Forest Trail October 19th Newsletter

FTE TRAIL BLAZER

October 19th, 2017

Forest Trail Elementary

PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING

"Fun actually leads to engagement, meaning and purpose, and, yes, learning, - Valerie Strauss, Why Fun is Important in Learning, The Washington Post, 06/04/2010"

New this year: Costume Day at Forest Trail!

On Tuesday, October 31st, all students and staff are invited to wear costumes to school. (See guidelines below.) I would like to personally invite all Falcons to participate in this just-for-fun and completely optional event intended to bring creativity and spontaneity to the classroom. The decision to take advantage of this opportunity is campus based and is supported by district policy. Forest Trail is happy to join the other campuses who are getting creative and following the research surrounding the connection between fun and learning. Here is a quick read regarding schools creating authentic and long-term learning opportunities for students. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/learning/why-fun-matters-in-education.html

Forest Trail Costume Day Guidelines:

1. Our normal dress code applies.

2. No masks or face paint will be allowed. Teachers must be able to identify students.

3. No costumes that depict violence, gore, fake-blood, etc. will be allowed.

4. No real or pretend weapons, including toy guns, fake knives, or pretend swords will be allowed.

5. No props will be allowed, including lightsabers, footballs, shields, etc.

6. Costumes should not hinder the ability to move and participate in PE and recess.

7. Students should wear the correct shoes for PE.

8. Costumes should not prohibit students from using the bathroom independently.

In conclusion – costumes should be in good taste and not be offensive to anyone including your teacher, younger students, or your grandmother.

"The truth is that when the joy and comfort are scrubbed from the classroom and replaced with homogeneity, and when spontaneity is replaced with conformity, students' brains are distanced from effective information processing and long-term memory storage." -Neurologist and educator Judy Willis, "Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning: Insights from a Neurologist and Classroom Teacher" (ASCD, 2006).

SCHOOL NEWS

Thanks to all our Falcon Frolics Volunteers!

The FTE PE teachers, Jane Lewis and Stephen Presley, would like to thank all the volunteers who helped make Falcon Frolics such a fun day for the Forest Trail students. We appreciate all who intended to help and were unable to due to the rain, and those who were able to volunteer this past Wednesday. It was a challenge this year because of the weather but we ended up with a beautiful day!

EISD Adds New Website Feature

We are always looking for ways to foster an even safer and more caring school community. We have added a new feature to our websites to ensure students, staff and parents have a voice to report issues that may affect their peers and/or schools.

Quick Report allows school administrators to receive tips at any time and have the ability to respond in a timely manner to issues that impact the school or individual students. The reported issues range from bullying to weapons/threats.

Students, staff, parents and other stakeholders can visit the district website or any campus website and click either "Connect" at the top navigation bar, "Quick Links" at the top navigation bar, or click under the "Students" section, then select "Quick Report".

Once on the Quick Report page, you can identify which school(s) receives the tip, select an appropriate topic from the dropdown list, write the message and submit the tip. There is also an option to include a photograph as appropriate. Messages may be communicated anonymously or with contact information.

Please note that in an emergency, you should call 911, or in the case of a mental health crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Spanish Immersion Parent Meeting

EEF (EANES EDUCATION FOUNDATION)

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Elementary Conference Half Days / 12:30pm Half Day Release - Oct. 25th-27th

3rd, 4th and 5th grade students PUMPKIN DECORATING CONTEST
Entry Time: Monday morning, October 30th from 7:30 am - 8:10 am

Please see the attached for detailed information. Pumpkin Decorating Contest

BOOSTER CLUB CORNER

STEAMfest is a half-day annual event hosted at Forest Trail Elementary focusing on various science and art disciplines. Over thirty presenters deliver a 45-minute course on their subject of expertise. All students rotate through courses that they and their parents choose for them to attend. All courses are free and regular classes are suspended on STEAMfest participation is both mandatory and fun! All parents are asked to sign into the HUB to register their children – any children that are not registered during the registration period will be registered by the STEAMfest team.

General Registration on the HUB (open to everyone) Wednesday, October 18th, at 7pm!

No volunteering necessary.

Step 1: Log into the Hub https://www.studentinfohub.net/fte

Step 2: Select courses for your child(ren)

Kinder – 1st Grade = choose 2 courses (based on availability)

2nd – 5th Grade = choose 3 courses (based on availability)

October Box Top Contest!

Box Tops Due October 27th. Various prizes will be awarded, but each class that turns in 250 Box Tops will win an Extra Recess! For collection sheets, participating products list and list of prizes go to: https://sites.google.com/a/eanesisd.net/fte/booster-club/box-tops-for-education

For any additional questions about Box Tops contact Kelley Edwards at kelley.a.edwards@gmail.com.

FTE Auction is Saturday, February 3rd - Calling Volunteers!

Looking for a way to get involved this year? Our Auction team is ramping up and in need of your help. Please email fteauction@gmail.com if you are interested in giving your time. There are so many ways to get involved in the best party of the year! Pick-up donated items, help organize the auction catalog, decorate day of auction, call on potential donors or help log items into the software.

Thank You Cristen Daniel!

If you haven't had a chance to see the new look in the foyer please take a moment next time you are at FTE. Big thank you to Cristen Daniel for donating her time and talents to update our foyer!

SAVE THE DATE...

Friday, November 10th, is FTE Movie Night on the Lawn (look for more details soon)!

Don't forget to purchase your November Digital Birthday Cards!

Purchase a digital birthday card for your child and have the image run on the FTE communication screens in the foyer and the cafeteria the month of his/her birthday! Fun way to celebrate a special day all month long. Digital cards can be purchased on the HUB and are $10 each. Cards can be purchased at https://www.studentinfohub.net/fte/default.taf?process=&logout=now