Ready for Some Fun??

JDRF Service Learning

We had our kick-off to our JDRF (Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundation)Service Learning @ TCE on Monday!  The slogan is "Kids Helping Kids".  We would like to thank Mike, Cathy and Kelsey Leffingwell for coming out to speak to our kiddos as well as Ana Lueiro and Lorenzo Lueiro.  

Each student at TCE has received an envelope with 5 paper sneakers in it.  If you are able to help us by giving a donation,  please fill out a paper shoe that was sent home with the amount of the donation to bring back and hang up in our front hallway!  The donations can range from $1.00-as much as you would like to give.  You can turn in the shoe to the front office or to your child's classroom teacher.  

We are collecting funds from now until Friday, October 30th to help support the foundation and will be having our official walk on Friday, October 30th during our grade level specials times!  You may come and join your child as they do the walk as well!  We ask that your child wear blue that day of the walk to help show support as well!  

4th grade- 9:30-10:20

2nd grade - 10:20-11:10

5th grade - 11:10-12:00

1st grade - 12:30-1:20

Kinder- 1:20-2:10 

3rd grade - 2:10-3:00

 You may donate online or by collecting money in the envelope and then returning it to school!

 Here is the site where you can also make donations! 
Our goal this year is $5,000!  

www2.jdrf.org/goto/towncenter

Family Design Challenge!

We are doing something new this year to add a little fun with our STEM initiative and engineering design!   We are having our first ever:

TCE Fall Family Pumpkin Challenge!  

We would like for you and your family to try to take a pumpkin and design it into something unique!  This could be anything from a creative artistic expression with paint or decorative items to an invention in which you use the pumpkin in a new and innovative way! 

We do ask that the pumpkin is not carved in any way, as we want to avoid a smelly hallways as we display the pumpkins around the school!   

Also, we are not looking for scary or Halloween themed designs, this is more about how creative and innovative you can be!  Please check out a few examples of ideas below! 

You can start bringing in your pumpkin designs on Monday for display and we will announce our winners on Friday, October 30th! 
(We will have one winner from each grade level!)

 

TCE Parent/Community Tours 

We had the opportunity to have many parents and community members join us last year for our TCE Tours.   They were able to come in and see the types of learning and resources provided each day in the classroom as well as got a feel for what our children are engaged in daily at school. 

We will be having our first round of Parent/Community Tours to Town Center on Tuesday, November 3rd!  

This is something that we started two years ago in order to give our parents/community a chance to come in during the school day in order to see the learning that is happening and to know more about our goals as a campus!  

There will be a morning tour from 8:30-10:00am 

(major focus on Kinder, 1st, 3rd grades and Specials)

There will be an afternoon tour from 1:00-2:30pm 

(major focus on 2nd, 4th, 5th grades and Specials)

If you would be interested in attending a tour, please click on the following link and fill out the Google Form, so we can contact you about visiting!

Click here to register for a tour time! 

Also another fun event coming up from the 
Coppell Community Supporting Creativity and Fine Arts!

More Fall Info @ TCE!

A few reminders as we are getting further into the school year at TCE!
 

Morning Drop-Off

We ask that each morning you drop off your child in one of the front or back loops or at the front entryway of the school.  We are having many parents who have been going into the gym area and waiting or standing with their child. The school district policy is that you only may be in parts of the school around all learners if you have checked in with a visitor tag. So, we ask that you please drop your learner at the door and then let them walk to their line by themselves.  

When the teachers come to pick up students in the morning from the gym, they need to immediately take the kiddos down to the classrooms as we begin our announcements right after the tardy bell.  This is a not a time to try to conference or visit with teachers, as they have a responsibility to get the day going as quickly as possible for all of their learners.  If you need to leave a message for your teacher, please email them or give them a call.  They will get back to you as quickly as they can.  You may also check with the office staff if you need any further assistance with something for your child and they will help you with any of your needs.  

 Late Arrivals 

Please make sure that if your child is arriving late to school in the morning after 7:55am, that you are walking your child in to get a tardy slip. Remember that 7:50am is the tardy bell. This includes if you take your child to the doctor and they are getting to school/returning.  They should not be walking by themselves into the office to check in as this is a safety concern and we like to ensure a parent/guardian is with them until they are in our care at school.  

Afternoon Early Pick-Ups

Please remember that our instructional day goes until 3:05pm everyday.  We have had many parents coming to pick learners up early.  Trying to get kids down to the office early disrupts the learning environment and does not give a chance for the teachers to finish up a learning activity, give directions for homework or have time for the reflection of the learning day.  We understand that there are certain times when you may need to pick up early, but we ask that you please only do so if absolutely necessary.

Upcoming Events @ TCE

 Kick-Off for Diabetes Service Learning 

Remember. . .Monday, October 19th, kicking off our service learning project with an assembly in the gym at 8:30am!  Then our fun run will be during specials times on Friday, October 30th!  

