Page 1 The Star Tracker A publication of Stinson Elementary School PTA Volume X, Issue 3 December 2010 Community Partners 10 From the desk of… 2 Grade Level News 6-8 Junior Investor 3 Literacy Corner 5 Treasurers Report 4 President’s Pen January 2011 One of the most important things we can do as parents is set a good example. It starts within the home; saying please and thank you, being considerate and consistent, and solving conflict without anger. Our Stinson Cares campaign has given weekly opportunities to discuss kind- ness with your children. This month reminds us also to be thankful for what we have, and to help those less fortunate; great lessons for our kids. At our schools, the example we set impacts, not just our children, but other children who are watching us. Following the school rules shows the children you respect the school and ad- ministration. Crossing only at the cross walk, parking only in non-reserved parking spaces, and going through the carpool line all show the children you respect the school, and you un- derstand everyone deserves the same treatment. Breaking those rules shows children you think it is ok to break the rules when it is convenient for you, and when you think you will not be caught. I know that is a lesson I do not want my children to remember when they are teenagers! It is important to show children how to help others and give back to the community, and I am so proud of how the Stinson family always rises to the opportunity to help others. We’ve had a coat drive and a clothing drive this year, both very successful. The school held a canned food drive; my daughter raided the pantry every morning. Donations of used goods and monetary donations should be discussed with even small chil- dren. November always brings many opportunities not just to donate items or money, but time. Community service with you leading the way, will instill in your children a life-long love of helping others. There are many small and large opportunities to be a good example every day. Watch for them and take advantage of the easiest character building you’ll ever do for your children. Thank you, Julie Richard
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Page 1
The Star Tracker
A publication of Stinson Elementary School PTA
Volume X, Issue 3
December 2010
Community Partners 10
From the desk of… 2
Grade Level News 6-8
Junior Investor 3
Literacy Corner 5
Treasurers Report 4
President’s Pen
January 2011
One of the most important things we can do as parents is set a good example. It starts within
the home; saying please and thank you, being considerate and consistent, and solving conflict
without anger. Our Stinson Cares campaign has given weekly opportunities to discuss kind-
ness with your children. This month reminds us also to be thankful for what we have, and to
help those less fortunate; great lessons for our kids.
At our schools, the example we set impacts, not just our children, but other children who are
watching us. Following the school rules shows the children you respect the school and ad-
ministration. Crossing only at the cross walk, parking only in non-reserved parking spaces,
and going through the carpool line all show the children you respect the school, and you un-
derstand everyone deserves the same treatment. Breaking those rules shows children you
think it is ok to break the rules when it is convenient for you, and when you think you will not
be caught. I know that is a lesson I do not want my children to remember when they are
teenagers!
It is important to show children how to help others and give back to the community, and I am
so proud of how the Stinson family always rises to the opportunity to help others. We’ve had
a coat drive and a clothing drive this year, both very successful. The school held a canned
food drive; my daughter raided the pantry every morning.
Donations of used goods and monetary donations should be discussed with even small chil-
dren. November always brings many opportunities not just to donate items or money, but
time. Community service with you leading the way, will instill in your children a life-long love
of helping others.
There are many small and large opportunities to be a good example every day. Watch for
them and take advantage of the easiest character building you’ll ever do for your children.
Thank you,
Julie Richard
Page 2
From the
Desk
of
Mrs. Salamone
The Star tracker
A Monthly Newsletter of the Stinson Parent Teacher
Association
Principal Barbara Salamone
Assistant Principal Tricia Lancaster
PTA President Julie Richard
Newsletter Editor Jennifer Neves
Stinson Elementary School 4201 Greenfield Drive Richardson, TX 75082
School Office 469-752-3400
School Website k-12.pisd.edu/schools/stinson
Stinson PTA Website www.stinsonpta.org
PISD Website www.pisd.edu
All correspondence should be directed to the PTA Newsletter Editor at the school
Friday, Dec. 17th, 2010 8:15 A.M. Concert for Stinson Staff & Students
(wear Star Choir shirt and jeans)
Six Flags READ TO SUCCEED is coming!!
Stinson Stars…let’s all READ TO SUCCEED and earn a free ticket to Six Flags!! How you
ask?? It’s easy! Each student that completes six hours of outside reading can qualify. This
does NOT include reading for school or homework assignments. Students keep a log of
what they read and for how long…remember to have a parent/guardian or teacher initial
each entry. Once you’ve read for six hours, return the signed reading log to your teacher.
All forms must be turned in on or before February 25th
– no exceptions! Look for the read-
ing logs and instructions to be distributed before Winter Break.
The next monthly Junior Investors Day will be Friday, December, 3rd. We’ll be there to take your children’s deposit outside of the school office at 7:30a.m. You can also pick up your piggy bank if you
haven’t already done so. Investors should also be encouraging their friends to start saving. Bring your child to school; it only takes 5 minutes and $5 to open an account with Capital One Bank. Money saving concepts for kids:
Introduce the concept of “needs vs. wants.” Instilling good money values can begin very early
Help the children understand that money is required to pay for both needs and wants
Junior Investor Days are Jan 7, Feb 4, Mar 4, Apr 1, and May 6.
Page 4
The Stinson School
Store
Open Tuesdays and Thursdays
7:20am-7:40am
Buy fun school items and Spirit Wear
Small bills only please
Need to go to the school store before 7:30? The see Ms.
Gee about getting a pass.
