STALLION Stampede
Words from Joy Schwinger Wow! It’s hard to believe the first nine weeks of school is behind us. The saying, “time flies” is very true. It’s been exciting watching our students get back into the swing of things as they’ve learned the routines for this school year. As you know, this is my first year at Walker Station and our Stallion Community has really amazed me. What really stands out to me though, is the skipping. I’ve observed, if a student is skipping, you know they’re happy. Just try it. You can’t help but be happy when you
skip. At WSE, I see students skipping every day, all the time. It just makes me smile and confirms, we truly have an amazing school where it’s great to be a kid. Now that’s the best thing ever! I would like to take a second to express my thanks for the phenomenal attendance at Meet the Teacher, Curriculum Night and the Skeeter’s Spirit Night! The ongoing parent conferences have been inspiring and the support of our school’s procedures have been wonderful! Our PTO is unbelievable! The amount of time and support they provide
OCTOBER 2015
helps our school in so many ways. I cannot thank them enough. Parents, you have also been amazing. Your support, trust and help have helped make my transition here at WSE go smoothly. I appreciate it.
W hat’s Inside! Stallion Strong . . . . . . . 2 PTO President . . . . . . .
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Library News . . . . . . . .
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The Music Room . . . . .
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Joy Schwinger,
The Arts . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Principal Walker Station Elementary
WSE Spirit Night . . . . . .
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Thank you for nine fabulous weeks and here’s to an even better second nine weeks. Go Stallions!
We love the Skeeters!
The WSE PTO treated the Kindergarten class to “Popsicles on the Playground” the Friday before the 1st Day of School. It was a fun morning and the red, blue and green teeth stained smiles confirmed the event’s success. 1
Stallion Strong
Students and Teachers Building on Our Strength Together
Kindergarten We are off to an exciting start in kindergarten. Our awesome kindergarteners are doing a wonderful job adjusting to our new routines as well as learning the rules. They are making new friends and learning so many wonderful things. Some of the things they have been doing is: learning to work with partners in Math and literacy stations, studying living vs. non-living things, working with numbers from 0 to 5, more and less and 2D shapes, and learning to respond to reading with retelling, talking about a favorite part and many other ways. They have also discussed what a leader is in our school community as well as home community. We are just beginning our Guided Reading groups also. The teachers would like to thank all our parent volunteers who have helped get this year off to a great start. We could not do it without you!
—The Kindergarten Team
First Grade First Grade had a wonderful back to school beginning. We began our journey at Camp First Grade by hearing some wonderful “campfire” stories. We enjoyed one of our favorite characters… Pete the Cat and made great connections with Pete and ourselves, and as Pete says… “it’s all good!” We learned how predicting helps us understand stories and had fun predicting what was in the Mystery Box using clues. In addition to this we have worked on learning about the characters and setting of a story. By making these connections to our own experiences we are able to better understand the books and stories that we read. We have learned the important rules of being good citizens and the purpose of rules and laws. We know all about map skills. In Social Studies we have 2
been learning about and making different kinds of maps. Also, we can describe the significance of holidays and celebrations like Labor Day, Fort Bend County Fair Day and Columbus Day. In math we learned how to compare numbers using symbols. We created picture and bar graphs. A large part of our math time has been used to solve, create and write number sentences for addition and subtraction. We have been using the Four Step problem solving method to help solve word problems. In Science we learned about objects in the sky and discovered that the moon has different phases. We observed and charted the weather in Science. Then we learned about the different types of clouds and precipitation. We have recently been studying the seasons and look forward to when it actually feels like Fall. It has been a smooth first nine weeks and we just plan to keep calm and learn on!
—The 1st Grade Team
Second Grade Second grade has been off to a great start – We came in second place for the Stallion Fall Fundraiser – WOOHOO! The kids have learned so much in just the first nine weeks – from learning to write on lined paper, to decomposing numbers, comparing and ordering numbers, proper nouns, citizenship, force and motion, and even the three branches of government – these kiddos have worked so hard earning their first number grades of their elementary career. Kevin Henkes was our author study this nine weeks. Second graders loved reading his books and making connections to their own lives. They even made their own five-page book about their favorite moment in time. There are some budding authors amongst us, we can tell already! We are enjoying this fall weather and we’re enjoying learning and growing together as we look forward to another wonderful nine weeks in second grade!
