November

October 2024, Phone Number: 210-397-1550 Office

BSE website: www.nisd.net/braunstation

Braun Station Community, over the past few years, we have observed a decline in our enrollment, prompting us to take action to make Braun Station stand out among other campuses. As the Regional Day School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, we have a unique opportunity to foster inclusivity and linguistic diversity. To align with our designation, we are excited to announce a new initiative focused on introducing all students to American Sign Language (ASL).

Starting this year, Braun Station will offer an ASL club for Kindergarten through second-grade students, with the goal of expanding it to include students of all grade levels. This club aims to encourage interest and participation among students eager to learn and communicate in ASL.

We are also integrating ASL into our reading and language arts curriculum to enrich the educational experience. Additionally, we are expanding our library resources to include ASL self-help books and stories featuring Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students, providing more opportunities for students to explore and understand Deaf culture.

If you are interested in supporting this initiative, please reach out via email at jack.funkhouser@nisd.net. Your input and involvement are invaluable as we work together to create an inclusive and dynamic learning environment for all students.

November 9, 2024 11AM - 4PM is Wagon Wheel Day!!!

Mark your calendars Bobcats, and come join us in a day of yummy food, fun games and activities for your family. We look forward to seeing you there.

Thank you for your continued support!

Remember, Bobcat Cat Pride is Deep Inside!

Jack Funkhouser

Principal

The Student Council would like to thank everyone who contributed to our Socktober event! Braun Station collected 750 pairs of socks and underwear for the NISD Threads Closet. Way to go, Bobcats! Your generosity is appreciated!

Tara Safoutin, M. Ed.

4th Grade Team Leader

November 2024

November is Generation Texas Month, a statewide movement to ensure students have the information and resources regarding post-secondary options such as college, career, and military.

This month in guidance, we will focus on developing interpersonal effectiveness by learning how to set healthy boundaries in friendships and by enhancing emotional awareness through identifying feelings and practicing gratitude. Additionally, we will explore post-secondary options to support future career planning.

5th Grade Transition

The Stevenson MS Guidance Department will be visiting 5th grade students on November 13th during their school day. Their presentation will highlight all the exciting things Stevenson MS has to offer and show case electives for students to consider before they make their course selection for the 2025-2026 school year in December-January.

Stevenson MS invites parents to join them at Stevenson MS for an informative evening about course selection and electives. They will be hosting two sessions on November 13 and November 21, 2024, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Please choose the night that works best for you if you'd like to attend and learn more.

Cat Camp for all 5th graders will take place on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, from 9:00 to 11:45 a.m., and is for students only. This field trip will give 5th graders the opportunity to explore middle school through a variety of rotating stations designed to help with their transition. Students will also have lunch at the school before returning.

Check out my smore to see more of what’s going on this month: https://secure.smore.com/n/fm067

Check out my smore to see more of what’s going on this month: https://secure.smore.com/n/azkvd

Happy November, Bobcats! I'm sure you've been enjoying the slightly cooler weather and I'm sure there's more to come in this month.

Here's what's going on in each grade level.

Please talk to your Bobcat about what they're learning in math and how it relates to the world around us.

Kinder - Will begin Unit 4: Number Sense and Concepts 0-10. Ask your Bobcat how they can compare numbers within 10 and how they know which is greater, less, fewer, more than the other.

1st grade - Is in Place Value to 99 and will learn about relationships to 99. Ask your Bobcat to show you all the ways to make 10. They should be able to do this quickly. :)

2nd grade - Will finish up Unit 3: Place Value and begin their BIG unit of Addition and Subtraction with 2 digits. Ask your Bobcat to count the change in your pocket or purse and write it using a dollar sign or cent sign BUT remember not to go over a dollar!

3rd grade - Will be exploring multiplication and division representations and relationships. Ask your Bobcat to show you how to draw a strip diagram that shows a multiplication story.

4th grade - Will be in the heart of their division unit. Ask your Bobcat to show you how to represent division with an area model or solve using partial quotients. They should also be able to tell you the relationship between multiplication and division.

5th grade - Will be finishing up all operations with whole numbers and decimals. Then they'll dive into all operations with fractions. Ask them to draw a model for a decimal multiplied by a decimal versus a whole number multiplied by a decimal.

And as always, please continue to get on your portal and get those ST Math puzzles done each and every day! Remember, the more puzzles you do, the more you LEARN!

Get Your Math On & Happy Fall Bobcat Mathematicians!

-Alisha Thomas

Math Staff Development & Instructional Coach

Alisha B. Thomas
Math Staff Development & Instructional Coach

Braun Station Elementary & Carson Elementary
Email: Alisha.Thomas@nisd.net

Phone: 397-1550 Ext. 1573

@AliThomas9218

PBIS November Focus: Celebrating National Gratitude Month

November is National Gratitude Month, a wonderful time to reflect on and appreciate the positive aspects of our lives. Research shows that practicing gratitude can boost our well-being and strengthen relationships, so we’re excited to bring this focus to our school community as part of PBIS!

Recognizing Positive Attitudes and Acts of Gratitude

Bobcat P.R.I.D.E. Wall: We’re spotlighting students who demonstrate gratitude and appreciation for others. Our standout Bobcats will be featured on our P.R.I.D.E. Wall and in our next newsletter as role models, sharing a positive outlook for everyone to celebrate!

Parent’s Corner: Encouraging Gratitude at Home

Thank you, parents, for helping us foster a spirit of gratitude! Here are some ideas to bring this focus into your home:

• Family Gratitude Jar: Set up a jar where everyone can add notes about what they’re grateful for. Read these notes together at the end of the month to see all the positive moments you’ve shared.

