News Paws

News Paws May 24 - 28

Your Weekly
News “Paws”
May 24-28, 2010

The mission of St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School is to be a community of learners where students are challenged to achieve their highest academic, spiritual and physical potentials in a Christian setting.

Heads UP BY
BRINN WILLIFORD
Friends-
I wanted my last News Paws entry to be a little longer than normal, and I apologize in advance if it is a little wordy. 
This week is the last week of a most wonderful school year.  As with any year, there are always some interesting asides, but we have made a great number of memories and had many successes this year.
Who will ever forget Fall Festival 2009, when it rained so hard that we had to get to our cars “post-haste”?  The SAES convention that our teachers attended and gained many strategies that they are using in their classrooms?  The Camp Allen trip with our 4th graders, when six of those rascals made it to the top of the climbing tower along with Mrs. Ballard?  What about the terrific Christmas programs which sounded great with the new microphones and sound system additions generously provided by one of our great families?
And then there was the Angelina County Spelling Bee, won by our own 5th grader, Garrett Coleman. (Our team spellers placed second!) Our SEEK program has been a huge success.  The students have learned a lot, been in the paper and on the news a lot, and added another layer to the St. Cyprian’s educational experience.  Our DI teams continue to do well, with one advancing to State.  PSIA is rocking along, as 27 students brought back 21 ribbons and five advanced to state, with two of them placing as well.
The 4K Circus, Grandparents’ Day, Open House, Science Fair, Book Fairs, Pet Parade, SACS Accreditation, Field Day, the Washington, D.C. trip:  all these things add up to making St. Cyprian’s a most tremendous school.
The future is also very bright.  Enrollment for next year is way up, to the point that it looks like we will need two second-grade classes, two first-grade classes, and three Kindergarten classes to accommodate larger numbers with small class sizes.  Our 3K is almost full already for next year.
Our teachers are second to none.  Our parent support is second to none.  Our student work ethic is second to none.  And yet, with all these groups clicking along together, there is so much good here that no person or group can get credit for it.  The credit can go only one place – look what the Lord is doing at St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School!
Enjoy your summer, everyone!

Brinn Williford, Head of School

2009-2010 Closing Ceremonies

The 3K and 4K Closing Ceremony and 5K Graduation will take place this Thursday beginning at 8:30 am at the Church, with dismissal following the ceremonies.

The First through Fifth Grade Closing Ceremony will take place on Friday beginning at 8:30 am at the Church. Upper school will dismiss for the year at noon on Friday.

Creative Care Schedule

Creative Care will be available for all grades on Thursday and for 1st through 5th grade ONLY on Friday. Please remember to bring a sack lunch on Friday, as the cafeteria will be closed due to noon dismissal.

Science Lab Toads Need a Summer Home
The fire-bellied toads need a temporary home this summer. They are relatively low maintenance. If you are interested in taking care of these critters please see Mrs. Ballard in the science lab.

Mark Your Calendar

May 26th-27th 4th and 5th Math Olympics
May 27th Preschool Closing Ceremony
Kindergarten Graduation
May 28th 1st-5th Closing Ceremony
Noon Dismissal
Last Day of School

Thank You PTO!
A very special thank you goes to our wonderful PTO for an absolutely FABULOUS Teacher Appreciation Week. Your support makes our jobs so much easier. You ROCK!
Grade Level News

3K News: This school year has gone by so fast!  Thank you to all parents for your help and support throughout the year, and for all of the wonderful gifts and treats for Teacher Appreciation Week. We appreciate all that you do. Our 3K end of the year party will be on Tuesday from 9:00 until 10:30. Remember that Thursday is the last day of school for 3K. The kids have been working on a special song and practicing for graduation. We are so excited! Our closing ceremonies will be held at the Church beginning at 8:30 am. Children should wear their dress uniforms (red top, navy bottom) and meet in their classroom no later than 8:10 am. Our friends will be free to leave with their parents at the conclusion of the ceremony. Have a safe and happy summer!

4K News: It is hard to believe our school year is almost over. We have enjoyed our classes so much this year. Our 4K Carnival will take place on Tuesday from 9:00 am until 11:00 am beside the cafeteria. Our closing ceremonies are Thursday at the Church beginning at 8:30 am. Children should wear their dress uniforms (red top, navy bottom) and meet in their classroom by 8:00 am. Our friends will be dismissed at the end of the ceremony. Enjoy your summer!

Kindergarten News: Wow!  We can’t believe this is the last news paws!  We want to thank you for sharing your precious children with us this year.  We have enjoyed watching your child grow and bloom through our Kindergarten year together.  Thank you for making us feel so special during Teacher Appreciation week.  We appreciate all you have done for us all year!  Our end of the year party is on Tuesday, May 25th.  The “Water Slide” party begins at 1:00 and ends at 3:00. We look forward to our Kindergarten Graduation on Thursday.  Please bring your child to the church on Thursday no later than 8:00.  We will meet in the fellowship hall.  The program starts at 8:30.  Please remember to have your child in dress uniform.  Girls should not wear pony tails because of the cap she will be wearing.  Be sure to bring your camera and some kleenex...this is a very special event in your child’s life.  After Graduation, you may take your child with you and call it a day.  We hope you have a safe and relaxing summer. ! !

1st Grade News: It’s hard to believe the end is here. Words can’t say how fantastic this year has been. What a wonderful group of awesome kids and supportive parents. We are so blessed to have taught each and every student.  Thanks
for all you’ve done for us throughout the year.
Our class party is scheduled on Friday at 3:00 at the home of Chris and Medora Boone. It’s a swimming party, so be sure to bring your sunscreen and a towel.

