1. education
2. school

May/June
2015
The Tribune
Lone Star Elementary
16600 FM 2854
Montgomery, Texas 77316
www.misd.org
936-588-6100
Principal
Catherine Bartlett, Ed.D.
Assistant Principal
Melissa Freeman
Principal’s Points
May/June Dates
May 6 – Group D Talent Shows
May 7 – Group A Talent Shows
May 7 – 2nd Grade Field Trip to P6 Farms
May 7 – 10:00, PTA Meeting
May 8 – KISS Breakfast for G-L Families
May 8 – Groups A & D Talent Shows
May 13 – Garden Day for 1st Grade
May 13 – Group F Talent Shows
May 14 – Group C Talent Shows
May 15 – Group C & F Talent Shows
May 15 – KISS Breakast for M-R Families
May 20 – Group E Talent Shows
May 20 – Lone Star Leadership, 4th grade
May 21 – Group B Talent Shows
May 21 – 6:00 pm, Singing Stars Concert
May 22 – Group B & E Talent Shows
May 22 – KISS Breakfast for S-Z Families
May 22 – TAMU Healthy Eating
presentation at PE
May 26 – 7:45 am, CAC Meeting
May 28 – 3rd Grade Luau Day
May 29 – 9:00, Kindergarten Graduation
May 29 – 10:00, 1st Grade Water Fun
June 2 – 9:00, 4th Grade Ceremony
June 2 – 1:15, 2nd Grade Awards
June 3 – 9:00, 3rd Grade Awards
June 3 – 1:00, Early Dismissal
June 4 – 1:00, Early Dismissal
June 4 – Students’ Last Day
New Assistant Principal at
Lone Star
We welcome Mrs. Kelly Lout
to our LSE Staff! Mrs.
Lout will be joining our
administrative staff as a
2nd assistant principal.
Dear Lone Star Families,
Periodically I am asked how we place children into homerooms. It is a
responsibility that Mrs. Krug, Mrs. Freeman, and I take very seriously.
We will look at children's achievement, ability, and temperament, and
then we will work to make the best fit with an upcoming teacher. We
consider the current teacher's success with a child, and we may take
parent input into account regarding certain characteristics. For example,
it is helpful to us if you know that your child needs a structured
environment or a teacher with a higher tolerance for movement/noise.
Whether your child is shy, outgoing, anxious, or struggling in a subject that is information that comes into play as we work to make the best
grouping possible. We do NOT take or honor specific teacher
requests. I have found that specific requests are based upon prior
experience with an older sibling or a neighbor's child. Not only is that
misguided or even inappropriate, there is always the possibility that the
requested teacher may change positions or grade levels before we
return in August. You can see how it is more helpful to focus on the child
rather than the teacher.
While we do not honor "buddy requests", we do need to know if there
are circumstances between your child and another that might result in a
conflict should they end up in the same homeroom. I want you to know
that many hours and many discussions are put into creating homerooms
for the upcoming school year. I feel comfortable in sharing that
responsibility with the teachers and administrative team, all of whom
know your children well. I am by no means soliciting letters from you.
However, if you do need to alert us to certain concerns, please address
your emails to our counselor, Mrs. Krug by May 22 at [email protected].
We will not be able to entertain input after that time. I want to assure you
that this is a responsibility we do not take lightly. We are all here to help
every child have a great year… year, after year, after year!
Thank you, Lone Star Families! We have had
a wonderful year working with you and your
precious children.
Catherine Bartlett
May/June Tribune, p2
Counselor’s Corner
Our new character value is compassion. We will practice how
compassion is "caring for others because they have feelings
too". When our children show compassion, it is an indication
that they can process the feeling of empathy. We model
empathy for them when we truly notice the details in their face,
body language, and behaviors. A great "noticing script" for
modeling empathy for your child might sound something like,
"You seem _____. Something ____ must have happened".
Give this a try (instead of questioning) the next time your child
needs help with regulating his/her feelings during a tough
moment.
