Eagle Eye the E-newsletter for Oak Hill Elementary
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
This Week Around OHE:
Feb 3: 5th Grade Field Trip – LBJ Library – 9 – 2 p.m. – Ferguson & Broyhill
Feb 4: 5th Grade Field Trip – LBJ Library – 9 – 2 p.m. – Osio
Feb 5: PTA Executive Board Meeting – 12: 30 p.m. – Portable G
Feb 6: Student Council Spirit Day – 60’s Day
Feb 6: Student Council Meeting – 2 p.m.
Coming Soon to OHE:
Monday, Feb 9: Kindergarten Field Trip - please wear class shirts on this Monday
Tuesday, Feb 10: 5th Grade Field Trip – LBJ Library – 9 – 2 p.m. - Ledbetter & Wiley
Tuesday, Feb 10: O' Henry Middle School Choice Sheet Info Session (elective sign-ups for incoming 6th graders), 8:30am or 6pm
Thursday, Feb 13: Staff Development Day / Student Holiday
Monday, Feb 16: Student Holiday / Parent-Teacher Conference Day
5th Grade Field Trips by Alice Wiley, 5th Grade Teacher
The 5th grade will be going to the LBJ Library and Museum on the UT campus in February. There they will be viewing:
Six decades of the life of Lyndon Baines Johnson
1968 "stretch" Lincoln automobile - Presidential Limousine
Model T Ford
Gifts of State
Moon Exhibit
White House Exhibit
Oval Office Exhibit
First Lady's Gallery
Life-size, moving and talking figure of LBJ
If the weather allows, the classes will also be taking a walking tour of The University of Texas after a picnic lunch on the grounds.
http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu Keep our Eagles Soaring with Carnival Wristbands and Sponsorship Carnival Date: March 6th
Sponsorship Due Date: February 20
The Oak Hill Elementary PTA relies on financial donations from our parents and community to support our school’s programs. One of our most significant fundraisers each year is the Carnival. More than ½ of the funds raised during the carnival come from DONATIONS. This year scheduled for Friday, March 6 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Game Wristbands - $25 each
As in other years, we are offering families the opportunity to buy $25 game wristbands that will allow students unlimited game play at the carnival. Please note that the wristband does not cover purchase of confetti eggs, climbs on the climbing wall or any food or drink item. Game wristbands will be available for pick up at the Carnival.
Sponsorships
For those interested in going a step further, the PTA has established sponsorship levels that allow businesses and families to invest in the school. Below are few suggested contribution levels. If you own or are affiliated with a business or corporation, consider sponsoring at the Sky High Level. Not only will you be helping our school, but your business will receive public recognition through our newsletter and prominent signs at the school and during the carnival. Whether your donation is large or small, every dollar is important.
The PTA is a non-profit organization and donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Oak Hill Supporter ……………………………………………………….……….$50-$249 The suggested contribution level for those who want to make a contribution in addition to wristbands purchased (above). As a token of our appreciation, your family will be recognized in the PTA newsletter and on the PTA website.
Soaring Eagle (Includes 2 food and game wristbands) …….……………….$250 + The suggested contribution level for those families that want to go the extra mile. As a token of appreciation, your family be receive 2 carnival game and food wristbands (valued at $35 each) and prominent listing in the PTA newsletter and on the PTA website. Please note: the game and food wristband does not cover purchase of confetti eggs or climbing on the climbing wall, but does include food & drinks.
Sky High Club…………………………………………………………….…………$1,000 and above
The suggested contribution level for local businesses and corporations that want to support Oak Hill Elementary School. Those who contribute at this level will receive a premiere listing on a prominently displayed banner at the school, special recognition on the school marquee for 1 week, premiere listing in the Oak PTA newsletter and on the PTA website.
Return this form to your child's teacher in an envelope marked “Carnival Sponsorship”
Questions? Contact Katy Bourgeois (891-9194) or Hannah Neill (892-2935)
Eggs! Eggs! Eggs! by Heather Sendera, 2009 Carnival co-chair
The Carnival committee would like to send out a great big THANK YOU to some of our eggshell donors. We received over 100 dozen eggshells from Upper Crust Bakery!! Their Bakery Manager, MaryEvelyn Daughety, has a nephew in Ms. Ferguson's 5th grade class and she graciously convinced the bakers to carefully crack and save their shells for us. And, of course, my kids and I had to sample the tasty treats when we picked up the shells so I can now highly recommend the chocolate chip cookies. I really had my eye on a piece of chocolate cake but decided that a cookie would be much more managable in the car! But oh the cake looked divine! Stop in at Upper Crust (www.theuppercrustbakery.com; 45th St and Burnet) and remember to thank them for their donation while you endulge!
And I don't know how she does it but we once again received an incredible eggshell donation from Pat McLerran. Ms. McLerran's grandson is in Mrs. Milstead's 2nd grade class and she has made several large eggshell donations in the past. This year she managed to save just over 80 dozen eggshells for us! And as she helped me load my car she said that she is starting on her collection for next year. I love it!
We also want to thank Ms. Garrick for volunteering to turn these cracked and unloved eggshells into beautiful Confetti Eggs for us. She definitely has her work cut out for her but we are sure that she will once again turn out a fantastic project. Thanks Ms. Garrick!
But even with these amazing donations we still need more eggshells. So if you are like me and haven't made a significant eggshell donation, PLEASE know that we appreciate each and every dozen that you are able to give. This is a huge money-maker for the school and we wouldn't be able to do it without our wonderful OHE families!! Thank you to everyone who has been filling the workroom (and now my garage!) with eggshells!!! Keep the donations coming. Thank you all!!