Feel free to come up and join us for the walk/run times on that day during your child's specials time!

4th grade- 9:30-10:20

2nd grade - 10:20-11:10

5th grade - 11:10-12:00

1st grade - 12:30-1:20

Kinder- 1:20-2:10 

3rd grade - 2:10-3:00

Picture Retakes 

Don't forget school picture retakes will be Tuesday, October 20th first thing in the morning.  If you need a form and did not receive one, please check with the front office!

Spirit Rally

Our 1st TCE Spirit Rally will be Friday, October 23rd at 8:30am in the gym.  This a fun time for our kiddos to get together as a campus to celebrate all the wonderful things happening at TCE and laugh, smile and have fun!   

We ask that your child please wears their TCE spirit grade level color t-shirt on this day!  

 
Texan Town

Just a reminder our Texan Town dates for the fall are October 16th and 30th, November 6th, 13th, and 20th, and December 4th!  

Red Ribbon Week

Check out my last post on the blog to see what to wear for each of the days the week of October 26th-30th!

 Spring Creek BBQ Night 

It's that time of year again for our annual fundraiser night at Spring Creek BBQ!  Join us as we have a fun night of eating with our TCE families and help earn some cash to go toward resources for the campus!  Save the date:  November 3rd!  Times to be sent soon!  

Items Needed @ TCE!

 

Shoes 
Kindergarten is collecting gently used shoes for our school shoe drive! Any type of shoe will work (heels, sandals, tennis shoes, loafers, etc.) They will be using these shoes in their first Engineering unit as well as donating them to various charities in our community.

 

Blue Jeans
 Kindergarten is also collecting any blue jeans that you are not using/wearing anymore! They are going to be doing their very first global service learning project this month. They will be helping to make closed toe shoes for children in Africa out of blue jeans. 

If you would like a little more information before they get started, please click on the link below! More information will be coming home as they get closer to starting this global service learning project!  
Click here for more info about the project!

 

Innovation Station Materials

We are asking for each person in the class to please donate  the following supplies to help us get everything up and going for use for this year!

You may have your child drop these off in their classroom or you can also drop off at the front office!  

**All classes: empty paper towel rolls, packing fillers (styrofoam peanuts, bubble wrap, etc), any size cardboard boxes, nuts, bolts, washers, aluminum foil
 

    K1 McKinney- cotton balls

    K2 Torti - straws

    K3 Brehm - popsicle sticks

    1A McShan - clothespins

    1BVincenzo - yarn or string

    1C Burks - paper plates

    2A  Wagner - paper bowls

    2B  Schaaf - paper bowls

    2C Parker - paper cups

    2D Rice - paper cups

    3A Sork - rubber bands

    3B Judd - index cards

    3C Bowman - playdoh

    3D Tonemah - fishing line or twine

    3E McGraw - felt or fabric remnants

    4A Peccarelli - tape

    4B Seifert - tape

    4C Natherson - glue sticks or glue bottles

    4D Taylor - saran wrap

    5A Martin - brads

    5B Kemp - q-tips

    5C Hruby - toothpicks

    5D Rohani - playdoh

Starting to Feel Like Fall!

It is truly starting to feel like fall!  We are so excited for October and looking forward to all of the learning that will be happening for your kiddos this month!  Also, we have several things to share below going on at TCE this month!

  

Bullying Awareness Month

Stomp Out Bullying

In order to support Bullying Awareness Month, we ask that your child wear a blue shirt or something blue tomorrow,

Monday, October 5th to show their support!  

Here is a link that shares more about Stomping Out Bullying:

http://www.stompoutbullying.org/ 

Popcorn Texan Town Volunteers!!

 We are in need of having a parent or parents that can help us with popping our popcorn for Texan Town on Friday mornings.  It is a great way to be involved with our Texan Treats Club and a great volunteer opportunity for anyone willing to help out!  
Please go to the following link if you would like to help:  
Click here to volunteer!

Also, if you would be interested in being a lead person and being here each Texan Town date for popcorn popping, please email:

Kate Seifert - kseifert@coppellisd.com 

(our 4th grade teacher in charge of Texan Treats)

 Career Focus @ TCE
As you know, we have a large focus with our STEM initiative on highlighting careers.  
We would love to have parents/community members come in and speak about their career with learners during Texan Town or during lessons as needed.  
We are also trying to partner with parents that would be willing to come in or virtually communicate with learners to give feedback on projects/presentations during the year.  We want our learners to understand the many careers in the world and how they can set goals starting at a young age in order to help them later in life!   
Please fill out the following Google Form, if you could help us this year with our focus on careers!
Click here for Form!

Parent/Educator Conferences

You should be receiving information from your child's teacher about scheduling a fall conference.  This is a great time to discuss your child's progress and beginning of the year assessments.  It is also a great time to ask questions you may have for your teachers.  

Our official day is Friday, October 9th, to hold conferences, but due to the large number of conferences teachers are scheduling, there may be another day they request you to come in and visit.  