Wishing You Well,
Elisa Krug~Counselor
Kindergarten Kiddos
It is hard to believe, but our very first year of school is
about to come to a close! It has been a whirlwind of
making friends, learning to read and plenty of fun
activities along the way. Don't miss our end of
Kindergarten farewell performance on Friday, May
29th at 9:00 a. m. Bring the family and plenty of
tissues! Look out first grade, here we come!!!!!
Fantastic Firsties
May is here! As most of us are looking toward "the
end", firsties are still in "mastery mode", meaning that
it's time to be sure all that learning and skills are in our
brains forever! DRA final assessments are coming
soon. Time to show what great readers they have
become. Math skills will be reviewed and assessed
throughout the next few weeks. Please make every
effort to have your child in school every day because
we are assessing a little each week before the end of
the year. Your child should be so proud of how
independent and responsible they have become. They
rock at tying shoes, loosing teeth, helping
others, following directions and even keeping up with
homework, books and folders.
Just when you didn't think there was any more room
in those tiny brains, we still have some great learning
and activities to wrap up the year. So....... Finish
strong!
Superstar Second Graders
May flowers are springing up in the 2nd grade
hall! Our kids are studying plant life and their basic
needs. This is a perfect time for our Field trip to P6
farms in Montgomery this Thursday, May 7th! Math
will be exploring shapes, both 3d and 2d in Geometry
and then finishing out the month polishing skills
they've learned to take to 3rd grade! Your 2nd graders
will be practicing Expository Text and comparing
"paired passages" in Reading and Language Arts. They
haven't slowed down a bit, each new day brings new
learning opportunities. Thank you for helping them
stay focused and practicing their skills they're
learning. Soon, we will be sending home notices of our
End of the Year Awards party on June 2nd, at 1:15!
Thrilling Third Grade
We are proud how our third graders rocked the
STAAR, and we are continuing to work hard to get
ready for fourth grade. There are going to be a lot of
fun and exciting things going on in our hall this
month. We are finishing the year by mastering our
multiplication facts and learning cursive, and doing
many fun science experiments! Our year will conclude
by learning about economics, goods and services, and
how our economy works. Our Battle of the Books
competition between classes will be on May 19th!
Fabulous Fourth
Fourth Graders are excited about what awaits us in
May. We will get creative with our writing activities,
continue getting lost in books, explore animals,
discover the history of our great state, and show off our
math skills through in-class projects! On May 15th we
will get a sneak peek at what 5th grade is all about, and
on June 2nd we will celebrate all the things we have
accomplished while looking ahead at all the places
we'll go!
Lone Star Leadership
Thank you to our May group of leaders! Representatives will
meet this month to review highlights of the year and help us plan
for 2015-16. Members include:
Brock Benton, Kennedi Cooper, Anderson Dennis,
Emma Gober, Reese Horn, Kopelan Heckman, Reagan
Kremheller ,Aubrey Loftice, Jax McCrea, Katherine Nohl, Mihret
McNelly,Kaden Mitchell, Karmen Nunez,Sophie Smith, Jaden
Spicer, Spencer Thornton, and Kinsey Williams,
May/June Tribune, p3
Specials are Special!
Biblio-Tech News
Battle of the Books – Our Third and Fourth Grade students will battle it out to find out who will be LSE’s Battle of the
Books Champions. Students have been reading books from their grade level list since September. They come together as
teams and test their knowledge of these books by participating in a Family Feud or College Bowl style competition. Third
Grade will battle on May 19 and 4th grade will battle on May 20. See the Library website for a complete list of Battle
books. Good Luck and let the Battle begin!
Summer Reading - Did you know that studies show students who do not exercise their brains by reading during the
summer break can lose one to three months of learning from the previous school year? Research shows that reading for
only 20 minutes a day during the summer should keep children on track for the next school year. A great place to get
books during the summer is the Montgomery County Memorial Library System. Each year, the MCMLS offers a summer
reading program. This year’s theme is Every Hero Has a Story. The Children’s Librarian from the Charles B. Stewart
West Branch will visit our school on May 22 to speak with our students about the summer reading program as well as
special event that are scheduled for the summer months. Happy Summer Reading!
ART
Students are finishing up their artwork
and creating one more project. We hope
their summer is full of creativity!
P.E.
