Kirk Elementary
Tiger Tales
School Information
Email: Kirk@cfisd.net
Website: https://kirk.cfisd.net/en/
Location: 12421 Tanner Road, Houston, TX, USA
Phone: 713-849-8250
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KirkElementary/
Twitter: @KirkElementary
Principal's Corner
Tiger Families,
Thank you for supporting the PTO Color Run fundraiser! I am confident we will reach our goal and be able to add some shade to the picnic tables on the playground. I also look forward to the fun we will have during the actual color run on Thursday.
Tonight is the fall Kirk family night and we are looking forward to kicking off our whole school book, The Lemonade Crime. All students were provided a copy of the book today and should start reading it at home with you. Remember, reading at home with your child for just 20 minutes a day develops the vocabulary of students and improves their academics.
November will fly! We have three weeks before Thanksgiving and will have our field days on November 18th and 19th. Be on the lookout for the schedule to join your child!
As we start the 2nd grading period, I cannot stress enough the importance of making daily attendance a priority for your children. Unless they are ill, please plan for them to attend school. Regular, consistent attendance will help them do well in the classroom. Thank you for making sure your children are present so they do not miss out on their daily learning experiences.
Please be sure to follow Kirk on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
Thank you,
Dr. Bell
Share your Feedback to Help Us Improve
November Calendar
Leader in Me
As the staff continue to learn more about living the 7 habits, we invite you to learn more as well by reading the Leader in Me parents guide found here: https://tinyurl.com/LIMparentguideenglish.
PBIS
Our Tigers are still working on earning signatures for their Executive Tiger Bingo Card. Ask your student what happens if they earn a “tiger paw” sticker from an adult in the building. Ask them what are some different ways they can earn stickers and signatures.
Student of the Month for the Character Trait of Initiative
Ulises Guzman, Jr.
Elijah Paredes
Litzy Campos-Rodriguez
Brooklyn Hicks
Gorge Olivares
Naomi Faig
Alexander Herrera
Guadalupe Ramos
SEPTEMBER CHARACTER TRAIT - INITIATIVE
PREKINDER
KINDER
1ST GRADE
2ND GRADE
3RD GRADE
4TH GRADE
5th Grade
Mrs. Gutierrez and Mrs. Irvin's Class
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 (https://youtu.be/F0bl34aCIrM). Turn on closed captioning for Spanish.
If you would like to give feedback on the parent involvement policy (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eDzNcyk8RJfelzcBISBV5ko3pmbtl5E3_A_twCWmpQ8/edit?usp=sharing) or the home-school agreement (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yTnPaVljfld3U98OtIsz5PtVbn5wokQfKN8UpQSQtYU/edit?usp=sharing) for Kirk, please view the documents 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
This amazing group of students Began With an End in Mind when they came together to brainstorm ideas to fill out the Watch D.O.G.S. Calendar with the names of as many dads as possible. Many dads met these young leaders during our Games and Pizza with a Gent. These fifth-graders practiced how to approach dads and what to say to encourage them to be a Watch D.O.G.S. They practiced at home with their family and they practiced at school. The outcome of their work was phenomenal. For the first time our Watch D.O.G.S. calendar is completely full through March. We only have a few dates available in April and May. If you didn’t sign up to be a Watch D.O.G.S. please contact Sandra Garza to schedule your day at sandra.garza2@cfisd.net
Pictured from left to right: Lindsey Celia, Mason Shields, Guadalupe Ramos, Addison Strong, Valerie Romero, Henry Nguyen
This year Kirk will have many opportunities to volunteer and we don’t want you to miss out because you’re not registered as a volunteer. Please take a moment to register to volunteer with CFISD by clicking on the link https://www.cfisd.net/domain/2617 and scroll down to where it says, 1. Create a Volunteer Portal Account. If you have already registered in previous years, it is not necessary to register again.
Kirk Elementary is in the process of a cultural shift as we implement the principles in the book The Leader in Me. We would like to recognize the following businesses and individuals for their generous donations in helping Kirk Elementary achieve its mission, especially Mrs. April Garay, of RollingStone Construction for her hard work spreading the word among our community!
Projects are on-time, on-budget, and carefully managed by professionals who genuinely care about results. This is our commitment to you and we appreciate the opportunity to serve you.
Alexandra & Levi Garay, Kirk Elementary students
Liam Contreras, Kirk Elementary student
Primary Practices
Our tiniest tigers are learning and growing as each week passes. One way to help your tigers' continued growth at home would be to read daily for 20 minutes. You could read to them, they can read to you, or you can share the pages. Below is an activity you could do at home as well as the district website for various resources.
District Resources Page:
https://sites.google.com/cfisd.net/cfisdprimary/home
Write On Activity
Writing helps a child become a better reader, and reading helps a child become a better writer.
What you'll need:
Pencils, crayons, or markers
Paper or notebook
Chalkboard and chalk
What to do:
Ask your child to dictate a story to you. It could include descriptions of your outings and activities, along with mementos such as fall leaves and flowers, birthday cards, and photographs.
