CCE PTA NEWS
December 13, 2024
UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER
December 15 - Beautification Mini Work Day
December 18 - All unclaimed clothing from Lost and Found will be collected and donated to the RRISD Clothing Closet
December 19 - Staff Holiday Cookie Exchange
December 19 - Brown Santa Toy Drive Donation Day
January 16 - CCE PTA Spirit Night at Torchy’s and Handel’s
UPCOMING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR EXECUTIVE BOARD
It’s our final PTA newsletter of 2024! The fall semester is winding down, but we’ve got a handful of things going on these last few weeks. Read on and you will find:
- CCE Faculty & Staff Cookie Exchange
- Brown Santa Toy Drive…and NEW this year…it’s a classroom competition
- Coat Drive ends tomorrow
- Reflections winners!
- Operation Turkey report
- Science Fair key dates
- Register for PTA
- Holiday Fair photo highlights
- Volunteer sign up links
Enjoy the long break and we look forward to seeing everyone in 2025!
Gratefully,
Your CCE PTA Board
COMING UP NEXT
RRISD CLOTHES CLOSET
TOMORROW, December 13 is the last day to drop off your coats for the Winter Coat Drive. If you have any new or gently used coats (size 4T - adult XL) available, please consider donating! Collection bins are located right inside the main CCE doors.
If you’re interested in signing up to help at the Clothes Closet (2 hour shifts), please sign up here.
Please email Caroline, CLKENG@gmail.com, if you can represent Canyon Creek at the Clothes Closet during December, or if you have clothes to donate.BEAUTIFICATION WORK DAY
Help prepare the way for wildflowers and pollinators this spring.
December 11 at 4:00 pm
December 15 at 7:30 am
The front flower bed by the school entrance needs a little love and attention, before the first frost. We can use volunteers to donate mulch, native flowers, wildflower seeds and a few hours of time. If you can help support this PTA beautification project please sign up.
CCE STAFF COOKIE EXCHANGE
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SCIENCE FAIR
Science fairs offer students an opportunity to explore math, science and engineering outside their regular classroom assignments. It encourages them to explore issues they encounter in their own lives, whether related to a hobby, a natural/man-made disaster or a family health issue.
They learn how to formulate a precise question, conduct inquiry-based research, design and execute an experiment or engineering goal and present their findings to knowledgeable judges. They also learn how to think across disciplines, manage resources, overcome obstacles and persevere in the face of failure – skills they will be able to use in whatever career they choose to pursue.
Elementary division is non-competitive; it is meant to introduce young students to the joys of science exploration. All grades are encouraged to participate and projects from Grade 3-5 will undergo judging with the opportunity to advance to the Greater Austin Regional Science Engineering Fair.
Important dates:
1. This year we will have the Science Fair at Palmer Events Centre on Saturday, Feb 22nd, 2025.
2. Confirm participation by Dec 18th, 2024 by updating this form. Science Engineering Fair Participation Intent Form.
3. Projects to be submitted by January 13th, 2025. Details on fees and how to submit the projects will follow soon.
Students interested in participating can access entry forms and guidelines at https://austinscience.org/elementary.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact CCE PTA Science Fair Program Lead Saranya Kandasamy at sarankau2006@gmail.com
BROWN SANTA TOY DRIVE
Please bring an unwrapped, brand new toy for the CCE Brown Santa drive. Toys can be sent to school with your child or dropped off at CCE anytime between now and the Holiday Parties on December 19. There are bins located at each of the entrances at the school until December 19th. All gifts will go to families who are facing hard times this holiday season in hopes to make their spirits bright.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE ATTACH A STICKY NOTE TO YOUR TOY DONATION FOR A CCE CLASSROOM COMPETITION. THE CLASS WITH THE MOST TOY DONATIONS WILL RECEIVE A PRIZE IN JANUARY!!
Thank you for those who have already donated, our boxes are filling up because of the most caring hearts of our Canyon Creek Elementary families and students.
To learn more about where the gifts go and/or to sign up a family in need, visit Williamson County Brown Santa.
LOOK WHAT WE'VE DONE!
OPERATION TURKEY
The CCE Operation Turkey Drive was a huge success this year!! Thanks to our amazing CCE families, we raised $1,415 for Operation Turkey. That’s a total of 404 people who enjoyed a warm Thanksgiving Day meal this year!
Congratulations to Mrs. Dobbins’ class for raising the most money to fund the most meals!
The class with the 2nd highest funds raised was Mrs. Barnard’s class and in 3rd place is Mrs. Pyles’ class. Thank you to everyone for your incredible generosity during this holiday season!
JINGLE BELL FUN RUN AND HOLIDAY FAIR
We had the most perfectly festive celebration at the Jingle Bell Fun Fun and the 4th annual PTA Holiday Fair last Friday night.
From the festively cool weather to the jingle bells jingling throughout the neighborhood, to the twinkle lights all over campus and the special holiday performance by our very own Singing Stars, we hope you are officially ready for the holidays.
