Gleason PAWS
Excellence Begins Here
Gleason Vision
Gleason Misson
Gleason Elementary
Email: gleason@cfisd.net
Website: https://gleason.cfisd.net
Location: 9203 Willowbridge Park Boulevard, Houston, TX, USA
Phone: 281-517-6800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gleasontigers/
Twitter: @gleasontigers
January 14, 2019
Principal Message
Happy New Year! It is hard to believe that we only have four days remaining in the first semester of school. We have so much to celebrate. Our students continue to make great gains in academics and behavior. We look forward to seeing what the second semester holds.
Congratulations to Shomili Ghosh, Gleason Elementary Spelling Champion and to Gabriella Nguyen, our runner up. Shomili will represent Gleason at the district competition January 29. We also want to congratulate all of our spelling bee participants who worked hard to prepare for the competition.
We would like to extend an invitation to our girls to attend our 4th annual Father/Daughter Dance on February 8th, from 6:30-8:00. More information to follow.
A Note from the Nurse....Mrs. Compton
On February 11th, Kindergarten and 1st grade students will have a Dentist come talk to their classes. They will get to learn about dental hygiene and why it is so important.
As a gentle reminder, a sick child who is unable to participate in school in a meaningful way should be kept home to rest and recover until symptoms resolve. Keeping a sick child home also protects other children, school staff, and visiting community members from contracting an illness that can be spread from person to person.
From the Library....Mrs. Jones
Name That Book
The best way students can prepare for the NTB competition is to read, read, read books on the list.
January 25, 2018, Qualifying Quiz to decide the team(s) that will represent the grade at the School Competition.
February 11, 9:15 am, School Competition to determine the team that will represent Gleason at the District competition on Tuesday, March 26.
Book Fair
Spring book fair is right around the corner, starting with Muffins with Mom on February 8 from 7:30 to 8:25. The fair will be open from February 8 to February 15.
Friday, February 8 7:30 to 8:25
9:00 to 3:00
Monday, February 11 10:30 to 3:00
Tuesday, February 12 9:00 to 3:00
Wednesday, February 13 9:00 to 3:00
Thursday, February 14, 9:00 to 3:00
Friday, February 15 9:00 to 11:00
PBIS NEWS
In December, Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) was a huge success with some fun activities for our students. We had another Tiger Bucks Raffle. Our students had a chance to enter to win a prize by writing their name on the back of their $1 Tiger Bucks that they earned throughout this year for positive behavior. Each $1 was one entry. On Friday, December 14th, one boy and one girl from each grade level won the raffle and got to take home some fun prizes! The last week before our holiday break, we had a Holiday ROAR Store where students could use their Tiger Bucks to shop for the holiday gifts. The gifts were thoughtfully selected by students for their family members and wrapped with care by our PTO.
From the Counselor....Mrs. Salazar
January's Core Essential is self-control which is choosing to do what you should do even when you don’t want to. This is great time to set goals as you are thinking about New Year's resolutions. While setting goals, try to make them a S.M.A.R.T. goal: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic & Timely
Specific- A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:
Who: Who is involved?
What: What do I want to accomplish?
Where: Identify a location.
When: Establish a time frame (really think about the age of the child when setting the time frame)
Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
Why: Specific purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
Measurable- Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as:
How much? How many?
How will I know when it is accomplished?
Attainable– When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.
You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.
Realistic- To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress.
A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.
Timely– A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, “by May 1st”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.
January Core Value- Self-Control
Grade Level News
Pre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergartens have begun learning all about the winter season. In literacy, we are learning how to separate a spoken four word sentence into individual words and working on asking and responding to questions relevant to the text. In writing, we continue to discuss and contribute our idea to a class writing activities. In math, we are learning to count from 1 to 10 correctly. We are continuing to work on subtilizing up to 5 and working with patterns.We appreciate all of your continued support at home!
Kindergarten
Happy New Year! We are delighted to have our kindergarteners start the year off by reviewing classroom procedures and expectations. Please remember to send a healthy snack and water bottle with your child daily. We would love for you to come to lunch with your child on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11:45-12:15. A gentle reminder to our Kindergarten parents that if you would like to speak with your child’s teacher as students are walking back to lunch please, choose a different time to speak/conference with your child’s teacher. The Kindergarten teachers are starting academic instruction and any other concerns or questions that you may have with your child’s teacher would be best suited if you could either call, send a remind, or send an email. We thank you for your support. As the weather is getting cooler, please remember to put your child’s name on their cold weather items such as: jacket, scarf, hat, and gloves. Please remember that afterschool clubs are Monday, January 7th, 2018 and after school clubs are a continuation from the fall semester.
First Grade
First Grade has enjoyed our first semester! We are ready to start the second semester and continue preparing our students for second grade.
In reading the students will continue working on comprehension and learn how to better understand the text they are reading. They will make predictions and connections throughout their texts.
In writing the students will start the non-fiction unit. Students will be able to explore non-fiction texts and learn how to write a “How-to” paper. They will learn how to list out steps to better explain to their reader how to create what they have listed.
In Math the students will continue their work understanding place value up to the number 120. They will compare and order numbers using symbols. They are also continuing to solve word problems using a variety of strategies.