CHICK-FIL-A NIGHT
Chick-fil-A will be hosting Stinson Spirit Night on Thursday,
December 8, 2010. Please say that you are supporting Stinson
when you order, and 15% of sales will be donated to Stinson
from the Chick-fil-A at Garland Rd. and George Bush Highway.
Book Fair
Once again our annual Fall Book
Fair was a great success. A big
thank you to all the volunteers
that helped set up, clean up, con-
stantly put the books back up
and helped tear down. A special
thank you to this years co-chairs,
Alpa Barevadia and Shalini Ka-
poor for all of their hard work.
The book fair may only last a
week, but these kids will remem-
ber it for a lifetime.
Volunteers needed to help with Thursday packs.
If you are interested please contact Katherine Gotcher
FROM THE LITERACY CORNERFROM THE LITERACY CORNERFROM THE LITERACY CORNERFROM THE LITERACY CORNER
Have you ever wondered how to help your child be a better reader? Well there is good news. Strong
language can make your child a better reader, writer, and all around student. And the even better
news is that you can build those skills just by talking to your child. Try these ideas!
Narrate everyday activities like driving or cooking. The use of unfamiliar words in your conversa-
tion will help your youngster understand words in books. Remember, if he doesn’t know the
word to be sure and explain it.
Encouraging your child to join in the family conversations further develops his vocabulary. Ask him
questions to help him expand his answers. For example you can ask “Why do you think so? or
“What else happened?”
A Language Rich Home
Fun with Words (Newspaper Learning)
Newspapers are a great way to build your child’s vocabulary and proficiency in reading. With
thousands of words in each issue, there are many activities that you can do together to sharpen those
skills.
Matching Game: Have your child cut out several photographs and their captions sepa-rately. Mix them up. Matching the captions with the photos will improve her reading
comprehension. Scavenger Hunt: List items in the newspaper (car ad, crossword puzzle, weather forecast)
and ask your youngster to find and circle each one. She’ll build research skills as she looks through the pages.
ABC Order: Together, find the names of 5-10 countries, states, and cities in headlines or stories. Let your child copy each one onto an index card and arrange the cards in alpha-betical order. This will help her practice spelling and learn about geography.
Read the Articles: Read the stories in the paper together and discuss what is going on in the article. This helps to build comprehension.
Happy Learning from your Literacy Specialist!Happy Learning from your Literacy Specialist!Happy Learning from your Literacy Specialist!Happy Learning from your Literacy Specialist!
ideas, word choice, narratives, expository writing, critical char-
acter, object, and setting.
*Math skills: addition, subtraction, number strings, story prob-
lems, multiple addends, combing groups, equal groups, place
value, number lines, 100 chart, doubles, near doubles, counting
groups, tens/ones, time, temperature, money, odd/even, and
exploring a variety of ways to solve problems.
It is hard to believe that our first semester of school is com-ing to an end. Kindergarten students have been working very hard to learn many new things. The students did a wonderful job performing at the Thanksgiving program. The teachers feel lucky to be teaching such “Super Tur-keys”!
In the coming weeks, here are some major objectives we will be working on in Kindergarten3
Language Arts:
• Action words (verbs)
• Writing sentences with spaces and correct punctuation
• Counting syllables
• Increasing our word bank of sight words
• Continuing to read books in small group settings
Math:
• Creating and extending patterns
• Problem solving
• Using computer programs to explore graphs
Integrated:
• Continuing our unit on Systems (parts working together
to do a job)
• Discussing ways we communicate with each other
(continued on page 8)
Page 7
4th
Grade
Fun
5th
Grade
Facts
4th
grade is having a great time learning
and growing! Math is fun because we
are learning about volume and capac-
ity. We can use both customary as well
as metric units for measurement. In IC
we have been studying about renew-
able and non renewable resources and
the importance of conservation. In
writing we have learned that entertain-
ing beginnings provide a hook and el-
aborative details help create pictures in
the minds of our readers. During read-
ing we are able to identify various text
features such as sequencing and cause
and effect. We can state the main idea
of the story and provide supporting
details to prove it.
We've started our newest Connected Math unit called
Bits and Pieces.
It is all about Fractions, Decimals, and Percents. Like
our CMP unit
Prime Time, there are vocabulary words that need to
be memorized and
students are to keep this book in their binder at all
times. However,
there is no project tied to this unit. Also, be sure to
have your child
continue to study their Math facts, as it is essential
that they know
these to successful this year.
Language Arts and Reading rocks as our MIGHTY fifth
graders present
their Unit 2 Research Reports on their "-ology and -
ologist." Students
discovered interesting and unique facts about their
scientists as they
integrated the "worlds" of Science and Language
Arts. Using the laptops
is always a highlight to research, take notes and sum-
marize. As usual,
students read a variety of texts weekly and analyze
and discuss them.
Recently, we have finished persuasive compositions
about topics that
show our true "voice." Well-done fifth graders!!
In Integrated Curriculum the fabulous fifth graders are
doing a lot of
activities in class as they learn more about properties
of matter -
using triple beam balances measuring mass, graduated
cylinders to
measure volume, also experiments about density,
magnetism, and
solubility. One fun activity is building a boat out of
aluminum foil
that holds an increasing amount of pennies!
The Winter Party, Valentines Party, &
End of Year Party Schedule:
Kindergarten: 1:00 - 2:00 PM
1st Grade: 1:45 - 2:45 PM
2nd Grade: 10:00 - 11:00 AM 3rd Grade: 12:30 - 1:30 PM (recess moved to 2:15)