HUNTERS CREEK ELEMENTARY
COUGAR EXPRESS 

News from the Principal and the PTA
 
OCTOBER 7,  2016
                        VISIT OUR SCHOOL WEBSITE            VISIT OUR PTA WEBSITE 
CLICK HERE for our full calendar of events  

Oct 7 8:30-2:30 Kindergarten to Dewberry Farm
Oct 10
Columbus Day - SCHOOL HOLIDAY
Oct 11 8:30-2:00 First Grade Trip to Main Street Theater
Oct 12
Fall Individual Pictures
Oct 14
Hands on Science - Electricity and Magnetism
Oct 20 
Oct 21
NOON
DISMISSAL
School is out at Noon for Parent-Teacher Conferences. Be sure you have a conference scheduled.  
Oct 21 8:30 Kindergarten Farm Concert
Oct 21 5:30pm - 9:00pm  Teachers and Students to the Memorial High School Football Homecoming Game - see article below. 
Oct 24
Red Ribbon Week - Promoting Healthy Lifestyles
4th and 5th Grade Science Fair Kicks Off
2nd - 5th grades take the 1st Mathematics Priority Standard Assessment 
Oct 28 All day  Field Day and Classroom Spelling Bees - Schedule coming soon
Oct 28
6:00pm - 8:00pm
2nd Annual Kids' Costume Party, purchase tickets at www.hcepta.com click on the Auction Tab
WE ARE MAKERS!  



Thanks to the generosity of our  HCE PTA , students at Hunters Creek Elementary are creating, exploring, collaborating, tinkering, negotiating, programming, and building before and during school in a new area called the 
HCE MakerSpace

Watch this  Animoto  to see what the buzz is all about!
HCE Library
Book Character Pumpkin Celebration
orange_pumpkins.jpg

1.       Theme - "My Favorite Book Character" Students may pick any character from any book they have read.

2.       Pumpkins can be painted or colored with markers. NOT carved. Acrylic paints or permanent markers work best. Yarn, construction paper, pipe cleaners, cloth, etc. may be used to decorate the pumpkin. Tape, paste or glue can be used if needed.

3.      NO CARVED pumpkins!!!! Carved pumpkins rot, attract insects and smell. They cannot be accepted and will be sent back home.

4.       One entry per student, clearly identified on the 3 by 5 index card: Please print the name of the book character, book title, and author of the book on the front of your index card along with your name, grade, and teacher.

5.     The library will begin accepting pumpkins on Monday, October 17th. Pumpkins should be brought to the library. All pumpkins must be taken home on Friday, October 28th

Any remaining pumpkins will be thrown away at 3pm Friday, October 28
th.

Counselor's Corner
 
This week began our nine-week book study on Parenting with Love & Logic.  We will continue to meet in Room 7 every Thursday morning and discuss a chapter each time.  If you missed our first meeting yesterday, feel free to jump in next week; we will discuss Chapter 1 and one or two Pearls from the back of the book.

As I speak to more and more parents, common themes emerge - parents want information and effective techniques for every childhood stage.  Beginning as an infant, questions arise about sleeping through the night, when to offer solid foods and comparing pediatricians.  As toddlers, the questions are centered around development milestones and how and when to discipline.   As children continue to grow, I hear when is the best time to introduce technology, what if my child is not sharing or how to help him/her earn an allowance.  Then come homework struggles and trusting when they are away from home.  The questions don't end....ever, I imagine. 

Love and Logic is a wonderful framework from which to parent.  And extra gold stars to you if all adults in the home are on-board and consistent in the delivery.  Boundaries are comforting for our children.  They reduce anxiety and give a sense of safety.  Choices give a child a sense of independence and control.  Love and Logic is very much about setting boundaries and giving choices within those boundaries.  Every choice has a consequence and allowing our children to feel the consequence of each choice lets them learn  "The quality of my life depends on the quality of my choices

HCE Students and Teachers 
Ride a Bus Together to...