A huge thank you to the core team of volunteers who coordinated this event from start to finish. It took an entire team to put this night together this year, so thank you to each and every one of you! There were numerous others who jumped in to lend a hand, including so many parent volunteers, the Westwood Sundancers and Westwood art club, and many other servant hearted students! Plus CCE loves Handel’s! They always show up big for us!
A huge thank you to our 30 booth vendors who have been building, crafting, baking and organizing in the days and weeks leading up to tonight. We had more student entrepreneurs than ever and the best culmination of the event from our very own Singing Stars.
Ultimately, this entire event would not be made possible without the Canyon Creek community showing up and shopping their way through the evening. We had so many alumni, neighbors and friends all coming together to support our wonderful school.
To the teachers and admin who stayed late, hosted booths and always support our PTA – thank you, thank you, thank you! We are so grateful for this amazing community!
REFLECTIONS
Thank you to all of the students that participated in this year's PTA Reflections program! The theme this year was "Accepting Imperfection" and these kids did an amazing job expressing themselves through various forms of art! We cannot wait to see how far some of these entries will advance!
The entries highlighted in Bold (Top 20% of the received entries) advanced to the council level judging.
Grade Division - Primary
Visual Arts:
Anushka Ram - The day I broke my teaset
Aarna Devulapalli - Messy Magic
Sumi Sun - I am not perfect, but special!
Melody Chalee - Dance in the Rain
Manyu Melissa Zhao - LEGO Breaks
Photography:
Manyu Melissa Zhao - Cracked
Adison Wongkar - Home for nature
Film Production:
Srihan Sekhar - The Imperfect Man on the Moon
Literature:
Manyu Melissa Zhao - Life
Grade Division - Intermediate
Visual Arts:
Olivia Lapatsina - Blue Phoenix
Sahana Shankar - Shattered Sunset
Georgette Arianna Vasquez - Blue Add the Red
Valentina Rosenthal Mora - Self Portrait
Shanaya Srivastava - The Scribble
Suyi Sun - Embracing the Unique Bloom
Samyukta Arvind - Nature Birds
Lingyu Lyra Zhao - I'm Feeling Great About Myself!
Photography:
Aria Kashani - Broken Fence
Georgette Arianna Vasquez - My Small Tree
Film Production:
Aria Kashani - Room For Improvement
Kiaan Velji - Atlas's Story
Aadya Sekhar - Perfection is just a Perception
Valentina Rosenthal Mora - My Basketball Journey Flipbook Animation
Literature:
Lingyu Lyra Zhao - Time
Farrin Kashani - Imperfect
Sahana Shankar - Perfectly Imperfect
Dance Choreography:
Lingyu Lyra Zhao - Blind
Farrin Kashani - Just Smile
Please collect your visual arts entries at the front desk (except the ones that have moved on to the council level judging).
Congratulations to all of these students! We will have a ceremony to recognize all participants after winter break!
Go Comets!!
VOLUNTEER AT CCE
Canyon Creek PTA is 100% run by volunteers and we are so thankful to every single one of you who has joined us in our mission to make Canyon Creek Elementary the BEST environment for learning, growth and development that it can be! We are honored to serve our school and cannot say it enough….THANK YOU!! For your service hours, your donations and your support. We are COMET STRONG because of YOU!
JOIN THE WATCH D.O.G.S.
A strong male presence on the CCE campus is crucial for fostering a balanced and enriching environment for all students. Male role models provide a diverse perspective, supporting students’ social and academic growth by demonstrating positive behaviors, active engagement, and a commitment to education. If you're a father or father figure eager to make a difference, getting involved is simple. Just follow these three easy steps:
1) Review the orientation presentation to understand your role
2) Sign up as an RRISD volunteer to ensure a safe and secure environment
3) Choose a convenient day to be part of the campus community.
STAY IN TOUCH
THE CCE YEARBOOK
Yearbooks for the 2024-2025 school year will be available for purchase starting in January after winter break! Be on the lookout for the announcement that sales are open so you don’t miss the purchase window.
Share your student's CCE photos with us! Email ccetxyearbook@gmail.com & include your student's grade in the subject line!
FUNDRAISING
BOX TOPS
CCE PTA is bringing back the Box Tops program because it is easier than ever to use! No more cutting tiny squares off your cereal boxes…just download this app, scan your receipts in the app and earn money for our PTA.
Plus, if you use this referral code VBMY69PE when you sign up, 20 Bonus Box Tops ($2.00) will automatically be applied when you scan your first receipt.
PLATINUM SPONSORS
Thank you so much to our new Platinum PTA Sponsors for this 2024-2025 school year!! As a Platinum Sponsor, each of these local businesses is investing in the present and future successes of our Comets! Thank you for partnering with us.
About Us
Email: canyoncreekelementarypta@gmail.com
Website: https://canyoncreekpta.membershiptoolkit.com/
Location: 10210 Ember Glen Drive, Austin, TX, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/canyoncreekpta/