Reader's Responding in Ms. Holloman's classroom!

Dear Purefoy Families,

I hope that everyone enjoyed the long weekend celebrating labor day. Thank you for joining us on Tuesday evening for Curriculum Night.

This month is full of different activities for our students and families, if you have questions about dates, always check our website first. We try to keep the website up to date with upcoming events. Each grade level also sends a weekly newsletter that has specific information pertaining to their grade level.

This week I stopped by Ms. Holloman’s 5^th grade classroom. She was working with the students on reading strategies with an emphasis on staying tuned into their reading and avoiding “autopilot”. The students gave examples of ways they could check with themselves as a reader to ensure they could envision the characters and the action of the story. After their discussion, they were sent on their way to independently read. The next day, Ms. Holloman stopped me to tell me a story about one of the students in her classroom. The little girl walked into class and stopped Ms. Holloman before she even made it to her seat. She proudly told Ms. Holloman about her reading for the evening and that she did not read in “autopilot.” She then pulled three strips of paper out to show Ms. Holloman questions and reflections about her reading. It made Ms. Holloman’s day to see her enthusiasm as a reader! A moment that Ms. Holloman will not forget with this student, I am sure!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Mary Webb
Reminders:

• Breakfast is served every morning in the cafeteria. Breakfast prices are $1.25.
• Thanks for your patience during afternoon pickup, please remember to slow down when driving through the lanes. We have many staff members directing traffic, for their safety please be cautious with your speed. 

September is here!

Hello Purefoy Families!
Monday morning was such an exciting time to see the students in their new classrooms. Everyone settled in well and the week has flown by! You may have noticed that over the summer our playground received a makeover! The wonderful shade structure was installed last month. It really makes quite a difference keeping the hot Texas sun off of the equipment and children. The teachers can no longer call the playground “The brick oven!” I was out on recess duty earlier this week and it was nice and cool under the shade! Thank you to PTA, families and students for working on this multi-year project.
Another new feature to our playground area is some wonderful painted areas for hopscotch and four -square. The 2012-2013 fifth grade class donated the stencils and paint for our new designated play areas. Thank you to Coach Rodriguez and Coach Attanasio for coming up last month and painting! I know the kiddos are going to love it!
I really love the first week of school. It is fun to see returning faces, new faces and enjoy the students’ excitement about school. I also enjoy moments with our new kindergarten friends….I thought you would enjoy a funny moment with Mr. Wiley this week in kindergarten. Mr. Wiley was visiting our new students and a sweet little girl looked right at him and said, “I know your name; you are Mr. Fancy Pants.” Kindergarten is so fun!
Enjoy your three day weekend. We will see all our wonderful children on Tuesday morning!
Sincerely,
Mary Webb
Reminders:

• Curriculum Night is Tuesday, September 3^rd. Please plan to attend and hear about your student’s instructional day.   (We will also be using Curriculum night to prepare some video for college week.  So parents, please wear your college gear to be on the videos)
• 6:00- 6:45 1^st, 3^rd and 5^th grades
• 6:45-7:10  Specials Presentation
• 7:15-8:00  Kindergarten, 2^nd and 4^th grades
• Please turn in your PTA membership forms. We are so fortunate to have a wonderful PTA supporting our school.
• School Spirit shirts are on sale for $10.   Order forms were sent home in Thursday folders yesterday or you can pick an order form up in the school office. 

Welcome Back Purefoy Students!

Welcome Back Purefoy!
We are looking forward to seeing everyone at Meet the Teacher on Thursday, August 22nd! We will post the class lists outside the cafeteria doors. In order for your student to be on a class list, you must return your registration form along with proof of residence to the Purefoy Office.

This week we received some wonderful news from the Wilson Family about a letter writing project from kindergarten and wanted to share...


Kate and Sarah Wilson (Kindergarten), decided in honor of Memorial day, to write letters to the troops to say thank you for their service. Mrs. Turman thought the entire Kindergarten could write letters as well! When the letters were finished, Sarah, Kate and their mom sent the letters to a surgeon stationed in Afghanistan. To their delight, they received the following email and picture!