2nd Grade: Second Grade is excited about the last week of school.  We enjoyed Field Day so much.  We wish to have a Great Big Thank you to Coach Gentry for a wonderful day!  We also want to say “Thank You” to Mr. Williford for being so super! We wish to thank our Specialty Teachers for the great times and great things we got to do.  We do not want to forget to thank our awesome parents!!! It has been a GREAT year and we had so much fun learning. We hope everyone has a great summer.

3rd Grade News: We will work on handwriting, vocabulary, and comma usage. We will read magazines and play language arts games.  In math, all have finished and the final grades are averaged. It has been a great year in math and I am very proud of the 3rd grade students.

4th Grade: We will finish Holes and our compositions. We will also have some fun playing language arts games. In math, all have finished and the final grades are averaged. It has been a great year in math and I am very proud of the 4th grade students.

5th Grade:  We will finish Number the Stars and our “Favorite Part of the DC Trip” composition. We are still reviewing commas and punctuation. We will have fun playing language arts games. In math, all have finished and the final grades are averaged. It has been a great year in math and I am very proud of the 5th grade students.

3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade will practice for graduation on Tuesday. 

4th and 5th Grade will do Math Olympics on Wednesday and Thursday.

CAMP LION REGISTRATION
If you are looking for something fun to fill your summer days, why not give Camp Lion a try? There are still a few spots available, but they’re going fast. Stop by the office to register today.

Tying Up Loose Ends
Please be sure to stop by the office to settle up any outstanding lunch balances before the end of the week. Also, if you have any library books out, please return them to Mrs. Lively ASAP.

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!

 

News Paws May 17 - 21

Your Weekly
News “Paws”
May 17-21, 2010

The mission of St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School is to be a community of learners where students are challenged to achieve their highest academic, spiritual and physical potentials in a Christian setting.

Heads UP BY
BRINN WILLIFORD

Field Day was awesome! Thank you Coach Gentry for all of your hard work in putting it together. The students all had a wonderful time getting soaked – I know I did!

As the days go by, this list gets shorter, but there is still plenty to keep us busy for the next two weeks.

May 17th-21st – Teacher Appreciation Week
May 17th-21st – Therapy conferences
May 20th – Talent Show at 1:30 in the gym (a
change from 2:00)
May 21st – Fourth & fifth grade Science Fair
May 26th-27th – Fourth & fifth grade Math Olympics
May 27th – PreK-5K Graduation and Early Dismissal
May 28th – Upper Grade Graduation & Noon
Dismissal

Psalm 31:3 – “For You are my rock and my fortress, for Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.”

Brinn Williford, Head of School

Outback Winner!
Congratulations to Lisa Reid who won the gift certificate to Outback for the survey drawing. You can still turn surveys in to the office - we value your opinion!

Student Dress for Teacher Appreciation Week
Monday – 50s Style
Tuesday – Tie Dye
Wednesday – 80s and 90s
Thursday – Current Fashion
Friday – What You Want to be When You Grow Up

Spring Picture Orders Due This Friday!
Make sure you turn your picture orders in by Friday, May 21st, in order to receive your pictures by next Wednesday.

PTO Wraps Up
The final PTO meeting of the year will be next Monday, May 24, at 8:15 AM in the Science Lab.

Music Notes
We are winding up another great year of music at Saint Cyprian’s! It is really a pleasure and blessing to teach music to these precious students. There are so many talented, energetic and creative kids at our school. All of the classes have been preparing for various events this month like Teacher Appreciation, Talent Show, Closing Exercises and Kindergarten Graduation.
I am very excited to be taking the First Grade classes to sing at the Neches House on Monday, May 17th. They will be singing some Texas favorites, and patriotic songs, plus the songs they performed at Grandparent’s Day from the movie, “Mary Poppins.” I know the residents will enjoy them.
I hope everyone will join us in the gym for the Talent Show on Thursday, May 20th at 1:30. The students will be performing a wide variety of acts including singing, dancing, instrumental performances and animal acts!
Thank you, parents, for allowing me to work with your children. As always, thank you for all of your help and support. Have a wonderful summer!
Karen Greer

Yearbook Volunteers Needed
Do you have a knack for scrapbooking? If so, we need you! The St. Cyprian’s staff need help putting the 2009-2010 yearbook together. You can even do it from home or by the pool on your laptop! Please email Sheila if you can help out:
.

Box Top Winners!
Ms. Owen’s 4th grade class won the final Box Top party of the year with 68 box tops per student. They will receive an ice cream party before the school year is out. Thank you to everyone for collecting box tops. There were over 3000 box tops turned in this month – that is more than $300 for the school. Great job!

Uniform Donations
Please consider donating your used uniforms to St. Cyprian’s 4th grade class. Each year the 4th graders sell used uniforms to raise money for their trip to Camp Allen. Uniforms may be dropped off in the office over the summer. A flyer will be mailed out to all registered families with dates and times of the uniform sale.

Grade Level News
3K News: We’re hitting the beach! This week we will start our final unit, Oceans and Beaches. We’ll talk about the different creatures that call the ocean home, and explore fun things to do at the beach. Next week we’ll be wrapping up the year with our 3K party on Tuesday and our Closing Ceremony on Thursday. Look for details in backpacks soon.

4K News: After working hard all year in 4K, we will be reinforcing all the wonderful things we have learned through the use of fun games and learning activities.  This is also a great week to revisit our favorite books and characters from throughout the year.  Parents, this is a friendly reminder to please not forget to send $4 to help out with the end of the year party, if you have not done so already.

