Lion's Roar

The Lions Roar www.laferiaisd.org

Volume 16 Issue 2

A Publication of The La Feria Independent School District

La Feria ISD offers ESL Classes for Parents The ESL classes for our parents began on October 11, 2012. Our parents and community members are meeting every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. At the same time our parents are attending the ESL classes their children are completing their homework or participating in educational activities. The adults enroll for a variety of reasons; however, the two most important ones are for professional growth or personal benefits. Learning or improving their proficiency in the English language would help with job attainment, promotions, or receiving citizenship. Personally, learning the language would help them better assist their children with homework or communicating with their children in English. The parents will participate in an oral language development session with an emphasis in grammar concepts and the use of an English language software program. These classes will teach the parents how to read, write, and speak English correctly. The class will also teach language skills needed in the workplace and in social settings. Congratulations to those parents who have registered and are attending the sessions. La Feria Independent School district is very proud of the efforts and sacrifices they are making to improve their skills and ultimately assist their children in their educational endeavor.

STARR Replaces TAKS

Dear Parents, In spring 2012, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™) replaced the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). The STAAR program at grades 3–8 is designed to assess the same subjects and grades as previously assessed on TAKS. The new STAAR assessment is geared towards assessing students at a more rigorous level than the previous TAKS tested standards from grades 3 thru 12. At high school, grade-TAKS level assessments will be replaced with 12 end-of-course (EOC) assessments: Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II, biology, chemistry, physics, English I, English II, English III, world geography, world history, and U.S. history. In preparation for these tests, La Feria High School has implemented a zero period program to remediate Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in which students are struggling with. The schedule below is a listing of important upcoming district and state assessment dates. If you have any questions in regard to assisting in preparing your child for these exams, please contact administration from each campus.

State Testing Dates: December 3 – 14, 2012: STAAR-EOC Retest dates April 1 – 5, 2013: STAAR English Reading and Writing May 6 – 17, 2013: Algebra I & II, Geometry, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, World Geography, World & US History Curriculum Based Assessment: November 6 – 4th Gr. Writing Day 1; 5th Gr. Reading November 7 – 4th Gr. Writing Day 2; 5th Gr. Mathematics November 13 – 3rd/4th/6th Gr. Mathematics November 14 – 3rd/4th/6th Gr. Reading; 5th Grade Science December 4 – 7th/8th Grade Testing Window (Math, Science, ELA, Writing, Social Studies) December 10 – Kinder Testing Window (SS/Science); Exit Level & EOC ELA

November 7, 2012

The Impact of Attitude

Attitude is always a “player” on your team.

According to John C. Maxwell, good attitude does not guarantee a team’s success, but bad attitudes guarantee its failure. The following five truths about attitude clarify how they affect teamwork.

Attitudes have the power to lift up or tear down a team.

If you want outstanding results, you need good people with great talent and awesome attitudes. When attitudes go up, so does the potential of the team. When attitudes go down, the potential of the team goes with it.

An attitude compounds when exposed to others.

Several things on a team are not contagious: talent, experience, and willingness to practice.

But you can be sure of one thing: Attitude is catching.

Bad attitudes compound faster than good ones.

There’s only one thing more contagious than a good attitude – a bad attitude. For some reason many people think it’s chic to be negative. The truth is that a negative attitude hurts rather than helps the person who has it and it also hurts the people around him.

Attitudes are subjective. So identifying a wrong one can be difficult.

Attitude is really about how a person is which then overflows into how he acts. If members of the team put others down, sabotage teamwork, or make themselves out to be more important than the team, then you can be sure that you’ve encountered someone with a bad attitude.

Rotten attitudes, left alone, ruin everything.

Bad attitudes must be addressed. You can be sure that they will always cause dissension, resentment, combativeness, and division on a team. If you leave a bad apple in a barrel of good apples, you will always end up with a barrel of rotten apples.

How do YOU Pledge to the Texas Flag

In schools throughout the state the Pledge to the Texas Flag is recited on a daily basis along with the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag, but have you ever thought about the way that you recite the pledges? As a teacher in La Feria Schools and a member of many district committees I have had the opportunity numerous times in the last eight years to recite the Texas Pledge, but I always noticed that the way that people perform pledge varies. For some people they leave their hand over their heart as they do for the Pledge of Allegiance, but for others they raise their right hand up off their chest and hold it in the air as they would when taking an oath in court, but this inconsistency left me wondering, “which way is the “right” way to do it?” After conducting a little research, the answer was found in the Texas legal code. I have to warn you, here comes the legal stuff…..

According to Texas Statute, Government Code, Title 11, Subchapter C, Section 3100.104 Reciting Pledge…

“If the pledge to the state flag is recited, each person who is present and : (1)not in uniform should: (A) face the state flag and stand at attention with the person’s right hand over the heart; (B) if wearing a head covering that is easy to remove, remove that head covering with the right hand and hold it at the person’s left shoulder, with the person’s hand over the heart; and (C) recite the pledge; or (2)in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and make the military salute.”

Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1420, Sec. 7.001, eff. Sept. 1, 2001 Well there we have it, the proper way according to the state legislature to say the pledge to the Texas Flag is to hold your hand over your heart just as you do for the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag. Be sure to share this with your friends and family members the next time you say the pledge!

Page 2 - La Feria High School

November 7, 2012

Mr. Robert Munoz Administrator Profile

Sitting in his office, principal Mr. Robert Munoz is thinking of ways on improving our school. Born on September 27, 1972 in Weslaco, Texas but was raised in La Feria. Mr. Munoz is married to Perla Munoz and is the proud father of two daughters five year-old Miah and three year-old Maya; he also keeps in touch with his sister, Cynthia, every day.

Before La Feria, he was a principal of two schools in La Villa. By coming to La Feria, he now is closer to his family.

Mr. Munoz wants to tell all the students that school is an important time in their lives.

“Enjoy your high school years because time goes by fast and to spend time with their friends,” Mr. Munoz said.

When Mr. Munoz was a high school student, he was student council president, was a member of the Key Club, played golf, basketball received many athletic awards, was an offensive and defensive tackle for the Lions. He was also involved in volunteering for school and community functions along with playing tuba for the Mighty Lion Marching Band.

According to Mr. Munoz, he believes that La Feria is a great community and is still small where people still know the same people for many generations. He also believes we should always change because kids change and schools should change as well.

“That's why we need to become the best school in the Valley,” Mr. Munoz said.

Everyone at La Feria High welcomes former alum and new scholastic leader Mr. Munoz back to La Feria.

Q&A 1. If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?

• I would invest the money to make more and give back to my school and community.

2. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

• I would be actively participating with my daughters' school events and after school events 3. What is your favorite song?

• “I Finally Found Someone” by Barbara Streisand because it reminds me of my wife.

4. What is your favorite hobby?

• Golf is my hobby because it's an excuse to exercise and helps relieve stress.

5. What is your favorite book?

• Build A Fort...Today by Jim Keeper because I try applying him message of love and hope in my life.

6. Who's your favorite actor?

• Any funny comedian because they make me laugh.

7. What is your secret to success?

• Being happy and laughing.

