Peer Relationships

Our society and culture is filled with competition. From our sports activities to the shows we watch, competition is ingrained in us as Americans. Competition builds character, develops teamwork, and teaches life lessons when it is appropriately coached and monitored. But there is a dark side to competition, and we sometimes see that dark side spill over into our schools and other social activities. We sometimes see our children embroiled in competition and peer interactions that can be hurtful and difficult to explain to a small child. What do you say to a six year old, when someone doesn't want to play with them or sit by them at lunch? What do you say to an eight year old that doesn't make the best grade in class no matter how hard they try? As parents and educators we are obligated to teach our children how to navigate this tricky world of competition and getting along with others. But at what point does a normal, healthy life lesson become something more? At what point does not wanting to play turn into bullying or harassment? How do we know when to step in and intervene, and when do we let our children work through these inevitable situations on their own? I recommend three excellent books on this topic that may give you insight on how to handle these difficult situations. Building Moral Intelligence by Michele Borba, The Bully, The Bullied, and the Bystander by Barbara Colorosa, and Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. You can learn more by clicking on the links below the book covers. Birdville also has resources through our counseling department. Click on the link below to learn more.
http://www.birdvilleschools.net/safetyzone/coreindex.htm

At Walker Creek, we are committed to keeping all children and staff members physically and emotional safe every day. We encourage you to maintain open communication with your teacher and always let them know when there is a situation they need to be aware of. Our counselor, Dee Ann Knight, and our adminstration has an open door policy if you have any needs or concerns.

http://www.micheleborba.com/Pages/7virtues.htm

http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/16079/Barbara_Coloroso/index.aspx

http://danielgoleman.info/topics/emotional-intelligence/

STAAR

The state of Texas is instituting a new accountability test beginning this spring. The STAAR will replace TAKS which has been in place for the past ten years. The new STAAR is closely aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and is expected to be more rigorous than its predecessor. In general, the STAAR is designed to test how well our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade scholars understand the TEKS at an in depth level. Virtually all tested TEKS are introduced in the primary grades. STAAR will have a rating system that will begin with the 2012 - 2013 school year. Campuses and districts will not be rated this year under STAAR. To better understand what STAAR is testing and how it is structured, I have included some resources below you can check out.

Texas Education Agency STAAR - http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/staar/

Birdville ISD Curriculum and Instruction - http://schools.birdvilleschools.net/domain/3228

If you want more information or if you have questions about STAAR, please contact your child's teacher.

WCE Traditions

Grandparents' Day was a tremendous success. We want to thank all of our grandparents, families, and friends for the great turnout. Traditions and celebrations like Grandparents' Day help shape the culture of a school and a community. What traditions and celebrations are special for your family at Walker Creek?

Homework

What has been your experience this year with homework? There are many ideas about what homework should look like, how much should be assigned, how much it should count, etc. Even teachers have varying philosophies about homework. We have had discussions in grade level meetings this year about homework, and I am impressed with our teachers' insight when it comes to homework. What are your thoughts about homework?

Coyote Fun Run

The Fun Run was a hit! I loved seeing all of the scholars so excited about participating. It was really great to see teachers bring their classes out to cheer on everyone else. I hope your child had a great time. If you were not able to come out and see the event, you definitely need to make plans to see it next year. What are your thoughts about the Coyote Fun Run?

Fun Run and Public School Funding

As we gear up for the Coyote Fun Run, I started thinking about how our school is funded and all the questions surrounding fund raising and Public School Finance.

• Why do we need to raise money?


• Do we need money because of the state financial crisis?


• Where does the money from the Fun Run go?


• How does my child benefit?

Texas public schools receive money from the state based on a complicated formula. Most of the money we receive comes from local property tax and state sales tax and is used to cover operations costs and salaries. A small amount of discretionary money (called Site-Based funds) is distributed to each campus to be used for supplies. After we cover some basic needs such as office supplies, library needs, and computer maintenance there is about $10,000 left for classroom supplies. With over 30 teachers on campus, each classroom receives less than $300 for supplies. Elementary schools in Texas have never received substantial amounts of site-based funds from the state, and our need for fund raising is not directly tied to the recent budget crisis.

With such a small amount of money coming in from the state for supplies we have to turn to extra sources of income if we are going to equip our classrooms with excellent tools for learning. Fundraising is one way to get big ticket items such as smart boards, digital cameras, and laptop computers. We hope to raise enough money from the Coyote Fun Run this year to provide some new technology tools for our scholars in every grade level. If we reach our goal, you can expect to see these new tools in place and used this school year.

Allowing Scholars to Make Mistakes

Mistakes are an important part of the learning process. The attached article by Alina Tugend published in Edutopia explains the research on how children use mistakes to learn. How adults react to children when mistakes are made is critical to the learning process. What are your thoughts about the role of mistakes in the learning process? You can access the article by clicking on the wordle.