Kindergarten News: We had a blast getting wet and muddy during Field Day.  Thank you parents for all your help!  Way to go Tristan Minguez for reading the most pages on campus and for dunking Mr. Williford!  Congratulations to Nick Hineman and Breeasia Terrazas for receiving the “Good Sportsmanship Award”!  This week we will wrap up our “Trees & Leaves” unit with an investigative excursion to The Forestry Museum.  We will leave around 8:45 for our 9:00 tour on Tuesday, May 18th.  Please have your child in dress uniform for the trip.  They may bring clothes to change into according to this week’s special dress activities.  During math, we will wrap up Chapter 12 (addition and subtraction).  During center time, we will be working on end of the year assessments.  Please remember to return all guided readers, library books, learning packs and the $10.00 charge for cap and gown rental.

1st Grade News: Last week was awesome!  Our field trip was fantastic and field day was simply awesome!! Thanks to all of the parents who helped out and provided snacks.  You make things so nice for everyone. This week should be just as good.  On Monday, our fabulous first graders have the privilege of going to The Neches House to perform songs that they have learned in music throughout the year.  Mrs. Greer and the students will get to show off how awesome they are! We will spend the rest of the week learning about the rainforest.  We will discuss products that we have today because of rainforest exploration.

2nd Grade: Second grade will be finishing their novel, Charlotte’s Web. We will watch the movie and compare events in the novel to the movie.  We are practicing 3-digit subtraction and having fun with some math practices that we have not been able to complete. We will practice our skills that we have learned. In science we will be doing some experiments that teach us about the mystery of our everyday life.  In language arts we will make a puppet and write a play or tell our favorite jokes.

3rd Grade News:  Third graders will focus on social studies and our world geography. We will study week 33 in spelling, do handwriting, and work on vocabulary. We will learn more about negatives and double negatives. We will read children’s magazines in class. The third grader students will continue the review of the year in math.

4th Grade News: Fourth graders will continue to study about our body systems, read Johnny Texas, and finish our Texas Symbols Booklet. We will study spelling words week 33 and continue reading Holes. We will study commas and colons. We will also study vocabulary and pictures. In math the fourth graders will be learning more about decimal numbers and rounding mixed numbers to the nearest whole. There will be no homework for the fourth and fifth graders Thursday night in preparation for the Science Fair on Friday.

5th Grade News: 5th graders will write their reports about a United States President. We are doing all the work at school.  These papers will not be due until Tuesday, May 25 because of the Talent Show and the Science Fair scheduled for this week. We will study spelling words week 33 and continue reading Number the Stars. We will study vocabulary and pictures. We will work on complex sentences, fragments, and run-ons. The fifth graders will be finishing their math book this week. They will be learning Roman numerals, areas of prisms and the sum of the angles of a triangle and quadrilateral.
There will be no homework for the fourth and fifth graders Thursday night in preparation for the Science Fair on Friday.

Talent Show and Science Fair

The Talent Show is Thursday, May 20th, from 1:30 to 3:00, and the 4th and 5th grade Science Fair is Friday, May 21st, from 8:30-10:30. The judges for this year’s 4th and 5th grade Science Fair are: 

Amanda Anderson, Angelina Beautiful/Clean
Duane Hartman, Lufkin Industries
Scott Thompson, Lockheed Martin

Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to serve as our judges!

Field Day Thanks!

Thank you to all of the specialty teachers and therapists who devoted so much of their time to help organize and run this year’s Field Day! Thanks to you, a fun, wet and wild time was had by all! Thanks also to all of the parents and core teachers who kept things moving. I couldn’t have done it without you!

Coach Gentry

 

News Paws May 10 - 14

Your Weekly
News “Paws”
May 10-14, 2010

The mission of St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School is to be a community of learners where students are challenged to achieve their highest academic, spiritual and physical potentials in a Christian setting.

Heads UP BY
BRINN WILLIFORD
This is probably the most important information I can provide for you at this point in the year, and that is a complete schedule of events between now and the end of the year:

May 11th – First grade goes to Grapeland Drive-
Through Safari Ranch
May 13th – “Not So Free” Free Dress Day
May 13th – “Boy Talk” with Dr. Glass after school
May 14th – Field Day ( in case of rain we will
reschedule for Monday, May 24th )
May 17th – All Library books are due
May 17th-21st – Teacher Appreciation Week
May 17th-21st – Therapy conferences
May 20th – Talent Show at 1:30 in the gym (a
change from 2:00)
May 21st – Fourth & fifth grade Science Fair
May 26th-27th – Fourth & fifth grade Math Olympics
May 27th – PreK Graduation and Early Dismissal
May 28th – Upper Grade Graduation & Noon
Dismissal

Psalm 31:3 – “For You are my rock and my fortress, for Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.”

Brinn Williford, Head of School

Parent Survey
A Parent Survey went home last week. Please take a few moments to fill it out and return it to the office by Friday, May 14th, to be registered for a chance to win a gift certificate from Outback.

Conferences for Therapy Students
The therapy team will be holding conferences for therapy students the week of May 17-20.  Please return your green conference signup sheet.  If you need another one, let Mrs. McCarty know.

FIELD DAY FRIDAY

Field Day is finally here! Come join the fun and be prepared to get wet this Friday, May 14th. The dunking booth will open at 8:00, with guest of honor Trey Ainsworth getting dunked by members of our top reading classes. At 9:00 the games and activities will officially begin. Please wear your Field Day T-shirts, shorts, and TENNIS SHOES (old ones if you have them) – NO flip flops, sandals or crocs. Also bring a towel to dry off between events and a water bottle. The snack cart will be open for business outside the gym, so bring money in a Ziploc baggie. Make sure all items are labeled with the student’s name. And don’t forget to wear sunscreen! Students staying for Creative Care should bring a dry set of clothes to change into.

In case of rain, Field Day will be rescheduled for Monday, May 24th.