Second Grade
Second graders are having fun in Book Clubs! We are reading books and learning about our characters across the series of a book. The students are meeting and talking about their books with each other. In writing, we are focusing on personal narrative writing and sharing meaningful experiences. In math, we are learning about measurement using both the metric and customary system. We are continuing to build our knowledge about natural resources in science. We are learning about sources of freshwater and saltwater.
Third Grade
In math, we will start the new year learning about how to represent real-world relationships using number pairs in a table. We will then move on to our fractions unit where will learn how to compose and decompose fraction. We will also discuss how to partition objects into groups so they are shared equally.
In science, we will begin the new year learning about natural resources, conservation, the sun, Earth and Moon. We tentatively have a Unit Test on January 17th that will cover soil, weathering, natural resources, and rapid changes to the Earth’s surface. Your child may use their study guide or FAQ (Formative Assessment Questions) books to help them study for the unit test.
In Reading, we are diving into more Fiction with on a focus on Realistic and Historical Fiction. We will look closely at the various characteristics of fiction, including characters, plot, setting, and theme. We will explore how the historical context can impact the stories and their characters. We will also learn about the lessons learned along with summarizing fiction stories. The unit will wrap with a Checkpoint on January 29th.
In Language Arts, we will start off the year with Fiction writing. We will compare and contrast Realistic Fiction and Fantasy Fiction. We will work through the various aspects of writing a fiction story, such as creating believable characters and honing in on the heart of the story. Our written composition middle of the year DPM will take place January 22nd. In revising and editing we will be learning and reviewing many useful skills. Some of these include possessive apostrophes and dialogue quotations. Our middle of the year DPM will be taking place January 24th.
Fourth Grade
Mathematicians are excited to start their work with decimals. In Science, students are finishing their study of geology. They will have a unit test on Wednesday, January 16th. Students should review their study guide to prepare for their test. Our next unit of study will be on life systems.
Writers are looking forward to revisiting expository essays. We will gather ideas, create a plan, draft, and review multiple ways to revise, edit, and publish. We are fine tuning our skills in preparation for our writing benchmark in February. We will have a checkpoint on Wednesday, January 30th.
In Reading, we are exploring biographies. Students will study the characteristics and structure of the genre. Students will look for big ideas across the text and make inferences about the character’s traits. We will have a checkpoint on Tuesday, January 29th.
Please check out our website for weekly updates at https://sites.google.com/cfisd.net/gleason4news.
Fifth Grade
Happy New Year! We are so excited to be back with students and are looking forward to what 2019 will bring. Can you believe our babies will be done with elementary school in just 5 months!? We are working diligently to prep and plan as much as possible from now until May to ensure our tigers make a smooth transition to Cook Rangers.
In Math, students will work to classify 2-d figures based on their attributes. 5th graders will also spend time exploring perimeter, area and volume. Towards the end of the month, preparation for their upcoming benchmark will begin. Students will take their math benchmark on Tuesday, February 19th.
Our astronomers will be busy comparing the physical characteristics of the Earth, moon and Sun in science. They will also be studying the movement of the Earth, moon and Sun and how it relates to cycles on Earth. We will finish out the month starting our MATTER unit.
In reading, students will continue their use of text features with nonfiction and persuasive texts. Later in the month they will begin biography and literary nonfiction texts. In writing, students will continue with essay writing before jumping into POETRY at the end of the month. Who doesn’t love poetry!?
Upcoming Events
January 14-25-Coin Drive
January 15- Spirit night @ Orange Leaf (ALL DAY)
January 18- End of Marking Period 2
January 21- Student/Staff Holiday-Martin Luther King Day
January 22-PTO Meeting 7:00 PM All are Welcome
January 24-Channel 2 Weather Lab Visit for PK-K-1-2 NO LUNCH VISITORS
January 25-Report Cards Go Home
January 29- District Spelling Bee(Berry Center 5:00-7:00 PM)
January 30- Classroom Picture NO LUNCH VISITORS
January 21- Spirit Night @ Chick-fil-A 5:00-8:00 PM
February - Black History Month
February 1- DI Instant Challenge Extravaganza(4th grade area) 6:00-8:00 PM
February 5-Pre-K & KG Mother Goose Visit
February 6-100th Day of School
February 7- DI Dress Rehearsal 7:00-8:30 PM
February 8- Muffins with Mom 7:30-8:25 AM
February 8- Father Daughter Dance 6:30-8:00 PM
February 8-15- Book Fair Week
February 8-28- Pennies for Patients Collection
February 11- Name That Book School Competition/Cafeteria 9:15-10:00 AM
February 11- Dental Talk for KG & 1st during Large Group
February 12- Spirit Day @ Orange Leaf All Day Don't forget to mention you're there to support Gleason
February 14&15- K.I.S.S. Day
February 16- DI Competition/Dulles High School
February 18- Student Holiday
February 19- 5th Grade Math Benchmark No Lunch Visitors or Lunch Drop-Off
February 20- 5th Grade Reading Benchmark No Lunch Visitors or Lunch Drop-Off
February 23- Da Vinci Day
February 26- Spring Individual pictures
February 27- 1st grade Zoo Field Trip
February 28- Spirit Night @ Chick-fil-A 5:00-8:00 PM
District’s Student Insurance
Below is the link to the district’s student insurance webpage.
http://www.cfisd.net/en/parents-students/registration/student-insurance/