Hello, Jr. Jag Families!

Can you believe we've reached the end of the first grading period? This Thursday is the last day of the grading period. Report cards for 3rd and 4th grade will be released to Skyward on Thursday, September 26th. PK-2nd grade students only receive report cards after the 2nd, 4th, and 6th grading periods.

Our teachers will wrap up our beginning of the year testing as well. They are checking phonics skills, overall reading skills, and math skills using mCLASS, Progress Learning, DRA, QPS, and MAP. Teachers will provide this information and discuss it with you during our Parent/Teacher Conferences to be held at the beginning of October.

Parents often ask how they can help at home. READ! Read to your child; have your child read to you. It can be anything. As you read, stop often and ask clarifying questions like who the characters are, what's happened, what's the setting (time/place), etc. For math, practice math facts. Quiz your child in the car, as you cook, or even at bedtime. K-2 students should work on addition and subtraction facts, while 3-4 students should focus on all 4 operations-addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Ask your child questions like how many different ways can they make 10 (6+4; 5+5; 2+8; 12-2; 2x5; 10 divided by 1, etc.). Practicing these skills will help your child significantly in both reading and math.

It takes a village to raise a child. Our Tipps Village is strong and simply amazing. We are proud to be your partner and we look forward to working with you and your child this year. Thanks for all you do. As always, let us know how we can help.

• Austen Thomas from Parent, Katie Clark: Mr. Thomas helped Maverick on his 2nd day of school during drop off. Maverick said that Mr. Thomas was very helpful and so kind to help him find his classroom. “Mr. Thomas is my best friend!” Thank you for helping my kindergartner feel safe and welcome in his new school!
• Candice Keller from Parent, Amanda Ford: I would like to give Mrs. Keller kudos for helping my son feel welcomed walking in alone to the building and pointing him down the hallway to the correct classroom. She is always smiling and giving hugs and we adore her.
• Shea Stapleton from Parent, Amanda Ford: I would like to give kudos to Mrs. Stapleton for welcoming my baby into Kindergarten and not making the first week of school intimidating. Preston says he loves his teacher and is excited to learn with her.
• 2nd Grade from Hernández: Great job at Parent Info Night--stations were interactive and meaningful!
• Jennifer Perez from a Parent in 2nd Grade: Student's mom had such great things to say about Mrs. Perez from 1st grade. They enrolled later in the year, but were welcomed from the very beginning by her love and happiness over teaching her student. Mrs. Perez communicated with his parents regularly and let them know that he was struggling with some skills. Perez put a plan in place and kept them informed about how to help at home while she worked with him at school.
• Jennifer Risinger from Parent, Zandri Webb: She is always attentive and kind to my daughter who has diabetes and I could not ask for better care. I can go through my day knowing Livianna is cared for and am so grateful for all Miss Risinger does for her.
• Erin Jacobs from Kristi Paul: "Shout out to Mrs. Jacobs (4th grade)! After her regular duty last week, she went to the yellow/blue box and helped get all the crying little ones and walked them all the way to their car. I heard her talk to them to calm them down. They were taking deep breaths together. She was trying to ask them about their day. GREAT JOB JACOBS! "

State law requires that all public schools hold annual health screenings for students. We

will be screening students throughout the fall semester on all campuses. Students will be

screened for Hearing, Vision, and Acanthosis Nigricans (a visual marker that may

indicate possible signs of type 2 diabetes) in grade levels PK, KG 1, 3, 5, 7 and all New

to District students. Please ensure that your child is wearing his/her eyeglasses/contacts to

school daily.

If further evaluation by your doctor is needed, parents will be notified in writing. Please

note that these screenings do not replace your child’s need for regular health care and

check-ups. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you for your cooperation,

Jennifer Risinger, RN

jenniferrisinger@misdmail.org

817-299-6930

Dear Parents,

MISD has purchased a new reading program called Beanstack. Your students will be using this program all year to get them excited about reading! It’s free to use, and you can access it through your child’s Classlink profile. If you have questions about logging in to your child’s Classlink, see the pics below. Please encourage your older readers to read at home, and please read to your younger students out loud. Teachers (as well as me, the Librarian) will also be logging minutes read aloud to students at school. Students will be recognized for their reading minutes at Pep Rallies once a six weeks, and through prizes throughout the year. Thank you for supporting our school, and promoting reading!

Mrs. Gansert

Tipps Librarian

A "suggestion box" has been placed in the front office if you would like to leave us a note. You can also fill out the Google Form named, Leave Us a Note, below. We value your feedback!