Hit the Road with Camp Lion

Take a road trip to a new destination each week this summer at Camp Lion. St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School is offering Camp Lion for ages 3K through completed 5th grade. Registration for the camp is $35. The cost of the camp is $80 a week and includes a Camp Lion t-shirt, breakfast, snacks and lunch, arts and crafts, outdoor activities, gymnastics, and much more.  Each week of camp is centered on a different destination. Weekly destinations include the following: Mountain Mystery, The Great Safari, Camping under the Stars, Can you Dig It, Bon Appétit, Down Under, Cruisin’ the Caribbean, and Camp Rewind. The camp runs June 7th through August 6th and will be open from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Registration forms can be picked up at St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School. Call (936)632-1720 for more information.

East Texas Archery Camp

Come shoot a bull’s-eye at the East Texas Archery Camp (ETAC) at St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School. ETAC is offered for students entering 4th through 7th grade. The first session is scheduled for May 31st through June 4th from 8 a.m. until noon. The second session is scheduled for August 2nd through August 6th from 8 a.m. until noon. The price of the camp is $75 and includes all archery materials, ETAC t-shirt and snacks.  To register, call (936)632-1720 or come by St. Cyprian’s School, located at 1115 S. John Redditt.

Grade Level News

3K News: We hope all of you moms were treated to a lovely Mother’s Day. And thanks to all of you who came to parent conferences. It was so nice to visit with you as the school year winds down. This week 3K is going buggy as we start our insects and bugs unit. We will learn all about bees, butterflies, ladybugs, and what makes an insect an insect. Friday is Field Day! This all-school event promises to be wet and wild this year. Please make sure your child wears his or her Field Day T-shirt, shorts and TENNIS SHOES – no flip flops, crocs, or sandals – and brings a towel, water bottle if desired, and money for the snack cart (remember to label all items with your child’s name). And don’t forget the sun screen! Students who go to Creative Care should bring a change of clothes for the afternoon. Parents are welcome to join in the fun – just dress to get wet!

4K News: This week we will finish our unit on the farm. We have learned so many interesting facts about farm life. We will continue to use farm animals as math manipulatives and story ideas. We will also spend this week reviewing our alphabet and mathematical skills. We will play various learning games to review and reinforce the skills we will need for kindergarten! Also, don’t forget - Field Day on Friday! Come out and have a super-soakin’ good time!

Kindergarten News: This week we will continue our Seeds, Plants and Trees unit.  We are busy compiling information about trees and leaves in our “Trees” book.  Please remember to send your leaves collected at home to school this week.  We will use these leaves to match them to geometric figures.  During math we will continue working on our subtraction skills.  We are looking forward to Field Day.  This will be a fun and wet day!  Please remember to wear tennis shoes that can get wet (no sandals, crocs or flip flops)!  Also, please put plenty of sunscreen on your child as we will spend the day outside.  If you want to send a water bottle, please put your child’s name on it.  We hope you will be able to join us for this fun filled day.  Please look for all guided readers, library books and learning packs.  These items must be returned by next week.  Thanks for all you do!

1st Grade News: We are so excited about our trip to Grapeland and to the Safari Ranch.  Go to http://www.grapelanddrivethrusafari.com to see what animals we will be able to see, touch and feed. Please send money and a lunch for the trip. It will be an awesome experience! On Wednesday and Thursday we will complete our dinosaur research and investigation.  Friday we will have fun in the sun as we celebrate with Field Day.

2nd Grade: Second grade will be reading their novel, Charlotte’s Web. The students are working on 3-digit subtraction and addition facts.  They will need to know facts for a Math Addition BINGO game. We will be working with our spelling words but will not have a final spelling test because it is a short week due to Parent Conferences and Field Day.  We will review dictionary skills and see who can find the “word” the quickest!  In language we will be working with words that have suffixes and prefixes.
3rd Grade News: Third graders are continuing their study of the solar system in science.  In social studies, we are learning about different countries of the world. We will study week 32 in spelling and continue reading Tales of a Fourth Nothing. We will also study homographs and homophones. We will write a narrative and continue to work on handwriting. The third grade will continue to review the year in math.

4th Grade News: Fourth graders are studying about body systems in science and reading Johnny Texas in our Texas History class. We will read our novel, Holes, as well as Rivers in the Rain Forest. We will also study week 32 in spelling and learn more about sentence errors. In math, the fourth grade will be learning more about dividing fractions and ratios.

5th Grade News: Fifth graders are assigned a United States president whom they will be researching for a written report. We will work on the report in class. We will study week 32 in spelling, and we will read in our novel, Number the Stars. We will also work on complex sentences and sentence variety. In math, the fifth graders will be finishing their book - only 3 lessons to go!

4th and 5th Grade: The Science Fair is May 21.  Awards Ceremony will be at 10:30.

Teacher Appreciation Week
May 17-21

Students, help us celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week next week by bringing back fond memories for your teachers of their own school days. Each day you can dress to represent a different time period from the past, present, and future. The schedule is as follows:

Monday – 50s Style
Tuesday – Tie Dye
Wednesday – 80s and 90s
Thursday – Current Fashion
Friday – What You Want to be When You Grow Up

So ask your parents if you can rummage through their closets for those clothes from their youth, and help bring smiles to the teachers’ faces next week.

 

News Paws May 3 - 7

Your Weekly
News “Paws”
May 3-7, 2010

The mission of St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School is to be a community of learners where students are challenged to achieve their highest academic, spiritual and physical potentials in a Christian setting.

