Deretchin Digest
May 2024 Edition
A Note From Mrs. Oliver
It is hard to believe that it is already May and the school year is almost over. And what a year it has been! It only seems like yesterday that we were beginning our new school year and now the last day of school is just around the corner. A HUGE THANK YOU to our amazing teachers and staff for going above and beyond to make this school year special for our students!
I am EXTREMELY proud of the hard work and effort put forth by our students each and every day as well as the academic and personal excellence they have achieved. Our students have definitely demonstrated that they are "Simply the Best" this year! I appreciate all of our Deretchin families for your continued support for your children and our wonderful school.
Sincerely,
Tina Oliver
Upcoming on the Deretchin Calendar
May 1 - Ambassador Spotlight 9:15 Cafeteria, Character Club 3:30 in the library
May 2 - Closed Campus
May 3 - 6th Grade Band Field Trip
May 6-10- Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week- Children's Books Theme
May 6- GT Expo. 8:00 AM
May 7- 5th Grade Field Trip, Salute to Education, 7:30 at Jett Center
May 8- School Nurse Day
May 9- DRESS UP LIKE YOUR FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK CHARACTER-PTO WILL GIVE OUT PRIZES
May 10- 6th grade field trip
May 13- Highland Choir Festival at McCullough for 3rd and 4th grade
May 14- Volunteer Brunch, 9:00-10:00 in library, Choir Concert, 6:00
May 15- 4th grade field trip, 3rd grade STAAR party, 1:30
May 16- Band Concert, 6:00
May 17- Spotlight on Citizenship, 9:15 in cafeteria, 3rd grade Multi-Frying Celebration, 11:00 on map area, Senior Walk, 1:45
May 22 -Grade Level Parties- PK- 9:00, 1st-12:00, 2nd-11:30, 3rd- 9:30, 4th- 1:15, 5th- 2:00 in cafeteria-RSVP forms coming soon
May 22-6th grade Talent Show, 8:05 in cafeteria, 6th Grade Celebration, 9:30
May 23-Kindergarten Graduation, 8:30 in cafeteria-party following graduation ceremony, 6th grade Clap-Out, 11:00 in cafeteria, 12:10 early dismissal- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!
Counselor's Corner
Character Pillar of the Month: Citizenship
Habits of the Week:
Be an upstander.
Be brave enough to do the right thing.
Volunteer for a good cause.
Use your words to build others up. Your words are powerful!
UPCOMING DATES:
5/1/24 Character Club 3:30-4:30PM
Closed Campus No Dynamic Deretchin Volunteers: Thursday, May 2, 2024
5/17/2024 Spotlight Ceremony on Citizenship 9:15 AM in the cafeteria
Please take a moment to fill out a parent survey about our Counseling Program at Deretchin Elementary: https://forms.gle/nDNSmR8MpBSwo1r86
2024-2025 School Year
This is the time of year that we start planning for next year. Please provide us with any information that would be helpful when placing your child in class for the 2024-2025 school year. We do not take specific teacher requests, but we welcome any other input you may have. Please email your child's current grade level counselor by May 3, 2024. Be sure to include your child's first and last name, current grade level, and homeroom teacher.
Darcy Kieke (PK-1) dkieke@conroeisd.net
Jenna Hendon (2-4) jhendon@conroeisd.net
Mary Ann Correa (5-6) macorrea@conroeisd.net
PRE-ORDER 2024-2025 School Supplies
Registration Information
Registration for 2024-2025 school year:
Current Students - In July, parents will receive an email for each student with a "snapcode" to access the Online Emergency Card. This will be your "registration" for the 2024-2025 school year. If you have moved within the school zone, make sure to send your campus Registrar an updated utility bill (light, gas, or water).
Prek Students Zoned to Galatas, Tough, Powell, Buckalew, Bush, Glen Loch, or Ongoing 7th graders - Your students will automatically filter in the system to their main campus. You will receive an email in July with a "snapcode" for your Online Emergency Card. There is no reason to reenroll; however, you may need to update your student's vaccine records with the Deretchin Nurse before May 17th. After May 17th, please contact your main campus school nurse.
