Track Meet on Friday 5/2

Some things to know about the track meet...

Parents will only be able to visit with their children in the campus section of the stands if they are wearing an official school visitor badge.  To obtain the badge, parents must stop by their child’s campus on the morning of the track meet and sign in.  Parents without badges will be allowed to observe the track meet from the parent section of the stands on the home side of the track, but will not be allowed in the campus section of the stands.  This is to protect all of our WISD students.

Please remember to send a sack lunch with your child. We need to know ASAP if you want your child to receive a sack lunch from the cafeteria.

Please make sure your child wears tennis shoes and comfortable pants that really allow them to move. T-shirts will be given to your child the day of the track meet. They will be allowed to put the track meet shirt on over their own shirt or change before we leave.

We are looking forward to this fun and active day!

No School Friday!

Don't forget that students are off of school on Friday! Spring Holiday!

Thursday is Pajama Read Day!

Students are rewarding hard work and gearing up for the Reading STAAR test by having a PJ Read Day. Students may wear appropriate pajamas and bring a pillow and flashlight. No stuffed animals or blankets. Please bring any books or magazines from home that you wish to use.

BOOK ORDERS

The one and only book order for this year was sent home last week, along with a letter explaining its purpose. It is important to not let the summer rob your child of literacy and allow his/her reading level to regress. Scholastic books provide high interest, leveled books at a LOW cost to keep students growing in comprehension and vocabulary. Orders are optional yet encouraged due to convenience and price. Should you choose to order, please return forms and the check to Scholastic by Monday, April 21st. Thank you for your support!

STAAR Testing

We will be testing next Tuesday and Wednesday (April 22-23). Please know that Cox is a closed campus on those days. We will have no visitors and be turning off all technology. Please call the office if there is an emergency. Thank you!

We are Awesome!

The students did an amazing job during Camp Write-Along! Rotating through camp inspired writing stations and popular songs to different lyrics were just part of the fun! I have no doubt that scores from the tests last week will reflect the amount of knowledge and effort I have seen. Way to go!

We have 2 weeks until our next round of STAAR tests, but we are not anxious. We are READY and we can't wait to prove it! Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 22nd and Wednesday, April 23rd. Please be sure that your child receives enough sleep and brings a lunch on these days. If you need to order a sack lunch from the cafeteria, please let us know. Thank you!

Redo Work

At this time in the year, we expect students to be giving their best effort on each assignment and not relying on a "redo" to compensate for lack there of. Therefore, during this last grading period we will accept grades "as is" when handed in and the grade book will reflect such grade. Thank you for your support and help us emphasize the importance of doing their best the first time.

Camp Calculate

Camp Write Along was a huge success! To continue our camping theme, math camp (Camp Calculate) will begin on Wednesday this week! We will be reviewing all of the new concepts we have learned this year to make sure that we are ready for the Math STAAR on April 22nd. Some of the activities will include fishing for fractions, diving into division, and climbing with conversions. In order to make these activities more fun, I would love to have some snacks along the way for our campers to enjoy. I know that a great deal of you already contributed to our last camp adventure, but one last "camp contribution" would be greatly appreciated! Here is a wish list for Camp Calculate:

• Plain M & Ms
• Chex Cereal
• Pretzels
• Cheeze Itz
• Goldfish
• Teddy Grahams
• Large Marshmallows
• Boxes of Graham Crackers
• Hershey Bars (mini or regular size)

These supplies would be used to have trail mix, goldfish, and s'mores at a couple of stations. The kids really enjoyed this perk at Camp Write Along and I am hoping to be able to provide it again at Camp Calculate. Any donation would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for your continued support! We are going to have a blast at camp!

Things to Know!

Reminders:

Please be sure to send back the forms for the track meet:

• Participation form- must return to go. 
• Sack lunch form- optional if they don’t bring a lunch
• T-shirt form- EVERY student is going to get a shirt for this day and PTA is going to make sure of it.  Parents are allowed to make a donation ($2,$3, or $4) dollars… or however much they want.  It will just help PTA cover some of their cost. 

The Cox Carnival is this Friday. Come join us for some great fun!

The STAAR Writing test is next week on Tuesday and Wednesday. Please make sure your child has plenty of sleep the night before and has a good breakfast. They are going to rock this test!

Because of the STAAR test, ALL tutoring is cancelled for next week. Please make arrangements for picking up your child.

Math Activity:

We had a great time using our technology today on our scavenger hunt throughout the school. Look at some of the things we found!

Requests and Reminders

Symphony Tomorrow- Proper Dress

We have our field trip to the Plano Symphony Orchestra tomorrow, March 5th. Please be sure to dress nicely and get ready for some wonderful music!

We are still in need of volunteers to decorate the hallway on Thursday, March 6th. Please, please, please consider contributing your time to this activity, as the kids really enjoy the transformation. If you are unable to be here to help, please consider sending one or two of the food items needed to carry out this fun experience. Thank you!

Over the next few weeks we will really be using technology in math class. We are doing a few activities that involve two different apps. One involves a QR Reader and the other involves InstaFrame. If you allow your child to bring technology to use in the classroom, please download a QR Reader app and the InstaFrame app so that they are ready to go. There are numerous free QR Reader apps available and the InstaFrame app is also free. Please let me know if you need help with this. As of right now, we are scheduled to need technology on Friday, March 7th, Tuesday, March 18th, and Monday, March 24th.

I am also in the process of setting up a new computer program for the kids! I will have more information available to you as it is ready.

We have a Science test on Thursday and a Social Studies test on Friday. Study guides went home this week. Please help your child be prepared for the test.

As always, thank you so much for the support!

HELP NEEDED

Parents, we need your help! Even if you feel that you are not creative, please don't let that stop you. If you can cut or hang paper, you are perfect!

Each year, the Fourth Grade teachers host "Camp Write Along" two weeks before the STAAR Writing Test.  (Test is on April 1 and 2). We use this time to creatively review skills that will be seen and prepare for greatness.
The kids absolutely love it, yet much is needed to get ready for this event. We plan to start camp when we return from Spring Break.

First, we decorate the entire Fourth Grade hall as a forest/campground. Butcher paper from the workroom is used for grass, sky, trees, tents, campfires, etc.
**Please consider lending a hand to create this magical scene and be here Thursday, March 6th at 10:00. The more parents that show up, the quicker and easier it goes up.Thank you SO MUCH for your support!

Second, we love to serve s'mores and trail mix at a couple of the stations.
***We will need donations for the following:
M & Ms- plain
Chex Cereal
Pretzels
Cheeze Itz
Goldfish
Teddy Grahams
mini marshmallows
large marshmallows
Boxes of graham crackers
Hershey Bars- mini or regular size

Please consider providing a few items, if able. The kids absolutely LOVE it and the teachers cannot handle these expenses for 46 kiddos. We are hoping to be able to carry out this experience with all desired supplies to enhance the learning environment! Thank you very much!