Heads UP BY
BRINN WILLIFORD
This week our chapel schedule will be a little bit different. Since Thursday is the National Day of Prayer, we will have our Family Chapel service at St. Cyprian’s Church on Thursday morning at 8:00. Wednesday we will have regular chapel in the gym. Thursday’s service will be our last Family Chapel service of the school year.  We hope to see you there.
I want to congratulate our students who competed in the PSIA State Competition on Saturday. Kerstin Andrews, Trey Hensley, Ian Greer, Garrett Croley, and Mattie Wesoloski all did an outstanding job representing St. Cyprian’s. Garrett placed 4th in poetry reading, and Mattie placed 5th in ready writing. Well done!
Next Monday will be a student holiday so that our teachers can spend the day in parent conferences. Parent conference sign-up sheets went home in backpacks today. Parents, I strongly encourage all of you to take advantage of this opportunity to check in with your child’s teacher before the school year wraps up.
Finally, this week is our 5th grade’s trip to Washington, D.C.  Please pray for their safety and health in their travel.
Psalm 31:3 – “For You are my rock and my fortress, for Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.”

Brinn Williford, Head of School

Creative Care for Parent Conferences
Creative Care will be offered on Monday, May 10th, for Parent/Teacher Conference day. The cost is $25 for the day; there will be no drop-in care. You must sign up in the office prior to Monday. Remember to bring a sack lunch for your child, as there will be no lunch served.

BOX TOPS Earnings
St. Cyprian’s just received another check from the Box Tops for Education program in the amount of $238.80. This brings our total earnings for the school year to $865. Thanks to all you students and parents who bring in your box tops every month. Keep ‘em coming! Our last turn-in date for the school year is Friday, May 14th. The winning class will receive an Ice Cream Party.

Mark Your Calendar

May 3rd-4th Impatiens Delivery
May 4th-8th 5th Grade DC Trip
May 6th Free Dress Day
National Day of Prayer
Family Chapel in the Church
May 10th Parent Conferences/Student Holiday
May 13th “Not So Free” Free Dress Day
“Boy Talk” with Dr. Glass
May 14th Field Day
May 17th All Library Books Due
May 20th Talent Show
May 21st 4th & 5th Grade Science Fair
May 26th-27th 4th & 5th Math Olympics
May 27th 3K-5K Closing Exercises
May 28th 1st - 5th Grade Closing Exercises
Noon Dismissal

Join Us for Family Chapel
On the
National Day of Prayer
Thursday, May 6, 8:00 am
Families and friends are welcome and encouraged to join us for our final Family Chapel service of the 2009-2010 school year. We will head over to the church at 8:00 to worship together and give thanks for an outstanding school year. Come spend this special time with your children and the St. Cyprian’s school family.

Grade Level News

3K News: We begin the month of May with thoughts of gardens and Mother’s Day. Moms, don’t peek at our classroom projects this week, because there just may be a surprise for you in the making. We have finished our alphabet from A to Z, so we will spend the next few weeks reviewing as we prepare for 4K. Parent/teacher conferences will take place next Monday, May 10. Monday will be a student holiday, so if you need your child to go to Creative Care, be sure to sign up in the front office.

4K News: We will continue to explore the workings of a farm! Our classes will be creating animal artwork. We will also be learning what plants give us the wonderful foods that we enjoy every day. This week we will discuss and label the parts of a plant in our science unit. We will also be doing our end-of-year assessments this week. The last letter we will study this year is Zz!!

Kindergarten News: This week we will continue our “Seeds, Plants & Trees” unit.  We will take a look at the seeds inside of different fruits as well as learn about fruit parts.  We will also learn about the different types of leaf edges.  We will discuss the difference between lobed, serrated and straight edge leaves. We will be doing some leaf and bark rubbings to add to our “Trees” booklet. During math this week, we will begin our subtraction unit. Please remember to send $10.00 for cap and gown rental. We appreciate your help with this. To all of our wonderful moms...Happy Mother’s Day!

1st Grade News: This week we are learning about dinosaurs.  We are researching information to help us as we explore the topic of dinosaurs. Students will use the internet and books to find information such as height, weight, food likes, habitats and time period in which the dinosaurs lived. In math, we will work on measurement.  Students will estimate lengths and then provide an accurate measurement. Parent Conferences are next Monday and on Tuesday we will travel to Grapeland to visit the Grapeland Drive-Thru Safari Ranch. The cost is $7.00 for the tour plus students will need spending money for the train ride, bounce house, snow cones and gift shop. We are going to have a ball! Please visit grapelanddrivethrusafari.com for more information.

2nd Grade: Second grade will continue to read the novel Charlotte’s Web.  We will also be reading nonfiction books about the Solar System.  We will continue to study multiplication in math and 2-digit and 3-digit subtraction and addition.  We will be finishing our benchmark tests in reading and math. We are practicing our capital letters in cursive writing. Our Painted Lady Butterflies were released on the playground. It was exciting to watch them fly away because they seemed to flutter more in the sunlight!  We are also watching our silkworms.  They have hatched.  They are so little. It is hard to believe they will someday be large.

3rd Grade News: Third graders will visit the planetarium as well as the arboretum on the SFA campus next Friday, May 7. Please send your money to me ahead of time since these places don’t take cash.  We’ll study about the solar system in science and continue studying about different parts of the world in social studies. We will continue reading our novel, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, and work on homophones. We will also write a narrative about our field trip to Bryan.

4th Grade News: Fourth graders will visit the Angelina County Landfill on the morning of Wednesday, May 5. We’re studying about the circulatory system in science and will be reading Johnny Texas in Texas History. We will start the novel Holes and work on identifying run-on sentences. We will also work on a narrative paper about our field trip.

5th Grade News: Fifth grade will start the novel Number the Stars and work on compound and complex sentences. We will finish our narratives about the Civil War time. We will be in Washington, D.C. from Tuesday through Saturday.

 

News Paws April 26 - 30

Your Weekly
News “Paws”
April 26-30, 2010

The mission of St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School is to be a community of learners where students are challenged to achieve their highest academic, spiritual and physical potentials in a Christian setting.