Fitness testing is almost complete. Third and
fourth graders will be receiving their results
by the end of the school year.
Music Notes
Kindergarten students are hard at work preparing all their
songs for their Kindergarten Graduation on Friday, May
29th. They can’t wait to share their songs with you!
1st, 2nd & 3rd grade students are working on composition
projects using knowledge they have gained this year about
rhythms and pitches. They will also have the opportunity
to “invent” their own musical instrument for fun.
4th grade students have begun learning their end of the
year program songs. They are busy singing and learning
choreography.
Lone Star Has Talent performances begin this
week during music class.
Students will be finishing up the year with a
variety games that will incorporate fundamental skills, team work
and great sportsmanship.
Group D = Wednesday, May 6th or Friday, May 8th
**Group A = Thursday, May 7th or Friday, May 8th
Field Day was a HUGE SUCCESS due to all the parent
Group F = Wednesday, May 13th or Friday, May 15th
support. Thanks to all the parents that volunteered their time at Group C = Thursday, May 14th or Friday, May 15th
stations, set up and decorated canopies, cleaned up the field and Group E = Wednesday, May 20th
brought in equipment, and came out to cheer on your child's
Group B = Thursday, May 21st
class.
**Most of 2nd grade Group A will perform on Tuesday,
MISD is offering a variety of Summer Camps. Information will be May 26th due to their field trip. Students that chose to
coming home soon in Tuesday folders. Wisnieske's Winning
perform on Friday, May 8th will still be able to perform on
Games is the camp I am offering here at LSE from June 8th-June the 8th.
11th.
Be on the lookout for a note with your child’s actual
Wishing all of you a relaxing and safe summer. Good luck to all
performance date and time.
the 4th graders next year. You will be missed!!
Home&School
Working Together for School Success
May 2015
®
CONNECTION
Lone Star Elementary
Dr. Catherine Bartlett, Principal
SHORT
NOTES
Keep friendships
strong
Encourage your youngster to stay
in touch with classmates over the
summer. Let her invite friends over
or arrange to meet at a park or a
mini-golf course. She’ll enjoy the gettogethers, and staying close will help
her be ready to work and play with
peers when school starts again.
Saying thank you
As the school year comes to a close,
teachers are sure to appreciate the
best gift of all: a simple thank you.
You and your child can write notes
thanking his teacher for helping him
learn to read or teaching fun science
experiments, for example.
Plan ahead for snack time
Kids are more likely to eat foods they
help pick out. Take your youngster
shopping for healthy snacks, such as
watermelon, plain popcorn, and hummus with whole-wheat pita bread.
Stock them front and center in the
refrigerator and pantry so your child
can grab a nutritious treat when she
takes a break from playing.
Worth quoting
“The true delight is in the finding
out rather than in the knowing.”
Isaac Asimov
JUST FOR FUN
Kyle: What is the difference between
lightning and electricity?
Jenna:
We have
to pay for
electricity.
© 2015 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated
Summer learning games
Learning is more fun when
you turn it into a game! Try
these family games that let
your child play with words,
numbers, and science.
Spelling cups
Be the first to unscramble
the letters and guess the word.
You’ll need cups and magnetic
letters or Scrabble tiles. One
player secretly thinks of a word
and places each letter under a separate upside-down cup. The other players take turns flipping over one cup. Let
everyone see the letter, cover it back up,
and slide the cups around to mix them
up. At any point, a player can call out
the word being spelled — but if he’s
wrong, he’s out. Guess the word correctly, and you make the next word.
Bull’s-eye math
Have your youngster use sidewalk
chalk to draw a target with four rings. He
should write 10 in the outer ring, 25 in
the next, 50 in the third, and 100 in the
center circle. (Use 1, 2, 5, and 10 for a
younger child.) To play, stand a few feet
away from the target, and take turns
tossing a pebble onto it. Each time, add
the number from the ring your pebble
lands on to your score. Write the equation
you made in chalk (50 + 25 = 75; 75 + 50
= 125). Reach 500 points to win.