8. What advice would you give to the students of La Feria High School?

• To enjoy high school and spend time with all your friends.

9. Which sports do you like?

• Football, because I grew up with it. I played it, and I coached it.

10. Do you have any siblings?

• Yes, I have one sister.

Boys varsity cross country team place second at district

The boys Cross Country team participated at the 32-3A District Cross Country Meet Monday, October 22nd and ran a fine race. The varsity team placed second and was led by the individual district champion sophomore Isaac Guzman. He outpaced the entire field of runners in the last mile of the competition.

Isaac won the race with a very comfortable lead with a time of 16:21 for the 3 mile event. He was followed by Daniel Castillo who finished third overall. Freshman Joseph

Lunn placed sixth and senior James Vazquez placed ninth. The other top finishers were freshman Vincent Vento, sophomores Gabriel Prado and Billy Guerra. The team will travel to San Antonio, Texas November 3rd for the Regional Cross Country Meet.

The junior varsity team placed second at the district meet and were led by juniors A.J.Noriega and Andres Galarza.

The 9th grade team placed third. They were led by freshmen Dimas Trevino and Carlos Rodriguez.

Students, NHS members volunteer and give the gift of life during the school’s first blood By: Tristan Erik Garza Many students ages 16 and over attending La Feria High School participated in its first blood drive of the year last month on September 17, 2012.

United Blood Services members helped the students donate blood. These students donated blood not only to get out of class for a while, but to help save the lives of those in dire need of blood.

“It felt good to donate blood because I was saving lives,” senior and donor Luis Sosa said. “I will donate blood at the next blood drive too because even though it hurts a little bit, the pain is temporary and the feeling of saving lives is worth it.”

This blood drive, however, could not run smoothly without the help of the National Honor Society members, who volunteered during school to work the three stations of the blood drive.

“It’s a lot of work organizing everything, but when you see the final tally, it makes it all worth it,” said NHS President, Sarah Torres, who volunteered the entire school day as head supervisor of the blood drive.

Sarah wasn’t the only member who sacrificed her time to work the blood drive. Other students swapped stations and time slots each period to get experience in different areas of the donating process.

“I felt very helpful and responsible,” junior NHS member Sara Casarez said, who worked at the pre-donation table of the blood drive.

“I felt like I was doing a good deed for the people.”

After donating blood, students made their way over to the post-donation station, where they sit down for about 15 minutes, drink some water, and snack to get more energy.

“I felt like it was important that the job be done correctly so that the donors had proper time to recover from giving blood,” senior NHS parliamentarian Christa Otto said who worked the post-donation station regularly.

“I enjoy post donation very much because it was organized and ensured that everyone went to class safely.”

These students who donated blood could not make it to the blood drive or head back to class without runners, who were NHS members who made their way all over school to pick up students who planned on donating and walked them back to class safely afterwards.

“It felt pretty cool going to get people and helping them on their way back from the blood drive,” junior and NHS member Javier Loredo Jr said. “It felt good.”

Blood drives are held every couple of months at LFHS so that students get a chance to help save lives. The next blood drive will be on November 20, 2012, and you can count on the members of the National Honor Society to help out and make sure that the blood drive will be a huge success.

It doesn’t hurt…Senior Diana Moreno sits patiently as she donates a pint of her life-giving fluid.

November 7, 2012

La Feria High School - Page 3

La Feria High School Parent Center “TRAINING OPPORTUNITY”

South Texas Emerging Markets Development Fund, Inc. (STEMD) a nonprofit entity in La Feria along with La Feria High School would like to invite all the parents of the district to come and participate in our Money Smart Training (La Feria Financial Literacy Program) Sessions for Adults which consists of eleven modules. We will begin with our first session on October 26th at 10:00 am and will continue through May of 2013 at our LFHS Parent Center located in room 316. STEMD and BBVA Compass Bank have provided us with the Money Smart Curriculum for adults. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) created the Money Smart financial education program to help individuals to establish banking relationships, begin building assets, and secure a better futures for themselves and their families. We look forward to seeing you at our meetings in the parent center which is a new addition to our campus for the 2012-2013 school year. We would like to extend a warm welcome to all the parents of our district to continue attending our meetings twice a month at La Feria High School.

On October 10th we had our third parent meeting with 15 parents in attendance. Our speaker was Mrs. Cynthia Casas Child Nutrition Director for LFISD. Her presentation was Transformation in our school meals. Our children are our future. The foods they eat now make a big difference in the people they will grow up to be. The parents in attendance had an opportunity to ask questions and share the information with each other. The parents also had an opportunity to taste some of the breakfast items that are being served to the students in the cafeteria. The parents enjoyed some refreshments and a chance to win a door prize.

Our door prize winners were left to right

Get ready; let’s debate The La Feria judicial municipal courtroom was quiet, well, that was until students began filling it in. Then they began arguing, no, debating.

On October 4th, students from Ms. Sherry Stewart’s AP English III class learned firsthand what it takes to debate especially when the former municipal judge, Brian Hunsaker is moderating the debate.

“Students were debating on the resolved, the Federal Election Committee undermines the democracy of the United States,” Ms. Stewart said. “My students went to the library and did the research. The purpose was to introduce the steps of the argumentative essay.”

According to Ms. Stewart, each of her students were placed together in pairs and debated in teams while the former municipal judge looked on as the students argued their sides that were on hand.

“The Citizens United felt they were undermining their First Amendment rights and the right to use their funds however they chose,” Ms. Stewart said.

For some of the students, they were a

nervous at first; some may say even scared, but according to junior Isaura Cervantes, their nerves calmed down as the debates went on.

“It was frightening because he (Judge Hunsaker) is someone who knows the law,” Isaura said. “You can’t just say whatever. You have to know what you’re going to say.”

But nevertheless, lessons were learned.

Experience was achieved much needed and appreciated experience.

“It was really helpful because it helped us with our argumentative essay. We also had to work together and contribute,” Isaura said.

“We also had to get over our fear of public speaking.”

Even though nerves of steel were actually made of aluminum when Ms. Stewart’s students approached the judge and learned some valuable lessons. Not only did they learn about government through an AP English course, they learned a little about life.

And for Isaura and for some others, there’s no doubt she and her classmates would do it again in a heartbeat.

Kayla Olivarez Student Profile

Flor Zamudio, Mary Bruno, Francisca Camarillo, and Nereida Chavez.

CTE students attend Career and Education Expo

LFHS CTE Seniors and some juniors were able to attend the 2012 Career and Education EXPO held at the Casa de Amistad in Harlingen, Texas. High school students were able to visit interactive displays set up by business representatives and learn about different career opportunities.

Booths from different college/universities provided students with information about their programs of study. Our students had the opportunity to compete in the EXPO College

Knowledge Game and some won prizes to bring back home.

The EXPO provided a main speaker to talk to them about technology and internet experiences to be aware of. In all, students leave the EXPO with knowledge on how to get started with a career or an education to attain a career.

It was a very productive and successful trip for our students and we look forward to attending more functions such as this one.

Never stopping to take a break, junior Kayla Olivarez can always be seen at high school sporting events. She starts off her year, far earlier than everybody else.