Families moving over the Summer:
Summer Movers - If your family is moving over the summer, please contact Cory Ognisty at cognisty@conroeisd.net to receive Summer Mover forms. The email must provide the student's first and last name and where the student will be moving to. All forms must be submitted by May 17. Forms submitted after May 17 will be processed in August therefore your student will still be in our system until we return from summer break. Record requests will be available in August.
6th Grade Students - If your student is not attending or is anticipating not to attend at McCullough Jr High for the 2024-2025 school year, parents will need to fill out Summer Mover Form and return to Deretchin by May 17. Your child's records will be kept at Deretchin. Forms submitted after May 17 - student records will be sent to McCullough and will be processed in August; therefore, your student will still be in our system until we return from summer break. Record requests will be available until late August.
PreK Students Zoned to Galatas, Tough, Powell, Buckalew, or Bush, or Glen Loch - If your student is not attending or is anticipating not attend your main campus for the 2024-2025 school year, parents will need to fill out the Summer Mover Form and return to Deretchin by May 17. Your child's records will be kept at Deretchin. Forms submitted after May 17 - student records will be sent to their main campus and will be processed in August; therefore, your student will still be in our system until we return from summer break. Record requests will be available until late August.
Transportation Change Information
Reminder regarding transportation changes:
You may write a handwritten note describing how your child is going home for the day. This handwritten note should be placed inside the daily folder or backpack to be given to the homeroom teacher.
Email: (Before 2:00 pm)
Contactderetchin@conroeisd.net
Please attach a picture of your identification, full name of the student, transportation type and full name of who is sending the email.
Fax: (Before 2:00)
Please fax the front office at (832) 592-8780. The fax needs to include a picture of your identification.
Front Office: (Before 2:00 pm)
You may come into the front office and fill out a transportation change form. Please bring the physical identification for verification.
Now Hiring Crossing Guards
ECSE News
Pre-K News
Kindergarten News
Happy May!
It’s hard to believe that it is already the last month of Kindergarten! So many fun things are happening this month!
In reading, we will finish out the year with our unit of research. We will practice researching information about different things through non-fiction text. In writing, we will be creating different types of poems, and also practicing writing about our research. In math, we will be rote counting to 100, subitizing within 10 and continuing our practice with joining and separating, and also using nonstandard forms of measurement. In science, we will be learning about plants and animals. In social studies, we will be learning about patriotic holidays and summer safety. Reading at home with your child every day is a great way to promote early literacy, vocabulary, and comprehension. Keep practicing your rainbow sight words each night! We will be continuing district end of the year math and literacy assessments for each Kindergarten student.
We will continue our Kindergarten A-Z Summer Countdown! (Orange calendar was sent home)
**Upcoming events-**
May 23: Kindergarten graduation and ½ day-LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
First Grade News
It is hard to believe that we have finally arrived at the last month of the school year for our first graders. It has been an absolute joy watching them persevere and reach their full potential.
Our month will continue to be packed full of fun and excitement. Students will become experts in reading for information. Our readers will become researchers of various topics in order to show off their writing skills in a research project. They are all doing a wonderful job being authors in our Realistic Fiction unit. We will study numeration, coins, and students will even learn about personal financial literacy during math. Please encourage your mathematician to continue to create and write his or her own story problems. See if you can solve their creations. Students will learn about pet care and the jobs of pet care givers. Scientists will learn about characteristics of different types of animals. Students will become skilled in our economics unit detailing the differences between spending and saving and how goods and services help our daily lives.
We will be conducting our end of the year reading and math assessments with each child, and we will inform you of the end of year growth. We are extremely proud of their efforts to learn and demonstrate mastery on numerous foundational skills.
Your children have made tremendous academic and social gains this year. In order to sustain this personal growth, students will need to read daily, sharpen their math skills, play games, explore and play outside, and practice their writing skills each day. Please be sure to visit the public library, incorporate daily writing, and challenge themselves on Dreambox over the summer. Education is a team effort, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support and encouragement of your child this year. See you at our end of year celebration.
Second Grade News
We can't believe we are preparing for our final month of second grade! It has been an amazing year of growth for our students.
This month, we will be learning more about money and financial literacy in math, as well as reviewing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. We will focus on reviewing strategies and solving word problems.
Our reading and writing unit this month is research. Students will be collaborating together to research an animal and producing a book. They will also complete a research project by themselves and will be excited to share them with their classmates.
