Lions Lines
September, 2015 * Hamilton Elementary School
UPCOMING EVENTS
September
7th: Student Holiday
8th: First day for lunch visitors!
Boy Scout Rally Night 7:00 PM
9th: 2nd & 4th Gr. Storytelling Enrichment
9th: PTO Spirit Night at The Shack/Telge Rd 4:30-9:00 PM
11th: Spirit Day!
2nd Gr. Garden Day
14th: Curriculum Night for PPCD, PK, K, 1 & 3
5:30 PM-6:30 PM or 6:30 PM-7:30 PM
15th: 2nd & 4th Gr. Storytelling Enrichment
16th: Wear Gold to raise awareness for Childhood Cancer
18th: Spirit Day!
21st: Curriculum Night for LS, 2, 4 & 5
5:30 PM-6:30 PM or 6:30 PM-7:30 PM
22st: 2nd & 4th Gr. Storytelling Enrichment
25th: 5th Gr. Garden Day
Spirit Day!
29th: 2nd & 4th Gr. Storytelling Enrichment
Girl Scout Rally Night 7:00 PM
Curriculum Nights
September 14th: PPCD, PK, K, 1 and 3
September 21st: LS, 2, 4 and 5
Session 1: 5:30 - 6:30
Session 2: 6:30 - 7:30
Parents, you may choose the session you would like to attend that meets your schedule
This is a parent only meeting. We respectfully request that arrangements are made for child care so that all parents have the opportunity to hear the information without interruptions.
Attendance & Records Information
Please remember to send a signed note of excuse or a doctor’s note with your child following an absence.
A phone call is a courtesy, but the signed note is the actual excuse. Unfortunately, we are not able to accept an email as an excuse. As stated on HB10 in the C.F.I.S.D. Student Handbook, "This note may be mailed, faxed, or delivered in person by the parent or guardian." This note is to include student’s name and grade, reason for absence, date of the absence, telephone number of parent or guardian, and signature of parent or guardian.
If the student does not provide a note for being absent within 3 days of the absence,
the absence will be counted as unexcused."
If you have questions, please contact our Attendance Office, stephanie.burke@cfisd.net or by phone, 281-320-7051.
Please keep your emergency contact information up to date! If you have a phone number or address change, please notify the registrar immediately.
Counselor's Corner
Character Education and our Monthly Values
Part of my role as Hamilton’s school counselor is to provide guidance lessons in every classroom monthly. These guidance lessons are created and built upon our Hamilton “Word of the Month.” Our “word of the month” is a value that your child will learn about through these guidance lessons, and in each monthly newsletter, there will be additional ways for you and your family to talk about and implement the value at home in a fun way.
Our word for September is “Initiative: Seeing what needs to be done and doing it.” Carve out some time to practice this definition together so that it not only becomes a term in your family, but a way of way of life for you! Here are a few discussion starters about initiative to get you started:
• What is the chore or job that you’re expected to do around the house?
• Do you remember to do the chore on your own or notice when it needs to be done, or do you have to be
reminded?
• What would happen if you refused to do it or were too busy to notice it needed to be done?
• What chore or job have you done this week on your own that nobody but you knows about?
• What is hard about showing initiative?
• Is there a problem that you see in the world that you think you should help with?
• Make up a pretend “to do” list of what it would take to solve that problem.
There are so many fun ways to learn how to take initiative and do what needs to be done. When you really think about it, initiative is just like a big detective game. So grab your magnifying glass (or just your regular glasses) and go on a family scavenger hunt this week! Whether you see it or not, there are opportunities to take initiative everywhere you go. Some are really common. Some opportunities only come up every once in a while. Here’s a list of common and not-so-common things you may see that spark your initiative side. Your job is to open your eyes and see how many of the items on the list you can spot this week. Carry the list around with you and every time you check off an item, you get 2 points. Every time you check off an item and do something about it you get 5 points. Remember to keep your eyes open everywhere you go because you can take initiative …anywhere!
THE LIST:
____ Piece of clothing on the floor
____ Dirty dish
____ Incomplete homework assignment
____ Person struggling to carry something
____ Hungry pet
____ Piece of trash on the ground
____ Item that has been left behind
____ Dirty bathroom
____ Something out of place
____ Someone being made fun of
____ Someone being treated unfairly
____ Someone who is sick
____ Someone who is hungry
____ Someone who is lost
____ Someone who is sad
____ Someone who is hurt
____ Choose your own
____ Choose your own
____ Choose your own
____ Choose your own
Attention all 5th grade parents!! Looking ahead…
The information below is important to know in advance as your 5th grader moves through his/her 5th grade school year. Middle school classes are leveled into two levels: On-Level and Level- 1. Entry into Level-1 has very specific criteria, and this criteria must be met in order for your child to be eligible for Level one. At the end of the 3rd nine-week period, if your child meets the 85+ average on the report card, I will be sending home a letter for you to sign and return to me as a provisional placement for Level-1 in middle school. End-of year averages, in each subject separately, are the final qualifier for all Level-1 courses. Please see the following for your child to meet the required eligibility for all Level-1 courses:
Level One Criteria:
Ø Earn a yearly average (an average of all four 9-week periods) of 85+ in each subject (reading/language-average, math, science and social studies)
OR
Ø Earn Level III - Advanced on the STAAR Reading test to be eligible for Level-1 Language Arts/Reading and/or Social Studies;
Ø Earn Level III - Advanced on the STAAR Mathematics to be eligible for Level-1 Math and Science
AND
Ø Obtain parent permission to enroll in Level-1 class
Hamilton Lions PTO
Mark your calendars! The PTO Glow Night will be on October 23rd. It's going to be a "crazy good time."
