The Giving Tree
First Grade will be hosting their annual Giving Tree Service Project this year. Please click on this link to learn more about this opportunity to donate.
Canned Food & Turkey Drive
Thank you so much to those of you that donated canned foods and/or frozen turkeys the week before Thanksgiving. Town Center collected 1,087 cans and 83 turkeys for those in need.
Holiday from the Heart
This year, we will be having our annual Holiday from the Heart celebration during the school day on December 16th. Holiday from the Heart will be a day centered around service learning and cultural awareness. During this day, we would like to highlight traditions and holidays celebrated during the winter in different cultures. If you or your family would like to share about traditions and/or holidays that you celebrate during the winter, please email your child's teacher.
Social Studies Connection
In Social Studies, our fourth graders will begin a new unit on European Exploration and Colonization of Texas. Throughout our unit, we will be analyzing the reasons why people might leave their home and search for a new home in another place. We would love to share real world examples with our learners and give our Fourth Grade families an opportunity to share the story behind why they moved from one place to another.
If you and/or your family has relocated for a particular reason, we would love to hear from you. (This includes families that moved from one country to another, one state to another, or even from one city to another.)
If you would like to participate, please click on the link to share your story. (It's just a few short questions.)
As always, thank you for participating in our on-going service learning projects!
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
Updates - Week 13
Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. There is a lot of important information in this post. As always, please let us know if you have any questions.
Important Announcements
Important Announcements
- The 2nd grade students will be having a canned food drive to help feed many families in our community this holiday season. If you would like to help, please send any donations with your child to school. The Canned Food Drive started this Monday, November 9th. We are going to have to a contest to see which grade level can collect the most cans/items, and we are tying this into our math curriculum!
- We will have our annual Turkey Drive again this year. You may go online to donate a turkey, or you may bring one during our Turkey Drive on November, 20th. For more information, please see this flyer from 2nd Grade.
- The learners will have the week of November 23rd off for the Thanksgiving holiday.
As a reminder, Texan Town takes place most Fridays from 7:50-8:40. (When we have a Spirit Rally, we do not have Texan Town.) The dates for Texan Town during the Fall Session are: October 2nd, 16th, & 30th, November 6th, 13th, & 20th, and December 4th & 11th.
In addition, every Friday we have a modified "Texan Town" schedule. Therefore, on Fridays, we have Specials (Move & Groove) from 9:30-10:20 AM. Our lunch and recess times stay the same.
Popcorn Money
Ms. Seifert is in need of some helpers to help her pop the popcorn. If you would like to volunteer to sign up, please view this sign up sheet. There are spots available on Friday, November 20th, and Friday, November 27th. Thank you to the wonderful parents that have already signed up!
If your family is new to Town Center and you have any questions about Texan Town, please don't hesitate to ask.
The citizenship quality for November is Cooperation.
Each week, Town Center focuses on one life principle, or guiding character quality. The life principles for each week are discussed on the morning announcements and will be posted on our agendas.
What are we learning?
Math & Science
In Science, we recently wrapped up our mixtures unit. We will begin a short unit on Earth's renewable and nonrenewable resources.
Language & Literacy
In reading, we continue to talk about main idea and summary of nonfiction texts. Throughout this unit, learners will think about three key essential questions:
In writing, we will begin to explore expository writing. The learners will continue to use the skills they've learned about writing more descriptively as they begin to write expository texts in class.
Social Studies
In social studies, the learners will begin to learn about the European Explorers that came to America. They will specifically learn about how exploration and colonization of Spain and France shaped the history and culture of Texas.
Upcoming Dates
- Tuesday, November 17th - Friday Schedule
- Friday, November 20th - Turkey Drive & TCE Turkey Trot
- November 23-27 - NO SCHOOL
- December 17th - Class Winter Parties
- December 18th - Early Release
The citizenship quality for November is Cooperation.
Each week, Town Center focuses on one life principle, or guiding character quality. The life principles for each week are discussed on the morning announcements and will be posted on our agendas.
What are we learning?
Math & Science
In Math, the learners will be learning how to to find equivalent fractions and compare fractions with unlike denominators. You can help us out by having conversations with your learners about fractions as you're cooking, shopping, or preparing for holiday meals.
In Science, we recently wrapped up our mixtures unit. We will begin a short unit on Earth's renewable and nonrenewable resources.
