I am excited to share some wonderful updates about the hard work and dedication of our teachers and staff as we continue striving for excellence in student learning!

This past week, our campus participated in our second IRT visit of the school year, where district leaders observed classrooms to provide valuable feedback on our campus instructional practices. I am incredibly proud of the progress our teachers have made since our last visit in October. More importantly, the feedback we received aligns with the goals we have already set for improving student outcomes.

Our Growth & Progress
During this visit, our school scored at the Proficient I level, marking a strong step forward. While our ultimate goal is Proficient II (12+), this result shows that we are making steady progress in refining our instructional practices. My vision is for every teacher to score at the Proficient level (an undeniable 9)—even on their worst day. The dedication I see from our staff every day makes me confident that we are on the right path.

Highlights from Our Visit:
✔️ Strong Learning Environments – Teachers maintained structured routines that maximized instructional time.
✔️ Pacing & Transitions – Lessons flowed smoothly, with clear time management strategies in place.
✔️ Student Engagement – Majority of our classrooms were full of purposeful discussion, with a culture that all students actively participate.

These strengths reflect our mission at Parker: Reaching ALL students, ALL the time. Seeing this in action was a huge win for our campus -- in my opinion!

Where We’re Growing:
🔹 Lesson Planning & Curriculum Use – We are refining how we implement our campus chosen curriculums to ensure all materials fully support student mastery and rigor.
🔹 Higher Order Thinking & Internalization – We are working to strengthen how we internalize lesson to push student thinking. Prompting meaningful academic conversations but also ensuring we are are sacrificing rigor and student comprehension in the process.

This visit felt like a major step forward, not just because of a score but because of how the visit was conducted compared to our first one in October. While I valued some of the initial feedback, I felt that the process itself did not fully capture the incredible work happening in our classrooms. This time, the alignment between the execution of the walk, feedback we received, and the growth areas we had already identified was a sign that we are on the right track.

Our teachers are committed to continuous improvement, and I have no doubt we will keep climbing. We have two more IRT visits ahead, and I am confident that we will continue building on our progress.

-Principal Carter

February is here, a new month and the perfect month for our new Character Education Theme: Kindness

Help us live the concept of kindness with your family by following our focus for every week of the month. We will be talking about the following concepts and focus during morning announcements every week. Kindness means doing nice things for ourselves and others, like speaking nicely, sharing and being a good friend.

Week 1: Self-Kindness-

Self-Kindness- Remember to be kind to yourself. Take time to do things you enjoy like playing, reading, or drawing. Take breaks when you need to rest, say positive things to yourself, and be proud of your accomplishments, big or small.

Week 2- Empathy-

Try to understand how others feel. Putting yourself in their shoes helps you respond with kindness.

Week 3: Be intentional. Share kindness with others.

Random Acts of Kindness Week: February 18-21

Random acts of kindness are unexpected and thoughtful gestures or actions that you do, without expecting anything in return. Make someone else’s day better this week: smile at a stranger, help a friend, hold the door open, say nice things to people or leave a kind note for your teacher, student, family member, or friend.

Week 4- Keep being kind. Practice kindness regularly. When you are kind a lot, it’s like planting seeds of goodness. Your kindness can inspire others to be kind, creating a chain of happy actions that can make the world a better place.

-Susan Carlock, Counselor

Please welcome Mr. Eduardo Pales to the Parker team! Mr. Pales will be joining us as a Clerk, primarily supporting the staff and students of the 1st and 2nd Grade hallway. For the past two years, he has been a dedicated part of the Parker community as a PTO employee for After School Care, building strong relationships with both students and staff. We are thrilled to have him officially join our team and continue his great work in supporting our students and teachers. Welcome, Mr. Pales!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfN58B5TMLzhpI9061nUz6GpgOh-xeGvqgTctURWDRF4P15qQ/viewform?usp=sharing

Katy Anchondo from the Counseling Classroom will be back to discuss how to talk to your child about the anxiety and stress associated with testing. She’ll be giving parents strategies and conversation starters to help your child. We’ll also be discussing upcoming state and district assessments students will be taking. We hope to see you there!

Parker Auction Gala: Ticket sales are officially closed. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Childcare with Westbury Baptist forms and information will be emailed later this week and will be on the PTO website.

The silent auction is open to everyone. Visit https://www.32auctions.com/ParkerAuction2025 to view and bid on items starting Wednesday, February 19th. Bids close at 10 p.m. on February 21st. Class baskets, socials, and live auction items are only available to auction attendees. A few spots for socials will be saved for online sales. Thank you for your support!

Enrichment Clubs: Many clubs still have spots available. The following clubs need a few more people to meet the minimum enrollment. Please sign up by Tuesday at 8 pm. Parents will receive final confirmation via email and Class Dojo.

https://parkerpto.membershiptoolkit.com/afterschoolprograms

ClubSeum with Ms. Clasen - Monday

Fencing Club with Houston Sword Sports - Tuesday

Martial Arts Club with Master Williams at 3:40 - Karate - Tuesday

Young Travelers with Ms. Clasen - Tuesday

Gymnastics Club with Brown’s Gymnastics at 3:40 - Wednesday

STEM Club with Ms. Sotelo - Wednesday

Literacy Creations with Ms. Orozco - Thursday

Sugar and Spice with Ms. Clasen - Thursday

February PTO Meeting: Come and learn what the PTO has been up to this month, plus, join us for a special presentation with the Parker Friends executive director and some board members. Learn more about Parker Friends and how they support our fantastic music program. Dinner and childcare will be provided, but be sure to RSVP here! .

Parker Family Night is Friday, March 28th. Join us for an open mic night, food, an art display, and, of course, the outdoor bookfair! More information will be sent in your child's Tuesday folder and the March PTO newsletter.

Upcoming Events:

February 21st- Parker Auction Gala at 6:30pm

February 24- Afterschool Enrichment Clubs begin

March 6- Spirit Night with Papa John's

📢 Parker Friends at the PTO Meeting
Meet Parker Friends Board Members & Executive Director Julie Doyle-Madrid at the Feb. 20 PTO meeting. Topics include:

• What your music contributions support
• The history of Parker Friends
• Why Parker Friends is essential to the future of Parker’s music program
• Answering your questions

🎵 Solo Ensemble – March 2, 2025
Parker’s annual Solo Ensemble Competition is coming up! Students perform for a judge and receive feedback.

• Entry: $10 per student
• Accompanist Fee: $20 (unless performing on piano)
• Pay here: https://bit.ly/ParkerSE

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Julie Doyle-Madrid (She/Her/Hers)

Executive Director

Parker Friends

julie@parkerfriends.org

www.parkerfriends.org

832-724-4599

February 17th

NO SCHOOL - HOLIDAY

February 19th

1st Grade Field Trip - Houston Zoo

5th Grade Field Trip - Houston Symphony

February 20th

Black History Program: Tobe Neigwe's Black Angel Collective (1:30-2:30pm)

(4th & 5th Grade in Performance Hall)

February 21st

Black History Program: Music Department Performance (1:30-2:30pm)

(2nd Grade Performance Hall - Live streamed for remaining grade levels)

February 24th

Black History Program: Dinky Drums (1:30-2:30pm)

(4th & 5th Grade in Performance Hall)

February 25th - 26th

TELPAS Official Testing