What Does "Disciplined Child" Mean? by Dana Ratliff (TWE counselor)

As the school counselor, I hear many families talking about the challenges and struggles of raising disciplined children. Many times we know what changes are desired but are not always aware of how to create that change. Discipline isn’t innate. In fact, not all families even agree on what a disciplined child looks like; and that is perfectly normal. Don’t we raise the family we are comfortable living with? Don’t we encourage and nurture the values and morals we personally hold in regard? So, obviously we wouldn’t all raise our children in the same way. But, if you do find yourself looking around your home thinking, “What is going on here?” I encourage you to read the article below by Michele Borba. She is a well-known psychologist with years of experience in child psychology. She is one of my “Go To” experts with exceptional advice on the topic of children and students.

 

 http://micheleborba.com/the-7-biggest-discipline-mistakes-a-primer-for-puzzled-parents/

This Country has a New Citizen!!!! by Laura Barrientos (TWE Financial Clerk)

Last Thursday, I became and American citizen, and I couldn't feel happier, more honored or more proud. Many people asked me if it was like the movie, "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock. Sorry to disappoint you, but no, it is not like that at all.


First you become a resident and get your Permanent Residency Card. Depending on your situation, after a certain amount of time, you are eligible to apply to citizenship.


This last process took me about eight months from the last interview to the oath ceremony. I must say that it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I asked a lot of other people and some friends who went through the process for information. I also read a lot of forums and blogs about the process and experience. At one point, we thought about doing this process through a lawyer, but in the end and after much research, I decided to do it myself following all of the steps and instructions provided by the US Citizenship Office.




It is not only the legal process of becoming a US Citizen, but there is also an emotional part of it. By becoming a citizen, it doesn't mean that I will suddenly forget about the country where I grew up - my Spanish, my traditions, friend and family. It just means that now I have a new home with new friends and new traditions to add to the old ones. It means I have new opportunity for me and for our family which I did not have before. We are very blessed to be surrounded by all the wonderful people who celebrated this important moment in our lives, and I can't express in words how grateful I am for all of the love and support that I received from our wonderful TWE family - especially the lovely ladies I work with each day!

Moms and Their Daughters by Rhonda Henderson

My relationship with my daughter is a special one! She is an adult and has several businesses now, but she will always be my little girl at heart. When we talk, the memories we made when she was a little girl and teenager still bond us together. We laugh about them all the time, and we still take time to be silly together (note us modeling these fashion caps at a gas station in the pic below)!!!!!






That is why I love the community building activities that our PTA organizes for our TWE families. Bonding with your child in elementary school makes life a lot easier as they move into junior high, high school and beyond. On February 12, our mothers enjoyed an eighties themed Skate Night. It was a special time full of laughter and bonding. Those memories will last forever in the bond that the moms and daughters formed that night! Thank you TWE PTA for valuing the relationships of parents and their kids!!!!

What is Makerspace? by Rhonda Henderson

The Educause Learning Initiative defines a MAKERSPACE as a physical location where people gather to share resources and knowledge, work on projects, network, and build.


 Last year, our Kindergarten teachers discovered this concept and put it into action. We provide the space (Kindergarten kitchen), the time and the materials that allow our youngest students the opportunity to create, collaborate, communicate, problem solve and have fun as they design, build, experiment and engineer using their art, math, language, science and technology skills. The goal is to have students draw designs, create and even photograph products, write and talk about those products. This is self-directed learning. The teacher serves as a facilitator, a collaborative partner, an advisor. Our Makerspace is PACKTASTIC!!!!

The Wilsons - Volunteers Extraordinaire by Rhonda Henderson

At TWE, we are blessed to have a namesake who was not only an outstanding educator, but he is an outstanding individual who believes in giving back to the community in ways that build integrity and a spirit of fun!!!! Mr. Tom Wilson practice the BEAM attitude every single day!

 He volunteers as a docent at Bayou Bend as one of many ways he gives back to the community. Our 5th grade students will have the opportunity to visit the museum this week! Mr. Wilson came last week to give them some background information on the museum and what to expect during their visit. Recently he has also come to school to be interviewed by our 2nd grade students. You will soon be able to see the writing those students produce from their visit. It is a treat each year. He also comes each mont to play the piano with our ECAP and YCAP students. This program is a self-contained program for children with autism.