Thank you in advance for your participation and assistance. Mark your calendars for Friday, March 6. It should be a fantastic carnival!
Gifted and Talented Program at a Glance
By Ileana Abounader
Ever wondered what gifted and talented (GT) means? Want to know what the AISD Gifted and Talented program is exactly? Curious about how it is implemented here at Oak Hill?
The Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students defines a gifted and talented student as follows:
"...a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment and who:
1. exhibits high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area;
2. possesses an unusual capacity for leadership; or
3. excels in a specific academic field."
The main components of the AISD gifted program are:
Core Content Areas: The AISD program defines four core content areas – mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies. Students can be identified as gifted in one or more of these areas in any combination.
Identification: Students from K-12 are eligible for nomination by parents and/or teachers once per school year. Once nominated, students are tested and teachers begin collecting data such as teacher observations, samples of student work, and standardized test scores. A campus selection committee makes the final decision on placement in the program. Here at Oak Hill the selection process occurs twice per year – once in the fall and once in the spring. Parent nominations are currently being accepted through February 17th. Contact your child's teacher if you are interested.
Clustering: Two or more gifted students are intentionally grouped together in the same classroom and given ample opportunities to work and interact together. They are also given opportunities to work independently and in mixed groups with other students in the class.
Differentiation: Students are provided with differentiated instruction which matches their coursework with their identified advanced abilities and gives them challenging learning experiences.
Student Progress Assessments: A student's performance in the GT program is periodically assessed and communicated to parents.
GT Advocates: Each campus has a GT advocate who is responsible for overseeing the GT program at the school. The GT advocate provides information and support to both parents and teachers involved with the GT program. Here at Oak Hill our GT advocate is 3rd Grade teacher, Suzanne Baxter.
Professional Development: All teachers of GT students are required to have a minimum of thirty hours of GT professional development. This training helps give teacher the program knowledge, instructional skills, and understanding that they need to work with gifted students. A great many of our Oak Hill teachers have received this training.
Family Involvement: The AISD gifted program offers various resources to parents of gifted children. These include periodic parent training sessions and forums, a biannual parent newsletter, and the AISD Gifted website, http://www.austinisd.org/academics/curriculum/gt/.
How are we doing? We've added a Guestbook feature to make it easy for you to leave us a comment or send an email to feedback@ohepta.org THANKS! We'd love to hear what you think!
Have website or newsletter technical questions? Send an email to webmaster@ohepta.org
Principal's Corner!
Check it out... Mrs. Whistler had some interesting stuff this week:
The Carnival is just around the corner, as well as the annual Silent Auction. We will have some really great items for bidding this year, so don't forget to check it out! If any of you have anything you would like to donate to the auction, please call me at 892-3856 or email me at swhite@thompsoncoe.com
Silent Austion Donations?by Susan WhiteThe Carnival is just around the corner, as well as the annual Silent Auction. We will have some really great items for bidding this year, so don't forget to check it out! If any of you have anything you would like to donate to the auction, please call me at 892-3856 or email me at .
Thank you for your support in helping our school!
FLU cases on the rise by Kelly Barcalow, RN, OHE School Nurse, 414-5149 We are seeing an increasein the number of cases of flu in our area. This is an illness that I reportto the Department of Health.Pleasecall the Health Office tospeak with me or Maryke Benner, the SchoolHealth Assistant, if your childhas a suspected case of flu.
ATTENTION 5th Graders:
Middle School Counselors will be comingin February to help 5th grade students fill out their choice sheets.
Feb. 2 - Clint Small 9:15 - 10:15am
Feb. 9 - O. Henry 10:15- 10:45 am Looking for input for Kindergarten Roundup!
Do you have suggestions or ideas for potential improvements to the Kindergarten Roundup? Please send any comments to Casie Wenmohs.
Bridget and Carey, DJ's from local radio station, Mix 94.7, are hosting a Valentine's Day card drive to collect cards for kids who are hospitalized in the local area. If you, your class, your family, or your friends would like to participate, please contact me, Ileana Abounader, at publicity@ohepta.org.All you need to do is make or buy Valentine's Day cards and sign them. I will deliver any cards I receive by February 10th to the radio station. It would be great to have a significant show of support from Oak Hill Elementary so please encourage your classes to participate!
All Systems Go! First Graders Explore the Austin Children's Museum
By Ileana Abounader
Recently our first graders visited the Austin Children's Museum for a guided tour of this wondrous play land. The featured exhibit was All Systems Go! where students got to play on kid-sized versions of Austin's new Metro Rail train, Metro Bus, and various transportation control centers. In the energy lab they explored how friction, magnets, and the sun's energy all impact our transportation vehicles.
Other activities were playing in the construction zone, making pigs fly with pulleys, tinkering with gears, building super structures, designing something to make the world a better place, and the kid's favorite – an experiment creating an explosion with Alka-Seltzer and water. If your first grader wants to try this at home, be sure that you do it outside!
Many thanks go out to the first grade teachers and to the staff at the Austin Children's Museum for making this a most fun-filled day for our students.
By Ileana Abounader
Students K-12, teachers, and families are invited to attend
Explore UT: The Biggest Open House in Texas!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The University of Texas at Austin
Student K-12, teachers, and families. Everyone is welcome.
Free, no sign-up for activities. you arrange your food and transportation.
More information at http://www.utexas.edu/events/exploreut
OHE PTA Publicity Plug!
The OHE PTA Publicity committee has an immediate need for volunteers to write newsletter articles for the following events:
