Mrs. McMorris RLA Class News

• February 11: No Visitors (benchmark testing)
• February 14: Student Holiday (no school)
• February 17: Student Holiday (no school)
• February 18: Mother/Son Dance tickets go on sale (9am)
• February 20: No Visitors (benchmark testing)
• February 21: Spirit Shop
• February 22: DaVinci Day
• February 28: Mother/Son Dance (6:00-7:30pm)
• March 10-14: Spring Break
• March 22: Spring Carnival (11-3pm)
• March 29: Superintendent's Fun Run

We will not be having a Valentine's Party at school, however, we will set aside a brief time at the end of the school day for students to exchange Valentines. Students will be provided a white bag to decorate or they can choose to bring in their own container to collect treats.

If you choose to send your child with Valentines for their classmates, we ask that you send enough for all of the students in the homeroom and label them all "To: My Friend, From: (Your child's name)". This will aid in passing cards out quickly and easily.

Mrs. McMorris Class = 17 students

Ms. Umanzor Class = 17 students

Over the next three weeks, our class will be learning about what plants need to grow, thrive, and survive. We will read about a plant’s basic needs, how those needs are met, and what happens if they are not met. Children will also write a procedural text that describes chronological steps to follow in order to complete an activity.

Word study is an approach to spelling instruction that moves away from a focus on memorization. The primary goal is to support students' development of the alphabetic, pattern, and meaning in words. This approach helps students see how words work in our writing system, but also teaches them how to use their word knowledge in their spelling attempts during writing, as well as help them decode unfamiliar words while reading.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW:

• Spelling assessments will always include words that follow the pattern focus provided.
• One dictation sentence will be included as part of the assessment.
• There will not be a "spelling list" of words that will come home for your child to study.
• Please use the patterns and example words below to work with your child in spelling.
• Create other words together using the same patterns.

NEXT ASSESSMENT DATE: Friday, February 21

FREQUENCY: 2x month

MODULE 8: Weeks 1-3

Module 8 will continue to focus on different types of r-controlled vowels. Each week of this module,

we will focus on a new form of the r-controlled vowel being learned and have time for review

previously learned r-controlled vowels. When r follows a vowel, it changes the way we say the vowel

sound. We call this vowel + r combination an r-controlled vowel.

HOW TO USE:

This family letter will provide you with the spelling patterns that will be the focus for the module. Those patterns will be covered each day in class and your child be tested on them at the end of the week. You will also find practice strategies and examples to work with your child at home.

District Assessments are given three times during the school year. The beginning of year (BOY) assessments take place in September, the middle of year (MOY) assesements take place in January, and the end of year (EOY) assessments take place in May

Testing Dates: COMPLETE!

Home Connect Letter: Will be sent home February 10

An assessment and instruction system that helps measure your child’s literacy development. mCLASS highlights what reading skills your child already knows and shares where they may need additional support.

Home Connect letters contain results for all Benchmark assessments administered using mCLASS:DIBELS during the current school year.

• Provides information about the student’s results for each completed measure
• Explains the relevance of the DIBELS® measures to parents
• Recommends targeted activities for the student to practice related skills at home (use with mClass Home Connect website)
• Sent home at the conclusion of the testing period.

Test Date: COMPLETE!

Family Report: Will be sent home February 10

An adaptive assessment that measures your childs' achievement and growth in K–12 math, reading, language usage, and science. MAP Growth begins with a question at each child’s grade level and adjusts the level of difficulty based on individual performance. If your child answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. This type of assessment challenges top performers without overwhelming students whose skills are below grade level.

The Family Report is a summary of how your child is performing academically and how to encourage learning and growth. In the report, you will be able to see whether your child is on track to perform well on state-level or other upcoming assessments, like the STAAR, so you can get a clear sense of how well your child is moving toward achieving bigger goals, and on track for college.

January Report: Will be sent home February 10

You will receive your child’s Amplify-Boost Reading Usage Report monthly so you can stay informed about your child’s progress in this adaptive program. This report shows:

• Usage: How much time your child has spent on the program. It is asked for your child to play the game 30-45 minutes per week (in 15 minute increments) for optimal progress.

• Quest Level: The current level your child is on in their reading journey. There are a total of 24 quests to complete throughout the program.

• Activity Status: The progress your child has made through the activities and skills in their current quest.