Heads UP BY
BRINN WILLIFORD
I was looking at my calendar this morning with shock and disbelief.  Can there really be only 24 days of school remaining in this year?  That just can’t be correct – I have at least 35 days worth of stuff to do before the end of school.  Because of the busy-ness that the next five weeks will hold, it seems a good time to give you an overall look at the calendar from now through May28th:

April 27-29th – TAKS testing for 3rd-5th grade
April 27th – 4K to Mrs. Alicia’s farm
April 28th – 3K-5K class pictures at the Church
April 30th – 3rd-5th grade is going to Aggieland
April 30th –Impatiens Sale Ends
May 1st – PSIA State competition
May 3rd – Impatiens delivered
May 5th – 4th grade is going to the Landfill
May 4th-8th – 5th grade is going to DC
May 6th – Free Dress Day
May 6th – Thursday - National Day of Prayer
Family Chapel at the Church
May 10th – Parent Conferences – Student
Holiday
May 11th – 1st grade goes to Grapeland Drive
Through Safari Ranch
May 13th – “Not So Free” Free Dress Day
May 13th – “Boy Talk” with Dr. Glass
May 14th – Field Day
May 17th – All Library books are due
May 20th – Talent Show at 2:00 in the gym
May 21st – 4th & 5th grade Science Fair
May 26th-27th – 4th & 5th grade Math Olympics
May 27th – Pre-K Graduation & Early Dismissal
May 28th – Upper Grade Graduation & Noon
Dismissal

This should be a complete list of the big things between now and the end of school, but there may always be some tweaks.  Oh, and Archery Camp begins Monday, May 31st!

Psalm 31:3 – “For You are my rock and my fortress, for Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.”

Brinn Williford, Head of School

Coat Collection
Over the past few months, we have accumulated a large collection of coats, jackets and sweaters in the office. With the school year winding down, we would like to return them to their rightful owners. We have placed them in the front hallway and ask that parents please stop by and claim their child’s items. Any items that are not claimed by Friday, April 30th will be donated.

PSIA State Competition
Trey Hensley, Mattie Wesoloski, Kerstin Andrews, and Garrett Croley will be representing St. Cyprian’s School in the PSIA State Competition on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at TCU in Ft. Worth. Good Luck!

Mother’s Day Impatiens Sale
Don’t forget to order your New Guinea Impatiens! Order forms are due by this Friday, April 30th. The flowers will be delivered on Monday, May 3rd, just in time for Mother’s Day. Proceeds go to help the fifth graders pay for their upcoming trip to Washington, DC.

Join Us for Summer Fun at Camp Lion!
Camp Lion registration is going on NOW! The camp will operate from June 7h through August 6th. The registration fee is $35 and the tuition is $80 per week, which includes breakfast, lunch, and a Camp Lion t-shirt. Sign up now to guarantee your spot!

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May menu order forms will go home on Tuesday and are due back on Thursday, April 29th.
Grade Level News

3K News: Bluebonnets, longhorns, armadillos, and cowboys… what do these things bring to mind? Texas, of course! This week in 3K we will talk about our great state and the things that make it special. We will also wrap up our alphabet with the letter Z! Our friends are doing a great job going to big chapel every day. This week’s Wednesday chapel will be in the gym due to TAKS testing in the upper grades.  And don’t forget that our class pictures will be taken on Wednesday right after chapel, so please wear dress uniforms (red tops, blue bottoms) and be on time. If you want to order a class photo, be sure you turn in your order form and payment to your child’s teacher.

4K News: This week we are going down on the farm!! We will conclude our insect study with a look at which insects might be helpful to farm life. We will begin a study of the animals that live on the farm. We will investigate what type of job they may have as well as what familiar products we can thank our animal friends for giving us. We will be using our animal study in our math and language arts units as well. A kick-off to this study will be a trip to Ms. Alicia’s farm. We rescheduled this fun trip to Tuesday, April 27 to hopefully avoid inclement weather. We have finally made it through the alphabet with our letter books!! Z will be our focus this week.

Kindergarten News: The “Pet Show” was a huge success!  The 30 animals behaved so well and the Pet Posters were awesome!  Thank you parents for all your help with our pets.  Log on to http://www.saintcyprians.org to see pictures. This week we will begin our “Seeds, Plants, Trees & Backyard Critters” unit.  During our language arts time we will be reading nature books and doing several activities regarding seeds.  During science, we will begin our “All About Trees” unit.  We will be collecting and documenting information about trees and leaves and putting them in a “Tree” book.  During math, we will be wrapping up our addition unit and we will move into subtraction.  As always, we will continue to sharpen our reading and writing skills. 

1st Grade News: Students are taking their final TPRI (Texas Primary Reading Inventory) this week. They have all shown amazing growth. This week we are learning about plants.  We will read and learn about plant growth and different types of plants, flowers, and trees. In math, we will begin working with money.  This can be challenging, so be sure to practice counting money at home. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 11th!  We will go the Grapeland Drive-Thru Safari Ranch in Grapeland, Texas.  It will be a fun and exciting field trip that you won’t want to miss.

2nd Grade: Second grade is enjoying the novel Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.  We are also studying pronouns in English and reviewing sentence structure and punctuation.  In science we will be studying about the solar system.  We are still trying to master cursive writing and love practicing it every chance we get.  In math we will work on fractions and review symmetry.  We have especially enjoyed watching our silk worms hatch and the butterflies emerge from the chrysalides.  Cheers to Mrs. Ballard for ordering the worms and butterflies for us to watch! Our world is so awesome!!!

3rd Grade News: Third graders will take TAKS tests on Tuesday and Wednesday. Please get a good night’s sleep and eat a good breakfast. During the week will study about planets and the solar system in science.  We will study about people working together in social studies. The field trip to College Station is Friday. Third grade also has a field trip planned to the SFASU Planetarium and the Arboretum on Friday, May 7.

