Purple House 5 2023-2024

Dear Purple Families,

We had a wonderful week filled with learning and creativity! Students celebrated Dot Day with fun activities that encouraged self-expression and imagination. In writing, we worked on developing our narrative stories, bringing characters and ideas to life. We also enjoyed a special visit from the Texas Wildlife Association, where students explored how animals use adaptations to survive and learned the importance of being good stewards of our environment. In math, we focused on modeling and understanding decimals to the thousandths place, building a strong foundation for place value and problem solving.

In The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, Vashti learns that even the smallest mark can grow into big creativity when you believe in yourself, sharing a beautiful message that encourages us all to grow. This week, we followed Vashti’s example by using our creativity in art, science, our writing, and even in mathematics!

Warmly,
Ms. May Voltz
Purple Fifth Grade Teacher

This week, our scientists explored paper chromatography—a cool way to separate mixtures, like the colors inside markers!

Here’s how it works: A solute is the substance that gets dissolved (the ink from our marker). A solvent is the liquid that does the dissolving (we used water, isopropyl alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide). When the solvent moves up the paper, it carries the solute with it. Different ink colors travel at different speeds, so we can see the hidden colors spread out on the paper.

We also connected this to fair testing in science. Learners designed the investigations that we conducted.

• The independent variable is the one thing we change on purpose .

• The dependent variable is what we measure

• The controlled variables are the parts we keep the same so our test is fair

By thinking carefully about solvents, solutes, and fair tests, we’re learning to investigate like real scientists!

This week we recognized Constitution Day, a time to reflect on the importance of the U.S. Constitution and how it helps guide our country. Inspired by this, our class has started drafting our very own Class Constitution! Together, we are deciding on the rights and responsibilities that will help us build a positive, respectful, and successful learning community.

Cooking together is a great way to practice real-world math skills! Invite your child to help measure ingredients for a favorite recipe. While you’re working, ask questions like, “If we double the recipe, how much flour will we need?” or “If the recipe calls for ¾ cup of sugar, how much more do we need to make it a full cup?” This hands-on activity makes fractions, multiplication, and problem-solving both fun and delicious!

~ or perhaps ~

Use water and play with these unit fractions!

Fractions with Measuring Cups – Quick Tips:

• ½ cup = 2 × ¼ cup

• ¾ cup = 3 × ¼ cup

• 1 cup = 4 × ¼ cup

• 1 ½ cups = 1 cup + ½ cup

• 2 cups = 8 × ¼ cup

Encourage your child to experiment by combining different measuring cups to reach the right amount. It’s a fun way to practice fractions!

The Skins & Skulls program is an educational and interactive presentation that uses real skulls, skins, fur, and sometimes other biofacts from Texas wildlife. Students have the opportunity to inspect, touch, and compare the specimens while learning how features such as teeth shape, fur texture and color, and skull structure reveal how animals are adapted to their environments through diet, habitat, and survival strategies. In addition, the program weaves in important themes of land stewardship and conservation, highlighting the connections between humans, habitats, and the vital role wildlife plays in ecosystems.

Pro Parenting Tip: Schedule dentist and doctor appointments outside of school hours or choose afternoon slots so your child doesn't have to miss school. Every day counts! Thank you for supporting your child's education and helping us maintain strong attendance. Together, we can make a difference!

This week, we celebrated our outstanding Lee’dership candidates! I am so proud of the effort, care, and creativity they put into running for office. Their video presentations were thoughtful, polished, and inspiring! We now face a tough decision, knowing that every one of these learners would make an excellent class representative. No matter the outcome, they’ve already shown true leadership in action!

Today we voted and chose Kiara to represent us on the Richard J Lee'dership Council. Each one of our candidates will have opportunities throughout the year to grow in their leadership skills.

Congratulations Kiara!

Thank you Varun, how sweet! I just mentioned it at the Book Fair preview, and this Purple Fami'LEE member just made my day! Thank you for another great novel by Katherine Applegate!

Translating in Other Bases with Dots
This week we discovered that translating numbers into other bases is actually easy when we use dots to represent value! We practiced moving from our familiar base ten into base three and base five. By grouping and regrouping dots, students were able to “see” how numbers look in different bases and understand the patterns behind place value.

This shift helps students see that place value is relative. The blocks don’t change, but the If/Then statements redefine their worth:

• If we change the cube’s value from 0.001 to 1 whole, then every other block shifts accordingly (the rod is no longer 0.1 — it is 10).

• This shows that multiplying or dividing by powers of 10 doesn’t “move a decimal point,” it changes the value of each place relative to the whole.

SHOW UP FOR GREAT ATTENDANCE- SPIRIT WEEK IS HERE

September is Attendance Awareness Month. Let's all work for great attendance! Join in this week for our spirit days and SHOW UP and SHOW OUT at school all week!

ATTENDANCE

As you make vacation plans this year, remember that missing school can impact your child's learning and success, and it also affects attendance laws. Please schedule trips following the holidays on the CISD calendar to ensure compliance and support your child's education.

LAST CHANCE! HOUSE COLOR SHIRTS

Time is running out! Don’t miss your LAST chance to grab our brand-new house color shirts! With bold designs and exciting new colors, these shirts are perfect for Spirit Day Fridays, field trips, and showing off your house spirit all year long.

Order deadline: September 21 – after this date, we can’t guarantee availability.

Delivery: Week of October 20.

Adult sizes are also available—parents, join the fun and rep your house too!

Order now at rjlpto.org/spurstore before it’s too late!

CHS Volleyball is excited to invite Lee students to Elementary School Night at the Coppell High School vs Flower Mound Volleyball game! This is a great opportunity for students to experience the excitement of high school volleyball, cheer on the Cowgirls, and feel inspired by the next level of play. All elementary school students will receive free admission. There will be a T-shirt giveaway and prizes! This will be a fun evening celebrating volleyball in our community.

Date: Friday, September 26th
Time: Varsity/9B: 5:30pm / JV/9A: 6:30pm
Location: Coppell High School Arena

As part of our campus Parent Engagement goal and a strategy in our Campus Improvement Plan, the last Thursday of every month, Mrs. Kastrounis will host a community learning walk at Lee. This month the walk will be from 8:00-9:00 on Thursday, September 25 and parents planning to attend should arrive with their ID to check in at 7:50.

• NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
• ATTENDANCE SPIRIT WEEK

Sept 23 - ESL Technology Breakfast (Cafe 8:30)

Sept 24 - St. Augustine Learning Walk (1:00-2:00)

Sept 25 - Parent Learning Walk (8:00-9:00)

Sept 26 - CISD ESL Bus Tour

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