Principal's Newsletter

Hello Spicewood Families,

Our second week back has been a busy one! We had our spelling bee, science fair, and the finale of Marathon Kids! Thank you to everyone who planned, organized, participated in any or in some cases all of these events. 😀

If your child has lost a pair of glasses, please have them come and check the front office. We have at least 8 pairs of glasses and I know those are expensive. We would love to connect them back to their owners! In addition to our general lost and found, more valuable items such as watches, glasses, jewelry, etc. are kept up front with Mrs. Cunningham.

Have a great 3-day weekend!

Sincerely,

Melanie Solis

Principal

Spicewood Elementary

Upcoming Important Dates

Jan. 20th- Student and Staff Holiday

Jan. 22nd- PTA General Mtg. 6:30pm Virtual

Jan. 29th- Student Holiday/Staff Development

Feb. 11th- Spring Photos (Individual and Class)

Feb. 4th-13th Apex Fundraiser

Feb. 14th- Valentine's Parties

Feb. 17th- No School Students/Staff

March 7th- Spirit Night at Playland Skate Center (more info to come)

March 12th- PTA General Mtg. 6:30pm In-Person

March 14th- STEAM Day

March 17-21- Spring Break- No School

March 29th- Spicewood Auction & Gala

This week we launched our middle of the year assessment process. This means that we are collecting reading/writing and math data from every student at Spicewood. We then meet in grade level groups to reflect on the data and make instructional decisions to ensure that every student grows. Here is more information regarding the different types of assessments we use to gather data.

Kindergarten/1st/2nd Grade

Tool: mClass/Amplify Reading:

• Recognizing letter sounds
• Blending sounds into words
• Breaking words into sounds
• Understanding sound patterns and rhymes
• Manipulating sounds within words
• Recognizing sight words
• Applying spelling rules

Tool: Aimsweb Math

• Math fluency (quick and accurate solving of problems)
• Number sense and basic math operations
• Problem-solving abilities
• Growth over time
• Mastery of specific skills
• Performance relative to benchmarks
• Risk of falling behind in math

3rd/4th/5th Grade

Tool: iReady

Reading skills assessed include:

• Phonological awareness (sound recognition)
• Phonics and word recognition (letter-sound relationships and decoding)
• Vocabulary (understanding and using words)
• Comprehension (literal and inferential understanding)
• Fluency (reading smoothly and accurately)
• Understanding both literary and informational texts
• Analyzing and evaluating texts

Math skills assessed include:

• Number and Operations: Counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, place value, and fractions.
• Algebraic Thinking: Understanding patterns, relationships, variables, and basic equations.
• Measurement and Data: Using measurement units, analyzing data, and interpreting graphs.
• Geometry: Identifying shapes, understanding symmetry, transformations, and spatial reasoning.
• Decimals and Fractions: Working with fractions and decimals, including operations and comparisons.
• Ratios and Proportions: Understanding and solving ratio and proportion problems.
• Patterns and Algebraic Expressions: Recognizing patterns and simplifying algebraic expressions.

We will share a report with parents when the data is finalized. We use this data to look at individual student progress, as well as campus areas of needs and strengths.

Students should not attend school in the following circumstances:

A sick child who is unable to participate at school in a meaningful way should be kept home to rest and recover until symptoms resolve. Keeping a sick child home also protects other children, school staff, and visiting community members from contracting an illness that can be spread from person to person. Please be aware of the following guidelines for school attendance

• Fever: A child must remain home with fever equal to or > 100.0° F and may only return to school after they have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine such as Tylenol or Motrin.
• Diarrhea: A child with diarrheal illness must stay home until they are diarrhea-free without the use of diarrheal-suppressing medication for 24 hour.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Nurse Sam at samnoun_kim@roundrockisd.org

Spicewood Families, the Art Department is currently collecting clean plastic bottle caps and buttons for an upcoming art project. A drop off box will be located near the front office and these items can be placed in the container at any point in time. Please be sure to clean your plastic bottle caps before donating them. We thank you so much for your help in this effort!

Mrs. Castelain and Mrs. Jones

Next month we will begin fundraising efforts to help update/refresh our gym and sports court. We celebrated 50 years this school year and it is time to bring our gym into the decade with us. We will be sharing more information soon as to what exactly the funds will be used for but the main focus is to update our gym and sports court to enhance our spaces for ALL students!

In preparation for STEAM Day, our committee has created a website of information and to gather volunteers. It takes help in all different ways to facilitate this fun day of learning for our students. We would love to have your help on this day!

Please click on this link to visit the website for more information.