GLAM Announcements

Hi! My name is Diana Dull. I am a Becker parent volunteer and I am the substitute librarian at Becker.

Students are able to check in/out books again. Teachers are able to drop students off once a week and access more planning time. Becker is getting back into a library routine.

Big shout out to Ms. Karla from the nurse’s office. She unpacked several boxes from the library office when she didn’t have students and found new books for Becker. To all the people who have offered support in this big library transition, thank you. A little bit of community care will help us recruit a top librarian for the students.

Many library books are overdue. Check backpacks this week for overdue notices.

This week in the library we focused on making introductions, learning expectations, earning privileges, and celebrating Black history by listening to clips of Jackie Venson’s music. Stop by and check out the library door display to learn more about her. Hopefully, students can share what they learned about her, too.

https://www.smore.com/aexwh

Who: Library Shelf Organizers

What: Shelving books, updating book displays, and organizing shelves

Where: Library

When: M - F @ 10:35 - 12:05

Why: I’m focused on providing lessons to Becker students. I’m dedicated to providing a class drop-off opportunity for teachers to increase their own planning and organization. Shelving is not prioritized during class time so that I can focus on teaching and class management.

Note: This is my lunch and planning. You won’t interrupt students. The library is vacant and available for as many adults to help. If there aren’t any books to be shelved, I will have a shelf maintenance to-do list. You can pick up where the last volunteer left off.

Who: Office Organizer

What: I’m not sure where to begin but supplies are scattered all over the librarian’s office.

Where: Library Office

When: Let’s set something up after you come take a look at the situation.

Why: This is an opportunity to create an environment that draws top librarians to our campus. Who wouldn’t want to take over Becker’s super organized and resourced Library?!

Note: Please feel free to drop by M - F @ 10:35 - 12:05 to take a look around.

Who: Parent Spanish Speakers (must have completed background check)

What: Read and converse in Spanish. Engage as a whole class presenter or as a small group reading buddy.

Where: Library

When: Preferably during your child’s library time but will not turn away parents who can offer support school-wide.

Why: I am not bilingual. My native language is English. Despite my limited Spanish language skills, I believe there are volunteers who want to help Becker students grow their love of literature in Spanish.

Library volunteers! Sign up to read in Spanish during your student's class time. Sign up to shelve books in the shelving periods.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ER_wquJj8ZQ5H_qViZ5eBnrE08PzfWC4HVtXDWDmOeE/edit?usp=sharing

Library Volunteers

Monday TIME,Teachers,3/6,3/13 Spring Break,3/20,3/27,4/3,4/10,4/17,4/24,5/1,5/8,5/15,5/22 7:30-8:00,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x 8:10-8:55,Maldonado 9:00-9:45,Silva 9:50-10:35,Viosca 10:35-11:20,Shelving 11:20-11:50,Shelving 11:50-12:05,Shelving 12:10-12:55,Pascual 1:05-1:50,Diaz 1:55-2:40,Clay 2:4...

docs.google.com

Links Below:

2nd grade

El Chorrito: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l82wUVuzegY

Cielito Lindo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezVpSH8PzZE

1st Grade

De Colores: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuyCiz455vM

Somos Como Las Flores: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNS2uloUydQ

Kinder

Little Snowflake:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPfjVfaWda8

La Naturaleza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsEjyovhrdk&t=34s

All together, Sol Solecito:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI1_hBM3_AU

3rd grade

Colombia, Mi Encanto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L74W7Ml9Yww

Proud Corazon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLrg2zA3poA

4th Grade:

Un Poco Loco:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtOPn9fmP4o

Recuerdame:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSWj__OmHis

5th Grade:

La Llorona: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3I_bUwoQOM

Inspiracion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FklTtTtAljg

Hello, Becker Bobcat Parents and Students❣

Namaste to what we hope will be a newly nourishing November here at Becker Elementary. It is hard to believe that we are already saying goodbye to what has been an opulent October. As we all know, 🕰time often seems to ✈️fly by especially fast when we are spending that time with such fantastically exceptional individuals as those who comprise our amazing community...VIVA🐾BECKER!

During week twelve (October 31st - November 4th ) in Art, we will be focusing on:

*Halloween and Dia de los Muertos🎃🍬👻💀

*National Indigenous Heritage Month/National Native American Heritage Month: November📅

*Papel Picado👩‍🎨🎨🖌👨‍🎨​

*Artist Identity Badges

*Becker Bobcats' Theme For November: Gratitude🙏

*Social and Emotional Learning Art Lessons✌

As always, we are here to support parents and students in any way that we can. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, problems or concerns❣

Sending ✌peace, ❤️love and ✨light to all of you,

🌷🌷🌷MISS CYNTHIA HILLIARD🌷🌷🌷

cynthia.j.hilliard@austinisd.org

Hello, Becker Bobcat Parents and Students❣

Greetings, greetings, greetings! It feels as if it is officially a fashion forward time of year in ATX. Let's bring out our jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts, long sleeves, and 👖jeans...VIVA🐾BECKER! This upcoming week, our artistic scholars will be using washable liquid tempera paint. On the day that your students will be attending Art, please feel free to send them to school wearing clothing that you will not mind them getting washable paint on.👩‍🎨🎨🖌👨‍🎨

During week eleven (October 24th - October 28th) in Art, we will be focusing on:

*Preparation for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos🎃🍬👻💀

*National Principal Appreciation Month: October📅

*Andy Warhol's Popular Art Hand Printing ​

*Artist Identity Badges

*Becker Bobcats' Monthly Theme: Courage💪✊

*Social and Emotional Learning Art Lessons✌

As always, we are here to support parents and students in any way that we can. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, problems or concerns❣

Sending ✌peace, ❤️love and ✨light to all of you,

🌷🌷🌷MISS CYNTHIA HILLIARD🌷🌷🌷

cynthia.j.hilliard@austinisd.org

Happy Day-Off Families!

I hope everyone has been having a great month of October! 🍁🎃🍂

I have incorporated a rewards system in which students are able to earn coupons in my class! As more coupons are being won, I would greatly appreciate any donations to make rewards in my classroom even more enjoyable and fun! You can browse through the wishlist attached below! Consequently, more classes are moving up on their piano keyboards, so if anyone would like to donate snacks for those music class party days, that will also be greatly appreciated!

Amazon Wishlist:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/5MGBO445QWOD/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1

We hope you have a wonderful and much deserved weekend with your family! Let us know if there is anything we can do to support you or help next week go smoothly.

Please reach out to me via email at:

teresa.sandragorsian@austinisd.org

Happy music-making,

Teresa Sandragorsian

Hello, Becker Bobcat Parents and Students❣

We gratefully welcome the perceived change in the 🌬weather, and we are super excited that it is actually starting to feel like fall outside (at least during the early morning hours😉)...VIVA🐾BECKER! This upcoming week, our artistic scholars will be using washable liquid tempera paint. On the day that your students will be attending Art, please feel free to send them to school wearing clothing that you will not mind them getting washable paint on.👩‍🎨🎨🖌👨‍🎨

During week ten (October 17th - October 21st) in Art, we will be focusing on:

*National Principal Appreciation Month: October

*Andy Warhol's Popular Art Hand Printing ​

*Artist Identity Badges

*Becker Bobcats' Monthly Theme: Courage

*Social and Emotional Learning Art Lessons

As always, we are here to support parents and students in any way that we can. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, problems or concerns❣

Sending ✌peace, ❤️love and ✨light to all of you,

🌷🌷🌷MISS CYNTHIA HILLIARD🌷🌷🌷

cynthia.j.hilliard@austinisd.org

Happy Friday Families!

Message:

We had such a great eight weeks with you and your kiddos! It’s been such a joy to get to know each of them and start building community together.

Updates:

• This week, we’ve had our first classes move up on their piano keyboards! If a class makes it all the way to the end of the keyboard, they will be getting a music party outside! If anyone would like to donate class snacks in preparation for this piano keyboard reward, it will be much appreciated!

Content we are getting into next week:

• Varying in difficulty, Kinder through 2nd grade will be focusing on percussion basics, tuneful singing, and basic rhythmic figures. My 3rd through 5th graders will be reviewing and practicing rhythmic figures and solfege!

We hope you have a wonderful and much deserved weekend with your family! Let us know if there is anything we can do to support you or help next week go smoothly.

Please reach out to me via email at:

teresa.sandragorsian@austinisd.org

Happy music-making,

Teresa Sandragorsian

Hello, Becker Bobcat Parents and Students❣

Greetings, greetings, greetings! We are grateful for the opportunity to express gratitude to our entire Becker Family for all of the beauty and positivity that you contribute to our community...VIVA🐾BECKER! This upcoming week, our artistic scholars will be using washable liquid tempera paint. On the day that your students will be attending Art, please feel free to send them to school wearing clothing that you will not mind them getting washable paint on.👩‍🎨🎨🖌👨‍🎨

During week nine (October 10th - October 14th) in Art, we will be focusing on:

*Indigenous Peoples' Day (10/10/2022)

*Andy Warhol's Popular Art Hand Printing ​

*Artist Identity Badges

*Becker Bobcats' Monthly Theme: Courage

As always, we are here to support parents and students in any way that we can. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, problems or concerns❣

Sending ✌peace, ❤️love and ✨light to all of you,

🌷🌷🌷MISS CYNTHIA HILLIARD🌷🌷🌷

cynthia.j.hilliard@austinisd.org

Hola familias de Becker,

I'm happy to announce that we will be celebrating Book Character Day next month on Friday October 28th! During the month of October in the Library, students will explore character traits and details from their favorite books and will have the opportunity to share their explorations with their classmates and teachers. On the 28th, they will be allowed to dress up as their favorite characters and are encouraged to bring their books with them on that day.

Our classes will start these activities next week in the Library, but we encourage all families to start thinking of creative ideas for our Character Costumes. We will also accept any costume donations to share with other students as necessary.

Saludos a todos!

Victor Castillo

Happy Friday Families!

Message:

We had such a great seven weeks with you and your kiddos! It’s been such a joy to get to know each of them and start building community together.

Updates:

• This week, we have added a piano keyboard incentive in class! Every class is working on moving all the way through their class keyboard, and if they do, they’ll receive a music party during our class time to listen to music, dance, and enjoy some snacks. If anyone would like to donate class snacks in preparation for this piano keyboard reward, it will be much appreciated!

Content we are getting into next week:

• Varying in difficulty, Kinder through 2nd grade will be focusing on percussion basics, tuneful singing, and basic rhythmic figures. My 3rd through 5th graders will be reviewing and practicing rhythmic figures and solfege!

We hope you have a wonderful and much deserved weekend with your family! Let us know if there is anything we can do to support you or help next week go smoothly.

Please reach out to me via email at:

teresa.sandragorsian@austinisd.org

Happy music-making,

Teresa Sandragorsian

Hello families,

Its been a wonderful first six weeks in the library with your students. We've successfully started circulating books among all the 1st through 5th grade classes, and have already seen plenty of books get returned or extended for further reading.

This week I'm happy to announce that we will have our first guest author in our library next Friday, September 30th. Our guest, Mando Rayo, is an active member of the Austin community helping to share stories that reflect BIPOC and Latinx experiences in America; and he will be reading to all Kinder, 1st, and 2nd grade classes from his new book Vitamin T for Tacos: A Children's Alphabet Book, Taco Dictionary, and Cultural Guide. Big thanks to Anaka Rivera and the entire PTA for sponsoring and planning this event!

And lastly, calling all volunteers! We are always in need of parent volunteers to help reshelve books. Below is the Library Schedule for the 22-23 school year. Please feel free to drop in anywhere you see a red block of time on the schedule since that is when there are no classes being held during that time!

Saludos and Shana Tova!

Victor

Happy Friday Families!

Message:

We had such a great six weeks with you and your kiddos! It’s been such a joy to get to know each of them and start building community together.

Updates:

• This week 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders had a visit from the Austin Jazz Workshop and learned about Harry Warren, a jazz musician and composer! Feel free to ask your kids which instruments were their favorite!

Content we are getting into next week:

• Varying in difficulty, we will be going over percussion basics and expectations!

We hope you have a wonderful and much deserved weekend with your family! Let us know if there is anything we can do to support you or help next week go smoothly.

Please reach out to me via email at:

teresa.sandragorsian@austinisd.org

Happy musicking,

Teresa Sandragorsian

Hello, Becker Bobcat Parents and Students❣

Greeting, greetings, greetings to all of you and to the onset of the autumn🍂season! This upcoming week our artistic scholars will be using washable liquid tempera paint. On the day that your students will be attending Art, please feel free to send them to school with clothing that you will not mind them getting washable paint on.👩‍🎨🎨🖌👨‍🎨

During week seven (September 26th - September 30th) in Art, we will be focusing on:

*Andy Warhol's Popular Art Hand Printing ​)

*Artist Identity Badges

*Becker Bobcat's Monthly Theme of Curiosity

As always, we are here to support parents and students in any way that we can. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, problems or concerns❣

Sending ✌peace, ❤️love and ✨light to all of you,

🌷🌷🌷MISS CYNTHIA HILLIARD🌷🌷🌷

cynthia.j.hilliard@austinisd.org

Happy Friday Families!