In the summer, while most people are still sound asleep in their beds, Ms. Olivarez is running the streets of La Feria for cross country practice.

As a young freshman, she’s achieved state honors. Even before cross-country is over, Kayla begins her next beloved sport, basketball. Ending up on varsity as a sophomore, she really takes pride and dedication in whatever she does.

“There is no off-season for me,” Kayla said. “I’m never in off-season because I’m always on the move.”

During her basketball season, softball, and track interrupt her. This doesn’t stop Kayla of course; she takes it all in stride. Once can’t forget about school work, which she doesn’t. She manages to keep a 4.75 grade point average and maintain the number nine spot in her junior class.

“People shouldn’t use athletics as a reason to fall behind in their school work,” she said.

“It can be done.”

Kayla Olivarez is the true example of a high school athlete, being able to juggle var-

sity sports and advanced placement classes; young people should look to her as a role model and as an example of commitment and of perseverance.

Q&A 1.Where were you born?

• Grapevine, Texas 2. Do you have any pets?

• One miniature Shih tzu named Juliet 3. What’s your favorite food?

• I’m a chicken strips kind of person 4.Who’s your favorite celebrity?

• Lolo Jones, the Olympic track star.

She is my inspiration 5. What’s your favorite kind of music?

• Anything except rap and Tejano.

6. Do you have a favorite band or singer?

• I love Carrie Underwood; her voice gives me Goosebumps.

7. What’s your favorite school subject?

• Athletics, duh!

8. What’s your favorite color?

• Blue, the color of my birthstone.

9. What’s your favorite ice cream?

• I love Rocky Road! It’s better than lime and strawberry baby!

10. What’s your favorite clothing brand?

• Nike baby! Just do it!

Page 4 - La Feria High School

November 7, 2012

Sabrina Franco Student Profile

On a Friday senior Sabrina Franco was waiting for a phone call from Great American Cookie, a retail store located in the outlet mall in Mercedes where she had applied for work. She waited the whole weekend for that particular phone call to see if she landed the job.

It wasn’t until the following Monday after school, having already forgotten about the application she made, she went home and began watching Sponge Bob Squarepants. All of a sudden, she received a phone call.

It was the manager of Great American Cookie informing her she had an opportunity for an interview.

“I started jumping up and down. I was so excited, and I went to go hug my grandmother,” Sabrina said.

Feeling really nervous going into the interview, they began asking her questions.

“They were very simple questions, but at the time they felt really difficult because I was nervous,” Sabrina said. “The interview took about 10 minutes, but it felt like a lifetime!”

At the end, she had nothing to worry about. The manager loved her and instantly gave her the job any teenager would love to have, working with and selling cookies!

Q&A 1. If you could give the world one piece of advice, what would it be?

•Stop judging others, and let them live their life.

2. If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?

• It would be pillows because they’re nice and

comfortable.

3. What do you value most in others?

• How unique each and every person is in their own way.

4. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

• To stop being so shy because I miss out on a lot.

5. If you could choose one of your personality traits to pass on to your children, what would it be?

• One of the personality traits I would pass down would be caring for others.

6. What would you attempt if you could not fail?

• I’d attempt to fly.

7. What is the best advice you’ve ever given and received?

• Given – life goes on, don’t give up. Received – family and friends are always there for you.

8. If you were granted three wishes from a genie, what would you want?

• First wish, be able to turn invisible whenever I want. Second wish, to be able to get anywhere with just the snap of the finger. Third wish, I would want to be able to fly.

9. If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be?

• I would love to meet Rascal Flatts because I love them!

10. Who is your hero?

• My mom because she is strong and independent.

For at the past two months, students of the high school’s robotics club have been working hard figuring out all the odds and ends and not to mention the basics of robotics.

The goal to create a robot, R.O.A.R. (Rising Over All Robots), to perform certain tasks that may be used in space exploration On October 27th, students will showcase their work and talent in front of judges at this year’s Texas State Technical College robotics competition.

“The kids are very excited and putting in a lot of work,” club sponsor Ms. Kathleen McKenzie said. “It’s a space theme called Warp XX. The kids work after school and on Saturdays trying to build our robot.”

Building an artificial machine that can perform certain tasks has it challenges.

“The biggest challenge is the format,” Ms. McKenzie said. “Students have to learn on their own. Since classes aren’t offered here, some parents have become involved in the project offering their expertise. Member Kevin Cepeda’s father who knows about robotics is currently teaching the kids.”

But as far as building the robot, they’ll also have to create a marketing plan in order to sell the AI.

“They’ll have to sell the robot, create a PowerPoint presentation, and write a research paper. On Saturday, October 13th, our team went to the mall in Harlingen to show off their robot,” Ms. McKenzie said. “This was a little demonstration of what their robot was supposed to do.”

According to team leader and senior Bridgett Ruiz, the marketing plan is more important than the actual robot itself.

“We have a budget and must be able to sell our robot and tell them why they should buy it,” Bridgett said.

But when it comes to the future scientists building something that could possibly used by professionals can be not only a great honor but valuable experience. Nevertheless one person can't possibly do everything by oneself.

It takes a team.

“It's a great way to introduce yourself to a particular field like marketing and engineering and marketing,” Bridgett said. “I really encourage kids to do this. It's fun. It's tough.

You can learn a lot by working together and talk together.”

The robot will be on display at the high school in Ms. McKenzie's class so if future scientists wish to see it, it's just walking distance.

Building our own misutā Robotto

Mr. Rolando Zamora Teacher Profile

Monday through Friday you can count on Mr. Rolando Zamora to be in the band hall by seven thirty waiting on students to drop off their instruments or come by to practice.

Music is his passion, but it always wasn't his first choice.

After graduating high school, Mr. Zamora went right to work deciding not to attend college. His best friend was not going to give up on him though; he wanted him to go to school.

“I was tired of school, and I didn't want to attend high school,” Mr. Zamora said.

“However, when I saw my best friend, he kept bugging me about going back to school..”

After his best friend bugged him many times to go back to school, Mr. Zamora finally decided to give it a shot. Not knowing what to do, Mr. Zamora asked his friend for ideas on what to major in.

“I didn't know what to do,” Mr. Zamora said. “My friend was majoring in music so I joined.”

He started school at Corpuus Christi State University and worked as a welder to pay for school during his attendance there.

“I liked working because I made a lot of money,” he said . “All of my friends were broke during school, and I had money to spend.”

After four years of college he graduated and became a band director at Flower Bluff working at other schools like Robstown, Odem, and San Benito before ending up as a band director here. Now he is on his eleventh year at La Feria High School and still loves what he does.

“Kids at this school are friendlier than kids at other schools I've been to,” Mr. Zamora said.

Q&A 1. Who was your favorite teacher in school?

• Bertha Silva, my fifth grade teacher because she really cared about us.

2. What has been your favorite workplace?

• La Feria because it has the best students I've ever worked with.

3. If you could meet any famous person, who would it be?

• I would meet Beethoven because he was a musical genius.

4. What is your favorite type of music?

• I love Jazz because I played the saxophone, and it's more of a Jazz instrument than a classical instrument.