Mrs. Lillie Beth Wilson is also a retired educator who was a principal and education leader for many years.  Mr. and Mrs. Wilson volunteer regularly and are considered celebrities at TWE! We feel privileged to represent the school named in Mr. Tom Wilson's honor and to learn from his example that giving back to others makes our world a better place!

Mr. Wilson and a CAP student make music together!

Mrs. Coughran (TWE staff member) is an accomplished pianist also. She and Mr. Wilson play a duet!

Mrs. Wilson visits regularly to add joy to the day of our students!

BEAM by Rhonda Henderson

During the month of February, our staff and students have participated in the district BEAM (Because Everyone's Attitude Matters) Challenge. Each day the students have been issued a challenge to complete - some individual/some class and some at school/some at home. Check out #twehowl on Twitter for more pictures of classroom activities. The purpose is to make us all a little more aware that our attitude affects not only our mood for the day, but it also affects the mood of others. If we are kind or cheerful, those around us have a greater chance of feeling kind and cheerful. We are spreading joy at TWE, and it has been a successful effort. We encourage our students, staff and extended community to continue practicing BEAM principles everyday. Thanks for supporting this initiative!

Technology Update

TCEA by Mrs. Frias, 3^rd Grade

                Earlier this month, a wonderful group of teachers had the opportunity to attend TCEA. The Texas Computer Education Association is a member based organization founded in 1980 to support the use of technology in education. I am so excited about all the learning I did and can’t wait to implement all the new exciting ideas that I learned about. Thank you to our wonderful PTA for supporting the growth of teachers. I hope you also follow us on twitter and check out #TWEHOWL to see some of the things we did and some great pictures.  

 

My favorite apps to use in class by Crystal Yang, 3^rd Grade, Mrs. Frias’ Class

One good app is probably Kahoot. It is a fun way to take tests and to learn. Another fun app is Tellagami.  It is a very interesting app. It is where you create characters and make them talk. Chatter kid is almost the same thing. Brain pop is very educational. You can learn about all kinds of different things. If you don’t know what to watch there is always a video of the week. Endings of the clips, are always funny. Pic collage is a app that gets you very creative. You can create a lot of different collages. There are lots of different things to design with.

Open House Night by Zermené Q, 3rd Grade Mrs. Keel’s Class

                Third graders love to be creative…so we made our own personal paper pal! On the night of Open House, we third graders had our families find our paper pals. On the smart board, there was a whole list of things to show our parents, grandparents, and other family members. Next, we went and showed our choice of versatiles or four corner math. Then, we went to our switch class and since we were learning about poetry, each table got their own stack of poetry books. We got to look for similes, metaphors, and alliteration in the books.

                Finally, we each got a paper heart and were supposed to write what we love about TWE. Then, we went to the library and hung it on a tree! Open House was awesome!

Poetry Slam Preview (and it was awesome)!!!!!

Poetry Slam by Ms. Lynch, 3^rd Grade

On Tuesday, February 9^th, 3^rd Grade is having our annual poetry slam. We are so excited for the students to be sharing poetry with their parents! The students have learned so much about poetry and have written so many wonderful poems. We have really enjoyed our poetry unit because poetry lets the students’ creativity shine!

 

Poetry Slam by Lily N, 3^rd Grade Mrs. Keel’s Class

The 3^rd Grade poetry slam is going to be awesome! We all prepared for our parts in the poems. We first got our parts, and practiced in a group. Then, after studying our roles, we performed in front of our class (I was totally freaked out) and all of us did really well. Then, we practiced in front of 2^nd Grade and 3^rd Grade. The real thing will be awesome!

                We have an awesome stage, decorated by PTA members (good work guys!). Also, the best crew of 3^rd Graders, too. We get to dress up like our role. We will have teachers, students, dogs, and a lot more! All of us are super excited for it! Some of us are a little nervous, but excited! I’m 101% sure we will be awesome!