Memorial High School Homecoming Football Game 

October 21st

5:30pm - 9:00pm

We have opened for more kids as our 2 buses filled up quickly.  
NEW ----  DEADLINE TO SIGN UP IS SUNDAY, OCT 9.  
We will close the link and not take anymore riders 
after 10 pm Sun, Oct 9!!! 

We get free admission and get to join 
the spirit line on the field!

Clink the link to sign up.
Problems signing up? Email robalyn.snyder@springbranchisd.com


COLLEGE WEEK AND OPEN HOUSE 

What a fun week we had at HCE!  Every day we showed off our College Pride as students learned about where their parents and teachers went to college and begin to plan for their life after high school!  



Then we had a wonderful time sharing our school with parents and grandparents.  The students were so proud to give their grandparents a tour of the school and a visit to their classrooms.  Thanks to our hard working PTA volunteers, Suzy Peeples, Katie Clark and Meaghan Conrad, and to our teachers for all the preparation they did with the children. It was so incredible to see so many grandparents, parents and kids all together.  


GRANT CELEBRATIONS

Our teachers continuing to propose grants through crowd sourcing sites. Third grade teacher, Mandie Badrak's, Donors Choose was just awarded and I believe that Kinder teacher, Jenny Sheets, and third grade teacher, Laura Jackson, are close to fulfilling their grant request!  There are so many I can't keep up with all of them and I may have missed someone so - CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!!!!  
FAMILY FITNESS FUN

Continue to send us pictures of your family having Health Fitness Fun together.

You won't get the pictures back so don't send your only copy!  Send to your child's teacher, Coach Thompson or to the front office. 
 OCTOBER BOOK OF THE MONTH GRADES K - 3rd

"Love makes a family."
-Gigi Kaeser

October 2016
Parents,
October is here! Our book of the month is " Let's Get a Pup!" Said Kate  by Bob Graham. In this book, Kate and her parents head to a shelter to find a new dog for their family. Right away, they are captured by a "brand-new" dog named Dave, and they just have to take him home. As they are leaving, though, they notice Rosy. And she notices them. Rosy is anything but brand-new, but she "radiated Good Intention". Mom, Dad, and Kate leave without Rosy, but they were all wishing she could join their family, too. It only took one night
at home to realize that maybe, just maybe, both dogs were just right for their family.

Bob Graham uses incredible details - in his words and his pictures - so I hope they will spark rich conversations with your children. This book reminds us that families look different (even down to our pets!) but the things that make us different make us who we are. 

This month, ask your children about "Let's Get a Pup!" Said Kate. We hope you enjoy hearing about the colorful characters and are inspired by this heartwarming story. Happy reading!

Love,                                                                     
The Literacy Committee

HCE...the Best Place to "BEE"!!

Cougars in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades should have received a spelling bee packet in their Tuesday take home folders. Included were general information, practice dates and times, word lists, permission slip and logo contest details! Make sure to look it over and sign up your cougar!
 
Local Levels and Dates:
Classroom Bee - Friday, October 28th
*Top two winners from each class advance to school bee.
School Bee - Thursday, December 8th
 
Spelling Bee Practice Sessions:
Tuesday, October 11th and Tuesday, October 18th from 3:00p-3:40p
3rd graders in Discovery room
4th and 5th graders in Room 7
Thursday, October 20th and Tuesday, October 25th from 7:25a-7:55a
All grades in Room 7
 
Contact persons for further information or questions:
Jenny Robertson at robertsondds@hotmail.com
Meg Bissinger at megbissinger@gmail.com
Denise Campbell at ddcampbell45@aol.com
Have you heard of Odyssey of the Mind (OotM)?  
Interested in starting a team?  

Want more information?  
PTA President's Perspective

We are blessed to be part of the HCE community where so many parents and teachers are actively and respectfully working together to make the school year amazing for our kiddos!   We are so appreciative of our many parent volunteers!

The 5 th graders had their first Hands-on Science project and it was a huge success. The classes constructed bridges strong enough to support a group of five kiddos.  A huge thank you to Nan Chandler, Claire Johnson and Brianna Cisarik for preparing materials, training parent volunteers and coordinating the bridge building.  Another thank you goes to all of the 5 th grade parent volunteers who helped guide the students!