5. What's your favorite hobby?

• I like to watch sports because it relaxes me, and it's enjoyable.

6. If you had three wishes, what would you do with them?

• I would wish for better health, no war, and to end poverty if I had three wishes.

7. What is your best memory?

• My best memory is when my son and daughter were born because it was a great experirence.

8. Where would you go on vacation if you could go anywhere?

• I would want to go to a Cowboy game because I have never been to one before.

9. Do you have a favorite grandchild?

• No, all my grandchildren are my favorite.

10. If you could go back in time, what time in your life would you go back to?

• I would go back to high school and practice my instrument because I never used to practice.

Yes your honor Students Isaura Cervantes and Rick Ibarra provide their case to Judge Brian Hunsaker during Ms. Sherry Stewart’s Advanced Placement English III course.

November 7, 2012

Congratulations

The La Feria Academy is proud to recognize and congratulate our second cohort of students that completed the Pharmacy Technician Program in June, 2012 and are eligible to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB examination).

First Row: Alexandra Hall, Tayana Lucero, Sierra Flores, Natalie Martinez, Olivia Garcia and Malynda Garza Second Row: Mr. Steven Salinas, Rudy Gonzalez, Blake Diaz, Adan Guzman, Zequiel Martinez Mr. Carlos Verduzco

La Feria Academy Students and Staff Support October Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The La Feria Academy student body and staff showed their support of October Breast Cancer Awareness month by wearing pink colored clothing.

Clara Cordero, Mari Valverde and Pamela Ramos

La Feria Academy - Page 5

La Feria Academy Students participate in October Activities

The La Feria Academy students attended the College Expo hosted by TSTC October 22, 2012 at the Casa de Amistad in Harlingen, Texas. Students were given interactive orientations, while viewing educational and career displays. They met with college and university representatives and obtained degree and program information from within and outside the Rio Grande Valley.

The Family Crisis Organization conducted a domestic violence presentation at the La Feria Academy on October 10, 2012.

Page 6 - W. B. - Green Jr. High School

Boys Excel at District Cross Country Meet Boys from W.B. Green Jr. High excelled at the district cross country meet in Raymondville on Saturday, October 13. After the final tabulations were made, the Cubs came away with a district championship in the 7th grade division and were edged out in points to come in 2nd in the 8th grade division. Coach Tommy Villarreal was very pleased with the effort and hard work that the kids put forth this year.

In the 7th grade division the participants were Julian Trevinio(5th), Reyes Rodriguez (8th), Albert Briones(10th), Mario Aleman(12th), Brandon Hutton(13th), Cesar Orellana(14th), Josue Garcia(17th), Emiliano Segura(23rd), Tobias Davis(29th), Benjamin McCall(37th) and Aaron Garza(41th).\ In the 8th grade division the participants were Adrian Torres(2nd), Nathaniel Reyes(6th), Michael Vento(9th), Jacob Cortez(13th), Robert Ceballos(14th), Larry Castillo(17th), Benito Azua(19th), Robert Aviles(25th), Enrique Leal(27th), Christopher Jimenez(28th), and Donovin Olvera(32nd).

Congratulations to all these boys. Thank you for representing your school in an outstanding manner and keep up the hard work in the years to come.

Students Use Multiple Intelligences to Learn About the Atom and Periodic Table

Eighth grade students at W. B. Green Junior High are exploring the atom and the periodic table this fall in a multitude of ways. Aside from the typical visual PowerPoint lectures and linguistic note taking strategies, students are incorporating bodily-kinesthetic, logical, interpersonal, and interpersonal techniques to master the concepts.

Students are creating personal models of the atom and working in teams to demonstrate their understanding of the atom’s structure. Additionally, students are analyzing and evaluating different Bohr models to predict an element’s physical and chemical properties.

Students are not only discussing periodic trends through an element’s atomic number, period, and group, but are also sharing their understanding by investigating periodic trends through reactivity, density, and physical properties.

Students are also learning to think conceptually and abstractly to see patterns and relationships that would have otherwise remained hidden. Using examples such as grocery stores, department stores, fast food restaurants, zoos, and libraries students make comparisons between the periodic table and these establishments to demystify the periodic table.

Rain, Rain, Go Away…at least on Thursdays!

This year has been a soggy one for the Mighty Cub Band. The band started preparing for the 8th grade A team games since the start of the school year. The Mighty Cub Band has had a strain of bad luck with the weather though. Both games the band went to, the band had to leave due to rain. Water causes damage to the woodwind instruments that average about $250.00. The band is still moving forward preparing for the last home game on November 1st. The 8th graders will have a stand still performance during the half time portion of the game. Everyone is invited to come cheer the Mighty Cub Band on November 1st. Hopefully the weather will be great.

Robotics Competition In Full Gear

W. B. Green Jr. High has been designing, building and competing in a robotics competition to be held at TSTC – Harlingen on October 27, 2012. The La Feria Gearheads are comprised of 7th and 8th grade students. They are competing in this year’s BEST Robotics Competition against other Jr. High Schools and High Schools from across the valley. These students have 5 components in the competition: T-Shirt Design, Exhibit Table, Marketing Presentation, Notebook/Binder with documented information, and, finally, the robot. These students, along with a team from La Feria High School, will be competing for top spots.

Come by TSTC on Saturday, October 27, to support your teams!

November 7, 2012

Parental Involvement

We would like to thank the parents who attended our first two Campus parent meetings which were held on September 12 and September 19, 2012. Our principals spoke to our parents about the Parent Teacher Organization and the different volunteer activities we have.

We would like to invite you to all of our meetings which will be held at the parent center at W. B. Green Junior High from 10:30-11:30 am. Ms. Elizabeth Cisneros, R.N. will be going over “Health and Halloween Safety” on October 24. Ms. Cynthia Casas, School Nutritionist will speak on “Nutrition” on October 31. We encourage our parents input as to what new topics they would like to have discussed at future meetings. Throughout the year we will learn many different ways to better prepare our children for their future. Please join us for our November 9, 2012, meeting which will be held from 10:30 – 11:30 am. Mr. Peter Geraldo will cover “Internet Safety”. Hope to see everyone there!

W.B. Green JH visits HESTEC

Students from W.B. Green Junior High in La Feria had the opportunity to visit UTPA’s 11th Annual HESTEC Convention on Tuesday, September 25th. The students visited many different sessions where they performed different experiments and tested them and listened to guest speakers in different careers such as agriculture, science or engineering.

“This place looks like a huge Science Fair!” said seventh grade PAP student Aaron Garza.

“All the experiments look so cool!”

The event held this year, September 24-29, at the University of Texas Pan American is a great educational conference that features great experiences to excite teachers, students, and parents about science, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Each day is geared toward a different range of people from administrators to the community.

Some of our students created a CD Balloon Hovercraft and competed against each other so see which group’s Hovercraft could move with the most pennies on top. Other students created rockets using recycled items and tested them as well. They combined their knowledge in math and science to calculate velocity, distance and rate as each group flew their rockets.

