Kinder Authors by Lacey Abraham (Kindergarten teacher)

Kindergarten recently completed a persuasive letter writing! unit The kids caught the “letter writing” bug that inspired them to keep up the tradition of writing letters to each other! We started this writing unit with learning about the structure of a letter.  We wrote a friendly letter to another person in our classroom.  It has been so much fun to see the excitement on their faces when they hand a friend a letter they have written.

 

We also read persuasive mentor texts during our whole group reading lessons to determine how the author is persuading the reader.  We read I Wanna Iguana and then wrote persuasive letters to our parents to convince them to buy us a new pet! The kids wanted pets ranging from cats to hedgehogs, to even a dinosaur!!! Wow! I wonder if anyone  convinced their parents?!?!

 

 

 

 

 

Watch DOGS by Jamie Brown (Asst. Principal)

This bulletin board is packed with WatchDOGS and their students.

 



The Watch D.O.G.S program is a national program designed to get male role models into schools that historically have been dominated primarily by women. The founders of the program know the value and importance that male role models play in the development of all children. Watch DOGS are fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers, uncles, and other father figures who volunteer to serve at least one day a year in a variety of school activities as assigned by the school. The D.O.G.S in Watch DOGS stands for Dads of Great Students - but you don’t have to be a Dad to be a father figure to students!

The Watch D.O.G.S program was started at TWE three years ago when we opened. Adjustments and improvements have been made each year to make the experience more enjoyable for dads and more meaningful for all the students in our school. The goal of our Watch DOG program is for dads to get involved in the education process, be visible in our school for safety purposes, and to interact with as many students as possible during the day.

If you have participated in our Watch DOG program then you know that it is not a day with your child, but instead a day with many children. Dads assist with science labs, do sight words and other activities with students in Kindergarten, 1^st and 2^nd grade, help out in specials (Art, Music and PE), interact with students in our ESL (English as a Second Language) and GT (Gifted and Talented) programs, and last but certainly not least have lunch with their student(s).

Being a Watch DOG is your opportunity as a Dad to serve our school in a variety of ways. We strive to make the experience meaningful for each dad who volunteers by making them an individualized schedule for the day. At the end of the day, each Watch DOG takes a survey, is able to give suggestions on how we can improve the program, and rates different aspects of the experience. We use the results of that survey to be reflective about our practices and discuss possible changes with our staff members.

Watch DOGS is something I am passionate about and invite all dads to participate. It may be one day a year, but it can make a huge impact on the students at our school. I would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to Ben Simiskey and Laura Barrientos for all of their help with the Watch DOG program. They are both instrumental in making the program the success that it is. Thank you to our teachers for preparing activities that allow Watch DOGS to get involved in the classroom and feel welcomed into our school. And finally, thank you to the many Watch DOGS who have volunteered this year. We enjoy having you on our campus! If you have not signed up to be a Watch DOG this year, I encourage you to find the time and make it happen.

To find our more information about the Watch DOG program visit the official Watch DOG website by clicking on the link below.

http://www.fathers.com/watchdogs/

 

 

Mama Bird by Jamie Brown (Asst. Principal)

Last week as I working in my office, I noticed a hawk sitting on the roof of the awning in front of the school. I noticed a smaller bird flying into the hawk with all of its might. As I watched, I couldn’t help but think that this little bird had to be a protective parent. It was evident from the interaction that the hawk was near a bird nest and the smaller bird sprang into action to protect the eggs. The small bird showed such bravery in its actions to protect and it got me thinking about parents in general. I think all parents instinctively want to protect their children from failure, hurt, disappointment, embarrassment, and an endless list of other things.

I sat there thinking about the conversations I have with protective parents and began to think about Brene Brown’s ted talk on vulnerability. I recently had the opportunity to hear Brene speak at a district principal’s meeting about her book “Daring Greatly”. She spoke about how “vulnerability is the greatest measure of courage” because being vulnerable is uncomfortable, risky and emotional. She spoke about how important it is to experience failure and how if you’re not failing then you’re not trying anything new. Sometimes it is hard to see the benefits of failure or struggle when you are in protective parent mode.

The bird outside my window that day was in protective mode because it was a matter of life and death for her future chicks. As a parent, what causes you to go into protective mode? Are you willing to let your child experience failure? When do you step in? There are many things to consider when you are answering these questions, and we know that being a parent is the hardest job you will ever do.