Our scientists will follow the life cycle of a butterfly as we witness the transformation in class. They will also learn about other life cycles during their research projects. In social studies, students will use all their economics skills to put together their economics fair on May 3. We are excited to see how they do and shop at their stores!
We also have fun days planned as we near the end of the school year. Please check our weekly newsletter for dates and activities. Thank you so much for all your support this year making it the best year ever for our wonderful students!
Third Grade News
In math, the month of May is a busy month. The students have taken their first STAAR tests and shown off what they have learned! We will wrap up math with our Personal Finance unit so they will be ready to earn and save this summer! We will also continue practicing our multiplication facts and looking forward to celebrating with our MultiFRYing party at the middle of May.
In science, we will continue learning Life Cycles! So much fun in the Spring… Ladybugs, tadpoles and tomato plants! 🐞 🐸 🍅 We will finish the month with some Science STEM activities.
In social studies, we will be wrapping up the year with a biography report and/or a cultural project.
In Language Arts, we will kick off the month with the start of our research unit in both reading and writing. Students will be expected to develop research questions, make a plan for their research, use reliable resources to find information, and cite those sources after putting a research assignment together. After the research unit, our last unit of the year will be studying the fiction genre. Students will be expected to summarize the main events of a plot, infer the theme, describe characters, use context clues, and make predictions.
Fourth Grade News
ELA
We will present our biography projects on May 6th! We can’t wait to learn about the interesting person that each child read about! They have truly enjoyed this unit!
In May, we will also read the book “Swindle” and participate in reading and writing activities! This will be a fun and exciting unit! We will incorporate reading, writing and grammar as we enjoy a great read! Our focus will be applying all the content we’ve learned this year!
The students will also have an opportunity to “spend” their STAARbucks that they have worked very hard to earn throughout our review! We are so very proud of each 4th grader!
Math
In the beginning of May, our students will finish up their cumulative math review. They have been working so hard! During the last few weeks of the year, students will have a chance to “spend” their STAARbucks that they earned from their math review! We will also work on an elapsed time project where students will practice their elapsed time skills.
Science
During May, our 4th graders will learn about ecosystems. They will be able to pick an animal and create a presentation all about the animal. This project will allow them to use a lot of the information that they learned in this unit, including learned behaviors and inherited traits.
Social Studies
In May, we will start by discussing the cattle industry in social studies. Students will use what they learned about the cattle industry to create a project on a famous cattle rancher. We will finish up by discussing the railroad boom.
FIFTH GRADE NEWS
Math
The students had such a great time reviewing for the STAAR test. They played BINGO, Jeopardy, had Glow Days, and attempted to crack lockboxes! We’re so proud of how hard they worked! To close out the year, students will be working out a Scrapbook project where they’ll look back on all the concepts we have covered in 5th grade!
Language Arts
Students will be ending the year on the Historical Fiction Unit by analyzing how fiction and nonfiction work together and by creating and publishing their own stories! We can’t wait to see their creativity and love of research come together.
Science and Social Studies
In our first few days of May, we will be completing our Life Science Unit. We will be completing our studies of ecosystems and we will even take a look at some animal adaptations on real animals.
In social studies, we will be diving into the 1920s era while students complete a research project. We will then conclude the school year by learning about WWI and WWII.
SIXTH GRADE NEWS
Our field trip to Minute Maid will be a blast on May 10th! We will have a great time learning about the park and the history of the Astros. With the STAAR tests completed, we are wrapping up our last units and looking forward to the 6th grade celebration day, talent show, and clap out. Can you believe that we are already at the end of the year?
In science, we are learning about all living things and how to categorize them into domains and kingdoms. We will then learn about the levels of organization within an ecosystem, including organism, population, community. Finally, we will end the year with space exploration and the solar system.
In social studies, we are completing our unit over Africa and beginning our final unit in the Land Down Under, Australia! We will explore The Great Barrier Reef, the Australian Outback, the Pacific Realm, and the Antarctic Treaty. We will also learn about the Aboriginals, indigenous plants and animals, and what makes them unique in Australia.
In language arts, we are reading the novel, Holes, by Louis Sachar. We will also be doing a short unit on letter writing for various audiences after the STAAR is finished. When the students bring their ELA journal home at the end of the year, ask your child to show you theirs. You will be amazed at how much their writing has improved since the beginning of the year!