As the students went from session to session they had the chance to touch one of eight moon rocks available by NASA. At one of the guest speaker presentations, students learned about the amount of pressure it takes to break a concrete pillar. Students even viewed a live demonstration using a robotic camera as the concrete pillar broke into pieces.

Eighteen GEAR UP cohort students from Green Jr. High also attended the HESTEC Student Leadership Day held at UTPA on September 25, 2012. The students had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Michio Kaku, Theoretical Physicist, Author, and Popularizer of Science. In his presentation, Dr. Kaku gave students a sneak preview of the future. He talked and showed the students how technology will continue to change their lives. He told the students that these subject areas will help them “graduate into the future.” Another highlight of the event was Steve Wolf, Stunt and Special Effects Coordinator, Science in the Movies. Mr. Wolf shared his experiences in working with different Hollywood actors and after demonstrating some of his movie stunts, Mr. Wolf told students about the importance of math and science in his job. It was a great learning experience for the students.

The teachers at W.B. Green Junior High would like to extend a sincere thanks to the UTPA student volunteers that were our guides throughout the trip. These young gentlemen took the time out of class to make sure our teachers and students stayed on schedule and even went out of their way to organize our picnic lunch there on campus. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK!!

Noemi Dominguez Elementary - Page 7

November 7, 2012

Doing our Part

This year in Coach Molina’s PE classes along with our various exercise programs we have began taking part in the Terracycle program. The Terracycle program is a free program where old trash can be recycled or up-cycled and turned into new and re-useable items. We are recycling drink pouches, M&M wrappers, Elmers glue sticks or bottles w/ tops, and chip bags. We will be sending these items back to Terracyle throughout the year. Once trash is sent to Terracyle, we will earn points to donate money or goods back to needy charities or families. Feel free to bring any items you might have to the gym. Thanks for your help.

Dig Into Reading

What do onions, buried treasure, curses, and friendship have in common? Ask any 5th grader in Mrs. Romero’s Reading class and you’ll find out! We’ve just wrapped up our novel Holes by Louis Sachar and are excited about producing our first Novel Portfolio filled with illustrations, character descriptions, a symbolic analysis collage, and palindromes. Check out some of the work from our creative 5th graders!

Working on Fractions

The boys in G. Hernandez’s homeroom math class have been working on fractions this semester and are being introduced to different careers that use fractions on a daily basis. This will help the students make a connection from math in the classroom to math in a real world setting. Two careers the class is focusing on include: architects and engineers. Although most work today is done mainly on computers, the class is getting some hands-on experience on some of the tools that are used out in the field such as scales, triangles, t-squares, measuring tapes, and templates. As the students continue with their practice of addition and subtraction of fractions, they will also get a little lesson in creating a small bird house by converting improper fractions.

Mad Science Mania

This October, Mrs. Colson’s Science Club for Evil Geniuses who want to put their complex brain to the test through a series of science challenges and competitions kicks off the year.

Mad Science Mania (October 23th) is just a sneak peek at what to expect from the Future World Conquerors Federation.

Using White Boards and Journaling Play an Important Role for Students at Dominguez Elementary Students at Dominguez Elementary in La Feria are finding that using white boards and making math journals in their classes are helping them learn skills such as place value, computation, and problem solving. Their math teachers are focusing on a more hands-on and visual approach to learning their skills. The teachers feel that by working on the white boards; it gives the students the chance to work at their own pace and for the teacher to assess more easily as to who understands the concept. Plus, the students love to write and erase on the boards.

Mrs. Baker along with the other math teachers feel that using a math journal to solve problems, write definitions, take notes, or paste foldable allows the students to take ownership of their work. Also, by seeing, hearing, writing, and pasting; it covers many different learning styles which in turn can lead to student success.

It’s All Plot to Me – E. Garcia’s Class

This six week our students have been working hard on learning the stages of Plot while implementing the C-Scope lessons. Students have been learning all the stages of Plot that include the Exposition Stage, The Rising Action Stage, The Climax Stage, The Falling Action Stage, and the Resolution Stage.

Students have learned that the Exposition Stage has the background information to the story as well as the Setting and the introduction of the Characters. In the Rising Action Stage, the students have been learning that this is the stage where conflict is introduced. Our students are learning the different conflicts that the major character in the story can encounter such as “Man vs. Man”, “Man vs. Nature”, and “Man vs. Self”. For the Climax stage, students learned that this is the turning point or the highest interest point of the story. The Falling Action Stage is where students have learned that this is the stage where action is being taken to resolve the problem or conflict in the story. Students learned that the Resolution Stage is also called the Denouement Stage where the character has resolved the problem and that sometimes some of the stories may not always have a happy ending.

Our students have been doing Plot Diagrams and Illustrations on several fictional stories to display their understanding of Plot.

Holes

By: Louis Sachar Fifth graders at Dominguez Elementary read the Novel Holes. Not only did they enjoy reading this novel, the students were able to identify many of the Literary Elements such as flashback, foreshadowing, and conflict to name a few. Louis Sachar is a favored author by many in Mrs. D. Garza’s class.

Working Towards Our Goal

By: A. Martinez Our students have been hard at working towards our GOAL of 90% on their CBA Tests and acquiring new strategies for the new STAAR Test… We have very been busy with the Physical Science Objectives in Science! Our kids had a lot of FUN with the Electrical Energy Unit, especially the Hands-On Activities with the Circuits. A poll was taken and Mixtures and Solutions beat all the other activities. We are trying to make science really fun!!!!

Our Bilingual Team will have their first Saturday Academy on October 20, 2012. This academy is geared for those students needing more assistance with their reading, math and science skills! Emphasis will be placed on the weakest scores from the last CBA.

Noemi Dominguez Elementary Parental Involvement

Dominguez Elementary held a parent meeting on Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Our presenter was Laura Martinez, Dominguez Elementary librarian. Mrs. L. Martinez presented on Reading and the Accelerated Reader Program. Mrs. Martinez talked about how to check your child’s AR points through the internet with Home Connect. She also discussed how to use the AR Book Finder and the AR incentives for this year. Mrs. Martinez also gave parents a tour of the library. Afterwards, parents enjoyed a make and take craft lesson. Parents are looking forward to the next meeting.

Page 8 - Noemi Dominguez Elementary

World Social Studies

Sixth-grade students in La Feria are busy taking a field trip around the world. They started the year learning about the United States and the other North American countries. Up next on the itinerary is an excursion to South America. Afterward, they will continue the trip east, exploring each of the other continents one-by-one. This progression will culminate only after circumnavigating the entire Earth. This journey has to culminate within one school year, so it tends to be a very fast-paced trip. Travelling in this manner enables the students to cover much geography and experience many of the world’s cultures without ever having to leave the classroom.

Beginning our trip around the world!

As we start the year in world social studies, we start the adventure. Our goal? We are getting to know the world and the cultures that make us all so different. We began the year with North America and have traveled down to South America. So far this has been the students’ favorite continent. We have studied the countries of South America and have created a wall of symbol nameplates similar to the caves decorated long ago. Just as the Mayans created and designed wall art, our 6th graders personalized and created their own wall of art similar to that of the Mayans long ago.