There are many articles about being an over protective or helicopter parent, and how that affects children as they grow up. I have included one below that I found to be interesting. Unfortunately as with many things in life there is no right or wrong answer. You have to read the research, gather information, and then decide what kind of parent you want to be. You are the only one who can decide the answers to the questions I posed above: “What causes you to go into protective mode?, Are you willing to let your child experience failure?, and When do you step in?”

http://drrobynsilverman.com/parenting-tips/helicopter-parents-helpful-or-harmful/

 

 

 

Dodgeball Club by Coach McDonald and Coach Park

As you may know, dodgeball seems to always be a favorite among students for a fun PE game.  Due to our curriculum being filled with so many other fun activities, we don’t have much time to play dodgeball.  So, to fill the strong desire to play, we created a Dodgeball club for our 5^th grade students.  Our main goals for this club was to provide additional physical fitness to our 5^th grade students while having fun and to teach them several different versions of dodgeball.  We played traditional dodgeball, Domination Dodgeball, Outliner Xtreme Dodgeball, and Jailbreak.  Most had their own opinion about which version was their favorite, but Domination seemed to be most favored – ask your student which they preferred.  Thank you parents for allowing to spend a little more time having fun with your 5^th grader before they move on to Jr High!

 

 

 

Staying in the Art Zone this Summer by Amie Shorter (Art teacher)

It's never to early or late to start planning your summer adventures.  If you have the pleasure of traveling, scout out the local museums and the upcoming exhibits as well as the special events they plan in the summer just for families.  If you are planning a "stay-cation", we live in one of the most diverse cities that have so many fine arts opportunities just a brief car ride away.  I know that money can be a concern because some exhibits can be expensive, but If you  plan ahead and do your research you will find that many of our local museums have discounted or even free days all summer long.  If your child/children want more - the Glassell school of Art has classes for ages 3-18, it is associated with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.  Another great source for some artistic enrichment is the National Gallery of Art, this website has great images, history, artists biographies and activities.  http://www.nga.gov/kids/zone/zone.htm

 

What's Making in Kindergarten? by Charlotte Gilder (Asst. Principal)

Simply put, a "makerspace" is a place for people to make things. With the growing popularity of DIY shows and Maker Fairs across the country, it's no surprise that progressive educators have found a way to connect this to teaching. This is really nothing new, but more of a redesigned shop class with a twist. It's sort of a mix of art, science, wood shop, combined together where students can solve problems, innovate and experiment. While working on projects, students practice 21st century  skills such as creativity, problem solving, persistence and collaboration.

 

 

 

 

In Kindergarten, children learn through hands-on experiences.  Science, language arts, reading, math, art, music, social studies, health, and physical education are all part of our integrated curriculum.  The Kindergarten program is designed to stretch the muscles and minds of young children.  Children are always learning and developing!  Drawing, hammering or working with play-dough develops the use of arm and hand muscles.  When building with blocks, there is a need for children to consider size, proportion and number, which will later help make math seem more sensible.  Children learn through play.  Kindergarten children are naturally curious about the world around them.  As a child investigates and experiments, simple concepts will be formed about the world, which provide the groundwork for scientific learning. 

 

The Wolfpack Way by Charlotte Gilder (TWE Assistant Principal)

What do we really mean when we say, ‘that’s the Wolfpack Way’?  If you are ever at TWE between 8:25-8:35, you will hear all students and teachers pledging to ‘act responsibly, work hard and be nice’.  There is nothing like getting each day started with a positive outlook!  Our youngest students have learned the pledge and all the different meanings of what it takes to fulfill the Wolfpack Way.  Acting responsibly, working hard and being nice are not lessons for school only, but will carry over into to all aspects of life for our students.  Our students are striving each day to live up to the expectations of the Wolfpack Way.  However, we realize when dealing with children, part of them learning is being allowed to make mistakes.  So, naturally, students may divert from the Wolfpack Way which gives us an opportunity to ‘coach’ them about getting back on track.  We take pride in helping our students correct their mistakes in a loving, respectful way.  This would not be possible without families working in partnership with us to prepare students to be successful at school and in the real world.  As the end of the school year quickly approaches, we are counting on our children to continue to live up the expectations of the Wolfpack Way--now and forever!  By "Acting responsibly, working hard and being nice", our students know they can EXPECT SUCCESS!

Wolfpack Chorale by Candace Beyer and Sarah Currier (TWE music teachers)

The 2014-2015 Wolfpack Chorale is having an awesome year!  They are directed by Ms. Currier and Mrs. Beyer.  They began singing together in September and worked diligently to prepare for their winter concert in December.  The group even went on a tour around town and sang for the SLJH choir, employees of a Katy ISD business partner, Wood Group, and an assisted living home called Colonial Oaks.  In January of this year, the choir received a new set of challenging music to learn, including songs like “Blue Skies”, “Peace on Earth and Lots of Little Crickets”, “The Campfire Song”, and “Music Alone Shall Live”.  The members of the Wolfpack Chorale rose to the occasion, making their directors very proud!  They ended the choir year in a big way last Friday night by singing the National Anthem at the Astros game. It was a great evening with hundreds of TWE fans (including the Wilsons) supporting the Wolfpack Chorale and the Astros!

