Kirk Elementary
Tiger Tales
School Information
Email: Kirk@cfisd.net
Website: https://www.cfisd.net/Kirk
Location: 12421 Tanner Road, Houston, TX, USA
Phone: 713-849-8250
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KirkElementary/
Twitter: @KirkElementary
Principal's Corner
Tiger Families,
I am looking forward to seeing many of you next week at our Parent’s Deserve It events. It is always fantastic when our Tigers see home and school working together to support their academic growth. Please visit https://tinyurl.com/parentsdeserveitschedule to see the full schedule for the week. I want to thank PTO in advance for providing Donuts with Grownups to be sure that we are inclusive of all our families as we continue to build connections between home and school.
The week of February 28 is also college and career week. Please visit https://tinyurl.com/kirkcollegeandcareerweek to plan for the dress up days that week. You are encouraged to participate in the dress up fun when you come for your Parents Deserve It time in your student’s class.
Spring pictures are on Thursday, March 03 for all students.
I hope you will save the date for the mobile library on March 26 at the Chimney Hill Community Ctr 13720 Smokey Trail from 12:30 - 2:30.
All of our 3rd - 5th grade Tigers will be participating in diagnostic benchmarks on March 22nd, 23rd, and 24th to give students as well as teachers a good baseline for strengths and areas of growth needed in math and reading (as well as science for 5th grade). Thank you in advance for having your Tigers here on time.
This Tiger Tales is also bittersweet for me as it is my last one as the Principal of Kirk Elementary. I again want to thank you for welcoming me, giving feedback when asked, and being involved in your Tiger’s education. It has truly been a privilege and has grown me as an educator. Thank you for making me better and helping me to grow.
As always, thank you for partnering with us to support your Tiger!
Dr. Bell
Share your Feedback to Help Us Improve
March Calendar
Student of the Month for the Character Trait of Compassion
Prekinder
Kinder
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
FEBRUARY CHARACTER TRAIT - COMPASSION
Leader in Me
We have started teaching students the 7 habits. There are 5 core paradigms that drive our decisions, behaviors, and results as we shift our culture to align with being a Leader in Me school. A paradigm is simply the way we “see” things. These 5 core paradigms include:
Everyone can be a leader.
Everyone has genius.
Change starts with me.
Empower students to lead their own learning.
Educators and families partner to develop the whole person.
These paradigms or “the way we see things” at our school will drive our everyday interaction with not only your Tiger, but ourselves too. A partnership with families supports our ability for students to lead their own educational journey - empowering them to be responsible, reflective, and active in their learning experiences.
The great news about paradigms is that they are also powerful at home! When you operate through these five paradigms in your own life, you are communicating your own value as well as encouraging greatness in your Tiger.
Here are a few ways to engage your family in these paradigms:
Key Notices
This year we have gone digital with our title 1 meeting. To learn more about Title 1 at Kirk Elementary, please watch this short video. Turn on closed captioning for Spanish.
If you would like to give feedback on the parent involvement policy or the home-school agreement for Kirk, please view the documents listed here and send in any suggested revisions to Dr. Bell.
Notice to Parents
As a parent of a student at a campus receiving Title I funds, federal law allows you to ask for information about the certification, college major, and advanced degrees of your child’s teacher(s). You also have the right to request information about the qualifications of a teacher aide or paraprofessional providing direct services to your child. If you would like to receive this information, you may contact the Cypress-Fairbanks I.S.D. Human Resources Department at 281-897-4099.
School Messenger: Text Message Sign Up
The directions for adding text messages to your School Messenger account are in the link below. All parents need to update their School Messenger Information:
Family & Community Engagement
Moms & Dads and Everyone who’s volunteered at Kirk this school year. If you’ve registered to be a volunteer on the CFISD Volunteer site, take a moment to ensure the hours you’ve volunteered have been logged. If not, you can do it easily on the CFISD Volunteer site.
CFISD Volunteer: https://www.cfisd.net/domain/2617
To log your hours or check if your time has been logged, scroll down to Item 3. Raptor Volunteer Portal on the same site where you registered. All volunteers who have recorded at least one hour in the current school year will receive an invitation to the annual VIPS Appreciation Luncheon scheduled for April 27 at the Berry Center.
February was great because our Tigers received lots of love from the Kirk M.O.M.S. Moms were busy at Kirk. They read, helped in math and science, sang in Music, worked out in PE, drew and colored in Art, gave out heart stickers when they saw a Tiger following the classroom behavior expectations and showing leadership behavior. It was fantastic to see our Kirk M.O.M.S. helping our students. But most importantly, moms saw how their own children are putting into practice the skills they’ve learned at home.
You too can participate as a Kirk M.O.M.S. Click here bit.ly/RegisterKirkMOMS
If you have already signed up to be a Kirk M.O.M.S. click on the link to review your date. You will get a call a week before your date to go over what you will be doing on your day. https://bit.ly/KirkMOMS
We read Federico and the Wolf by Rebecca J. Gomez. Federico and the Wolf is a cute take on "Little Red Riding Hood." Federico is ready to visit Abuelo. But his grandfather bears a striking resemblance to el lobo. Fortunately, Federico is quick and clever—and just happens to be carrying a spicy surprise! Federico drives the wolf away, and he and Abuelo celebrate with a special salsa.
