Purple House 5 2023-2024

Dear Purple Families,

What a week of discovery and growth for our Purple Fifth Graders! We launched our very first Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) of the year—thinking and working like true scientists. Next week we will defend our claims and write our reports where our learners will defend their claims with evidence and justification. In math, we modeled decimal operations in hands-on and visual ways, deepening our understanding of place value and precision. Our non-fiction unit is off to a strong start, as we explored text features and participated in an exciting Texas Wildlife scavenger hunt led by our visiting presenter.

We’re so thankful for our incredible school community—Mrs. Keiko continues to nurture our curiosity (and our garden!) as we learn the science behind growing things, and Mrs. Stout, our librarian, chose the perfect non-fiction read-alouds to guide our transition into informational texts. Through our Global Read Aloud, Will’s Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes, we’re learning about perseverance, freedom, and the challenges families faced in the late 1800s in Texas and Oklahoma.

Together, we’re growing as readers, thinkers, and scientists—curious about our world and ready to make it better!

Warmly,
Ms. May Voltz
Purple Fifth Grade Teacher

This week we planted our strawberry starts, and Mrs. Keiko has been busy designing a clever structure to protect our garden from our friendly—but very hungry—bunny visitors! We can’t wait to see how our plants grow in their new home. Wish us (and our strawberries) luck!

2025-2026 | Math Olympiad

Richard J. Lee Elementary School - Coppell Independent School District

October 10th, 2025.

Dear Parent of a 4th or 5th Grade Student,

I am excited to announce that Richard J. Lee Elementary will be participating in “Math Olympiad” for the 11th year! This team is for students who are not only interested in Math but show an advanced level of problem solving skills in the classroom. Math Olympiad allows students to explore mathematical problem-solving strategies that are not a part of the regular elementary math curriculum. Our meetings will be during the school day on Fridays beginning on November 8th. The team will practice in small groups weekly, preparing for the five monthly contests (November – March) using Creative Problem Solving in School Mathematics by George Lenchner and Math Olympiad Contest Problems Volume 2. The students WILL have weekly problems to complete at home. In the past 150,000 students from 5,000 teams worldwide participated in the Olympiads.

The goals of the program are:

• To stimulate enthusiasm and a love for mathematics

• To introduce important mathematical concepts

• To teach major strategies for problem solving

• To develop mathematical flexibility in solving problems

• To strengthen mathematical intuition

• To foster mathematical creativity and ingenuity

• To provide for the satisfaction, thrill, and joy of meeting challenges

It is highly recommended that your child has a love for mathematics and will be willing and able to complete assignments within and outside of class. If you would like your child to participate, please complete the attached Google Form by Sunday, October 19th, 2025. Due to the high interest in this club, late permissions will NOT be accepted. A maximum combined total of 35 fourth and fifth grade students can compete on a team. The selection process will be a timed test that will be administered and the highest scoring students in each grade level will be chosen. NO make ups will be offered if a learner is absent. Our first meeting will be on November 7th during the school day. If you have questions regarding Math Olympiad please contact me via email at akhan@coppellisd.com . The testing will be administered in the Lee Cafeteria and will begin at 8:00 a.m. This will be a 20-minute timed test. The testing for 4th grade will take place on Thursday, October 23rd and 5th grade will be on Friday, October 24th. A letter will be sent home on Wednesday, November 29th, 2025 notifying you about your child’s placement. Please submit the Google Form by 10/19/2025 Midnight at the latest, LATE permission slips will NOT be accepted. Please click on the Google Form Link to submit your permission to test.

Sincerely,

Mrs. A. Khan

Our young ecologists explored the fascinating balance of life right here in our own backyard! Using terms like biotic and abiotic and discussing interactions in ecosystems, learners built detailed food webs to show how energy flows from the sun to producers and then to consumers. They were amazed to discover just how complex and interconnected a food web truly is — even in our own school garden!

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.

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!

Models help scientists and mathematicians make sense of big ideas—like how planets orbit the sun, how energy transfers, or how fractions work! But every model has limits—things it can’t show exactly.

In science, a model of the solar system might show planet distances, but not the true size or scale. A roller coaster energy simulation shows how potential and kinetic energy change, but it can’t show the wind, noise, or real friction of a ride!

In math, we use area models to represent multiplication or division, but these don’t always show the real-world meaning of numbers—like dividing a pizza unevenly or converting measurements.

Try this at home:

• Look around for models—maps, diagrams, toy cars, weather apps, or even recipes.

• Ask: What does this model help me understand? and What might it leave out?

• Challenge your family: Can you think of a better or more complete model?

Understanding the limits of models helps us become better thinkers, scientists, and problem-solvers—just like real researchers and engineers!

Parents!

Can you please share how you use models in your field of work? Consider sending in evidence or maybe even present to our class!

Thank you!

🌟 Thank you, CISD families, for your commitment to student attendance! 🏫💙. Regular attendance is key to student success—it keeps them engaged in lessons, fosters peer relationships, and maximizes their educational opportunities. Plus, it helps teachers assess each student's progress and plan effectively. Your dedication to attendance makes a significant difference. Attendance Matters...You Matter!

Our RJL PTO annual Write-A-Check fundraising campaign is officially underway! This is our main source of funding for the FamiLEE PTO, and this year’s goal is $31,000.

Every dollar raised goes right back into our school—supporting programs like Red Ribbon Week, Author Visits, enrichment programs, field trip transportation, and much more.Please consider making your donation today at rjlpto.org/wac

Mrs. Stout would love library helpers to help shelve books and with other small projects. Please sign up and consider becoming a regular volunteer for the library! rjlpto.org/library

New this year, for anyone shelving books, we’ve worked with Mrs. Stout to create a quick training video you can watch before your volunteer slot!

We will celebrate the 50th day of school on October 24!

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)

• RJL WRITE A CHECK CAMPAIGN (REMAINDER OF THE MONTH)
• NATIONAL DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH
• STOMP OUT BULLYING MONTH
• BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
• HINDU HERITAGE MONTH
• DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP WEEK
• TEXAS SAFE SCHOOLS WEEK

Oct 21 - 3 & 5 GT Testing

Oct 22 - Staff Meeting (3:15-4:45)

3 & 5 GT Testing

Oct 23 - TEPSA Leadership Training for 5th Graders @ Wilson

Oct 24 - Math and ELAR Curriculum Review-1st Grade Team Time

GEMS due

RED RIBBON WEEK IS ONE WEEK AWAY!

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

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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