Language & Literacy
In reading, we continue to talk about main idea and summary of nonfiction texts. Throughout this unit, learners will think about three key essential questions:
- How do readers make meaning from facts, details, and evidence?
- How does the organization of the text help readers understand the author’s message?
- How do I use the information I learned to support my thinking?
Throughout the unit, we will be reinforcing these enduring understandings:
- Expository and nonfiction texts provide facts, details, and evidence.
- What we read helps us make sense of the world.
- Text features help the reader locate evidence to support understanding.
In writing, we will begin to explore expository writing. The learners will continue to use the skills they've learned about writing more descriptively as they begin to write expository texts in class.
Social Studies
In social studies, the learners will begin to learn about the European Explorers that came to America. They will specifically learn about how exploration and colonization of Spain and France shaped the history and culture of Texas.
Thank you, again, for taking the time to read our blog. We are looking forward to another great week with our fourth graders!
Monday, November 9, 2015
Service Learning Updates
An Update from the Kindergarten Shoe Drive
Thank you so much to everyone who donated jeans for our Sole Hope shoe project! Now that we have collected our materials, we are looking for volunteers to come and help us trace and cut the denim into squares. Once the squares are made and put into pairs, we can ship them off to be made into shoes! Kindergarten is teaming up with the Fashion Club during Texan Town. If you would like to volunteer to help trace and cut, please bring fabric scissors on Friday, November 13th from 8:00-8:50. Thank you so much! Kindergarten cannot wait to make a difference for other kids just like them that do not have shoes.
Second Grade's Canned Food Drive
The 2nd grade students will be having a canned food drive to help feed many families in our community this holiday season. If you would like to help, please send any donations with your child to school. The Canned Food Drive started this Monday, November 9th. We are going to have to a contest to see which grade level can collect the most cans/items, and we are tying this into our math curriculum!
Saturday, November 7, 2015
New Activities for November
There are a couple of new things going on in fourth grade this November, and we thought we'd share a few of them with you.
Gratitude Challenge
In language arts, the learners are participating in a daily Gratitude Challenge. Each day they respond to a prompt and write a reflection about something for which they are grateful. We are enjoying sharing in class and learning a bit about the blessings in each other's lives. Perhaps your family might want to join in as well.
You can view the Gratitude Challenge here.
STEM Challenge
In addition, we have a couple of optional activities that we offer for the kids each month. The first activity is an at home STEM challenge. The learners are invited to design and create something new and innovative using a certain material. This month's challenge is to create something using an empty plastic bottle.
If they participate, they get to share their creations with the class, and then they are displayed at school. We have really enjoyed seeing the creativity and thought that our learners have put into these projects so far.
Gratitude Challenge
In language arts, the learners are participating in a daily Gratitude Challenge. Each day they respond to a prompt and write a reflection about something for which they are grateful. We are enjoying sharing in class and learning a bit about the blessings in each other's lives. Perhaps your family might want to join in as well.
You can view the Gratitude Challenge here.
STEM Challenge
In addition, we have a couple of optional activities that we offer for the kids each month. The first activity is an at home STEM challenge. The learners are invited to design and create something new and innovative using a certain material. This month's challenge is to create something using an empty plastic bottle.
If they participate, they get to share their creations with the class, and then they are displayed at school. We have really enjoyed seeing the creativity and thought that our learners have put into these projects so far.
Reading Bingo Board
The second optional activity we provide each month is a Reading Bingo Board. The learners are encouraged to use this bingo board to find new and fun ways to widen their reading habits. The objective is for them to make bingo by getting five boxes in a row. They can also really challenge themselves by trying to get a "black out" and completing all of the boxes. We are not as interested in the minutes read as we are in the variety of reading activities. If the learners return this with a bingo at the end of the month, they have the opportunity to win a reward. You and your family might like to participate in this Bingo game as well.
We hope you and your family are having an enjoyable November!
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Updates: Week 11
Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. There is a lot of important information in this post. As always, please let us know if you have any questions.
Important Announcements
Important Announcements
- The learners participated in the JDRF Walk during Specials on Monday, November 2nd. Thank you to those of you that donated to this service learning project!
- Our annual Spring Creek BBQ Night will be Tuesday, November 3rd at Spring Creek BBQ on Round Grove Road in Lewisville. Join us as we have a fun night of eating with our TCE families and help fundraise for new resources for TCE. (Plus, as an added bonus, you will be served by TCE teachers and staff!)