Here are some spanish words we learned.
Cuidado (kwee-Dah-doh): Care or caution
Abuelo (ah-BWEH-lo): Grandfather or grandpa
Un Lobo (oon Lo-bo): A wolf
Grande (GRAN-deh):Big
Gracia (GRA-see-ahs): Thank you
There is a recipe in the back of the book that claims to be the perfect pico. Try it out and share it on Twitter @ KirkLibrary
½ small onion, chopped
1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 garlic clove, miced
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon line or lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Mix all ingredients in a medium-size bowl. Chill for 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy as a toco topping or with your favorite tortilla chips.
Our 5th grade team, the Vanilla Tigers will represent Kirk at the Name that Book regional competition on March 30th at the Berry Center.
Surprise Kirk Tigers!! Bring a stuffed animal on Thursday, February 24, 2022.
Primary Practices
As the year continues to speed on by, it is amazing to watch the growth the students are making in reading and writing. In the month of March, students will be reading informational texts and biographies. During writing, students will be composing informational reports and personal narratives. There are some great resources on our Kirk library website for reading informational texts and biographies as well as many other genres. Students can also log onto HMH located in my.cfisd.net in the backpack section. We are encouraging each student to get on Amplify every day for at least 15 minutes to support what they are learning in word study and reading. Please remember to read with your child every night.
Adventures in Mathematics
In the month of March students will be circling back to Place Value with an emphasis on Fact Fluency.
Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division Facts are the foundation students need to build knowledge in other math skills.
Check out the links below for songs and online games
Song:
Online Games:
Science Scholars
Science in March
Weather & Astronomy
All our Tigers learn about the Water Cycle in this unit. Learning the vocabulary is key to understanding the process. Click the link below for activities for home that can focus on these words!
Loving Literacy
As the year continues to speed on by, it is amazing to watch the growth the students are making in reading and writing. In the month of March, students will be reading informational texts, biographies, argumentative texts, and working in book clubs. During writing, students will be composing informational reports, personal essays, personal narratives, and opinion essays. There are some great resources on our Kirk library website for reading informational texts and biographies as well as many other genres. Students can also log onto HMH located in my.cfisd.net in the backpack section. We are encouraging each student to get on Amplify every day for at least 15 minutes to support what they are learning in word study and reading. Please remember to read with your child every night.
Tiger Technobytes
Chromebook Reminders
All students are assigned a chromebook for school use. Guardians must sign for all devices in Schoolcash.
Students will be responsible for taking the device to home/school daily.
It is recommended the device be charged at home nightly and that the charger remains at home.
Please do not put stickers on the device.
The CFISD stickers (barcode and student information) should remain on the device. If the stickers are damaged please report it in HappyFox to be able to receive a new one.
Please keep food and drink away from the device.
To receive support for a device (lost, non-working, damaged devices) please report it in HappyFox. Your student will need to log in with their CFISD email address and password.
Here’s how to change a Student Network Password.
If you move to another school district, please return the device/charger back to the school. If you move to another school within CFISD, take the device and charger with you to the new school.
CFISD LTE 1:1 Website has more information.
Contact michelle.glynn@cfisd.net if you have any questions about devices at Kirk.
Nurse’s Corner
Spring is here! My family and I are staying close to home for Spring Break, but we have some exciting adventures planned. I encourage you to get outside and enjoy nature with your children. My children and I enjoy Kleb Nature Preserve in Tomball Texas. Kleb Nature Preserve is 133 acres of woods and ponds for you and your children to explore and it is completely free. As a nurse I love science and I look for opportunities to teach my children about plants and animals. Last Spring we found bullfrogs in the pond and we discussed the life cycle of the frog. I am looking forward to hearing stories from your children about their adventures this Spring.
Counselor Corner
Monthly Character Trait: Cooperation means working together to do more than you can do alone.
It’s pretty simple – the words we use with kids matter.
Our words have an impact each day on what kids think of themselves, their future, and their interactions with the world. Here are some words you can use every day:
Good morning! I’m really proud when…
I love you. Work hard
I have noticed… I’ve been thinking…
I hope you know… I’m sorry
Have fun! Be kind
Keep trying. I can always count on you to…
So don’t miss it. It’s just a phase! Make sure you are using words every day to build up the skills you want to see in your child.
What’s happening in Large Group?
Musical Magic
Hello Kirk Mighty Tigers. We have had so much fun learning about form. Now we are getting ready for recorders in the upper grades and the lower grades will be focusing on solfege. All students will participate in our Kodaly Hand Signal competition using the Kodaly Hand Signals. We are having so much fun in Music!
Ms. Craig
PE
Hello Tigers, I want to start by thanking you for participating in the Kids Heart Challenge. WE were able to raise money for kids born with heart diseases and also get some money for our school, so Thank You again! Our March schedule will look a little different. Grades 3-5 will finish our Fitnessgram testing while our younger tigers( k-2) will learn and develop basic skills of jump rope, hula hoops or different types of movement. Looking forward to doing all this so we can stay strong, fit and healthy!
Coach Mati
Art
Hello Tigers!
Time is flying by. In the month of March we will be starting a new lesson, every grade level will learn to weave! I hope you're ready to create some art!
Ms. Pacheco