—The 2nd Grade Team
Third Grade The 2015 – 2016 school year is off to a great start! We have been busy learning to switch classes, eat lunch a little later, and make new friends. Place value, rounding, and addition and subtraction have filled our math days. We heard a “RUMOR” that problem solving can be fun, especially if our answers are “reasonable”. We enjoyed hands on experiences with Matter and Energy in science. Our writing has been a blast from the past as we write about our past experiences through personal narratives.
We have read many new fiction books and learned so much about what the authors show us through the text. Social Studies has been filled with learning about communities, how they change, and how we use map skills to read a map! We even got to create our own islands! We ended our First Nine Weeks with a beautiful, fun-filled day at Brazos Bend State Park. We petted two alligators and a snake, hiked A LOT, and enjoyed an outdoor picnic. We are now ready to begin our Second Nine Weeks. “Piece by Piece” our Third Graders are truly fitting together.
— The 3rd Grade Team
In Science it’s important to follow a plan A hypothesis made and the knowledge to span Ideas like what makes a solid, liquid, and gas And how clusters of atoms give objects mass In Math it is true that numbers rule And multiplication is a needed tool They learn about numbers, both great and small From billions to decimals , they learn them all It is so much fun, I think you’d agree To start the first nine weeks here at WSE So many new things we have left to teach But for your kids we know that success is in reach
— The 4th Grade Team
Fifth Grade 5th Grade is off to a fantastic start! They enjoyed spending eight weeks in a program called Kids and Cops with Deputy D. We love reading in fifth grade! Ask your child about the plot diagrams that we created. We have learned how to summarize and respond to our reading using schema.
Fourth Grade It is so much fun, I think you’d agree To start the first nine weeks here at WSE Fourth graders come in, nervous but ready And it is our mission is to keep learning, steady. In English and Reading the path is quite clear We teach them to read with a writer’s ear We think of the words that can make stories sing With details which fly off the page with light wings Social studies is all about Texas The places, regions, and history around us We’ve learned about native Texans who thrived And the Spanish who, with new technology, arrived
In Social Studies, students are drawing conclusion in dealing with the hardship of establishing colonies and developing an understanding that geographic location has a role in the types of products one could produce. We are also learning about the development of government and how it began. We can’t wait for Colonial Day on November 12th. In Math class students worked with graphing, whole numbers computation and decimals to the thousandths. We have practiced place and value, comparing, ordering and computation. Our kick off has consisted of problem solving and the Challenge board In Science class students learned about the scientific method and did hands on investigations using scientific tools. Currently we are in our physical science unit. We have done experiments with matter, along with mixtures and solutions. We learned about force and motion with some cool stations activities. We are currently in our energy unit. We eagerly anticipate another exciting nine weeks full of learning and fun. Together we can make a difference! Thanks for you continued support.