- We will have our annual Turkey Drive again this year. You may go online to donate a turkey, or you may bring one during our Turkey Drive on November, 20th. For more information, please see this flyer from 2nd Grade.
- We will have a Veteran's Day Ceremony during the day on November 11th. We will share more information about this ceremony in the near future. During this ceremony, we will honor the Veteran's that are close to our TCE Family. If you have a relative or loved one that is a veteran, you may fill out the RED Veteran's Day form that your learner will be bringing home this week.
As a reminder, Texan Town takes place most Fridays from 7:50-8:40. (When we have a Spirit Rally, we do not have Texan Town.) The dates for Texan Town during the Fall Session are: October 2nd, 16th, & 30th, November 6th, 13th, & 20th, and December 4th & 11th.
In addition, every Friday we have a modified "Texan Town" schedule. Therefore, on Fridays, we have Specials (Move & Groove) from 9:30-10:20 AM. Our lunch and recess times stay the same.
Popcorn Money
Ms. Seifert is in need of some helpers to help her pop the popcorn. If you would like to volunteer to sign up, please view this sign up sheet. There are spots available on Friday, November 20th, and Friday, November 27th. Thank you to the wonderful parents that have already signed up!
If your family is new to Town Center and you have any questions about Texan Town, please don't hesitate to ask.
The citizenship quality for November is Cooperation.
Each week, Town Center focuses on one life principle, or guiding character quality. The life principles for each week are discussed on the morning announcements and will be posted on our agendas.
What are we learning?
Math & Science
In Science, the learners will be investigating the different states of matter. They will also be investigating mixtures.
Language & Literacy
In reading, we will begin our nonfiction unit. Throughout this unit, learners will think about three key essential questions:
In writing, we will continue our unit that focuses on building strong sentences and using descriptive language to add depth to our ideas and meaning to our writing.
Social Studies
In social studies, the learners will begin to learn about the early history of Texas and the lives of the Native Americans that lived here. Throughout this unit, learners will think about the following essential question:
This will be learners first opportunity to use our new online textbook, and we are excited to see how the learners like the curriculum. They will be able to access the text, listen to an audio version, and make notes using their iPads.
Thank you, again, for taking the time to read our blog. We are looking forward to another great week with our fourth graders!
Upcoming Dates
- Tuesday, November 3rd - Spring Creek BBQ Night
- Friday, November 6th - Pansy Planting
- Wednesday, November 11th - Veteran's Day Ceremony
- Friday, November 20th - Turkey Drive & TCE Turkey Trot
- November 23-27 - NO SCHOOL
The citizenship quality for November is Cooperation.
Each week, Town Center focuses on one life principle, or guiding character quality. The life principles for each week are discussed on the morning announcements and will be posted on our agendas.
What are we learning?
Math & Science
In Math, the learners will be investigating different
ways to represent data. They will be learning about Frequency Tables,
Stem-and-Leaf Plots, Line Plots, and Bar Graphs.
In Science, the learners will be investigating the different states of matter. They will also be investigating mixtures.
Language & Literacy
In reading, we will begin our nonfiction unit. Throughout this unit, learners will think about three key essential questions:
- How do readers make meaning from facts, details, and evidence?
- How does the organization of the text help readers understand the author’s message?
- How do I use the information I learned to support my thinking?
Throughout the unit, we will be reinforcing these enduring understandings:
- Expository and nonfiction texts provide facts, details, and evidence.
- What we read helps us make sense of the world.
- Text features help the reader locate evidence to support understanding.
In writing, we will continue our unit that focuses on building strong sentences and using descriptive language to add depth to our ideas and meaning to our writing.
Social Studies
In social studies, the learners will begin to learn about the early history of Texas and the lives of the Native Americans that lived here. Throughout this unit, learners will think about the following essential question:
- How do people adapt to where they live?
In addition, we will be enforcing these enduring understandings throughout the unit:
- Where people live affects how they live.
- Native Americans in Texas developed different ways of life based upon the geographic region in which they lived.
This will be learners first opportunity to use our new online textbook, and we are excited to see how the learners like the curriculum. They will be able to access the text, listen to an audio version, and make notes using their iPads.
Thank you, again, for taking the time to read our blog. We are looking forward to another great week with our fourth graders!
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