November 7, 2012

Unsuspecting Heroes

Upon observations one can tell it takes a tremendous amount of collaboration to run a school district. We often associate certain people and their respective positions when we think about our district. Of course there is the superintendent, whose face everyone knows and that his duties include district wide decisions. The people of La Feria are also familiar with those who work at the curriculum office and impose those decisions accordingly. Most commonly known are your principals and teachers of La Feria who spend many hours preparing students to be successful members of our community. However there are others who are also an integral part of each and every student’s wellness. These others see to the sanitation and cleanliness of every nook, cranny and crevice at each and every school.

The janitors, our unsuspecting heroes, aid to keep the children of La Feria healthy. Just as a school could not function without its teacher, Dominguez Elementary could not be a safe environment without our janitors. Our janitors go above and beyond their duties always willing to lend a hand. One example is when they helped enrich the social studies lesson on Columbus’ voyage by baking Hardtack. Student experienced the tasteless, sugarless and stale biscuit of the sailors that lasted a long time without spoiling. Not only are they solely responsible for preventing illnesses at our school, but its beautification as well. They help bring to life the decorative vision of each season, theme and event that our school. A big shout out to our greatly appreciated hero/custodial team: Mr. Murillo, Juani, Mrs. Vega, Linda and Norma. Thanks!

Noemi Dominguez Elementary Welcomes New Teachers

Mythology at Dominguez

Students in Ms. Rodríguez’s 5th grade ELA class spent a few days analyzing Greek myths. Describing phenomena in myths, as well as identifying the purpose of each myth was a key point in the daily lessons. Students were exposed to and enjoyed a variety of Greek myths in different forms. Some myths were read, others were heard from an online storyteller, and others were watched through online video streaming. Although all the myths were entertaining and interesting, students had their favorites. Pandora’s Box and The Midas Touch were among these. For closure and enrichment, students were asked to choose a myth that was read or heard and make a pictorial representation. Students had no pictures or illustrations in a book to refer to, so their illustrations were original and completely creative. Check out this photo as the students proudly display their products!

This school year we would like to extend a warm Noemi Dominguez Elementary welcome to three new additions to our teaching staff: Sylvia Rios, Jessica Romero, and Araceli Robledo.

Each of these valued new faculty members will be teaching fifth-grade students.

Mrs. Rios is a transfer from within the La Feria school district and previously taught for eleven years at C.E. Vail Elementary. She joins the Dominguez fifth-grade team as a science and social studies teacher. Mrs. Rios earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas, San Antonio and is presently attending Grand Canyon University pursuing her master’s degree.

Mrs. Robledo transferred from Sam Houston Elementary also in La Feria ISD, and is now teaching 5th grade Language Arts, Reading, and Social Studies. She is a 1996 graduate of Texas A&M University, Kingsville and has been teaching K-1st grades for the past thirteen years.

Mrs. Romero returns to La Feria ISD after teaching 7th grade ELA at McAllen ISD for the past six years. She is currently teaching fifth grade Language Arts, Reading, and Social Studies. Mrs. Romero graduated with her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas-Pan American in 2004.

We know our three new teachers will be an asset to the Noemi Dominguez Elementary family for many years to come.

Vail Elementary - Page 9

November 7, 2012

Mr. Betts’s 3rd Grade Math Class

In Mr. Betts’s 3rd grade math class, students have been using 1 – 100’s charts to discover number patterns. When asked where students can find number patterns, they responded with street addresses, digital clocks, even lining up after school to board the bus!

As students are beginning to discover, math is everywhere.

Programa Nuevo C-Scope

Este año escolar será un año muy interesante ya que nuestro distrito adoptó un programa de currículo llamado C-Scope. El propósito de este programa es para asegurarse de que todos los maestros de tercer grado estén enseñando, por lo regular las mismas destrezas al mismo tiempo. El programa incluye materias en ciencias, matemáticas, estudios sociales, lectura y arte del lenguaje.

Esperamos que nos traiga buenos resultados al final del año escolar.

Como pueden ver aquí los niños están trabajando en su libreta de lectura donde

“Fire Prevention Week”

On Thursday October 11, 2012, La Feria Fire Department came to C. E. Vail Elementary to present information on fire safety to our students. The fire fighters talked about how they help the community. They brought some of their rescue equipment and explained how it is used to help victims during a fire or accident. The fire fighters brought their fire suits and oxygen masks to demonstrate the purpose of using this equipment for their own safety. Our students were engaged in asking questions. It was a very informative presentation. On behalf of C. E. Vail Elementary, we would like to thank the

LCPL Ryan Canales

escriben las destrezas mientras las están aprendiendo.

C-Scope program

Some of the fourth grade classes at C. E. Vail Elementary had the pleasure of having a very magnificent speaker this semester. His name is LCPL Ryan Canales. He took time from his short stay from the Marines to speak to our three classes. Ryan is the son of our wonderful paraprofessional, Mrs. Gonzales. The students got to ask him questions and if he chose your question, he even gave the children a coin from Korea and/or Japan. Currently, he is serving in Okinawa, Japan. Ryan is a La Feria 2010 graduate. We are so blessed to have had the honor to meet LCPL Ryan Canales. We wish to send out a special thank you to Ryan for taking time from your busy and short stay to speak to us! We are so proud of you and thank you for serving our country.

This school year will be a very interesting year because of the fact that our district adopted a new program-C-Scope. The purpose of this program is to make sure that the teachers across the board in third grade are teaching the same objective at the same time.

This program includes materials for Science, Math, Social Studies, Reading and Language Arts. We will see what kind of results we will have at the end of the school year.

Here you can see the students working on their reading notebook where they write the skills while they are learning them.

Successful First Six Weeks

Ms. Castillo’s third grade class had a successful first six weeks.

We have begun our second six weeks learning about biographies and autobiographies. The students had an in class project where they had to write important information from Ellen Ochoa’s biography (using third person point of view). The students also wrote an autobiography about themselves (using first person point of view). The projects turned out really great and all the while observing the uniqueness in each and every one of them.

La Feria fire fighters for doing an awesome job in presenting to our students during “Fire Prevention Week.”

The classes of Mr. R. Larraga, Mrs. M. Avila, and Ms. L. Avila had the honor of meeting and greeting a former La Feria I.S.D. graduate now serving in The United States Marines. LCPL Ryan Raphael Canales, LF Class of 2010, spoke to these three classes on September 13 while on leave. The students were able to listen to all of his experiences and were also able to ask him questions.

He is currently stationed at Camp Hansen in Okinawa, Japan. We would like to thank him for taking the time to speak with our classes.

Page 10 - David G. Sanchez Elementary

Colcha de costumbres y tradiciones familiares Los estudiantes de primer año de la clase de la señora Duncan se divirtieron mucho coloreando y recortando los cuadros para hacer una colcha. Cada estudiante llevo a su casa un cuadro para dibujar, colorear y escribir acerca de las tradiciones y costumbres de cada familia con la ayuda de sus padres.

La colcha de costumbres y tradiciones es una actividad de nuestro CSCOPE Currículo en la cual los estudiantes comparten las costumbres y tradiciones que ellos practican en sus familias.