 

 

 

Junior Achievement Day in Fifth Grade by Robert L.

 

 

Recently in Fifth Grade, we had Junior Achievement Day. If you don’t know what this is,  JA is a program to teach kids about the different aspects of the business world, such as the Global Economy, what you need to start a business, and what is in high demand on the market. We also learned about how countries have to buy materials from all over the world, just to make a single product! If you don’t understand, here’s an example: So let’s say Germany has a car factory, and they have to fill an order of cars, but, the thing is, they don’t have any materials! So they go buy some rubber from India, steel from the U.S, glass from Italy, and engines from Britain. So, now they have all their natural and manufactured resources, but they kind of have a problem: they don’t have anyone to run the factory! So they must hire Human Resources: Employees! So, now, Germany has all the resources they need to fill the order and make money! But on Junior Achievement Day, we also learned that if one link breaks, everything stops! Remember the car factory in Germany? Let’s say that there is a huge flood in India, and all the rubber is needed to make life rafts; What  happens to the tires in the car? So if there are no tires, there is no car! No car   means no need for glass, engines, steel, or employees! Then the factory goes out of business, and there is no more money being made! That really shows how countries depend on each other for goods. So, in reality, Junior Achievement Day is a fun and interesting way to learn about the business world and how it works! So if you think that learning about business and economy is boring, you are really missing out on some great stuff! So if you ever do Junior Achievement Day, get involved! There’s tons of things to learn!

 

Traditions That Make a Difference by Blake C. and Jack L. (5th grade students)

Friday Sprinkles

                                                          By: Blake C.

 Every Friday we have a tradition of sharing. We call it Friday Sprinkles! This is a time when we come to the floor and share what we are going to do over the weekend, upcoming events or anything on our mind! This is a time for us to talk, listen and share. We’ve learned in Mrs. Counter’s class that we are a team and we are here to support each other. I like Friday Sprinkles because I get to hang out with my friends and talk about what’s going on in are life.

 

 

Citizenship Party 

by: Jack L.

 The Citizenship Party is for all the kids at Tom Wilson Elementary school that have four or less marks. The school has people that come from different professions. The citizenship party can range to one hour to thirty minutes. Usually they do Kindergarten to Second Grade then they do Third Grade to Fifth Grade. The Citizenship Party is super fun! The Citizenship Party is probably the best school event there is! I think it is fun because you get to run around and watch shows. Every enjoys the Citizenship Party.

 

 

 

Rollercoaster Science in 2nd grade by Ginny Lund (2nd grade teacher)

Ready, set, GO!!!  There’s a lot of commotion about Force and Motion in 2^nd grade! 

Talk about having FUN learning about Science!!  During our Force and Motion unit, students created the slowest rollercoaster, the fastest rollercoaster, and a rollercoaster with a loop.  

We used marbles and PVC pipe insulation to create a rollercoaster.  Each student had a part in the experiment.  Students used devices to take pictures of the final product. 

                                                 There are times that you want a SLOW rollercoaster.    

                                          

                                      There are times when a FAST rollercoaster will do.

                                        

 

               Then for the thrill seeker, a rollercoaster with a LOOP is the best!  They learned that in order to get the marble around the loop, you have to have a steep slope at the beginning. 

                                       

 

                                                Some students extended learning and made 2 loops!

                                   

 

It was amazing to watch our students use their science thinking, creativity and engineering skills.

  

Making Informal Assessments …FUN!!! By: Marilyn Triolo (2nd grade teacher)

 

 

We all like to have fun, however when it comes to school, teachers often develop creative activities to keep students engaged.  With that said, when it comes to informal assessments, the goal of developing fun ways to assess, can be a little more difficult to achieve.  That is until now.  I love when you can assess the class, and they don’t even realize that an informal assessment is happening. The level of anxiety immediately dissolves, and the smiles appear!  How you may ask…. That answer is achieved with one word…CLICKERS!!!  That is even a fun word to say!

  While I was recently in Austin at the TCEA conference, Mrs. Boiarsky and I were visiting with a vendor.  We participated in a contest, and she was awarded a class set of these amazing little devices.  They provide amazing technology techniques that allow the teacher to make sure each student is answering and show the class a graph about how they answered  as a class.  The desired transformation of making assessment fun has just taken its next step!! 

 

 

 

Spring Has Sprung in 2nd Grade by Christy Williams (2nd grade teacher and team leader)

 

If you happen to look in the window of any second grade classroom, you will see plants sprouting!  Second graders have been learning about plants.  We have learned about the basic needs of plants.  We learned about how they physical characteristics of a plant help it meet its basic needs such as stems carry water throughout the plant.  Students even discussed factors in the environment like temperature and precipitation that affect plant growth.