Our Trip to Taste of Texas by Ramya S. in Ms. O'Quinn's class

The field trip to the Taste of Texas restaurant was great!  Ms. Hendee (the owner of the Taste of Texas restaurant) knows a lot about Texas history!  You may even say she is obsessed with Texas history.  She has documents of the signatures of Moses Austin, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, and the notorious Santa Ana.  She has a replica of a cannon used in the Alamo and the different flags Texas used to have. If you ever go there, put your listening ears on.  She told us the whole entire story of Texas!  She picked volunteers to come up and dress in funny costumes.  One person would act as a person who settled in Texas because of the empresario (Stephen F. Austin), and the other person dressed as Davy Crockett.  Maybe they dressed in ridiculous costumes, but they got dessert!  Yum!  After Ms. Hendee told the story, we 4^th graders got to see the amazing illusion paintings by Bev Dolittle.  Two illusions were easy to see, but one was pretty hard!  That’s not all, though!  Before all of that, we got to go inside the restaurant freezer, 10^o below zero!  The last thing we did there at the Taste of Texas restaurant was lunch.  It was delicious - French fries and chicken strips.  The fun was not over yet!  After enjoying our time at The Taste of Texas restaurant, we went to Bear Creek Park!  You have the choice of seeing the animals (tropical birds, emu, and pigs) or going to play in the park. You’ll end up doing both if you choose the animals, but you don’t want to miss the cackling cockatoo!  You can roll down a small slope with your friends.  The playground has a giant spider web, slides, swings, and ladder arch.  It has a large field of soft grass.  You don’t want to miss the field trip to The Taste of Texas restaurant and Bear Creek Park.  You’ll have a pawesome time!

 

Taste of Texas Blog by Crystal W. in Mrs. Hunzeker's 4th grade

 

 

 

            The bus bumped along the road as my eyes drifted to the window. No sign of the Taste of Texas. I slumped my head against the window as 88 4^th- graders buzzed in excitement.

            We pulled up to a long, quaint restaurant and hopped off the steps. The icy air bit our cheeks as we waited. Finally, (literally) we were led into a vast waiting room. A smiley lady appeared and informed us of the rules. “Please don’t talk, or you will be asked to join your teachers,” she said.

            Then we separated into two lines. She led us into the kitchen, which smelled strongly of cheese. We squeezed into a tight and cramped hallway. Then she divided us into groups of 16 to enter the 10 degrees below zero walk-in freezer.

            My group cautiously walked into the freezer. Everything was fine…… until they turned out the lights! Suddenly, screaming erupted around me. The lights flickered back on (much to everyone’s relief.) Then again, we were plunged into darkness.

            After exiting the kitchen, we walked back to the waiting room where the lady began speaking about empresario Stephen F. Austin and General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. A re-enactment of the Battle of the Alamo was next. Volunteers got to choose a free dessert (jealous yet?) Signatures of Moses and Stephen F. Austin were mounted on the walls and talked about. The six flags over Texas hung gallantly near the ceiling.

            Lunch came and everyone dug into chicken tenders, fries and Sprite. Paintings by Bev Doolittle, a camouflage artist, were displayed around the room. Suddenly we were back on the bus.

            The long and tedious journey (ok, maybe 15 minutes) had left us wound up. We bounded onto the playground at Bear Creek Park where we swung on swings, climbed and slid down slides.

            We visited the Vietnamese potbellied pig, the emu, cockatoo, and ducks. Rolling down the hill was fun, although duck leavings was wiped up by jeans and jackets.

            I helped clean up people’s pants with nature (FYI: spiky seeds = great scraping tools). Luckily Mrs. Sharma came and gave us wipes.)

            The rest of the day was uneventful. Whew! That still was a lot for one day. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

 

Two Articles about Taste of Texas by 1) Luke U. and 2)Ava J, Caitlyn D, MacKenzie G.

Luke U.

Mrs. Bibb' class

Taste of Texas is an amazing place to eat and learn about Texas history.  The owner has been letting fourth graders come for thirty two years.  She has signatures from Moses Austin, Stephen F. Austin, Davy Crockett, and Santa Ana.  She has currency from when Texas was its own country. They serve chicken strips, fries, and a sprite. You get to go into the freezer which is ten degrees below zero. They also turn the lights off - it freaked a lot of people out. And that’s most all we did.

by Ava J., Caitlyn D. and MacKenzie G.