• Evening Gratitude Check-In: Take a moment each night to share one thing you’re thankful for. This habit helps focus on the positive parts of the day and brings the family closer together.

Celebrating October Successes: Positive Behavior Trends

In October, seven classrooms earned the Cafeteria Movie Reward! These classes showed exceptional Bobcat P.R.I.D.E. in the cafeteria, earning a 30-minute movie with snacks as a reward. (Mrs. G, Ms. Olvera, Mrs. Garza, Ms. Safoutin, Mrs. Mcbee, Mrs. Paul, and Ms. Malloy)

Congratulations also to Mrs. Garza, Mrs. Rodriguez and Mrs. Terry’s classes for winning the Golden Broom and Golden Spoon Awards for their cleanliness and respect in the cafeteria. Way to go, Bobcats!

Thank you parents and staff for supporting our PBIS mission and helping us nurture a culture of gratitude at school and beyond.

Bobcats are “gobbling” up all things STEM this November! Check out what we are learning:

• Kindergarten just finished our career study in Health Science and we are gearing up for learning about Civil Engineering.

• First grade will begin our Environmental Engineering and I am so excited to grow our learning! We are so fortunate to have received a hydroponic tower that will help our learners understand that soil sustainability will help us maintain soil health to ensure it can support future generations' needs.

• Second and third graders are well into our coding and robotics unit and they are doing so well understanding algorithms as computer programmers.

• Fourth graders have been so excited to finally get to learn all about 3D printing as it supports our manufacturing engineering program. I am so excited to see how they can solve problems around our school using 3D printing technology.

• Fifth graders are learning all about cybersecurity and how our Cybersecurity Engineers keep our community and country safe from cyber attacks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Herrada

Our Bobcat Artists are working on various ornaments during art classes this month in preparation for our winter performance. These ornaments will be hung on Christmas trees that will be gifted to our Braun Station Families. We are filled with excitement to be able to share our artistic creations during one of the most special times of the year. Here's a sneak peak....

Veterans Day!

Each year we honor the Veterans in our community with a very special ceremony. This year, we want to celebrate all of our Veterans on Monday, November 11th at 8:30 a.m. This year we will be focusing on the story "The Poppy Lady" and how Ms. Moina Michael used her determination as a way to recognize our Veterans to this day. Our Bobcats will be singing patriotic songs, the Stevenson Middle School Band will be joining us, a very special guest speaker, and our Kindergarten Float Parade are just a few things that we will be presenting to honor our Veterans. Please remember to send in your RSVP's so our front office can have the Raptor Badges ready for your arrival.

The Joys of Christmas!

Yes, we haven't had Thanksgiving yet, but our 65 member Bobcat Choir is already getting ready for the holidays! We will have two performances this year, our first will be with the Stevenson Middle School Choir on December 9th. Our Second performance will be on Tuesday, December 10th immediately following the PTA General Meeting. Our Choir would love to perform to a standing room only crowd! We hope that you can join us!

GO SPURS GO!!

Our Bobcats will be performing the National Anthem again this year! Save the date for Sunday, December 8th. An email to those participants will be coming out soon! We will also be having students from my other campus, Oak Hills Terrace joining us as well!

San Antonio Missions!

For over ten years, our Bobcats have performed the National Anthem at Wolff Stadium. We want you to join us again on Saturday May 24th. I know this is a long ways out there, but we want to make sure you save the date!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Robert Klekar

Music Educator

Everyone attending, including student performers, must purchase a ticket. Seats start at $20.00 per seat. You can make your seating selection and purchase your tickets by clicking on the QR Code below.

Lastly, please reserve Monday, November 11th as all of our Bobcats will be presenting at our Veterans Day Ceremony. We will be honoring our Veterans with all of our grade levels performing patriotic music, our guest performers, The Stevenson Middle School Band, our Kindergarten Float Parade and our student work that will be in our hallways. We hope to see you there! Information for our Veterans will be coming home soon!

It is always a pleasure being with our Bobcats!

Have a wonderful day!!

Hello November! Hello BSN families, this month will be busy too in P.E. This month we will continue

selling the Speed Stacks to anyone who would like to purchase. We are doing online orders only and

students will pick up their order with me when they come to P.E. Visit

https://www.speedstacks.com/go/ to order. Make sure you select Texas and Braun Station for your

order. Last day to order is Friday, December 6 th . You can print and bring your receipt to me (Coach

Perez) or you can snap a picture and email it to me. It is first come first serve so make sure to make

your 2 nd and 3 rd color choices. 20% of the proceeds will assist our PE class for extra equipment. Speed

stacks makes a great Christmas gift too!

This second 9 weeks, your student in Kinder-2 nd will be working on speed stacking, juggling, drumming

with Drum Fit and Reindeer camp (fitness stations). The 3 rd -5 th grades will work on floor hockey, speed

stacking, Drum Fit and Reindeer camp. It will be tons of fun!! Make sure your child is wearing

appropriate clothing and tennis shoes on P.E. days.

Your P.E. teacher,

Coach Perez

maribel.perez@nisd.net

210-397-1550 x134127

All campus volunteers are required to complete a background check before working at Braun Station Elementary. Additionally, parents who like to chaperon during a fieldtrip will need a background check as well. Click to learn about volunteer opportunities and to complete the application for your background check.

Make sure that you select Braun Station Elementary, so that you will be on our cleared volunteer list. Background checks can take several weeks, don't wait until it's too late.