4th Grade News: Fourth graders take the Math and Reading TAKS tests on Tuesday and Wednesday. Please get a good night’s sleep and eat a good breakfast. Fourth graders will study about forces and motion in science and will continue studying about the famous battles in Texas History.  On Friday, third, fourth, and fifth graders are going on a field trip to Bryan. Fourth grade will visit the Angelina County Landfill on May 5.

5th Grade News: Fifth graders will be reviewing for Thursday’s Science TAKS Test. Remember, the fourth and fifth grade Science Fair will be May 21. In math, the fifth graders will be studying more on probability. On Friday, third, fourth and fifth grades are going on a field trip to Bryan.

 

News Paws April 19 - 23

Your Weekly
News “Paws”
April 19-23, 2010
The mission of St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School is to be a community of learners where students are challenged to achieve their highest academic, spiritual and physical potentials in a Christian setting.

Heads UP BY
BRINN WILLIFORD
This week my entry will be a little different, as I ask for your help in a couple of areas.
The first is in the area of registration for next year.  We are getting close to the time of teacher contract renewal and classroom assignments based on our enrollment figures for the upcoming year.  I know that a number of you have told me that you just haven’t turned your paperwork in, and I understand that completely.  It would aid the school, however, as we begin the process of planning for 2010-2011 to know the numbers of classes and class sizes.  I will not hound anyone, but the sooner you can get that taken care of, the sooner we can nail down teacher assignments.  Thanks in advance for your help.
The other is just a note about bringing pets to school.  I love animals, as do most of our students, but some of our children have allergies and cannot be around our four-legged friends.  With the 5K Pet Parade a pre-scheduled event, students know ahead of time where the animals will be and can avoid those that cause reactions.  Thanks for your help and understanding in this matter.
We have completed a good week of TerraNova testing.  Our students worked very hard to do their very best from Kindergarten through 5th grade.  We should have test results before the end of school, and will mail them home when they arrive.

Psalm 31:3 – “For You are my rock and my fortress, for Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.”
Brinn Williford, Head of School

Girl Talk with Dr. Graves
Fourth and fifth grade girls are invited to a “girl talk” with Dr. Cristina Graves on Wednesday, April 21st, at 3:30. At least one parent must accompany each student.

check out the St. Cyprian’s website for updated pictures.
Spring Pictures Tomorrow!
Individual spring pictures will be taken on Tuesday, April 20th. It is a free dress day, so feel free to send your child in his or her finest spring outfit. No need to order now – proofs will be sent home for you to view before ordering.  Thank you to Special Events by Lisa Crow (a St. Cyprian’s mom) for offering this opportunity.
Class Pictures Wednesday, April 21st and 28th
Special Events by Lisa Crow will also take class pictures for first grade through fifth grade this Wednesday, April 21st. Class pictures for 3K through 5K will be taken next Wednesday, April 28th. Dress uniforms – red tops and blue bottoms – should be worn for class pictures.
Bayou Bash Winners
Congratulations to the following raffle winners from this year’s Bayou Bash:
DC Graven Yamaha Rhino
Del Graves Watches
Kevin Jones Gas & Groceries
Tyler Finley Benelli Shotgun
Michelle Wray I-pod Touch

The street into the St. Cyprian’s parking lot will be renamed soon by Cissy McCarroll, Austin McCarroll’s grandmother.

The Boone family has purchased the rights to the reserved parking spot near the front entrance. We kindly request that all others please refrain from parking in the reserved spot, even if it is “just for a minute.”

Bayou Bash Thanks
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the following Bayou Bash Committee Chairs for all of their hard work:
Bayou Bash Co-Chairs:  Medora Boone and Nancy Winston; Decorations Co-Chairs: Shannon Davis and Lorelle Coleman; Royal Street Raffle Co-Chairs: Dessa Glass and Nickie Ashby; and the following committee members: Amy Ross, Courtney Gould, Del Graves, Donna Ross, Emily Jordan, Erin Hudson, Jennifer Martin, Julianne Greak, Jackie Zimmerman, Lacey Keath, Melinda Moore, Michelle Haney, Shannon Davis, Traci Airington, Whitney Garza, Stephanie Oliver, Anne Hunt, Callie Winston, and our countless volunteers who helped with the event.
We would like to offer a special thank you to Ross Motorsports for providing the Rhino for this year’s Ramblin’ Rhino Raffle. In addition, we would like to thank our Royal Street Raffle donors: Tommy’s Watch and Jewelry Repair, Brookshire Brothers Grocery & Brookshire Brothers Conoco, First Bank & Trust East Texas and Jordan Family Dentistry.
We would also like to thank Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits for the delicious meal; Lufkin Coca Cola for the soft drinks and bottled water; Walker’s Rustic Acres for the beautiful plants; Mack Carnes of Carnes and Company for his auctioning services; Danny Merrell for serving as our emcee; and GAP Broadcasting for providing music for the event.
2009-2010 Yearbooks Now on Sale
Preserve the memories of your child’s year at St. Cyprian’s by purchasing your full color 2009-2010 Lion’s Pride Yearbook. The cost of the yearbook is $25. Add a special love note to your child for only $10 more, and top it off with a YearZine insert highlighting U.S. and world events in pictures. Orders are due by Friday, April 23rd.
Mother’s Day Impatiens Sale
Delight Mom with some beautiful potted New Guinea Impatiens in a 12-inch Deco pot. The fifth grade class is selling New Guinea Impatiens in white, dark salmon, red, hot rose, and orange. Order forms will go home this week and are due by Friday, April 30th. The flowers will be delivered on Monday, May 3rd, just in time for Mother’s Day. Proceeds go to help the fifth graders pay for their upcoming trip to Washington, DC.