In math, we are going to be working on a project where the students will practice using a budget to determine expenses. This project is usually a favorite for the students and we are excited to wrap up the year this way.
Clinic
Nurse- Robby Bruner
Clinic Aide- Shara Bracho
832-592-8770 jrbruner@conroeisd.net
All Parents
Medication Pick-up
- When can I pick-up my student’s medication?
o The last week of school May 20-23
- How do I know if my student has medication in the clinic?
o We will send notifications home with students the second week of May.
o You can also call the clinic.
- What happens if I forget to pick up the medication?
o Per CISD policy we are unable to store medications in the clinic over the summer. If medications are not picked up they are disposed of safely.
- Can you just send it home with my student?
o No
o Per CISD policy we must have a parent/guardian pick up and sign for medications.
Pre-K Parents
4 Year Old Immunizations
- What are the required immunizations?
o dTap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis)
o IPV (Polio)
o Varicella (Chickenpox)
o MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella
- When do they have to be administered?
o After 4th birthday and prior to starting Kindergarten
- What if my child has already received these immunizations?
o Please provide the clinic with an updated immunization record.
- How would I know if my child has received these immunizations?
o Notifications will be sent out in the month of April.
o You can also call the clinic to find out if you have an upcoming appointment.
-
6th Grade Parents
12-Year-Old Immunization
- What are the required immunizations?
o Tdap Booster (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis)
o MCV (Meningococcal)
- When do they have to be administered?
o After 11th birthday and prior to starting 7th grade
- What if my child has already received these immunizations?
o Please provide the clinic with an updated immunization record.
- How would I know if my child has received these immunizations?
o Notifications will be sent out in the month of April.
o You can also call the clinic to find out if you have an upcoming appointment.
- What if we get the immunizations during the summer?
o After May 23, 2024 all immunizations records will need to be submitted to the Clinic of the middle school campus that your child is zoned to attend.
Sports Physical for 7th Grade Athletics
- Who is annually required to get a sports physical?
o Athletics
o Marching Band
o Cheerleading
o Drill Team
o ROTC
o CISD Club Sponsored Athletic Teams
- Is there a form we have to complete and how do I submit it?
o Below is a link to the pre-participation form and a link to the instructions for the system used by CISD, Rank One, for other online paperwork required prior to participating in a UIL sport. o https://www.conroeisd.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Online-PreParticipation-Form-24-25.pdf o https://www.conroeisd.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Rank-One-Parent-Instructions.pdf
o In most cases printed documents are submitted directly to the campus your student is zoned to attend 7th grade.
Art News
We have been creating great work in the Art rooms! The 5th and 6th graders have been creating Dictionary Illustrations using watercolors. Our fourth graders have learned how to make a running stitch and are now creating their own mini stuffies. Third grade was introduced to 3D art where they had the option to create an animal using different parts of an egg carton. Our 2nd graders are learning how to create image transfers in our printmaking station. Then, first grade was challenged with making their own pop-up book and using paint sticks to decorate.
We have a great Art opportunity coming up! Both Ms. Dudley and Ms. Klatt will be selecting six artworks each for the District Art Show. Each year, the district selects approximately 350 student artworks to be displayed at the Sadler Administration building. These selected pieces are professionally framed, and they hang for an entire school year. After the yearlong exhibit is complete, the students receive their framed work to take home. Those not selected for the District Art show will be recognized at our 1st annual TWHS & Feeder Zone Art Exhibition Show! We are looking forward to seeing what wonderful things our artists create!
Music News
We are wrapping up another wonderful year of Music!
In grades PreK-4, we are reviewing rhythms and notes we have learned throughout the year and are applying these concepts to classroom instruments. 1st graders did an amazing job on their musical, “Nuts!,” on April 4, 2024. Kindergarteners are hard at work on their songs for graduation.. 4th grade students are working on sight singing and counting rhythms on numbered beats in preparation for band, choir and orchestra in 5th grade.
The 6th Grade Band students did an amazing job with their performances at Solo and Ensemble contest, with many “superior” performances! Next up, both 6th Grade and 5th Grade Band are working hard to continue learning their concert music. Wish the 6th Grade Band students the best on their upcoming Spring Festival Contest on May 3rd! Our Spring band concerts will be on May 16th. More information to follow.