It's not too late! Be sure to support our PTO by becoming a member. Check out the NEW PTO website to pay membership dues and purchase spirit items! The website is super easy to navigate! Create an account to pay your membership dues.
Family dues are just $15 a year and need to be paid by August 31st (as soon as possible)
Place orders and pay dues by going to: https://hamiltonelementarypto.membershiptoolkit.com/home
PE News
Welcome back, Lions!!
Mrs. McCoy and Coach C are really excited about starting another school year at Hamilton Elementary!
All students will be getting their large group letter/ assignment. We encourage all students to wear tennis shoes on their PE days.
· Letters A & B- M,W,F · Letters C & D- T, Th, F
· (Kindergarten students attend PE Monday thru Friday)
This year Hamilton will have a team participating in the Northwest Harris County Heart Walk held on October 3rd @Lonestar College- University Park (20515 HWY 249 77070). All Hamilton students and family members are invited to attend. So, if you would like to participate in a family-friendly, non-competitive 5K walk, please sign up at www.nwharrisheartwalk.org and join the team ‘HAMILTON LIONS’.
Kinder and 1st Grade Parents- Save the Date for our 50’s Day program: Wednesday, November 4th.
Library News
Over the summer, lots of exciting things happened in the library. For starters, our circulation desk received a fabulous face lift. Thanks to the PTO's generous donation from Boosterthon, we received new iPad screen protectors and cases, 5 MaKey Makeys (www.makeymakey.com), and 10 Osmos (www.playosmo.com) are on their way. We also ordered 12 new tables on wheels, 4 upholstered chairs, a rug, and a new display stand. Still to be ordered are magnetic dry-erase boards and 5 new iPads to keep in the library. We are excited for the arrival of these items!
VOLUNTEERS - We need volunteers! We will need 10 people to take weekly shifts for fall semester, and a team of back-ups to help as subs and to help with special projects. Be sure to sign up on the PTO website to get all the info as it comes available.
Thanks to Lindy LeCompte, Valerie Arnold, Kim Dickinson, and Roxie Goetz who helped our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders set passwords the first week of school. Also, thanks to Lisa Wojtaszczyk, Rebecca Patel, Pam Post, Valerie Arnold, Roxie Goetz, Claire Whyte, Rebecca Parker, Meredith Miller and Holly Spee for helping with prepping the library for students!
BOOK FAIR - The Scholastic Book Fair will be October 19-23, 2015. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up on the PTO website.
AUTHOR VISITS - Don't schedule your child's appointments on the following dates, otherwise they will miss a fabulous author/illustrator visit sponsored by the PTO!
Kinder & 1st grade: Jeff Mack on October 7th
2nd, 3rd, & 5th grade: Kirby Larson on November 11th
4th grade: Phil Bildner on February 29th
Birthday Books
No matter which month is your child's birthday, the time to turn in your order form with payment is NOW! Students will select their book when they come to the library with their reading teachers and bring them home for a week. The Birthday Book needs to be returned so all students can enjoy these throughout the year.
Click on this link for the order form: http://tinyurl.com/2015BirthdayBooks
Birthday Book Club
August
Hayley Domingues
Andrew Essner
John Zink
Bianca Byerly
Ethan Michael Miller
Kate Essner
Bethany Zink
Georgia Marsh
Ashlyn White
Emery Anderson
Caleb Tao
Eva Delgado
Noah Sanchez
September
Emma Mangold
Emily Andrus
Luke Carter
Lucy Bovermann
Taylor Andrus
Ella Smoker
Ryan Miller
Lane Wessels
Maryn Post
Ethan Chaikin
Addison Stout
Ethan Andrew Miller
Jace Warren
Toby C. Mosscrop
Nikki Dash
Brooke HendersonSeptember
Christian Luna
Jace Smith
Harrison Kyser
Bryce Bybee
Abigail Cooksey
Dylan To
Cade Murray
Olivia I. Demart
Alyssa Svrcek
Ryu Tomita
William A. Rascon
Spencer Hallin
Jenna-Mi Tran
Phi Vu
Esteban Ramos
Kind Minds
Welcome, Leo!
Kind Minds
Karen Lowery, Storyteller
Parent & Student Handbook
School Messenger: Text Message Sign Up
The directions for adding text messages to your School Messenger account are in the link below. Next year, instead of using Remind 101, HES will be sending text messages via School Messenger. Please stay connected by adding the text message feature to your School Messenger account.
Directions for School Messenger: http://www.cfisd.net/files/6514/1080/3632/SchoolMessenger_Contact_Manager_-_Parent_Handout_CFISD.pdf
Stay Connected
Follow HES on Twitter @Hamilton_Lions
Follow our HES on Instagram by searching for Hamilton_Lions
Don't forget to keep up to date with PTO events, news, and reminders by "liking" their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonElementaryPTO
Hamilton Elementary
Email: hamiltonelem@cfisd.net
Website: http://hamiltones.cfisd.net/en/
Location: 12050 Old Kluge Road, Cypress, TX, United States
Phone: 281.370.0990
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonLions
Twitter: @Hamilton_Lions