Chandler Chatter
News from Chandler Elementary

Pre-K has been learning about Thanksgiving. We are still working on writing our names and getting along with others. We are learning our letters and how to count to ten.

The Kindergarten classes have been learning about Thanksgiving traditions. We have also been studying about the five senses and foods, including nutrition. We had wonderful Thanksgiving feasts on Tuesday, November 20th, and also enjoyed having our grandparents come to visit the school. This has been a very busy but fun time for the Kindergarten classes. We are anxiously awaiting the beginning of the Christmas season. We have `Curl Up and Read Day' planned for December 7th and our class Christmas parties are planned for Friday, December 21st at 9 a.m.

First Graders have worked anxiously getting ready for the Thanksgiving Feast at school. Students have studied about the different ways our culture today is different from that of the Pilgrims and Native Americans of long ago. Parents are volunteering to bring food to school so that we may share together and give thanks for all things that we are blessed with!

Students should continue with reading every day! As the holidays are approaching, grades may begin to fall if reading is ignored at home. Math skills should be reviewed and practiced as well along with reading. It is very important students write sentences and simple stories at home with parents also.

The Second Graders are studying animal habitats. Each teacher took a certain habitat and the students will go to a different teacher each day during science. They will learn about the desert, rain forest, oceans, ponds, the Artic and the woodland forests. After touring all the rooms, the students will do a comparison of the rain forest and woodland forest, the desert and the Artic and oceans and ponds. The children are looking forward to having their grandparents come and spend time with them in their rooms and see what they did during their habitat studies.

Third Grade - Since this is November, the month for giving thanks, we will begin by giving a huge "Thank You" to all of the wonderful volunteers at our Fall Festival and also all of the generous people that donated items and food. It was a huge success, and would not have been without the help of our wonderful parents and volunteers!

Third grade is working as hard as ever! This month is a very busy month at CES. Our third grade TAKS Parent Information Night will be this month (more detailed information will be sent home later), where parents can learn more about what academic skills their child will be expected to master for success on the TAKS tests (reading and math). They will also have their program on Tuesday, November 13th, along with our book fair family night.

Our students are continuing to learn their multiplication facts and they are also learning how to do three-step word problems in math! It is very exciting to watch the kids be successful while thinking critically. They are learning how to be problem solvers, which will benefit them for the rest of their lives. The students are working hard on various strategies to help them become better readers and to help their comprehension. The TAKS Reading Test is quickly approaching (March) and our CES third graders will be ready to "tackle the TAKS"!

The Third Grade Teachers would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and let's all try to give thanks for what is most important to us -- Our Children! This is the perfect time of year to show them just how thankful we are to have them in our lives. We believe each and every child is a blessing!

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Our character word for the month of November is Citizenship. Citizenship is helping the school or community, being a good neighbor and following the rules and laws.

Students will be recognized for perfect attendance and no tardies throughout the year. Be sure to be at school on time every day. The warning bell rings at 7:55 and the tardy bell will ring at 8:00. Make sure you are in your class at 8:00.

We are collecting Box Tops again this year. Send 10 box tops in an envelope with your child's name on it. We will draw names for prizes.

Happy Birthday! Student birthdays are acknowledged in the office. Come by the office and pick up your birthday ribbon on your special day. Our Staff birthdays for the month of November are Julie McCullough, Ginny Phelps, Barbara Tompkins, Wendy Suttle, Toni McCallie, and Mike Cofer.

We want to send a big thank you to everyone who helped get ready for our PTO Fall Festival. Also we want to thank you for supporting the Fall Festival. It was a big success. PTO earned over $7,000. The students had a great time playing games, getting candy and toys, and dressing up in their favorite costume.

We collected pictures of veterans and troops to honor them for Veterans' Day. The display is by the office and will also be set up at the tour of trees. We are also writing letters to the troops for the holiday season. We honor all who serve.

On November 13th the third grade presented their Thanksgiving program. The program was awesome! Thank you, Mrs. Hughes and teachers for all your hard work. We look forward to more great programs to come. We encourage everyone to attend the grade level programs. During the month of November we had our fall book fair. On November 20th we celebrated Grandparents ' Day and some grade levels had a Thanksgiving Feast.

We are currently having a canned food drive to help God's Open Hands for the holidays. Our goal is 1,000 cans. Help us reach our goal.

Upcoming events in December:

Dec. 11th - 2nd grade program, PTO store, and PTO meeting; Dec. 14th - early release; Dec. 21 - Christmas parties and early release; Holiday break Dec. 24-Jan. 3.

We hope you enjoyed reading the news from Chandler Elementary. If you need additional information about the news, please call the school at 903-849-3400. CES loves our school, parents, teachers, students, volunteers, and community.