FAlcon FAMILY

Weekly Newsletter

November 13 -November 17

Week 13

Courtney Brandel

Principal

Mrs. Brandel's Message

Dear Falcon Families,

We have had another great week come and go at FES! Although we started the week off with some water challenges, we are grateful for the support of our KISD Operations team who provided us with the resources we needed for our day of learning to continue as planned. We tested out our storm safety area with our shelter drill and our students did a great job of moving quickly into place.

Today was truly magical as we ended our week with a presentation of song and gratitude from our students to our Veterans and First responders! It was an honor to celebrate and recognize all of the military and first responders in our Falcon Family, who have chosen to dedicate their lives to the service of others. Thank you, Veterans and First Responders for serving, protecting, and defending our United States of America and our community. We recognize and appreciate the sacrifices that both you and your families make as you engage in the important jobs that you do each day that permit all of us the freedoms and opportunities that we have. Because of you, we can safely learn, work, and enjoy our school and community. Because of you, our students can live freely, confidently, and pursue their dreams and goals. Because of you, our country and community are the great places that they are. Thank you!

Next week, we look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving and continuing with this theme of gratitude with our students! We hope that you will be able to join us for our Thanksgiving meal and ask that if you plan to attend, please register (*using the link in the information below) by Monday in order to allow our cafeteria staff the opportunity to plan and prepare enough food for all who will attend. In the spirit of gratitude, I am grateful for our community that is focused on giving in the R.O.C.K. club grade level food drive. Each day, the grade level baskets continue to grow with donations that will support those in need this holiday season. Thank you for your spirit of giving, and for instilling this into our students!

Thank you, Falcon family, for your love and support of our school!

In Falcon Spirit,

Courtney Brandel

Highlighting the tradition of excellence at Florence Elementary School!

Veterans Day Celebration

Thank you to our PTA, Mrs. Leonard- PTA Chairperson, thank you, Mrs. McIntire and our Co-curr team, our custodians, teachers and parents for making this such a special day to welcome and celebrate our FES veterans! Thank you to our Boy Scouts for leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance and to our students for their beautiful performances!

Mrs. Roberts- FES Veteran

Mrs. Roberts not only serves as an incredible librarian, but she is also our very own Veteran! We are grateful for her heart to serve and lead our students and our country! She was also selected as this month's Golden Egg Recipient by her colleagues for going above and beyond as an FES staff member! Thank you, Mrs. Roberts!

PTA Reflections Winners

Congratulations to eight students whose Reflections entries have been chosen by the judging panel to advance to the Keller ISD District level!

In Primary Visual Arts, Emma He and Ashleigh Jeong

In Intermediate Visual Arts, Tien Du

In Primary Photography, Aarav Kodimala

In Primary Literature, David Grabow

In Intermediate Literature, Hannah Stickane

In Primary Film Production, Gemma Lovell

In Intermediate Film Production, Heidi Grabow

Learning Highlights

Did you know?

Our teachers utilize student "book boxes" to provide students with individualized selections and a variety of books curated from our curriculum materials. Each student's book box is specific to the learning objective, their individual reading level, and content goals. Students practice reading independently with their book boxes and often use graphic organizers to help guide their practice with new reading skills and standards. They also practice reading out loud to their classmates with reading buddies and with their teachers in guided and shared reading. This week, students in 1st and 2nd grade have been focusing on Informational text features and are learning all about how captions, images, and graphs help to share information in books. They have been practicing asking questions as they read and have been using questions such as "who, what, when, where, why, and how" to learn from informational text.

STAFF SHOUTOUTS

Nurse Sue

""Mom, nurse Susan is great nurse. She is even better then you when putting eyedrops in my eyes" :-) I could have been jealous when my 5 years old son told me that. Instead I felt thankful that Florence Elementary has such a wonderful nurse that we parents can rely on when our kiddos are not well and at the same time our kids also feel comfortable with her.