Amplify-Boost Reading is a valuable student-led supplemental tool that uses a year-long storyline with quests to help students practice and build literacy skills through gameplay and rewards. To stay on track, students should be using the program for 30-45 minutes per week. Please review your child’s report, and if needed, encourage them to spend more time on the program at home. Your support plays a crucial role in their reading success!

Thank you for your partnership!

One of the best ways to help your child become a confident reader is to help them learn high-frequency words. High-frequency words are the most commonly used words in printed text.

These words are the ones your child will see in nearly every book they open. Since these words are essential to fluent reading, repeated exposure and practice is crucial to help students read quickly and fluently. This decreases frustration for readers and encourages comprehension.

Like any conversation, talking about books can happen anywhere and at any time — in the car, at the store, or over dinner. As your child reads (or you read aloud to them), use the following questions (1-2) to spark a discussion about the books being read.

In order for our class room parents to contact you regarding any classroom activities, events, parties, etc., they need your permission to do so. If you have opted out of receiving messages or didn't provide permission to PTO, they are unable to communicate with you. Please click the button below to provide your email and be added to the room parent's class distribution list.

Quite a few parents have inquired about ordering books from our class book order with Scholastic Book Clubs! Orders can be placed at anytime by selecting the buttons below. The order deadline at the end of the month is when all orders will be processed.

I want to invite any parent, older sibling, grandparent, relative, or other special person to surprise your child by being a “Mystery Reader” this year in our classroom. Students LOVE having their family visit our classroom to share in our learning by reading a favorite story aloud to our class. PLEASE DO NOT SHARE WITH YOUR CHILD THAT YOU SIGNED UP! It ruins the "surprise" for them and their classmates!

What is a Mystery Reader ... Mystery Readers are special guests who come to our classroom to read a story (or two) of their choice to students. A Mystery Reader can be parents, grandparents, adult siblings, or other relatives.

Mystery Reader Day ... On Fridays, mystery readers will stop in the Rennell library and retrieve 1-2 books of their choice to read to our class. In addition, be prepared to share with the class of how you use reading in the workplace or at home, and maybe even your favorite books as a child. This will be another opportunity for our students to learn about the importance of reading!

Shhh .... Don't Tell Your Child ... Mystery readers will provide five clues to be read to the class as hints beforehand. The clues should start general and become more specific. By the last clue, your child should be able to guess that you are the special mystery reader for the day! There's great excitement for the students when they realize that their parent or special someone is the one who has written the clues and will soon be reading to our class! Please email as soon as you can, but no later than the day before you are scheduled to read at shirley.mcmorris@cfisd.net your five clues to read to the students the day of your visit.

Here is a sample set of clues ...

1. My favorite book when I was in third grade was Charlotte's Web.
2. I was the youngest child in my family growing up.
3. My family has one cat as a pet.
4. I love to watch Amazing Race with my family.
5. My favorite family vacation is visiting our family summer lake house every summer.

Day of Arrival ... You will check in at the office a few minutes prior to your time, ask them to call to let me know you are there so I can start giving the kids the mystery clues prior to your entry in the classroom. Please wait outside the door (away from the windows) till I open it for you.

I look forward to building our school-to-home connection this year! If you should have questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Email: shirley.mcmorris@cfisd.net
Location: 19500 Tuckerton Road, Cypress, TX, USA
Phone: 281-213-1550

For campus information and updates from our principal, click the button below to access the school-wide Redhawk Reader.

Cherise Garcia - Grades: Pre-K, 1, 3, 5

Email: cherise.garcia@cfisd.net

Office number: 281 213 1532 ext 1

Miracle Spells - Grades: K, 2, 4

Email: miracle.spells@cfisd.net

Office phone number: 281 213 1532 ext 2

Our Rennell Dance Teams newsletter will list our practice dates for February, performance updates, and other useful information.

Our school librarian has created a message board for students to access various topics such as ... social studies choice boards, book trailers, read alouds, ebooks, passwords, database links, etc.

• New students will receive computers as soon they are delivered to the school.
• Computers are required in class daily. Please make sure they are being charged at home as we have limited outlets and space to charge in our portables.
• It is a district policy for computers to go home daily with students.
• Students will need headphones with a microphone.

• Forgot Password?
• Computer Not Working?
• Lost Charging Cord?

Follow the instructions listed below for your particular issue. Please note the district requires ALL students to complete a service ticket for any computer issues or lost equipment. It must be in your child'd point of view or they will not replace the lost equipment.

The Rennell Elementary PTO is proud to serve the students, families, school staff and community through fundraisers, school events, special services and more throughout the school year. Click the button below to visit the website for further information.