In orchestra, we are working on concert music in both 5th and 6th grade for the upcoming String Fling concert on Saturday, May 11 at The Woodlands High School, everyone’s final concert for the year. 22 6th graders performed in the Solo and Ensemble Contest on April 6 at Mitchell Intermediate, and they all did a wonderful job! After the May 11 concert, the 6th graders who didn’t perform their solos at the contest will play their pieces in class.
Intermediate General Music has had a great time working on their recorder, ukulele, piano and vocal skills. They are working on a final music performance to play for various classes throughout the school using skills they have learned throughout the year.
What an amazing year we have had in Choir! Both the 3rd/4th Grade and Intermediate choirs are excited for their spring concerts. The Choirs will sing a concert at Deretchin on May 14, 2024, at 6:00pm. On Friday, May 10, 2024, the Intermediate choir will sing in the Conroe Choral Festival, and on May 13, 2024, the Third and Fourth graders in choir will sing in the Highlander Choral Festival. I am so proud of all of your hard work this year and am excited about all of these performances in the month of May.
Melody Childs-Music/Choir
Michelle Gastler-Music/Band
Andrew Wilson-Music/Band
Alex Marte-Music/Orchestra
PE News
The year has flown by, and we can't believe that we are doing our final countdown to the end of the year!
Our third, fourth, fifth and sixth graders have completed FitnessGram testing. The FitnessGram test assesses health-related fitness components: aerobic capacity, body composition, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility. Push-ups, curl-ups, PACER, trunk lift and shoulder stretch are the tests that are used to assess the health-related fitness components. All students complete the FitnessGram test all the way through high school.
We just finished up our basketball unit. Students worked on dribbling, passing, and shooting. Our students were able to demonstrate all of their skills in various games and activities.
We have begun our annual kickball tournament with 5th and 6th grade. Students were able to choose their own teams and team names. It’s going to be a lot of fun! The younger grades will play games like continuous kickball and mat ball that teach them how to run bases, get into a batting order line-up, and learn strategies of fielding and kicking to certain areas of the field/gym.
As we finish the year please encourage your child to continue being active and keep their body moving throughout the summer! As always, please help us in reminding your child to wear safe, comfortable athletic style shoes each day.
-Coach Langthorp, Coach Wolf, Coach Parra, and Coach C
Library News
Greetings,
Summer is right around the corner. We have read so many books and discussed so many different things during this school year.
Just a few reminders before we wrap up the 2023-24 school year:
The last day for check out is May 3rd.
The DUE DATE for all library books is Friday, May 10th. I’m going to be sending out paper notices soon. So, please look out for these in your child’s folder.
If you have lost your book or it is damaged, please send in a payment with cash (exact change please) or check (written out to Deretchin Elementary.) Also some of you still have fines due from last year for books that were lost. Paying for these fines helps me purchase new copies of these books to be replaced in the library.
Our local Montgomery County libraries have lots of great summer reading programs. Check out their website for details: https://www.countylibrary.org/
Make sure to continue reading this summer. Check out the graph below about the importance of reading.
Not sure what to read this summer? Check out this link for some of Mr. Mattern’s favorite books from this past year. http://tiny.conroeisd.net/HwdWC
If you have any questions feel free to email me at CMattern@conroeisd.net or call me at 832-592-8700.
Happy Reading,
Cristofer Mattern
Library Media Specialist
Highlander Speed Summer Camp
TWHS Bagpipe Club
The Woodlands Area Soccer Club
McCullough Cross Country Camp
Script Reading Club Camp
Dale Reed Basketball Camps
The Woodlands Girls Basketball Camp
Information
Email: toliver@conroeisd.net
Website: https://deretchin.conroeisd.net/
Location: 11000 Merit Oaks Drive, The Woodlands, TX, USA
Phone: 832-592-8700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeretchinCISD/
Twitter: @Deretchindragons
The Conroe Independent School District (District) as an equal opportunity educational provider and employer does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in educational programs or activities that it operates or in employment matters. The District is required by Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as Board policy not to discriminate in such a manner.
For information about Title IX rights or Section 504/ADA rights, contact the Title IX Coordinator or the Section 504/ADA coordinator at 3205 W. Davis, Conroe, TX 77304; (936) 709-7752.