                       

 

Students have been recording and measuring their plants growth in their science journals.

We also experimented with withholding basic needs from seeds and seeing what might happen.  We made sure that one cup had no soil, one had water, one had no air and one had no sunlight.

                            

 

 

We discovered that by without sunlight our plants still grew but were a yellow color instead of green.

Great learning - great fun!

Fun with OTHS Sportz Comedy Team by By: Sydney G. and Gabriela M. ( 5th grade students)

Last week , 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade had an assembly in the gym for our citizenship celebration party. Students from our local high school, Tompkins, came to play lots of fun games. They called their group SportzComedy.  There were 3 teams, red, blue, and black. Some games they played were Emotion Symphony, Dumbbell Races, and Set the Scene. The overall favorite was Set the Scene. To play Set the Scene you need to pick a few players to go outside of the room and pick 2 songs, 2 foods, 1 television show, and 3 catch phrases and write them on separate pieces of paper. You will then put the cards face down on the floor and then pick a scene. The first person will pick up a card and read it. As the story goes on each player will pick up a card and read it out loud. The players will incorporate the phrase in the scene; this game will give you a good laugh. This group was great with improvisational comedy! We thank  the OTHS Comedy Sportz team for coming to TWE! This was one of the best citizenship parties so far!   

Junior Achievement By: Sofia O. & Ana G. 5th grade students

                                                             

 

Junior Achievement is an important activity for kids when volunteers teach children about jobs, careers and the skills you would need to be successful in the real world. Volunteers come for a JA in a Day  to teach 5^th grade and the rest of the grades about resources (capital, natural and human). The volunteers also teach kids about STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). We played many fun games and worksheets to help improve our skills. One game was each person had a card and we held a string every time we read our card. After we created a problem and almost everyone dropped their string(s). This helped us understand how each country relies on one other and if one thing goes wrong it effects everything else. This was just one of the many fun activities we participated in. We had a great day doing Junior Achievement.  

 

Learning with Reader's Theater by Ellen Wiech and Chris Cipresso (1st grade teachers)

 

Our first graders have been working hard to prepare their reader's theater presentations.  This activity allows students to think about their character's feeling and actions. The students thought about these things as they were planning their presentations. They collaborated with their groups to work on props, costumes and stage directions. The teachers were also able to share videos of the presentations with the parents on Edmodo.

 

 

Egg-citing News by Mrs. Stein (1st grade teacher)

It all started with an innocent ladybug landing on Mrs. Stein’s pants after recess.  Little did we know it would lead to a ladybug family.  First grade is proud to announce we will be expecting our second group of ladybug larva in 3-7 days (so far we have counted 57 eggs).  Our first group of 10 eggs hatched into larva on March 30th. We will enjoy the larva until they change into pupa in about 3 weeks.  They are enjoying walking around the terrarium and eating aphids.  J

  See attached pictures for our egg-citing news!

 

 

 

 

Studying the Life Cycle with Real Life Experience in First Grade by Mrs.Stein (first grade teacher

Spring is in the air, and we know what that means….. new life.  First graders have really enjoyed immersing themselves in our science objectives of food chains, interdependency, life cycles, and how animals resemble their parents.  During our nature walk we discovered a mother Killdeer bird protecting it’s nest of 4 eggs on the ground.   The mother was flapping her wings and screeching at us.  We realized that she saw us as a predator and she was only trying to protect her eggs.  This lead to a great discussion on food chains.   We learned that the incubation period is between 24-28 days so, we are hoping to see some new life in the next week or so. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Math in First Grade by Catherine Monroe and Indu Jhawer (1st grade teachers)

 

Our students have been hard at work during guided math stations. Guided math time allows teachers to work with students in small groups who have similar learning styles, skill levels or needs.

Students enjoy different hands on learning activities while the teacher is working on skills with small groups. The Smart Board and tablet stations are class favorites!

 

 

 

 

Butterflies in Kinder by Stephanie Culbertson (2nd grade teacher)

Kindergarten has been spending time learning about living and nonliving things. We learned about plants and animals and some of the different life cycles. One of our favorites was the life cycle of a butterfly. We read books like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and learned about all the changes a caterpillar will go through from a tiny egg to a butterfly!

 

 

Now all the kindergarten classes have caterpillars in their classroom. We are able to see the life cycle of a butterfly come to life in our very own room! We started with very small caterpillars that shed their skin and grew much bigger. This week the caterpillars have begun to form their chrysalis and we can’t wait to see them turn into beautiful butterflies!