Mark Your Calendar
April 20th-30th Impatiens Sale
April 20th Spring Individual Pictures
Free Dress Day
April 21st 4th & 5th Grade “Girl Talk”
April 22nd “Not So Free” Dress Day
5K Pet Parade
Dynamic Dads and Kids Night
April 23rd 1st – 5th Grade Class Pictures
April 27th-29th TAKS Testing
April 28th 3K – 5K Class Pictures
May 1st PSIA State Competition
May 4th-8th 5th Grade DC Trip
May 6th Free Dress Day
May 10th Parent Conferences/Student Holiday

Specialty Scoop - Spanish
Our 3K, 4K, and 5K students will be learning home and school commands, polite words, greetings, colors and shapes, and some of fun action verbs, such as playing ball and jumping rope.

Our first through fifth grade will be reviewing, writing and practicing previously learned material such as numbers, telling time, masculine and feminine nouns, articles, singular and plural nouns, colors, adjectives, verbs, and much more.

Our fourth and fifth grade friends will also be reviewing and writing compositions using personal pronouns and present tense conjugations of the verbs “to have”, “to need”, “to want”, and “to be”.
Case of the Missing Knife
Someone borrowed a knife from the cafeteria last week to cut a cookie cake, and it has yet to be returned. If you know where the knife is, please return it to the cafeteria.

Grade Level News

3K News: It’s rodeo week in Lufkin, so 3K will be donning cowboy hats and boots and riding the range. Boots will certainly be in order on Wednesday as we head to Mrs. Alicia’s farm in Hudson for some up-close encounters with many of the animals we have been discussing over the past two weeks. We will leave the school at 9:30 and return by 11:30. Please turn in your permission slips by Tuesday, and don’t forget to bring a car seat on Wednesday morning if your child will be riding with a teacher or another parent. Also this week, 3K will begin going to “Big Chapel” with the rest of the school every morning at 8 o’clock, instead of having chapel in the music room later in the morning. Going to Big Chapel will help our 3K students get prepared for 4K. Our letter of the week is Y.

4K News: This week we will be wrapping up our exciting insect unit! We have learned the 3 major body parts of an insect as well as how many legs an animal needs to be classified as an insect. We will continue to chart the progress of our friendly caterpillars in the science lab and document this transformation. We will be creating our very own ladybugs, ants, and other insects. We will continue to use our insect manipulatives to group alike and different insects and also in our math unit to continue simple estimation. We will be making a story using a ladybug as the star of the show! Our focus letter is X. Students of the Week are Claire Berry, Grace Love, Taylor Adams, and Anna Kate McKinley.

Kindergarten News: Testing is done and the kids did a great job!  This week we will end our pets unit with our annual 5-K Pet Show on Thursday, April 22nd.  Please have your pet posters at school by Wednesday.  Take a look at our “Pet Books” hanging in our hallway showing a description of our pets, how we care for our pets and why we love our pets.  During math this week we will continue to learn about addition sentences.  We will be making our own addition problems and writing the equation.  During science this week we will take a look at isopods.  We will compare pill bugs to sow bugs. On Wednesday, April 21st, we will travel to SFA to see “The Little Mermaid.” We will be leaving the school at 8:15 and return by our lunch time.  Please let us know if you can drive prior to Wednesday.  Our Students of the Week are Jake Barrett and Kalli Anglin.

1st Grade News: Now that our test is behind us, we’re going ahead full force!  Thanks to all of the parents that provided snacks for our students. There’s so much left to learn and we’re getting busy. This week we will learn about the ecosystem of a pond and pond life. Students will learn about animals that make their home in a pond. We will read and learn about amphibians and reptiles and we will compare their similarities and differences. 
We will return to spelling this week and learn about final stable syllables.  Blake Harris and Laird Boone are our Students of the Week.

2nd Grade: Second grade will start a new novel titled Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. In the science lab we are observing the caterpillars changing into the pupae stage. We appreciate Mrs. Ballard purchasing the butterflies and silkworm eggs for us to observe the stages of life of special insects.  In math we will continue to practice 2 and 3 digit addition and subtraction.  In English we will be studying synonyms and antonyms and when to use “a” and “an”.  We will also be studying about pond life and the unusual animals that might be in our backyard!  Our Student of the Week is David Sloan!

3rd Grade News: Third grade had a wonderful field trip to What-a-Kite last week. Thanks to Mrs. Lively for arranging the trip. All the students were given kites and played relay races with parachutes. It was great!!  In social studies we are continuing our study of geography and community. Students will have a vocabulary test on Friday, April 26. We are learning about rockets and airplanes in science. We will continue reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. We will also work on handwriting, vocabulary, spelling week 31, and Target Reading. In language, we will study adjectives and adverbs. The third graders will continue their spiral reviews in the back of their math workbooks and reviewing for their TAKS tests.

4th Grade News: Fourth graders will revisit the famous battles of Texas in our Texas History class. In science the fourth graders will study forces and motion.  Fourth grade will visit the Angelina County Landfill on May 5.  Permission notes are going home Monday, April 19. We will continue reading Ruby Holler and do the online reading TAKS practice tests. We will study week 31 in spelling and Target Reading. We will also study about complex sentences, fragments, and run-ons. In math, the fourth graders will be multiplying and dividing fractions, converting units of measures for liquids, and studying more about angles. Fourth graders will also be reviewing for their TAKS tests.

5th Grade News: Fifth graders will spend the week reviewing for their science TAKS test on April 29. There will be no tests for fifth grade this week. We will finish Charley Skedaddle and then start Number the Stars. We will study week 31 in spelling and Target Reading. We will also work on combining independent and dependent clauses. The fifth graders will be learning more about probability, areas of circles and volume of cylinders in math.

Reminder to 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade: NEW Reading Counts goals of a total of 60 points by the end of the year!!!!