...PARTICIPATE !
SPECIALS UPDATES
A Note from our Music Teacher, Mrs. Vencil
Note from Mrs. Vencill ~
Hi, OCT families! I can't believe how quickly the first nine weeks of school passed by, but I am so pleased with the beautiful music our Tigers are creating in the music room.
Our 3rd and 4th graders are working hard to prepare for the Veterans Day program Friday, Nov. 11 at 8:30 a.m.in the OCT cafeteria. We are working on proper vocal technique and performance etiquette. Talk to your talented Tiger about what those words mean!
The 5th graders are wrapping up their unit on rhythm/note value by layering a rhythmic ostinato and performing on percussion instruments. They are getting so good at 'de-coding' even the most difficult rhythm patterns. We will move on to pitch next and look forward to playing our xylophones, metalophones and glockenspiels.
1st and 2nd grade Tigers are adding dynamic and tempo changes to their steady beat and using proper music vocabulary to describe these changes. Do you know the different between piano and forte? Can you follow a steady beat that is presto, largo or 'not too fast, not too slow...just moderato'? Talk to you talented Tiger about what they are learning in the Music room.
Kindergarten students are learning about their 5 voices...whisper, talk, shout, sing and inner voice...and how to use these voices in the classroom. Kinder students are also learning about changes in dynamics (volume) and tempo (speed) and how to use these changes to make their music more exciting!
Follow me on @OCTVencill for updates on the fun we're having in the OCT Music Room!!
A Note from our P.E. Teacher and P.E. Assistant, Coach Mester and Coach Mac
It has been a great start to the school year, and I am looking forward to the upcoming weeks. We have been working extremely hard at jumping rope and collecting donations for the American Heart Association. All students are actively engaged in appropriate jump rope skills for their age and skill level. It is amazing to see the improvement from just a few weeks ago. I am so proud of the effort they are putting forth each and every day.
Moving forward, we will transition into our basketball unit. We will be spending time working on skills such as dribbling, passing, and shooting. Also, we will be discussing and learning basketball rules, offense, defense, teamwork and other concepts. Younger students will be focusing on catching, throwing, and dribbling with a variety of objects. Along with these skills we will continue to work on overall fitness with our daily warm up exercises and jogging.
A Note from Art Teacher, Mrs. Morgan
Thank you to all of the students that participated in the Butterfly Flutterby Art Contest. Congratulations to all who participated and to the two winners from O. C. Taylor:
Nolan Hunt in kindergarten received 2nd place, and Emily Rodriguez in first grade received 1st place.
We are currently finishing up our Aboriginal dot paintings. Every grade level is getting the chance to use the dot technique. I can't wait to see the finished products!
Once we are done with our Aboriginal dot paintings, we will explore fall landscapes and create fall themed art. Every grade level will be creating a different project using a variety of mediums, like paint, chalk pastels or oil pastels.
A Note from our Librarian, Mrs. Bonacci
Please click here to read about our 3rd Annual OCT Pumpkin Patch Celebration!
A Note from our Gifted-Talented Teacher, Mrs. Griffin
Technology Tips
We are on a 5-part series of Developing Rules for your children. I encouraged you to talk about the HOW, WHO can use it, and WHAT are they allowed to do with technology? This week discuss with your child WHERE should they be allowed to use technology.
Where are they allowed to use it?
• You have the right to limit where your child uses the technology.
• The dinner table, church, at a friend's home and in the room with their door closed may all be examples of places your child is not allowed to use the technology.
• It is highly recommended that the computer your child uses be located in the busiest area of your home, where you can monitor what they are doing with it.
GCISD DISTRICT FLYERS
GCISD 2016 Holiday Greeting Card Art Contest:
Click here for the flyer. The 2016 Holiday Greeting Card Art Contest has begin, and all GCISD students are invited to take part. Three winners will be selected--one elementary, one middle school, and one high school. ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE COMMUNICATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT by Friday, Nov. 11, 4 p.m.
GCISD Reads District-wide Program
https://www.smore.com/cyf5c-gcisd-reads
PTA "What Is Your Story?" Contest
The PTA Reflections contest welcomes students of all grades and all abilities to explore their inner artist. The theme of this year's Reflections contest is 'What Is Your Story?' and students may enter in any of six arts disciplines, including: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography and Visual Arts.
More information can be found at: OCTaylorPTAWebsite/Reflections
Click here for a copy of the flier. REFLECTIONS2016ENTRYFORM
Click here for a copy of the rules: REFLECTIONS2016RULES
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Survey
GCISD - Building Excellent Schools Together
GCISD LEAD 2021- BUILDING EXCELLENT SCHOOLS TOGETHER!
The mission of Grapevine-Colleyville ISD is to be THE BEST and through the district’s strategic plan, called LEAD 2021, we continue building on the foundation started in 2011-2012. LEAD stands for Leading Excellence – Action Driven. For more information about LEAD 2021, please visit the district website. There are some exciting educational experiences going on in GCISD!
GCISD’s WHY?
Redefining Education because your future matters today!
GCISD’s Portrait of a Graduate
Skilled Problem Solvers
Communicators
Global Citizens
Self-regulated Learners
Collaborators
O.C. Taylor PTA Website
PTA Website: Please visit the PTA website – www.octaylorpta.com.