I had couple of occasions to deal with nurse Susan and she was always professional and helpful. So thank you nurse Susan for taking such a good care of our children!" Lenka, FES Parent

Mrs. Linkka

"Mrs. Linkka is the most fun and engaging Kindergarten teacher! Everett is thriving in her classroom. She is intentional with each student, loving, and kind. We are so grateful for her!" Lindsey, Bryon, and Everette- FES Family

Want to shout out an FES Staff member for embodying the tradition of excellence?

We love celebrating the tradition of excellence at FES! As a part of that process, we will be recognizing our amazing staff members and would like your help.

Please share the name and information of the staff member you feel who is deserving of recognition along with some words that share the reason they are being recognized. Please note, your response with be shared with the staff member and may be featured in our publications/ social media and any student names that are included may be omitted for confidentiality.

Fill out a shout out on this Staff Shout Out Form to help us celebrate excellence among our FES teachers and staff!

upcoming events:

November 13- 3rd/4th Reading STAAR Interim

November 13- 2nd Grade Program (6:00-7:00) FES Cafeteria- Doors open at 5:45.

November 14- December 5 - Angel Tree Donations

November 15- 3rd/4th Math STAAR Interim

November 15- Fall Picture Make-Up Day

November 15- Kinder Feast (1:00 PM)

November 16- Campus Thanksgiving Meal

November 20-24 -Thanksgiving Break- No School

November 27- Middle of the Year MAP Testing Window Opens

November 27- November 30th- Penguin Patch Store (Students will visit during their class' designated time- see below)

December 1- FES Spelling Bee (8:30-10:30)

PENGUIN PATCH STORE SCHEDULE

Click here to access the district Academic Calendar.

college spirit days 2023-24 (1).pdf

New News

Campus Thanksgiving Meal

If you plan to join us, please pre-register using this FORM by Monday, November 13th at 4pm. https://forms.gle/WgoCthAdGLC6gmWT7

We can't wait to celebrate Thanksgiving as a Falcon Family on November 16th during student lunch times and are excited to have our Falcon families join in on the celebration meal and sharing in gratitude together!

Our cafeteria is cooking up a delicious lunch and if you plan to purchase the lunch, please be sure to deposit $4.50 per adult lunch and $2.95 per student lunch into your child's Sodexo account by November 16th.

STAAR Interim

On Monday, 3rd and 4th grade students will be taking the fall STAAR Interim test for Reading/ Language Arts. On Wednesday, they will be taking the STAAR Interim test for Math. The STAAR interims are online assessments that align to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and that help educators monitor student progress and predict student performance on STAAR. This provides an opportunity for our students to have experience with the testing platform and new question item types and allows us to see early on in the year how our students are performing. We receive data that will help us to identify areas of deficiency and areas of strength related to the standards and specific item types in order to inform instruction and support. The interim is a shorter version than the official STAAR test, and will take place at the beginning of the day on Monday and on Wednesday.

R.O.C.K. Club Canned Food Drive

The R.O.C.K. race is on! Please consider donating to our canned food drive that will support Community Storehouse and support your student's grade level in earning a popcorn and game party! (see the flyer below for more information).

** Please note, that items should now be dropped of at the students grade level area, instead of the cafeteria.**

ROCK CLUB food drive flyer electronic copy (1) (1).pdf

Battle of the Books- Calling all 3rd and 4th Grade Readers!

Mrs Roberts is sending home information about the battle of the books. If y our hcild is interested, please return the signed permission slip that was sent home to her.

📸Glamour Craft Proofs Available

School proofs are now online for parents to view. Please see the flyer below with instructions to go online to view and place your order. A proof card was sent home with each student code on it. This is a second reminder for parents to order. We want all parents to have an opportunity to view their child image.

**Picture Make-Up day is November 15th.**

We LOVE VolunteerS!

✅Get Cleared to Volunteer! All volunteers must complete a yearly background check. Click the link to apply for a volunteer position through KISD.

Click here to access the KISD background check application.

Do you love to cook? The spring Cooking Class, through Cook Learn Grow is open for registration. Sign up now before the slots are taken.

Penguin Patch Update!

We have the privilege of Penguin Patch Holiday Shop coming again to Florence this year!

Shopping dates for our students will be Monday, November 27th thru Thursday, November 30th.

