Purple House 5 2023-2024

Dear Purple Families,

This week our fifth graders took their first MAP test, designed and conducted a Fair Test in Science, and continued settling into our learning routine. We are growing as mathematicians by exploring new strategies, as scientists by asking great questions and testing our ideas, and as a class by becoming a wonderful community of learners. It’s exciting to see their curiosity, focus, and teamwork shine! By reinforcing our lessons at home through the weekly Suggested Learning at Home section, our learners will continue to grow even stronger!

Our annual 5th Grade Sky Ranch Trip is right around the corner, and we would love for you to join us! This fun-filled, team-building adventure is packed with outdoor learning experiences your child will never forget—and it’s even better when parents come along to share the journey. It is a beloved tradition at Lee for our 5th graders to spend three days and two nights at Sky Ranch! We will be sharing more details about this exciting trip during our Parent Information Meeting, immediately following Curriculum Night. If you are interested in chaperoning, please complete your district background check as soon as possible. This step is required before you can join us, and getting it done early ensures you won’t miss out on this special opportunity. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the laughter, learning, and lasting memories at Sky Ranch—we can’t wait to see who will be joining us!

Warmly,
Ms. May Voltz
Purple Fifth Grade Teacher

Fifth graders are learning how to be real scientists! A fair test means we only change ONE thing at a time while keeping everything else the same.

• Independent Variable = what I change

• Dependent Variable = what I measure

• Controlled Variables = the things I keep the same

Here are some simple and fun experiments you can try at home:

🍪 Kitchen Science

✅ Cookie Dunk Test

• Change: The liquid (milk, juice, water)

• Measure: How long the cookie lasts before it falls apart

• Keep the same: Same cookie, same cup size, same liquid temperature

✅ Melt the Ice Cube

• Change: The surface (metal, wood, fabric, plastic)

• Measure: How long the ice cube takes to melt

• Keep the same: Same ice cube size, same room temperature

What else might you try? Please share photos with us!

Just a reminder, Lee Elementary will be closed on Monday, September 1st in observance of Labor Day. We hope you enjoy a safe and relaxing long weekend with your FamiLEE! 💙💚💛❤️💜 We’ll see our Spurs back at school on Tuesday, September 2nd.

The first Wednesday of every month we celebrate higher education. We encourage our learners and staff to wear college shirts on these days. We hope to see you in your college gear on Wednesday.

September is Attendance Awareness Month and every day counts! This month, let’s make it a priority to stay healthy, present, and ready to learn. Consistent attendance builds strong habits, supports academic growth, and helps our learners feel connected to their FamiLEE. Let’s work together to be at school as much as possible this September—because when we show up, we grow up!

We will open front and back doors at 5:15 so you are in your seats ready for presentations promptly at 5:30. This time is for parents, only, and is not a come and go event. You will want to arrive on time and attend the entire session to learn about the upcoming year and campus/classroom procedures. Curriculum Night also gives you the opportunity to meet other parents. See you there!

Fifth-Grade Parents: Please note there is a SKY RANCH meeting in the cafeteria for all parents of fifth-graders! You don't want to miss this information.

Our class will be electing a LEEdership Council representative on Friday, September 20th, 2025. This learner will meet with Mrs. Kastrounis throughout the school year during normal hours to develop their leadership skills and share their voice on campus.

This person must be a strong communicator, confident about sharing their thoughts and ideas, respected by their peers, and be elected. Please discuss this role with your learner to see if they have an interest in campaigning. If your child does want to run, we’ll refer to him/her as a candidate. As they "run" for this position, please abide by these guidelines:

1. Candidates may create a campaign video or prepare a speech to speak in front of the class. Make sure you:

1. Introduce yourself

2. Share why you would be the best candidate for this position

3. Share what you will do to make Lee Elementary a better place

4. Speak for 2 minutes or less.

2. OPTIONAL: Campaign poster

3. If your child is in 5th grade and was elected in grades Kinder through 2nd, they may run to be a class representative again this year.

✨ A mathematician attends to precision, and we are growing some great mathematicians! ✨
This week, our learners are diving deep into multiplicative thinking—exploring multiples, divisibility rules, and patterns in numbers. They are sharpening their precision while noticing how numbers connect and build on one another.

Our learners designed a fair test to discover which candy was the fizziest! 🎉 They worked like real scientists, carefully identifying the independent variable (the type of candy), the dependent variable (the amount of fizz), and the controlled variables (same liquid, same amount of time, same conditions). Awesome job on their very first hands-on investigation of the year!

We are so excited to kick off a fantastic year. Below are some key dates you may want to go ahead and mark on your calendar, especially if you’d like to participate as a volunteer! To stay up to date on all the latest happenings, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter by creating or updating your account at rjlpto.org.

This is one of the first onsite volunteer opportunities of the year and a great way to get involved and foster young readers! rjlpto.org/bookfair

Reminder, if you plan to volunteer for these or any other future events, complete your yearly required CISD Background Check asap here.

Our annual house fund donations are open now through September 14th. House funds are what we as a PTO use to support all the celebrations we host throughout the year. Please visit rjlpto.org/housefunds to learn more and donate! Your support is greatly appreciated!

Please consider signing up to be the Room Parent for your class! This role is an easy way to get involved and can be tailored to what works for you! Find out more and sign up at rjlpto.org/roomparent

Our Spur Store is now open and accepting online orders. We have limited inventory of school supplies, spirit wear and more! You can even find some of our vintage spirit wear at a discounted price! Check it out today by visiting rjlpto.org/spurstore!

• BOY MAP & MCLASS WINDOW OPEN
• NATIONAL SUBSTITUTE APPRECIATION WEEK
• ATTENDANCE AWARENESS M0NTH

Sept 1 - NO SCHOOL

Sept 2 - Boy Scouts visit Lee during Broadcast

Lariettes Visit Lee in the morning

Sept 3 - College Shirt Day; Purple House MAP Testing

Sept 4 - Curriculum Night (5:30-6:30)

Sky Ranch Parent Meeting (6:30-7:00 Cafe)

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

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