Keep supplies of paper, pencils, markers, and the like within easy reach.
Encourage beginning and developing writers to keep journals and write stories. Ask questions that will help children organize the stories, and respond to their questions about letters and spelling. Suggest they share the activity with a smaller brother, sister, or friend.
Respond to the content of children's writing, and don't be overly concerned with misspellings. Over time you can help your child concentrate on learning to spell correctly.
When children begin to write, they run the risk of criticism, and it takes courage to continue. Parents can encourage and help children find courage.
Adventures in Mathematics
Math Resources: Grades 2-5
Students have entered into addition and subtraction! There are so many ways to incorporate these two skills at home. Check out a few ideas HERE
Drive it Home
Busy families are often in the car driving from one place to another. You can use this time to work on addition or subtraction facts. Here’s how. The driver chooses a number. Let’s say it is seven. Then the driver calls out another number. Let’s say the number is four. The student needs to mentally add four to seven. Keep calling out numbers as quickly as possible as the student adds each number with seven. This will build up mental math ability. Use the same process for subtraction.
Science Scholars
Forces & Motion
Students are discovering forces and how they create patterns of movement. Click HERE for some ideas at home!
When working on these activities, you can ask questions such as:
What movement did the object make? Was it a push or pulling force? What happens when we increase or decrease light, heat and sound energy?
Loving Literacy
Our Kirk Tigers are growing in their reading and writing skills more and more each day. We are continuing to build their enthusiasm for literacy daily. It is important for them to read at home at least 20 minutes daily. You can read to them, they can read to you, or you can share the reading time by alternating pages. Below is an activity you could do at home to foster their enthusiasm.
Visualizing Activity:
Children love to be creative when it comes to drawing, and illustrations add visual imagery to stories.
What you'll need:
Drawing paper
Pens and pencils
Magic markers or crayons
What to do:
Find a fiction book or short story for your child to read. Then ask your child to illustrate a part of the story he or she likes best or describe a favorite character. Have the child write a few sentences that tell about this picture.
Tiger Technobytes
Nurse’s Corner
Hello Kirk Students and Parents, my name is Nurse McCann. I am your new school nurse. I grew up going to Cy-Fair schools. I live in Cypress, Texas with my husband and my two kids. My son is in first grade and my daughter is in third grade. I have been a nurse for 11 years. I worked in the hospital as a Cardiology nurse and I worked for 6 years as a school nurse for a preschool. I have enjoyed meeting our Kirk students and teachers, and I am proud to be a member of the Kirk Team.
A few reminders for parents:
Please check your child’s backpack for a change of clothes and be sure that your your student has 1 or 2 changes of clothes. Our clinic is running low on shorts to loan our Pre-K and Kindergarten students.
Please do not forget about our Lead Safely Plan to keep our students and staff healthy this school year:
Students, staff and visitors must screen daily (prior to entering a school bus or school) for symptoms of COVID-19. If symptoms are experienced, individuals must not report to school or work until evaluated by a licensed healthcare provider.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include:
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Loss of taste/smell
Nasal congestion
Sore throat
Headache
Fever at or above 100°F
Vomiting/diarrhea
Counselor Corner
Attention:
Gifted and Talented Screening
Referrals due by Nov. 30, 2021 for the mid-year testing cycle which will be held in January. This opportunity applies only to students who have not participated in screening this school year. All Kindergarten students will be screened.
For more information contact the counselors.
Monthly Character Trait: Contentment means learning to be okay with what you have
Kids will grow up to have a better future when three things happen:
• They make wise choices.
• They build strong relationships.
• They maximize their potential.
As parents, each age is a new opportunity to help develop these skills every month by having conversations about the Big Ideas learned at school. How does the Big Idea of cooperation, for example, relate to getting along with siblings? Or prepare kids for college or a career?
So don’t miss it. Conversations – both simple and meaningful – have a significant impact on the development of your kids’ current and future self.
What’s happening in Large Group?
Musical Magic
Our fourth grade students are preparing to sing a few songs to honor Veterans on Thursday, November 11, 2021 at 9:15 a.m. in the cafeteria. We welcome fourth grade parents and Veterans in the community to join us!
Ms. Craig
PE
Can’t believe it’s November already. We had lots of fun during P.E. and at all of our events in October. Hopefully the weather will be on our side and we can do our outdoor units this month , and most importantly, I am looking forward to having fun during our Field Day events. Also, while you’re enjoying a well deserved Thanksgiving Break, don’t forget to exercise, stay healthy strong and safe!
Coach Mati
Art
We have been doing an amazing job learning about our new artist Henri Matisse and Frida Kahlo! This November we will continue and introduce two more,Vincent Van Gogh and Romero Britto!
Ms. Pacheco
PTO Corner
We are so excited about this year and getting back into the groove supporting all of our Tigers. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to join PTO today by visiting http://kirkpto.square.site