Purple House 5 2023-2024

Dear Purple Families,

We are excited as we prepare for our upcoming Learner-Led Conferences! Our fifth graders are eager to share their growth, goals, and proud moments with you. As we wrap up the first quarter of the year, it’s wonderful to see how much we’ve already accomplished together. Thank you for your continued support in helping us finish this quarter strong!

Parents, we would love for you to share a family photo for our Purple House bulletin board! We are already enjoying the wonderful photos that have been added, and we’d be delighted to include yours too!

Warmly,
Ms. May Voltz
Purple Fifth Grade Teacher

Today our Purple Fifth Graders met with Mrs. Keiko to explore which strawberry plants will work best for our garden. We learned about the differences between bare root plants and plugs, and discussed which option would support our purpose. A lot of research and synthesis goes into making these choices—everything from the best plant variety, to the right soil, the timing of the seasons, and even when planting will give our strawberries the strongest start. We are excited to see our garden plans growing right alongside our learners’ scientific thinking!

A little shopping and menu planning on a budget! Learners choose foods for two meals for a family of four. "Food is expensive!"

October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month. CISD will raise awareness on each campus with a variety of events and activities. On Wednesday, Oct. 8, all CISD students and staff are encouraged to "Light It RED for Dyslexia" by wearing red to school. Learn more about CISD Intervention Services/Dyslexia HERE. Additional resources include the Texas Dyslexia Handbook, and the International Dyslexia Association Handbook.

We will host our Fall Spirit Rally on Thursday from 2:00-3:00. Please have learners packed up in your spaces before we call you down, by houses, over the intercom. Parents are welcome to attend and can arrive starting 1:45 to check in. Be prepared to have staff and learners participate in interactive games. We will also have a "special guest" to celebrate the end of the 1st 9 weeks!

New this month: visit rjlpto.org/rjlspeaks to submit anonymous questions for the PTO or the RJL Admin team prior to the meeting.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and the first Monday of every October is World Day of Bullying Prevention. On this day students, schools, and communities all over the world go BLUE together against bullying. We want you and your learners to join us to stop bullying and cyberbullying by wearing a blue shirt on Monday, October 6.

Our next PTO Spirit Night is coming up on Tuesday, Oct 14th at Chipotle at 8445 N Belt Line Rd. This is always one of our most successful spirit nights of the year! Join your Spur FamiLEE for dinner - dine in or take out - from 4-8pm. Remember to use code VTF62NA to send 25% of your purchase back to RJL PTO!

Let’s light up our library together! Families are invited to create festive crafts: diyas, lanterns, rangoli, and more for our Diwali display in the library, Oct 16–22. Check out the QR codes for fun craft ideas and join us in celebrating the color and spirit of Diwali!

This week, we are reviewing conductors and insulators—two important science words that describe how energy moves.

• A conductor is a material that allows energy to pass through it easily.

  • Electrical conductors let electricity flow. Examples around your home: metal wires in cords, copper in outlets, aluminum foil, coins, or keys.

  • Thermal conductors transfer heat quickly. Examples: pots and pans (metal), a metal spoon in hot soup, or the side of a toaster.

• An insulator is a material that slows or stops energy from passing through.

• Electrical insulators block electricity. Examples: the rubber or plastic covering on cords, wooden handles, or plastic toys.

• Thermal insulators block heat. Examples: oven mitts, potholders, foam cups, wooden spoons, blankets, or even the insulation inside your walls.

🔎 Try a Home Scavenger Hunt!

Walk around your home and see how many conductors and insulators you can find.
👉 Use good academic vocabulary: say “This pan is a thermal conductor” instead of just “This pan gets hot.”
👉 Make two lists or take pictures: one for conductors and one for insulators.

👉 Bonus challenge: Can you find an object that uses both? (Hint: Look at an electrical cord—it has metal conductors inside, but rubber insulators outside for safety!)

The Annual Richard J. Lee Trunk or Treat on October 28th at 5:30pm is one of our favorite community events of the year, but we can't do it without our FamiLEE! To help support the work our designer teams put into their fabulous trunks, we will be gathering candy donations for them to hand out on the big night! Please sign up to send in a bag of 150+ pieces of candy/prizes with your learner by Wednesday, October 22nd. rjlpto.org/candy

We will participate in these Spirit Days, the last full week in October, in celebration of Red Ribbon Week. Here are the theme days, now, so you and your families can prepare

Class Spelling Bee ~ Week of November 3 - 7 (To determine learners who will advance to fifth-grade Spelling Bee)

Fifth Grade Spelling Bee ~ Thursday, November 20 (Determines winner who will advance to District Spelling Bee)

• GLOBAL MATH WEEK
• HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
• NATIONAL DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH
• STOMP OUT BULLYING MONTH
• BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
• HINDU HERITAGE MONTH

Oct 6 - Wear Blue for Bullying Prevention

National Instructional Coaches Day

Oct 7 - Virtual PTO Meeting (6:00 PM)

Write a Check campaign begins through Oct. 31

5th Grade Conferences

Oct 8 - Wear RED for Dyslexia

Oct 9 -

Spirit Rally (2:00)

End of 1st Grading Period

Oct 10 -

Professional Learning Day

1st SLO artifact completed and scored

Oct 13- NO SCHOOL

RED RIBBON WEEK IS TWO WEEKS AWAY!

Fifth-grade designer of learning experiences at RJ Lee Elementary a Net Zero school in Coppell, Texas.

Our Guiding Purpose: We empower learners to positively impact the world by designing learning experiences that promote relationships, risk-taking, and collaboration in a flexible learning environment.

Apple Teacher

HEB Excellence in Education State Finalist 2018

Twitter X: @MayV1