American Sign Language Alphabet

The students in Mrs. Esquivel’s 2nd grade class were enthusiastic about signing their name using the American Sign Language Alphabet. The activity was an extension following a weekly selection read in class titled Meet Rosina by George Ancona. The story was about a deaf girl’s life and how it was not so different compared to a person who can hear. Since most of Rosina’s family was deaf, they had adjusted to life using Sign Language to communicate. The students were to learn how to sign “Hi, my name is,” followed by their name. The student’s really enjoyed the activity and some even

took it further and learned how to sign their friends names.

Freedom Week

The 1st and 2nd grade students from David G. Sanchez Elementary in La Feria celebrated Freedom Week with a bang! In 1st grade students were introduced to the Constitution. They learned how it came into being and how it ensures our freedom. Students looked back at the rules they wrote in their first unit in our CSCOPE curriculum and related those to the Constitution. They looked at U.S. symbols and began to learn about customs and celebrations. In 2nd grade, the focus of the Freedom Week unit was learning about America’s national identity. The lessons addressed landmarks, monuments and government buildings of the United States, national symbols, and map skills. Students explored the idea of freedom and recognized some of the ways that freedom and national identity are symbolized. Geography was included as well so that students continue to develop an understanding of where they are in the world. There were also daily activities that took place on the Sanchez Campus. On Monday, Sept. 17 students created posters displaying patriotic symbols and messages. On Tuesday, Sept. 18 students discussed the Constitution and created a “Classroom Constitution” to post on their classrooms.

On Wed. Sept. 19, students learned about the voting process. Students participated in a mock election in which they voted for their favorite patriotic symbol. The patriotic symbol most popular with the 1st and 2nd graders was the Bald Eagle. On Thursday, Sept. 20, students participated in a Freedom Week parade. On Friday, Sept. 21, students all sang “Proud to be an America” by Lee Greenwood after the morning announcements. David G. Sanchez Elementary is proud of all their students and teachers for making this a great week!

November 7, 2012

National School Lunch Week

This week, David Sanchez Elementary celebrated National School Lunch Week. The cafeteria staff provided information about healthy eating choices, coloring pages which they displayed throughout the week, as well as prizes. The students of Mrs. Cuellar’s first grade class enjoyed writing about what their favorite school lunch is. They even illustrated those foods on a copy of a real lunch tray. Congratulations to the cafeteria staff for another successful school year. Thanks for the delicious food and for taking such good care of our students!

Hug-A-Bear visit

It has been a great school year so far! As with the end of every six weeks, report cards were handed out. Then, deserving students anxiously awaited their awards. The students of David Sanchez Elementary were visited this week by Mrs. Betancourt and “Hug-ABear”. They went class by class passing out Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance ribbons and pencils as well as hugs. Students look forward to these visits and work hard all six weeks to earn these prizes and the hug from Hug-A-Bear. The administrators and staff of David Sanchez Elementary are proud of all our students and encourage everyone to do their best. Let’s keep reaching for the stars this six weeks!

First United Methodist Church of La Feria Adopts David G. Sanchez Elementary School for SOS Ministry

The First United Methodist Church of La Feria has chosen David G. Sanchez Elementary as the local school that they will provide services to for the 2012-2013 school year through the Serve Our School or SOS Ministry. The First United Methodist Church decided to dedicate themselves to the national SOS campaign this year. The Church members work together and choose how they wish to manifest their service in their community. Plans are in place to facilitate the provision of new shoes for children in need and provide tutors to help kids keep up with their studies. The primary need for some of the children has been identified as hunger. Many children arrive at school on Mondays very hungry, indicating they lack regular nourishment on weekends. The school district already has a program in place to provide all their students with breakfast and lunch at school, but unfortunately for many of the children these may be the only regular meals they receive. The Church will be working with the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, local businesses, and other churches in La Feria to provide food backpacks over the weekend for children identified by the school as needing genuine help. On September 15, 2012 David G. Sanchez Elementary and the First United Methodist Church had a kick off celebration for the Serve Our Schools program. Community members, Methodist Church members, and staff members from Sanchez Elementary gathered together to help complete a landscaping project at the school. David G. Sanchez Elementary and the First United Methodist Church of La Feria would like to extend our most sincere thanks to the members of our community who volunteered to “Serve Our Schools” on September 15, 2012. Together we gratefully acknowledge the generosity and participation of local sponsors who already include; Cab-Cos Contractors, Precision Mold and Tool, Mid Valley Golf Carts, Aaron’s Brakes and Alignments, State Farm Insurance, Dominos Pizza, Elizondo’s Heavenly Sweets, and the City of La Feria.

Sam Houston Elementary - Page 11

November 7, 2012

Our Family!

Ms. Jessette Alemán & Mrs. Celia Canales would like to introduce you to OUR CLASS. We are Excited to be starting a new year with 21 cute faces and their families as a part of our class. We have a very exciting year planned. The students will be learning many skills taught at a high thinking level which will prepare each one for Kindergarten and their future.

OUR Goal is Success!

Our Class is beginning the “My Family” theme of our curriculum. The Family Tree is our first parent/child project. Each student was required to include pictures or drawings of his or her family members and to give a small presentation introducing their family members, the names of each family member and an activity they like to do together as a family. Our students did Awesome! It was wonderful learning about Our new class family members. We would like to send a special thanks to Our new families for sharing these great memories.

Bus Safety for Kindergartners

Mrs. Drawe & Mrs. Garcia’s Kinder class learned about bus safety this past week. We really appreciate Bus Driver Jonathan on his presentation and help teaching the children all the rules of riding a bus. The children asked many interesting questions and truly learned the importance of safety while riding the bus.

Our Safe Riders are: Emma Casas, Kaelyn Cervnates, Clarisa Diaz, Austin Frausto, Jaden Garcia, Aubrey Hernandez, Gabriel Hernandez, Cody and Zachary Lopez, Ziah Medeles, Carolina Rodriguez, Evan Rodriguez-Lopez, Gael Rodriguez, Cesar-Rene Saldana, Daniella Sanchez, Hailey Torres, Thomas Tovar, Francisco Velez III, Gabriel and Mia Velez, Haley Zambrano.

Fire Safety

The students in Mrs. Handy’s class have been studying fire safety for the week of October 9-12th. The firefighters from the Laferia Fire Department presented a fire safety lesson in culmination of our fire safety week. The students thoroughly enjoyed the unit but were especially enthused to meet some of the firefighters and see a fire engine. The students pictured in Mrs. Handy’s class include the following: Elisa Cavazos, Destiny Contreras, Matthew Canales, Andres Mancillas, Alejandro Rubio, Juan Vasquez, Isidhalia Uribe, Mikayla Medrano, Lia Gomez, Rey Garza, Julissa Atkinson, Neela Rodriguez, Christobal Gonzalez and Joe Charles. Not pictured: Robert Villarreal, Miah Munoz, Leena Norris and Mariah Aguado.

Holding Hands for Kindness

Our class has been focusing on the importance of showing empathy and kindness to each other. We have discussed how we are alike and different in many ways. One of the activities that we created is a Kindness Banner, which represents a promise to treat people with kindness even if they seem different from us. The banner was created by overlapping the children’s handprints using different color paint. This banner will be placed in our classroom as a daily reminder to be kind.