A special thanks to Carrye Krouse and Katrina Hudson for continuing to coordinate the Staff Appreciation Luncheons and to all the parents who help set up, serve and clean up after honoring our wonderful teachers and staff.  

I hope all our families enjoyed Open House.  Children were so thrilled to show their family and special friends around their classrooms.  Thank you to Katie Clark, Meaghan Conrad and Suzy Peeples for coordinating our first Grandparents and Special Friends night!  What a fun evening to share!   

Reminder....Fridays are HCE Spirit Days...wear your favorite HCE gear and show your Cougar Pride!

Katrina Stephenson
HCE PTA President

AUCTION RAFFLE

Click  HERE to buy your raffle tickets to win a . . .

Custom Gunmeta l Gray E-Z-GO!


4-Passenger Electric Golf Cart
6" Factory Lift Kit
All Terrain Tires
48Volt (Six-8 Volt Batteries)
18 MPH
Foldable Rear Seat
Headlights, Taillights, and Brake Lights
Brush Guard
Includes Charger and 2 Sets of Keys
12 Month Warranty
 
*Additional features can be added at winner's expense (seat belts, stereo and speakers)
*Winner is responsible for payment of all taxes due on the fair market value of the prize
*Winner does not need to be present to win
 
Winner will be drawn at the Auction on November 12th!





AUCTION TICKETS FOR SALE!




Let's ROCK ON and support our school! Buy your auction tickets today!
LIVE Band, featuring HCE Dads Blake Ratliff and Travis Landers
Saturday, November 12th
Click HERE  to buy your Auction Tickets

TEACHER WORKROOM VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

The PTA is looking for interested volunteers to  help out in the Teacher Workroom.   Ideally, each volunteer will work once a month in the workroom making copies, cutting, pasting and laminating for our HCE teachers.   Most likely the commitment is not longer than a couple of hours a month.  

The time spent in the workroom helps our faculty and staff so much and allows them to spend more time focused on the classroom.  Please contact Kelly Siblik at  kelly.siblik@gmail.com  to volunteer today.  Thanks in advance!

HCE PARENT BOOK STUDY
 
Are bedtimes and vegetables a struggle in your household?  How about getting homework completed peacefully?  Discover tools and techniques for effectively dealing with these issues and more...


Join us Thursday mornings for a nine-week book study of  Parenting with Love & Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay.  The first meeting was Oct 6 but join us at any time during the book study.  

All meetings are 8:05-9:55 in room 7 at Hunters Creek.  UPDATED TIME!!! 
 
Mark your calendars for these dates:
October 13 th, 20 th, & 27 th
November 3 rd, 10 th, & 17 th
December 1st & 7th

You may purchase a copy of the book at:
https://www.loveandlogic.com/  OR  https://www.amazon.com/  OR through your local bookshop
 
For more information, contact Andrea Chvatal, M.Ed., Counselor, Hunters Creek Elementary  andrea.chvatal@springbranchisd.com or Sarah Eixmann saraheixmann@yahoo.com

4 Easy Ways To Help Hunters Creek Elementary!!

Box Tops for Education -
* Simply clip Box Top$ from hundreds of participating brands.
* Please, put Box Top$ in a plastic bag (or envelope) labeled with the child's and teacher's name and current grade.
* Send only valid coupons, the coupons EXPIRE after 3 years.
* The top 5 classrooms from the entire school with the most Box Top$ submitted during the entire school year will enjoy an ice cream treat in the month of May.

Labels for Education -
* Simply Clip and save UPCs and beverage/ sauce caps from participating products. Check out the complete list at www.labelsforeducation.com .
* Please, put Labels for Education in a plastic bag (or envelope) labeled with the child's and teacher's name and current grade.

Kroger's "Neighbor to Neighbor" Program -
* Link your Kroger Card to HCE online at www.krogercommunityrewards.com . Organization #83363. HCE receives 1% of every purchase made with your Kroger Plus Card.
* Important: You have to RELINK your card each school year so don't forget to do this ASAP!!