Important Reminder:  

There will be no school on Friday, October 9th as well as Monday, October 12th (Columbus Day).

Dyslexia Awareness Month

We are celebrating Dyslexia Awareness Month for October at TCE.  Each morning we are having facts about dyslexia on our morning announcements.  If you would ever like to learn more about dyslexia or gain insight into what it is and how it affects learners, please check out one of our fabulous educator's websites.  Cathy Wilson has numerous links and resources available on her Town Center website.  
Click here to visit her site! 

Red Ribbon Week
We will be having our annual Red Ribbon Week the week of October 26th-30th!  Check out the following for our schedule for fun-filled days of being drug-free! 

Service Learning: TCE Walk to Support Diabetes Research Foundation

Each day, 40 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in the United States alone.  While diagnosis frequently occurs in childhood and adolescence, it can and does strike adults as well.   

Town Center is proud to partner this year with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in JDRF’s Kids Walk to Cure Diabetes Program.  

With the slogan “Kids Helping Kids”, our students will be learning about type 1 and type2 diabetes and the importance of a healthy lifestyle.  At the same time, they will learn what it means to make a difference by raising money for T1D research!

We will kick off our campaign on October 19^th with an educational assembly at 8:30 a.m.  At that time, we will distribute more information and collection envelopes.   

On October 30^th our school will turn in their donations and participate in a healthy, brisk walk in celebration!  Parents and families are welcome to join us in our walk!  More info to come home soon! 

Everybody is Somebody @ TCE!

Hi TCE families, 

Welcome to the first post for the year with our Town Center Elementary Principal's Blog!  I can't believe we are already moving into the middle of September!  We have had an amazing start to the year and we are all excited at TCE as we look forward to a year full of learning, fun and building relationships with all of our learners and families! 

My blog will be a great place to go in order to find out about what is happening at TCE as well as I will be elaborating throughout the year on instructional strategies and resources concerning our lesson design and learning with STEM!

Write-A-Check

Our PTO has kicked off our Write-a-Check for the school year!  Please remember that any donations go to help our school in supporting learning and resources for our learners inside our classrooms and around the school!  
The goal this year is $20,000!  
Many companies will match dollar donations given to schools, so you might check with your business or work to see if they might help us in supporting TCE!

 

Safety Patrol

Thank you to all of our 5th graders who have volunteered to help support TCE this year and for the parent support in getting them here early and picking them up late each day!  Please make sure and have your kiddos tell them thank you each day as they help with our morning and afternoon dismissal! 

 

Author Visit - Don Tate
We will be having an author visit for all of our learners this week on Thursday, September 17th!  Mrs. Montgomery our librarian/media specialist has sent home the following form for ordering any books from the author.  Looking forward to hearing all that he has to share!

 

Book Fair
We will be having our TCE annual fall book fair in the library the week of September 21st-25th!  We hope all of you will get the chance to swing by and see all of the wonderful literature offered!  They will be open each morning starting at 7:30am and will close each afternoon at 3:15pm. They will also be open on Special Friend's Day! 
    

 Special Friend's Day

We will have our TCE Special Friend's Day on Friday, September 25th.  This is a day where you can have a parent, relative or other family friend come up to the school and visit your child's room and the school!  Our TCE learners love having their special friend visit and see what they have been learning as well as seeing the school!  You will check in at the front of the school during your grade level's time slot.

Here is the schedule for the day:

4th- 8:30-9:30am

Kinder- 9:30-10:30am

3rd- 10:30-11:30am

1st- 11:30am-12:30pm

2nd- 12:30-1:30pm

5th- 1:30-2:30pm

Fall Family Picnic
Our annual TCE Fall Family Picnic will be 
Friday, September 25th from 5:30-7:30pm.
  
This is a wonderful evening to come out and relax with the family and enjoy some great food truck vendors!  Make sure and bring cash if possible for the food trucks and then a chair or blanket for your family to sit on.  We will have a DJ again this year that will play us some tunes as we enjoy this fall family night of fun and relaxation!

Fall Raffle
 All of our families and the community will have an opportunity to participate in the PTO fall raffle!  
See the following info about how to go about purchasing tickets and prizes!  
You will also be getting this information sent home in the next few days in your child's take home folder!

 Twitter

Please make sure and follow us at our 
Town Center Twitter handle:
@TCETEXANS

There are many tweets already posted on our Town Center website as well as many of our teachers have Twitter handles that you can follow as well to see learning in action at TCE!

Texan Town

We will be starting our Town Center Texan Town jobs and clubs on October 1st!  We are currently looking for volunteers to help us with running a club or helping to facilitate a club!  Please contact me at aapplegate@coppellisd.com if you would be able to help with this fall session or like to discuss an idea for a club!

(Dates for the Fall Session of Texan Town:  October 1st, 16th, 30th, November 6th, 13th and 20th, December 4th)

Look for more Town Center Elementary Principal News to come your way soon!