— The 5th Grade Team
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PTO Update Marsalla Bejar/Ellen Mitchell WSE’s PTO President/Vice President
The school year is off to a great start! As always, the WSE PTO has been very busy! Before school even started, the PTO hosted a popsicle party for the incoming kindergarteners, held a back to school teacher luncheon, decorated hallways and distributed school supply orders. Since school has started nine short weeks ago, PTO has coordinated room parents for every classroom, sold and distributed spirit t-shirts, gotten the PTO website up and running (www. wse-pto.org), created and passed out a calendar of events for the school year, had a second teacher luncheon, held two board meetings, hosted a VIPS meet and greet breakfast, and so much more. In addition to all GOLD $200+ donors The Young Family The Meinen Family The Kulow Family Channing Yang Aniruddh & Srikavya Yerramilli The Delaune Family Grace & Marion Abercrombie Brianna & Danielle Bejar Josi & Kai Whitman The Barnwells Mitchell Family Grace Vu Rowan Kaul Katelyn Manahan Christopher Manahan Aarush John Owen Linnell SILVER $99-199 donors Justin & Sophie Wang Nour Elmoufti Claire Liu Pringle The Dowd Family Sanya Gupta Ryan, Dori, & Penelope Strohl The Klein Kids – Jacob, Caden, & Addison
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Jayden Hiew Jack Mayerfield & Family Walker Henry Jeff & Becky Zindel Bailey & Blake Harris Ben Ratterree Family Elizabeth Ratterree Family Quinn Mannion Madeline, Matthew & Miriam Reed Mohan Family Osuna Family Ella Gor Vasquez Family Jaxson & Alex Lawton Nina & Frank Gerlovich Arone-Bruno Family Haiwen Carolyn Raun Maggie Lowry Mingqian Zhao Holecek Family The Stanley Family Henry Ma Ayden & Kylie Beer McGraw Veronica & DJ Vadran Graham & Julia Lampkin Shirina & Sooraj Kakulauaram
that, we also a great time at WSE night with the Sugar Land Skeeters. By far, the biggest thing that the PTO has done this first nine weeks is the fall fundraiser. We not only met, but exceeded our $25,000 goal! We would like to thank all the families that donated money and/or purchased cookie dough. It could not have been done without the hard work of our incredible volunteers, and all of our supportive families! We are already working hard on our activities for the second nine weeks, including Donuts for Dads, Movie Night, another teacher luncheon, classroom Winter Parties, and more. Feel free to contact us at wseptopresident@gmail.com at any time.
Thank you again for your help and support!
BRONZE $50–99 donors Bennett Wilson Lundstrom Family Carson White Edvin CA Berglund Ryan Ji The Chapman Family Caroline & Ellie Singleton Robbie Keenan The Watts Family Waylon Shao Jadyn Barron Ordonez Family Lucio Llambias McKenna Green Evan Sebastian & Katelin Lazar Fina Hoefel Lena John Jonathan Liu The Ivesters The Wramsby Family Nicole Colwell Kyle Liu DJ Arrajj Lauren Stout Brady Stout Harith Safian Danielle Bejar Brianna Bejar Caleb Hsieh
Westin Hodge Castille Tan Nguyen Ekanthika Manoj Harper Shipley Jacob & Haley Avila Ziduo Yi Emi Mazza Ynhu Nguyen Lucas Galindez Barreiro Addyson Davis Cian Rikin Patel Emarie Schweikhardt Emma Sallman Luke & Rachel Staples Asha Mathew Orie Baxter Amani Pirzada Emad Siddiqui Gabriel Pontes Beckham Wood Niveditha Rajkumar Blaire & Campbell Stewart Arya Mathew Ameya Apte Peyton Hodakievic Bryan Wang Anna Yi Ammar Bumbia Mallory Maderazo Zoe Councill Kyle Chapman
Dezhou & Deyang Gao Muhsin Jordan Turner Mihir & Shefali Katkar Murray Family Erin Li Williams Yinkai Gao Caleb & Chase Koscinski Ian Zenke Danny Faddoul OM, Siya, & Janki Patel Ammar Bumbia A & B Golden Fish Joshua Egger Allub - Santiago Arion Moore Kate Johnson Gia Francis-Oshiro Richard Bielby Sidd Gokhale Nikhil Gokhale Austin Tang Anahita Zarrabi Drew Peries Maya Friedman Ahmed & Oumnia Elmubarak Bildaci Hanna Mohaweche Jake and Alex Winkler Alex Tran
WSE’s Annual Movie Night presents
FREE!
ff event. t a drop-o any their o n is is Th c o mp a r e t o ac ie, too! Parents d enjoy the mov n a n e childr
Friday Night Nov. 6, 2015 Behind WSE on the soccer field! Concessions from Papa John’s Pizza and Carmelo’s Mexican Grill
Concessions begin 6:15pm | Movie starts 7:00pm
Bring your chairs, blankets & don’t forget your flashlights! 5
Music Notes
Library News Welcome to the WSE Library! We have already been very busy this year as we had a week of library orientation and then began checking out books. We are trying out a new system this year by having all the kids keep their books in Ziploc bags and I am happy to report that the new system is very successful! The number of damaged books has dropped dramatically which is a win-win for all of us! Thank you for helping your child to replace their worn or lost Ziploc bags. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students learned all about the 2015 – 2016 Bluebonnet nominee books and are busily checking them out in order to qualify for the Bluebonnet Award voting that will take place in January, 2016. To be eligible to vote, students must read at least five of the twenty books on the nominee list. Free Bluebonnet resources are available on the Texas Library Association website at http:// www.txla.org Go to “Quick Links” on the left > Reading Lists > Texas Bluebonnet Award > Forms & Resources > Free Resources. There are three
The 2015/2016 music classes are off to a great start!