Message:

We had such a great five weeks with you and your kiddos! It’s been such a joy to get to know each of them and start building community together.

Updates:

• We will be continuing to foster teamwork as we work towards meeting our agreed-upon expectations in class and shoot for 100% participation! Feel free to ask your kiddos what songs they’ve learned in music so far!

Content we are getting into next week:

• Varying in difficulty, we will be going over expectations for movement, dance, and interactive activities!

We hope you have a wonderful and much deserved weekend with your family! Let us know if there is anything we can do to support you or help next week go smoothly.

Please reach out to me via email at:

teresa.sandragorsian@austinisd.org

Happy musicking,

Teresa Sandragorsian

Hello, Becker Bobcat Parents and Students❣

It is a joy to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th - October 15th) with our amazing artistic scholars. I am certainly anticipating seeing all of our Becker Families at Back To School Night on Tuesday, September 20th.

During week six (September 19th - 23rd) in Art, we will be focusing on:

*Andy Warhol's Popular Art Hand Printing

*Artist Identity Badges

*Becker Bobcat's Monthly Theme of Curiosity

As always, we are here to support parents and students in any way that we can. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, problems or concerns❣

Sending ✌peace, ❤️love and ✨light to all of you,

🌷🌷🌷MISS CYNTHIA HILLIARD🌷🌷🌷

cynthia.j.hilliard@austinisd.org

Hello Becker families!

This week, our students have finally started checking out books from the library!

Every visit to the library starts with practicing mindfulness so that every student is able to calm their minds to be able to engage with their books attentively. We have a lot of very experienced readers at every grade level. Those experienced readers are usually able to meditate for shorter periods of time because they display a sense of calmness and readiness within a matter of a few minutes, and they are allowed to begin selecting their books quicker than others. Other students still require a few extra minutes of meditation in our quiet space that is filled with relaxing lights and ambient music, but so far every Becker student that has visited the library has demonstrated an ability to get into the correct reading-mindset.

We will continue to practice mindfulness before we're ready to move on to other areas that promote literacy skills. I encourage all parents to allow their students to practice mindfulness at home in order to develop good mental habits necessary for reading!

As a reminder:

• Grades K and 1st are allowed to check out one book which must be kept in their classrooms. (We will alternate between Spanish and English books every week)
• Grade 2nd thru 5th are allowed to check out up to three books, and they are allowed to be taken home. (At least one book has to be in Spanish)
• If your Kindergartener or 1st grader accidentally brought their book home with them, please remind them to return it to their classrooms, where they may be allowed to read them throughout the day with their teacher's permission.
• If your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader brought their books home, please remind them to recall the library expectations so that all of our books are kept safely, and returned promptly after use!

Gracias familias, y que tengan un buen comienzo al mes de Herencia Hispana!

- Mr. Castillo

Happy Friday Families!

Message:

We had such a great four weeks with you and your kiddos! It’s been such a joy to get to know each of them and start building community together.

Updates:

• We will be continuing to foster teamwork as we work towards meeting our agreed-upon expectations in class and shoot for 100% participation!

Content we are getting into next week:

• Ranging in difficulty, students will be learning to participate in musical dance numbers as well as musical activities in conjunction with the new songs we learned this week. We will be continuing to learn how to move in the classroom along with these objectives!

We hope you have a wonderful and much deserved weekend with your family! Let us know if there is anything we can do to support you or help next week go smoothly.

Please reach out to me via email at:

teresa.sandragorsian@austinisd.org

Happy musicking,

Teresa Sandragorsian

Hello, Becker Bobcat Parents and Students❣

We are delighted to embark upon the fifth week of school with our amazing artistic scholars. It is wonderful to witness our students, faculty and staff "find their groove" as we complete our first full month of the fall semester❣

During the week of September 12th - 16th, we will complete our study of Henri Matisse in Art. I am extremely excited that we will begin our study of Andy Warhol's Popular Art Hand Printing. We will also be exploring the topic of curiosity, as we continue to celebrate students and teachers who exude this character pillar throughout the month of September at Becker Elementary.

As always, we are here to support parents and students in any way that we can. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, problems or concerns❣

Sending ✌peace, ❤️love and ✨light to all of you,

🌷🌷🌷MISS CYNTHIA HILLIARD🌷🌷🌷

cynthia.j.hilliard@austinisd.org

(512) 414 -2019

Since last week, classes in the library have been practicing mindfulness and meditation to help all of our readers calm their minds for successful reading. These exercises have been very successful in enforcing our library expectations and with helping our students practice getting into a calm mindset that is free from distractions and racing thoughts in order to engage their reading abilities and reading stamina. Students have responded positively to these activities, and they might become a common practice in the library throughout the school year. I encourage all parents to remind their students to practice mindfulness at home before and during reading or homework activities!