Mrs. Bain's and Ms. Schieffer's classes

On January 27, 2016, our class went to Taste of Texas and Bear Creek Park. At Taste of Texas Mrs. Hendee taught us so much about Texas history. She showed us artifacts like Sam Houston’s signature etc. Everybody got to go into the freezer that was one of my favorite parts. It was -8 degrees Fahrenheit. Mrs. Hendee surprised us, and turned the lights off when we were in there!  We all got chicken strips, French fries, and sprite. It was delicious! After that the restaurant opened, we all got onto the bus and headed to Bear Creek Park. At Bear Creek Park there is a big playground with a net pyramid, swings, and a super long slide. From all the rain last week there was a puddle at the bottom of the slide. We went down the slide and almost got soaking wet. They let us play for about an hour, then we went to look at animals in the miniature Zoo. There is a pony, potbellied pig, and an emu. On the ride back, everyone was super tired from the fun day, some even fell asleep.

 

My favorite part of the Taste of Texas was when one of the faculty members introduced us to artist, Bev Dolittle. Some of her paintings, The Hills Have Eyes and the Sentinel, were my favorites.

-Crystal W.

 

I liked the part where Mrs. Hindi slapped a bonnet dress on me, and when I galloped on a horse.

Also, I liked the 8 layer slice of rich dark chocolate cake with chocolate sauce, and powdered sugar all on top of it. Oh, and a cookie too!

-Siena G.

 

Our Recent Field Trip by 4th grader Minoo (Mrs. Howard's class)

 

Taste of Texas

 

Taste of Texas was an exciting experience. The speaker was full of joy and was very smart. Did you know she has the signature of Moses Austin, Sam Houston, and William Travis? She has been having fourth grade visit her restaurant for 32 years! We got the privilege to go into the freezer. It was very cold and spooky, and everybody screamed when the lights turned off all of a sudden! An interesting part was when we saw the paintings. If you focused and looked very closely you could find hidden things in the pictures! Soon it was time to eat. The chicken tenders were extremely delicious, and it was real chicken too! The fries were so good I can still feel them in my mouth! The sprite really helped wash it down! It deserves five stars! I really enjoyed Taste of Texas!

Bear Creek Park

 

Bear Creek Park was very fun and many people enjoyed the park the most. In the park, many people climbed on a web, and it looked like spiders were all over it! There was a spot where you could sit and relax. Next, we saw animals. The animals included, Emo’s, pigs, and many interesting species of birds. There was this Cockatoo which puffed up the feathers, and started dancing! Bear Creek was a good place for me to get all my energy out!

 

PAWSOME Open House

On Thursday, January 28, 2016, TWE hosted our annual Open House. This is a time when students and staff can share progress in learning that students are making and when families can get together with other families for fellowship. We had a PACKTASTIC turnout! It is always fun to see families together, and our students love sharing their classrooms and learning with their parents and siblings! This year our PTA designed a Pawsitive tree to let our students and parents share their love through positive thoughts about TWE. Here are just a few of the sentiments expressed on the hundreds of hearts sprinkling the tree. Stop by our library if you would like to read them all!!!!!

 

TWE is awesome!

I like TWE because we learn and we work hard.

I like TWE because my mom in in the PTA.

I love TWE because they take good care of me.  My parents love the school because they help me learn.

TWE shows passion, courage and strength for our kids to grow with confidence.

I love specials and recess.

I love my teacher at TWE.

I like TWE because I have great friends.

Because I learn a lot…….

TWE is an amazing school because it gives you a wonderful learning experience.  It also is fun with all of its wonderful clubs and opportunities.  It is a STEAM school and I absolutely love TWE.

I love the Wolfpack because we have field day.

I love learning new things and seeing my wonderful teachers.

The TWE library is PAWSOME.  Also the teachers are “fonomally” cool and fun.

We are new at TWE.  TWE is so friendly and has great teachers and staff with a great smile on their face.

They have food I like for lunch.

They are nice to me even though I am a new kid.

I love TWE because we are all a great team!  Also a great school.  We have good teachers and awesome education.  WE ARE THE WOLFPACK!