different tracking charts that students can print out and use to record the books they have read. The Scholastic Book Fair will be held the week before the Thanksgiving holidays, November 16th through the 20th. The shopping hours are from 7:30 each morning until 4:00 each afternoon. Profits from the book fair are used to purchase materials and books for the library as well as provide for author visits to our school. Thank you also for encouraging your child to read. If you have the time, it is invaluable to read along with your child, no matter their age. Reading with a parent or other significant adult will foster a love of reading that will last a lifetime!
We are all magnificent musicians with our beautiful voices singing all types of wonderful songs and clapping, stomping and playing instruments to basic rhythmic patterns. 3rd, 4th & 5th graders are learning how to play the hand bells and sound absolutely amazing! We are all working hard and “building our brains” through music. The 2nd graders will perform a very special program this fall! AMERICA, A Special Tribute to Veterans, is an event you will not want to miss.
We will honor America and all veterans of the armed forces. EVERYONE is invited to attend and please invite any and all veterans to join us for this occasion of honor. Choir is also off to a wonderful beginning! 4th grade Choir meets every Tuesday morning and 5th grade choir meets every Thursday morning. Choir time is 7:35-8:00 in the Music Room. I am delighted to be teaching your talented children. Thank you for sharing them with me and let’s all have a “musical” year together!
Tamela Allen Music Teacher
Please join us Wednesday, November 11, at 8:30 a.m., and on Thursday, November 12, at 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Mrs. Marlyss Jeffcoat
Librarian
Hey Photo/Facebook Moms! We need you ... Take all those great pictures we see on Facebook and get them in the WSE Yearbook! email to: christy@bumblebeecreative.com 6
Art Corner
PE Shorts
This is going to be a another fun year in Art! We will be painting, drawing, and collaging in all classes. The Kindergarteners and First Graders have been learning safe classroom practices, line types, basic colors, and shapes. They have been working on Fall themed paper collages. Second and Third Graders are reviewing safe classroom procedures and learning about the Indigenous Aboriginal Art of Australia. Students are painting a design immolating the similar techniques used by the Aboriginal people.
During the first few weeks of school, the students were taught the stretching routine we do at the beginning of each class. They have participated in several different activities such as Clean Your House, Ten Pin, and Basketball Skillastics. It is very important that all students wear tennis shoes to class.
After reviewing the Art Element of color, Fourth and
Fifth Graders are combining mathematical symmetry and design to create positive and negative art collages. With Fall just around the corner, a wonderful opportunity exists for families to discuss the beautiful warm colors of fall foliage and the scientific reason behind the color changes. Have a wonderful and colorful Fall!
that day. Please feel free to walk with your child during their assigned Outclass time to show your support. It will be a fun filled day with music, stations, and of course walking. Thank you for your support in finding a cure for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Coach Peters
Walker Station is participating in the School Walk for Diabetes again this year. All donations are due back by October 30th, and the walk will take place during Outclass
Mrs. Germany Art Specialist
Congratulations to our Top Fall Fund Raisers! Front Row: Kindergarten - Matthew Abboud First Grade - Gia Francis-Oshiro Second Grade - Annya Malik Second Row: Third Grade - Ayomikun Sholeye Fourth Grade - Runner up Zoey Zamora Fourth Grade - Top Seller of Fourth Grade and the entire school, Kathryn Weinsten Fifth Grade - (tie) Rishindra Davuluri and Aiden Nimji
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WSE Spirit Night at the Skeeters Game!
Don’t forget about all of the upcoming Spirit Nights! (look for the signs)
A portion of what you spend goes to Walker Station Elementary! Just remember to mention WSE when placing your order!
on the web: www.wse-pto.org 8
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