The Palestine Herald
February 08, 2009 01:48 am
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PISD NEWS
● Parenting Conference — Palestine Independent School District Parent Involvement Coordinator Craig Harris will present a parenting conference for parents of High School and Middle School students at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 19 in the Cafeteria.
Harris will talk about parenting issues like being consistent, helping children make good decisions, discipline versus punishment, and helping children think with their upper brain functions.
“A lot of new research is coming out about the different parts of the brain,” Harris said.
The conference is free to all parents of high school and middle school students in the district. Snacks will be provided and there will be a special ensemble performance by the Award-Winning Palestine High School Band.
Harris will present parenting conferences at Story Elementary School on March 26th, Southside Primary School on April 16 (tentative), and Northside Early Childhood Center on May 14. All conferences are free to the public and will begin at 6:30 pm.
● Web Site — Log on to the Palestine ISD Web Site for teacher web pages, Skyward Family Access, school menus, athletic schedules, parenting information, and much more. www.palestineschools.org.
HIGH SCHOOL
● PHS Night School — A special congratulation goes out to Brittany Johnson and JolanaNays. They are our first Nova-Net graduates! Their accomplishments have been fantastic. Both students had previous and current courses to make up, but still remained focused. Both students will walk the stage with the class of 2009. Great work Scholars!
● PHS Alumni — Stewart Conaway, a senior at Palestine High School, is pursuing his dream. Unsure what he wanted to do after high school, he was going to attend college in the fall to make his parents happy. However, after some self-reflection he realized that one of the reasons he loves music so much is because it speaks to him. He wanted to become a musician who could make music that would speak to others, but he wasn’t sure if it was practical. So he made a plan. After graduation, he would try out being a musician for a couple of years and if he couldn’t make a living at it, he would come back and attend college. Now, he is a member of a band, and they are about to begin recording their first album with him as a singer. He believed in himself, pursued his dream, and all the other pieces fell into place. It won’t always be that easy for everyone, but he stands as proof that you can achieve your dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem.
● PHS Parents — Parents,remember TAKS testing is only a few weeks away and there are a few things you can do to help ensure your students success on this test. (1) Make sure your child has plenty of sleep the night before the test. (2) Make sure your child has breakfast the day of the test. The cafeteria offers free breakfast for all students. (3) Makesure your child is awake and fully alert prior to the test. Wake them early on these days. Finally, (4) Be sure your child knows how important their success on this test is to you. Involved parents are a teacher’s greatest ally. Failure is not an option!
STORY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
● Third Grade — What an awesome group of students you will find in Mrs. Carnell’s and Mrs. Ivins’ classes. In Math, we have been very busy learning about the number line. We are exploring patterns as well as learning to locate fractions on a number line.
In Social Studies, we are learning about our new president and experiencing history in the making. We are excited about Spelling and our new Challenge words and the opportunity to extend our vocabulary.
In Reading, we are focusing on main idea. Our story was “Rosie, A Visiting Dog’s Story”. We enjoyed a visit from our very own visiting dog, Manzer! Our students had the chance to show off their skills on Friday during our practice Reading TAKS day. Please remember to have your child read for 20 minutes every night. Thanks to all our parents for your support!
● Fourth Grade — We have had an awesome year so far!! Every classroom is buzzing with all the learning taking place. Language Arts teachers want you to know that every student should be bringing home an AR book now. They are expected to read 20 minutes a night. In Reading, students are learning how to determine the main idea and summary. A great way to help with this at home is to simply ask your child to tell you what they are reading about. Be sure they tell you about the characters, setting, problem and the solution. We have started our Writing Academy. In this academy students are getting instruction and practice in various writing skills. This is in preparation for the Writing TAKS test coming in early March. Currently in math, we are tackling fractions. They know how to recognize them, find equal fractions, and soon they will be adding and subtracting them. In Science, they are learning about Earth Science topics such as rocks, volcanoes and earthquakes.
● Fifth Grade — The fifth graders are now participating in the Reading Academy for forty-five minutes each day. They get to interact with students and teachers from other classes for new and exciting experiences. We finished our TAKS Reading Practice Assessment on Friday, and will continue to sharpen all of our skills. The students are studying the earth's natural resources at this time. Remember, to read, read, and read. The students are getting ready for their Math Practice Assessment on Feb.10, and will study water cycles this week.
● Coming Up — Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day; Feb. 16, student holiday.
SOUTHSIDE PRIMARY SCHOOL
● First Grade — Six students earned "eating in the classroom" with Mrs. Franks by getting five stickers on their Super"BEE"haviorChart. The students were: Grace Reed, Morgan Lasiter, Mahogany Clark, DekedrynButler, Jose Sanchez and Jennifer Aguilar. Mrs. Franks is proud of her students as this is the third time this year all six of these children earned this reward.
● Students of the Month — We are proud to announce our January Students of the Month. First grade: Carlos Adame, Angel Molina, Natalie Carig, Silvia Ramirez, Cristobal Sanchez, Patrick Ealy, Dekedryn Butler, Jeff Renteria, Leslie Rodarte, Austin Janes, Jose Guzman, Paola Rangel, Jose Moreno, Cameron Spurlock, Melissa Torres, and Antonio Chicas. Second grade: Armando Gante, Makenzie Bearden, Jorge DeSantiago, Cassidy Holloway, Jaqueline Garcia, Servando Ferretiz, Elian Estrada, Gianni Mancilla, Chasity Rutledge, Sebastian Mattingly, Abner Ramirez, Kelly Gonzales, Cristina Arroliga, and Lyzette Gonzales.
● Pro-Social Skill Award — First graders who excelled in "following directions" during the week of January 20-23 were: Fernando Alejo, Diamond Anthony, Fabian Arzate, Jaiden Asberry, Jackloyn Arteaga, Darion Barrientez, Hannah Glenn, Destiny Holloway, Anondria Mitchell, Sammy Molina, Leslie Reyes, Emily Riley, Oscar Saucedo, Isaac Urbina, Elizabeth Williamson, and Christina Wilson. Second graders were: Hailey Arnold, Mitchell Cleveland, Lance Day, Fazaria Edwards, Isabel Garcia, Jalen Gipson, Kennedy Hanson, Robert Holloway, Marquise Jones, Donta Miller, Castinn Phifer, Jason Slate, TiJanae Watson, and Le'Vonta Wiggins.
● January Sing-a-Long — The theme for this month's sing-a-long was "kindness". Our Fine Arts teacher, Juli Durham, led the children in song and presented a character development video. January Birthdays were recognized and Students of the Month were presented t-shirts.
● Blue Ribbon Awards — The traveling "Wildcat" awards for good lunch time behavior were: first, Mrs. Bolton; second, Mrs. Masters; third, Margaret Barnett; and fourth, Melanie Marino. Congratulations, classes!
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