This Holiday shop allows students to buy gifts 🎁 for their loved ones, friends and teachers. It also teaches our kids the joy of giving during the holidays, valuable math and budgeting lessons, and provides them the opportunity to practice thoughtfulness.

Keep checking the PTA website for updated information and for volunteer opportunities.

Add your photos to the yearbook

Upload all your pics from the Veterans Day! Don't forget to purchase this year’s yearbook. www.TreeRing.com

School code : 1016599729561880

Watch D.O.G.S.

Calling all dads, uncles, grandparents, etc. to join our campus for a day! If you would like to volunteer for Watch D.O.G.S., please complete a KISD background check and forward your approval email when you receive it to Mrs. Bowen at angelina.bowen@kellerisd.net to get access to the sign-up.

PTA Events and Volunteer Opportunities

Information Central for PTA!

Check out Membership Toolkit for valuable information concerning PTA events, dates, ways to volunteer, directory, teacher favorites list and much more. Check it out! ➡️

https://florenceelempta.membershiptoolkit.com/

We are thankful for our faculty, students, their families and all of our Florence Elementary staff! This month, we will make sure that we have left no stone unturned. You will be entered in a raffle to WIN a FRONT ROW SEAT to HOLIDAY performances (4) when you joinpta.com this month!

A Note from our PTA Advocacy Chair!

Don’t forget to head to the polls and cast your vote for the November 7 Special Election! Click here for voting times/location: https://www.cityofkeller.com/about-us/city-secretary/election-information/november-7-2023-special-election?locale=en

Thank you to our Fall Carnival Sponsors, we appreciate these businesses and their donation to Florence! ❤️👏🏼

👉🏼Don’t forget that we still have two designs available for purchase on our PTA Website Spirit Wear page! 💛💙 https://florenceelempta.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/759

Every year Florence families donate gifts to our Angel Tree; these gifts go to students at Florence and our Sister campus, North Riverside. Angels will be available November 15th and placed on the Angel Tree. Students may not choose an Angel without a parent. A binder will be placed near the tree to record which which Angel you have chosen. All gifts should be wrapped and returned to the Front Office by December 5th.. Always remember to check in at the Front Office before entering the school. Thank you!

Spirit Night!

Don't forget to stop by Sugar Llamas on November 15th for spirit night.

Mrs. Robert’s is needing volunteers to help reshelve library books for the months of October, November and December! The signup is now posted on our Florence PTA Website! ➡️ https://florenceelempta.membershiptoolkit.com/Volunteer

Signup to be a Workroom Volunteer!

⭐️Please remember you must complete a volunteer app and background check prior to volunteering on our FES campus.

Important information regarding duties of volunteering:

***Attention volunteers: to protect instructional time and the privacy of the students, volunteers are asked to complete their service in the workroom in the front office or in their designated volunteer area. Please do not go into the classrooms or other areas of the building during instructional time unless pre-arranged with your teacher.

Each teacher has a box in the workroom (located in the island cabinets) with tasks they need help with for the week. Teachers sometimes plan and prep curriculum together as a grade level, so some teachers may have more in their boxes than others. Some teachers have lots of volunteers for their class and some don't have any! We want to make sure all of FES staff benefit from our wonderful volunteers. So, when you visit the workroom, please help to:

Clear your individual teacher's box/grade level boxes
- 2nd Grade drops tasks in boxes on Thursdays
- 3rd Grade drops tasks in boxes on Tuesdays & Thursdays
Clear any boxes belonging to Co-Curr teachers
Ask Office staff if they need any assistance

*Kindergarten & 1st Grade Volunteers - Please contact your Room Rep for sign ups and instructions*

Signup on the PTA Website!

https://florenceelempta.membershiptoolkit.com/Volunteer

Cafeteria Menu- November 2023

Cafeteria information

https://kellerisd.sodexomyway.com/

What time is breakfast? Breakfast will begin at 7:25. The line will close at 7:50 for students to be in class at 7:55.

How do I add money to my child’s cafeteria account? You may place money on your child's lunch account by setting up an account for them on School Cafe. The link is below and you will need your student's ID # to do so.

Sodexo - Breakfast and Lunch.