Dobbs Elementary
Dobbs cafeteria manager Erin Gooch recently was awarded a $2000 grant from the non-profit organization “Action for Healthy Kids” to promote breakfast, healthy eating and exercise at Dobbs. The money will be used for PE equipment and Kitchen equipment to ensure every student has the opportunity to eat a nourishing breakfast at school and exercise every day.
We will kick off our Watch DOG (Dads Of Greater Students) program on Thursday evening from 6:00-8:00p.m. This will be the 5th year that we have had the program at Dobbs. Having a positive male influence on our campus and in our classrooms has made a big difference to the attitudes to our students. The teachers also appreciate the helping hands.
This week we will start an exciting new After School Program taught by teachers from the Dallas Arboretum. This program will be offered to our 3rd and 5th grade students on Thursday afternoons. It was designed to help students better understand the science concepts taught in school. Highlights of program include exploring soil, rocks, and fossils; investigating tectonic plates, earthquakes, and volcanoes; and conduct experiments to understand weather.
Hartman Elementary
Hartman welcomed 685 students the first day of school. The students met their teachers and dropped off supplies at the annual Welcome Back Party, hosted by the PTA, on August 24th. Culver’s donated custard for the event, which was a nice treat on a hot summer day. Parents met their children’s teachers and heard about what to expect this year at Open House on September 6th. Our librarian is hosting a Book Fair this week, so students will have a chance to shop for books to add to their collections. The students are off to a great start this year!
Jones Elementary
The third and fifth grades of Jones Elementary school have been selected to participate in an exciting, hands-on after school science program by the Dallas Arboretum. The 3rd grade program is called Science First and the Fifth grade program is Science in Action. The program is comprised of three learning cycles; each lasting 6 or 7 weeks. All activities support our grade level science curriculums and expectations of the STAAR test. Our students are excited about participating in this program!
Nebbie Williams Elementary
Nebbie William’s KC Club organization is implementing a ‘Nebbie Kids Care’ group that will be involved in various community outreach opportunities. This year Nebbie Kids Care hopes to partner with The Rockwall County Animal shelter in order to donate time, dedication, and volunteer hours to support this wonderful organization. Nebbie kids hold strong values and helping hearts and want to serve those in need. This is just one way that ‘Nebbie Kids Care’ can make a difference and TAKE A STAND.
Nebbie faculty and staff started off this year with an artistic flare. With the help of Art’s a Blast owner Shay Cronin, they created one of a kind paintings that showcased each individual’s interpretation of the instruction they were given. This gave the faculty a wonderful, concrete example of how each of them can take our district curriculum and apply their creativity and personal talents to it in order to help our students reach their highest potential.
Pullen Elementary School
We “kicked- off” the new school year on September 1st by weeding our gardens and preparing our outdoor classroom for our students to use. New four square grids were also painted on the blacktop. We are thankful for all our parents and staff who volunteered to help make our outdoor learning center a fun place for our kids to experience the many things the great outdoors can offer!
Parent Education Night on September 6th gave our parents an overview of what to expect for their child’s grade level during the upcoming year. Along with academic expectations, parents had the opportunity to learn about many of the traditions and experiences we create for their children.
We enjoyed our grandparents visiting on September 11th, 12th, and 13th for Grandparents week! They were able to eat with their grandchild in our new dining area, “The Nook”, and then visit the book fair. Our wonderful PTA took pictures of each grandparent with their child to help capture this special moment.
On September 28th, we will hold our 2nd annual “Take Your Dad to School Day” breakfast. We are looking forward to continuing this new tradition and hope to encourage our dads to become more involved with their child’s education and our campus. Dads are encouraged to RSVP our recent invitation.
Thank you for all the support in helping make a great start to the new school year!
Reinhardt Elementary
September 13th is Parent Camp Night for Reinhardt Elementary. All parents are invited to come to Camp Reinhardt and visit with their child’s camp counselors. Then they are encouraged to visit various campsites around the building to learn about and experience some of the great adventures planned for this year such as: teaching with technology (Smart boards, iPads, etc…); energizing before educating (fun physical activities in the gym before classes begin); learning through literature (library websites, Tumblebooks, etc…); rocking with robots (Robotics club); cruising with computers (digital media fair, amazing websites, art with technology, etc…) and lots more. Hope to see you all here, at Camp Reinhardt!
Springer Elementary
Over 150 visitors enjoyed lunch at Springer in celebration of Grandparents Day on September 10th. Many students whose family members were unable to attend were happily “adopted” by the visiting Grandparents as their own! Springer encourages families, community members and others to visit and be involved throughout the year.
Students and teachers are demonstrating kindness, compassion and support for one of Springer’s students and the many others who have hemophilia by taking part (either by participating or raising donations) for the Hemophilia Walk on Saturday, September 29th at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie. Others are encouraged to be involved or make a contribution by contacting 1st grade teacher Meredith King.
Utley Middle School
On September 17, students at Utley participate in a Rachel’s Challenge presentation that includes video and interaction with the certified Rachel’s Challenge trainer. The presentation will challenge students to examine their own lives and encourage them to make a positive impact on their school and community. In addition, several students will volunteer to step up to become leaders and will receive a smaller training session by the Rachel’s Challenge crew. They will begin the initial planning stages on starting the FOR Club that will sustain the impact of the assembly. We look forward to the lasting positive impact of the work of these students.
In July 2012, the Utley Middle School campus leadership team attended a conference hosted by Learning Forward, an organization devoted solely on student achievement through effective professional learning. The team was selected to be a part the Learning School Alliance cohort that includes 12 schools across the United States. The Learning School Alliance unites teams from schools across the nation in a collaborative setting through virtual and face to face learning sessions that promote honest dialogue and idea sharing. The cohort has a two year commitment to help improve PLCs and become a model for other school as it works to identify a problem of practice and create SMART goals in order to improve PLCs. The learning community will be applying a cycle of continuous improvement to engage in inquiry, action research, data analysis, planning, implementation, reflection, and evaluation.
Debra Scott, new Head Orchestra Director at Utley Middle School, presented a clinic at the Annual Conference of the Texas Orchestra Directors Association in July 2012. She conducted a session that introduced new music composed for junior high and high school string orchestra. The conference, held in San Antonio, is attended by hundreds of orchestra teachers and performers from throughout the state and from across the country.
Tracey Black, assistant principal at Utley Middle School, along with two teachers from Cain Middle School, Kimberly James and Heather Ross, are featured in the second edition of the book, How to Teach Students Who Don’t Look Like You by Dr. Bonnie Davis. The book contains culturally responsive teaching strategies and was published July 2012. Each of these educators has a lesson published in Chapter 16 of the book. In addition, featured in the Call to Action section of the book is the group, Sisters of Class, an academic support group that is open to all girls and targeted African American girls in which Ms. Black started at Cain Middle School in January 2012.