Hi Leah, 

I just received the package of amazing cards from your daughters and the kids in their Kindergarten. What a treat! We have been opening them and enjoying them all morning. I am going to pass them out at tomorrow's meeting and take a picture of all the doctors with them. That way the girls can see how much we appreciate them. Please pass along our thanks. It can get pretty monotonous and boring out here so any news from home always brightens our day. It just helps to know that people are thinking about us. So please tell them how appreciative we are. Thanks again and hope you are having a good summer.

Welcome Summer!

Wow! It is finally here…summer break!




Today has been a wonderful day to celebrate the end of the school year. Thank you for all your support throughout the year. Have a wonderful summer. We look forward to seeing our kiddos in August.



Sincerely,

Mary Webb

Calling all Field Day Volunteers!

Hello Purefoy Families,


What a wild week for weather! Last night, the fireplace certainly looked inviting. Is it really May and this cold?

I was in Ms. Micucci’s 3rd grade classroom today during math. The students were working with partners to solve rather involved problems. At one point, the students were asked to switch partners to develop their answers and additional ways to display their thinking. It was really cool walking around the room and listening to their discussions. Children were at various stages in the activity and were really engrossed in their conversations. I stopped a couple of children and asked them about their poster. They were so excited to share their strategies with me. Scanning the room, it was clear the children were working well together and having meaningful conversations with one another. Way to go Ms. Micucci’s class! I say it all the time…we are wonderfully fortunate to be with children and experience their excitement daily.

A few Reminders:

• We are in desperate need of helpers for Field Day, May 17th. Please contact Coach R. or PTA if you are available.

• Please don’t forget to stop by the cafeteria and check our Lost and Found. It continues to grow daily. We will be donating unclaimed items within the next few weeks.

• School Supplies are on sale through EPI. The only way to order is online and sales close May 24th. Please see the attachment for ordering information.

Ms. Rohman wanted to share some wonderful news.

Dear Purefoy Family and Friends,



The Frisco ISD is honored to announce that we have been chosen as one of the Best Communities for Music Education in America. Certainly, much of this honor is attributable to the great students we are blessed to teach every day, as well as the outstanding parent support our program receives.



http://www.friscoisd.org/news/2013/05/01/best-communities-for-music-education



Please share this link with others in the community. You can do this by clicking the Facebook and Twitter links at the bottom of the page.



Thanks for your help in making this honor a possibility.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Mary Webb

School Carnival Success!

Hello Purefoy Families,


It was wonderful seeing families at our second Purefoy Carnival last Saturday. It was a beautiful day and PTA created a fun event! Thank you to our volunteers that worked countless hours. It was a successful day! The best news is that PTA reached their goal for our playground cover! Construction will begin in June! I don’t think the teachers will call the playground “the brick oven” any longer. We will now have a wonderful shade over the entire play structure area! Thank you for supporting our drive for the cover.

Today, I stopped by Ms. Hawkins class for a moment. The students were in the middle of reader’s workshop and independent reading. They didn’t even notice that I walked in because they were so engaged in their books! Typically, in kindergarten, the minute a visitor arrives, our friendly five year olds wave and say “hello,” no matter how quietly someone sneaks in. Not today! The books had their full attention! It was such a treat to see them independently reading and monitoring their reading strategies. I do believe they are ready for first grade!

Have a wonderful weekend. Please remember we do not have school on Monday. It is a professional development day for teachers.

Sincerely,

Mary Webb

Go Rangers!

Happy Friday Purefoy Families,


The sun is shining (finally) in anticipation of a wonderful weekend. Now, if the Rangers pull a win on opening day… the weekend will be GREAT!

This week, our fourth and fifth grade students participated in the STAAR test. Two days in a row of testing is tough! I commend the students on their hard work. Tuesday, as I walked down the kindergarten hall I heard peaceful music and saw kiddos working very hard at their table in Mrs. J. Hall’s classroom. I walked around and saw that the students were writing about a moment they remember and using a proper lead to their story. The growth in their writing is remarkable. Our little kiddos are growing up!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Mary Webb

Reminders:

• Kindergarten Roundup is next week. Please see the website for enrollment information.

• The PTA newsletter can be found on our school website.

• The Book Fair is open! Stop by next week for a new book!

• PTA meeting on Thursday, April 11th at 6:30pm. Our wonderful Honor Choir is performing.