Amazon Smile-
Visit www.smile.amazon.com (same account as www.amazon.com ) and select
HCE as charitable organization; this will donate 0.5% of your purchase!
On your first visit, you select a charitable organization to receive donation before You begin shopping Go to: "or pick your charitable organization" and type Hunters Creek Elementary and select Houston, Texas. It will come as PTA Texas congress 4932, or you can also look for the school with EIN number: EIN-74-6086197

These are all easy ways to earn money for HCE! Contact Marilu Kurtz
for more information or with questions at  rebateshce@outlook.com  .
 




- All ages can participate.
- Enter in 1 or more of the art categories shown      above.
- Entry forms are located  at the front office.
- All entries are due October 28th
- For inspiration visit PTA.org/Reflections (click
  "For Students"  - left side.)
- For participation rules and program overview
  visit:
- For questions, e-mail: yenelis_L@hotmail.com   (subject:"Reflections")



 
 
 
 
 
2016-2017 HCE PTA ANNUAL FUND
 
WE NEED YOU TO REACH OUR GOAL OF $145,000 NOW!

Community support is what allows HCE to be an exceptional school with unique programs, terrific teachers, and an innovative curriculum. HCE relies upon the generosity of parents, grandparents, alumni, parents of alumni, faculty, staff and friends like you to keep our school flourishing.  


CONTRIBUTING IS EASY!

CLICK HERE to donate today or complete the contribution form (form can be found here) and write a check to HCE PTA, memo: Annual Fund.  Drop off to the front office, send through your child's backpack or mail to:  Ketti Collins, 851 Country Lane, Houston, TX 77024
 
CONTRIBUTION LEVELS:

ULTIMATE COUGAR - $7,500+ 
COUGAR PRIDE - $5,000+  
  PAW POWER - $2,500+
AWESOME HCE - $1,250+
LOVE OUR SCHOOL - $500+  
SUPER SPIRIT - $250+ 
COUGAR FAN - $100+ 
FRIEND OF HCE - $50+

A LA CARTE:

Donations for Teachers:
Auction ticket - $100
 
ALL donors will be recognized in the HCE Directory, Yearbook, Auction catalog, 
Newsletter and Website.

Remember to check with your company for their Corporate Matching Program. 

For questions about the annual fund, please contact Ketti Collins at:
ketticollins@gmail.com or (989) 506-8634


THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING HUNTERS CREEK ELEMENTARY PTA!

A BIG
THANK YOU 
TO OUR ANNUAL FUND CONTRIBUTORS!!
 

ULTIMATE COUGAR
The Collins Family
The Nini Family
Reina Ramos & Reagan Ramos
The Turner Family
HCE Family - Anonymous
 
COUGAR PRIDE
Kim & Joe Dang
The Kimmel Family
Elliott & Wells Wagner
Laura & Ryan Zehl
HCE Family - Anonymous
HCE Family - Anonymous
 
PAW POWER
The Adams Family
The Campbell Family
The Carlson Family
The D'Agostino Family
The Daik Family
The Daly Family
Dr. Salimah Cumber & Aziz Hussain Foundation
The Kelley Family
The Krouse Family
The Oldham Family
The Sparks Family
   
AWESOME HCE
The Annino Family
The Armitage Family
The Chaffin Family
The Chenoweth Family
David & Brianna Cisarik
Meaghan & Charles Conrad
The Cyrus family
 The Donnelly Family
Andrea and John Ferruzzo
The Goforth Family
The Green Family
The Gross Family
The Hudson Family
The Ingersoll Boys
The Le Family
The Ratliff Family
Lexington Smith & Family
The Staley Family
The Steeg Family
The Stephenson Family
The Thibaut Family
The Weekley Family
The Wolcott Family
The Zarr Family
HCE Family - Anonymous
 