Science scavenger hunt
Together, think of 12 small natural
objects found on the ground. Examples:
twig, dandelion, berry, buckeye. Then,
each person labels sections of an empty
egg carton for the items. Go to the park,
search for the objects, and put them in
the matching spots. The first person to
fill his egg carton wins.♥
Outdoor volunteers
Build a family helping habit this summer. These ideas
will encourage your youngster to do community service while she enjoys the sunshine:
● Sign up to volunteer during a fund-raising walk.
Your child could work with you at a pit stop, handing water cups to participants.
● Lend a hand at a charity yard sale at a school, community
center, or place of worship. Together, you might sort and tag donations. Or your
youngster could bag purchases for customers as you ring them up.
● Work in the garden at a school or an assisted-living facility. Your child can help
weed, plant, water, and harvest. If you garden at home, consider giving some vegetables to a food pantry or soup kitchen that accepts homegrown produce.♥
Home & School CONNECTION
May 2015 • Page 2
®
Safe and occupied
Take turns.
Neighbors can set
up a schedule for
watching each
other’s children
play in a backyard or at a
playground. Or
consider swapping child care
with a parent
who works different days or opposite shifts. Also, you
could arrange carpools for driving to camps or day care.
What will your youngster do this summer?
Whether you work outside the home or
not, you’ll want to keep her busy, happy,
and safe. Here are tips.
Look for activities. Public libraries and
parks and recreation departments have
programs to match any child’s interests.
Look for free or low-cost activities like
music workshops, board game clubs,
and tumbling classes.
Find low-cost camps. Check into city or county camps,
ACTIVITY
CORNER
Stuck on crafts
Duct tape is all the rage these days.
Look for it in fun patterns and colors, or
let your child add stickers to plain duct
tape. Then, encourage him to be creative
with projects like these.
Bookmarks
Wrap duct tape around and around a
craft stick to make a bookmark. Or cut
two strips the same
size, stick them
together, and
punch a hole
in the top to tie
a ribbon through.
Party decorations
Form miniature flags on toothpicks,
and put each one in a cupcake. For placemats, cut the front and back panels from
cereal boxes. Add strips of tape arranged
in different patterns and designs.
Containers
Cover baby food or canning jars with
colorful duct tape to create pencil holders or vases. Make fun storage containers for small toys by decorating shoe
boxes with duct tape. ♥
O U R
P U R P O S E
To provide busy parents with practical ideas
that promote school success, parent involvement,
and more effective parenting.
Resources for Educators,
a division of CCH Incorporated
128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630
540-636-4280 • [email protected]
www.rfeonline.com
ISSN 1540-5621
© 2015 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated
where prices are typically lower than at private camps. You
might qualify for help with fees or be able to use flexible
spending account funds or earn dependent-care tax credits.♥
Q Avoid summer slide
&
I’ve been hearing about how
A Q:
children often lose skills while
school is out. How can I keep my son
from experiencing this “summer slide”?
A: It’s true that students tend to forget
some of what they learned during the
school year. Talk to your son’s teacher to
see if there are specific subjects he should work on, such as writing or math.
him
Then, use summer activities or time in the car to practice. You could give
he
what
a journal, and after a trip to the zoo or a museum, he can write about
saw. Or as you drive, he might count red and green lights and say what fraction
each color represents of the total.
him
Also, sign your child up for your library’s summer reading program. Have
about
you
tell
check out books and read at least 20–30 minutes a day. Ask him to
the books, and talk to him about your own reading, too.♥
PARENT
TO
ENT
R
A
P
Back-to-school prep
Last year, I made
the mistake of waiting until the last minute to prepare my
kids for back-to-school. This year, with
my younger daughter starting first
grade and my older one going to
middle school, we’re going to try
a few changes.
First, I will schedule their
physicals right away, since
their doctors’ calendars filled
up fast last year. Also, we’ll
shop early for school supplies to take advantage of
sales and make sure the kids get the colors they want.
Finally, we let the girls stay up later
during summer, and last year they had
a hard time adjusting to their
school-year bedtime. So in
August, we’ll gradually
move bedtime a little
earlier each week.
We’ll see if my plan
works. I’m sure every
year I’ll learn something
new about helping two
kids get ready for school!♥