As always, I welcome any parent volunteers to help re-shelve our books any time there are books on the carts. I am also expecting some supplies to arrive within the next week in preparation for Hispanic Heritage Month, and I'll be sending out e-mails to everyone that has reached out to me so far about an opportunity to come decorate our library for the month-long commemoration!

Saludos a todos!

Mr. Castillo

Ms. Teresa (Music) - teresa.sandragorsian@austinisd.org

Ms. Hilliard (Art) - cynthia.j.hilliard@austinisd.org

Mr. Castillo (Library)- victor.a.castilo@austinisd.org

Happy Friday Families!

Message:

We had such a great three weeks with you and your kiddos! It’s been such a joy to get to know each of them and start building community together.

Updates:

• This week my classes worked on creating expectations for their classes! Each class got to decide on fair expectations as a means of encouraging teamwork. Participation and teamwork is always key in music class!

Content we are getting into next week:

• Ranging in difficulty, students will be learning to participate in musical activities as a class, sing, keep the beat, and mark rhythms. We are going to continue working towards 100% participation!

We hope you have a wonderful and much deserved weekend with your family! Let us know if there is anything we can do to support you or help next week go smoothly.

Please reach out to me via email at:

teresa.sandragorsian@austinisd.org

Happy musicking,

Teresa Sandragorsian

Hello, Becker Bobcat Parents and Students❣

We are super excited to embark upon the fourth week of school following our extended Labor Day weekend. I am already noticing that as the season changes, our students seem to be comfortably shifting their energy away from summer vacation mode and naturally gravitating towards an awesome autumn “Back-to-School” vibe. I anticipate amazing things from our young artistic scholars this fall semester❣

During the week of September 5th - 9th, we will continue our study of Henri Matisse in Art. We will also be exploring the topic of curiosity, as we will be celebrating students and teachers who exude this character pillar throughout the month of September at Becker Elementary.

As always, we are here to support parents and students in any way that we can. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, problems or concerns❣

Sending ✌peace, ❤️love and ✨light to all of you,

🌷🌷🌷MISS CYNTHIA HILLIARD🌷🌷🌷

Ms. Teresa is a professional music teacher with a classical and jazz background. She is passionate about teaching music and believes that music is an essential part of a well-rounded education!

🎶 Music Notes: 🎶

We had such a great two weeks with you and your kiddos! It’s been such a joy to get to know each of them and start building community together.

Updates:

• Music is all about participation and trying our best! We will be learning to sing and participate in musical activities together!

Content we are getting into next week:

• Ranging in difficulty, students will be learning to participate in musical activities as a class, sing, keep the beat, and mark rhythms.

We hope you have a wonderful and much deserved weekend with your family! Let us know if there is anything we can do to support you or help next week go smoothly.

Please reach out to me via email at:

teresa.sandragorsian@austinisd.org

Happy musicking,

Teresa Sandragorsian

🎨 Art is Everywhere: 🎨

Hello, Becker Family!!!

Message:

I am Miss Hilliard and I am beyond excited to be teaching ART this semester! The first two weeks of school have been a joyous wonder, as I have been ecstatically engaged in getting to know each and every one of my students! I am excitedly looking forward to continuing to contribute to the strong sense of community that is already established here at Becker Elementary!

Content we are getting into next week:

During the week of August 29th - September 2nd, we will be studying Matisse and working on creating paper collages.

We hope that you have a wonderful and much deserved weekend with your family! Let us know if there is anything that we can do to support you or to help next week to progress smoothly.

Please feel free to reach out to me any time via email at:

cynthia.j.hilliard@austinisd.org

Librarian's Nook:

Hello wonderful families,

I'm happy to announce that I am the new librarian at Becker this year! My name is Mr. Castillo, and this is my first year with AISD. I spent my first week and a half substituting for one of our fifth grade classrooms, and I have already met some of our great families and students. This week, I have been organizing and preparing our library in preparation for next Wednesday when I will begin to meet with our classes on a regular basis. I'm happy to be here and always welcome any parent volunteers!

Curious about what days your bobcat has green garden, library, music and art?

Click here to see a bigger schedule.