Happy Harvest

Mrs. Brenda Paredes’ Pre-K4 Class is always excited to learn their shapes and colors as part of their Math activities. This week the students worked on pumpkins. We painted round paper plates orange, we used black construction paper to cut out triangles to add the eyes and nose to the pumpkins. We also added a green square shape as the stem of the pumpkin.

In addition, the students made scarecrows by using squares, triangles, and circles as parts of the body. It was a great week indeed! Pumpkins and scarecrows made these students happy all week!! Happy Harvest you all from Pre-K4 at Sam Houston Elementary!

Manos entrelazadas por bondad En nuestro salón nos hemos enfocado en la gran importancia de la empatía y amabilidad.

En nuestras lecciones hemos discutido formas en las cual todos somos iguales y también diferentes. Una de las nuestras actividades, fue crear una bandera de manos unidas, la cual simboliza una promesa de tratar a todos con bondad aun si son deferentes a nosotros. La bandera de manos unidas será exhibida en la pared de nuestro salón como recuerdo de la importancia de bondad.

Awesome Start

What an awesome start to the school year! It’s only the beginning of the school year and already the students in Mrs. Cruz and Mrs. Aguero’s Kinder class have had a variety of experiences. At the beginning of September, students began using centers helping them become independent learners. A visit from the high school football team, band, dance team and cheerleaders helped welcome new students to La Feria ISD and showed them what a MIGHTY LION is all about. Finally, students celebrated Fire Prevention Week with a visit from the La Feria Fire Department. To think this is only the beginning of school year!!!

Sam Houston Elementary Parental Involvement

We would like to thank the parents who attended our Sam Houston parent meetings. In our first meeting parents did learning activities that they could use at home with their children. The meeting was a huge success. Since then the parents have continued to come on Wednesdays to do home learn at home packets that will help their child at home. We would like to invite you to our next meeting that well be on November 8, 2012 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Hope to see you there.

Page 12 - District Information

November 7, 2012

La Feria Police Department is Guest Speaker at Parent Meeting

La Feria Parental Involvement hosted a parent meeting on October 18, 2012 in celebration of Red ribbon week. Our guest speaker was the Chief of Police Don Garcia along with other LFPD officers. The police department spoke to the parents of the dangers of drugs and the long term effects of drugs. The parents were also informed of places and ways in which kids hide drugs. The meeting was opened up for questions and Chief Garcia was gracious to answer the parents all of their issues and concerns. We want to thank the La Feria Police Department for coming to talk to our parents and keeping our community informed.

After School Focused Staff Development Fall Sessions

This fall, the La Feria I.S.D. Curriculum & Instruction office has embarked on an ambitious effort to provide all La Feria I.S.D. teachers with coordinated staff development that is focused on specific areas that will aid our students in mastering the TEKS. This effort will provide support to LFISD’s instructional focus. Emphasis will be placed on campus administration and C&I increasing their presence in the leadership of staff development aimed at assisting teachers with implementation of CSCOPE, increased rigor and student engagement. After School Focused Staff Development sessions have been occurring every week since September and have been well attended. There is a wide variety of individual topics for teachers to choose from as well as two staff development session series based on current literature.

The current literature series are based on books by David Sousa and Robert Marzano.

Sousa’s book, “How the Brain Learns”, helps the participant walk away with a better understanding of how the brain learns and how educators can utilize this knowledge.

This four part series deal with the brain's acquisition and processing of information, the

different types of memory systems and how they work, the nature and power of transfer, and thinking skills and learning. The series that covers Marzano’s book, “Classroom Instruction that Works”, looks at nine high yield instructional strategies that will make an impact on student learning. The nine to be covered are: • Cooperative learning • Cues, questions, and advanced organizers • Generating and testing hypotheses • Summarizing and note taking • Homework and practice • Identifying similarities and differences • Nonlinguistic representations • Reinforcing effort and providing recognition • Setting objectives and providing feedback After School Focused Staff Development sessions will continue until December 13, 2012, at which time we will break for the Christmas holidays. Sessions for the spring are currently being planned and will begin in January.

Thinking Mathematically

What are the goals for mathematics instruction, and how does problem solving fit within those goals? The goals for mathematics instruction are a function of the conceptualization of what it means to understand mathematics. The perception of what mathematics is and what it means to understand mathematics varies extensively. Some consider knowing mathematics as knowing and understanding just facts and procedures dealing with quantities and relationships among them; and to know mathematics is being able to carry out these procedures. Others argue that mathematics is the “science of patterns.” Some believe that the practice of mathematics encourages individuals to engage in the study of patterns through a systemic approach, based on observation, study, and experimentation; where pure mathematics looks at the nature of principles and systems theoretically and applied mathematics are the models of systems abstracted from real world objects. The tools of mathematics are abstraction, symbolic representation, and symbolic manipulation. To effectively use these tools one must have the ability to think mathematically. In order to learn to think mathematically an individual must be able to process the mathematical concepts, be able to apply them abstractly, and be able to develop competence with their mathematical thinking in order to effectively use those tools.

Technology Initiatives for La Feria ISD

The staff for technology is busy this year with many new upgrades and initiatives. One of the new initiatives is the deployment of iPads throughout certain campuses in the district.

We have started the deployment at the lower grade levels. Each of the teachers in Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd will receive 3 iPads for the classroom to increase instruction through the engagement of the apps available for these devices.

At the La Feria High School we have received a Technology Lending Grant. Through this grant we were able to purchase 154 iPads and 60+ broadband card service. The intent of this grant is to assist those students that do not have the resources at home to borrow an iPad. With iPad in hand they can utilize the resources on the Internet and create documents essential for their studies.

We have upgraded our district web filter from Light Speed Systems Inc. to the new iBoss filtering appliance. This new device allows the department to connect to host of new products. One of the new products is the Mobile Device Management (MDM) component. This allows the department to manage school issued iPads through the Internet. As soon as a device connects to the Internet apps can be loaded and policies can be set.

The department is providing training on specific days in the afternoons from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM. The scheduled trainings consist of iPad, PowerPoint, Word, Ecel, and website training. Any staff member willing to attend can contact the technology department by emailing a request to the following e-mail salvador.huerta@laferiaisd.org.

Migrant Education Program hosts Parent Meeting

The Migrant Education Program held its first parent meeting of the year on October 4, 2012. The agenda included election of PAC Officers and guest speakers. Our first guest speaker was Mrs. Cynthia Casas, from our School Nutrition Program. Mrs. Casas informed the parents of changes that were taking place to the school menus. Parents were informed of portion control, fat content, and healthy eating. The next speaker was Alicia Casillas Marquez from Su Clinica Familiar and she came to inform our migrant parents of the services that they offer. She gave the parents information via flyers with contact information. Our last speaker was Mr. Manuel Vega from Cameron Works. He came to invite the parents to the mobile lab that visits La Feria twice a month. He explained what services they provide for the public and was able to answer questions the parents had. The Migrant Education Program wants to thank our guest speakers and parents for attending this very productive meeting.