LOVE OUR SCHOOL
Alonso I. Benavides
The Ben-Yaacov Family
Tim & Nicole Blaine
The Gores
The Kinsel Family
The Loeffler Family
The Lowy Family
Robert J. Magner
Matthew & Shelley McCain
Jill and Chris Oliver
The Parkan Family
Fred Ghabriel & Phoebe Rourke-Ghabriel
Watler Family
The Werme Family
The S. Yang Family
Friends of HCE
 
SUPER SPIRIT
The Bissinger Family
The Deffebach Girls
The Eixmann Family
The French Family
The Hausmann Family
The Hilgert Family
Mindy and Chris Jones
The Lanier Family
The Lunsford Family
The Mendez Family
The Mousoudakis Family
The Robertson Family
The Rush Family
The Siblik Family
The Zarich Family
Cougar Fans
HCE Family - Anonymous
 
COUGAR FAN
Brian & Cherish Bradshaw
Camila Gracia
The Giudici Family
Kathie Grabstald
Huy & Julie Nguyen
The Peeples Family
 
FRIEND OF HCE
Azael De la Cruz/Sherry Salomon
Amanda Janicek
The Masunaga-Bonzelet Family
NB

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO DONATE TO HCE ANNUAL FUND!!
Go online to www.hcepta.com or drop off a check to front office,
send through your child's backpack or mail to:
Ketti Collins, 851 Country Ln, Houston, TX 77024




SPRING BRANCH EDUCATION FOUNDATION NEWS

The Gala will be on Saturday, November 19, 2016 at the Omni Riverway Hotel (4 Riverway, Houston 77056).  This promises to be an extraordinary Gala.  Please join help in supporting the Foundation, and attend this fun event.

If you cannot attend the Winter Wonderland Gala, support SBEF by taking a memorable vacation for 2 on us! You can enter for your chance to take a vacation on us by purchasing raffle tickets ($100/ticket).  This year we are selling only 150 raffle tickets.   
 
When you purchase your raffle tickets ($100/ticket), you enter for a chance to choose your vacation destination (airfare included) for two (2) from the following three (3) options:
1)     Jamaica All-Inclusive:  5-night stay at Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall (family friendly) or Hyatt Rose Hall (adults-only)
2)     Canadian Fairmont Stay:  4-night stay in a Junior Suite at Select Canadian Fairmonts located in Alberta, British Colombia, Quebec, or Ontario
3)     U.S. Open Tennis Championship:  3-night stay in New York with 2 tickets (Promenade level 300, upgrade optional) to the Men's and Women's Finals, as well as a $150 American Express gift card.
 
Raffle tickets are $100 each, and they are selling very quickly!  Contact Dmel Tatum to purchase your raffle ticket today!
 
You do not need to be present to win your choice of a remarkable vacation destination.
 
For more information about this years Winter Wonderland Gala, and the Spring Branch Education Foundation, please click the Gala link above or go to www.sbef.ejoinme.org/gala.
 
Thank you for your support of SBEF.  Your support helps us sustain our vision of partnership with Spring Branch ISD and our community to enable all SBISD students to achieve post-secondary education and reach their full potential.

Don't forget to complete your ANNUAL VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION. 

You need to do 2 things to complete your annual volunteer registration. 
1.  Register with SBISD at  https://volunteer.springbranchisd.com/
2.  View the HCE Volunteer Training video and sign the google form.  Or, attend a training at school the first day or first few weeks of school.  

Video of HCE Volunteer Training:   https://youtu.be/-mJQgpiulSw
iKids U After-School Program

iKids U registration is going on now for the 201 6 -201 7  School Year!  

Turn in registrations at the HCE front office, visit iKids online at www.ikidsinc.com, or register by phone at 713-665-5200.  iKids U offers a variety of onsite after-school opportunities at HCE including Stay & Play, Enrichment classes, and One on One services.  Customize your child's after-school schedule with part-time and full-time options available!  iKids U starts on the first day of school and classes are filling-up fast so enroll today!
 
Please CLICK HERE to download a registration form  
Hunters Creek Elementary | School & PTA | 713-251-6000| Email | Website

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