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Timy Baranoff Elementary

12009 Buckingham Gate Road

Austin, TX 78748

www.baranoffschool.org

Follow us on Twitter

@BaranoffSchool

Baranoff Buffalo Newsletter August/September 2016 “Trail Blazers of the Future”

FROM THE

PRINCIPAL

Ø Sep. 2nd- Activity Fee Collection

begins

Ø Sept. 5th-No school

Ø Sept. 12th -23rd - Gifted & Talented

Nomination Window

Ø Sept. 23rd-Principal fundraiser

begins

Ø Sept. 26th –3:10-4:10 pm CAC

meeting in the library

Ø Sept. 28th-30th 5th grade field trip to

Camp Champions

Special Points of Interest:

Inside this issue: GT PARENT INFO p 2 ARTFUL ACTION p 3

WELLNESS INFO p 2 MUSIC ‘DA CAPO’ p 4

FROM THE AP’S p 2 CAFETERIA INFO p 4

LIBRARY NEWS p 3 COUNSELOR’S p 5

CORNER

Dear Buffalo Parents,

We have had a terrific first week of school! Thank you for sharing

your wonderful child(ren) with us each day. It was a pleasure to

visit each classroom last week and to see children actively engaged

in their learning. We appreciate you attending your child’s

Curriculum Night this week so that classroom teachers can clarify

routines and procedures related to homework, grading, and

classroom management systems, and inform parents of some

things their child will be learning in the year ahead.

On Sept.15th, I will host a Principal’s coffee in the morning (8:00

am) and again in the evening (6:30 pm). Our 1st Principal’s meeting

will focus on general Q and A to get to know the Baranoff

leadership team. We will also discuss the GT nomination process.

This will be an opportunity to have small group discussions

related to specific topics of interest or questions you may have

about happenings at Baranoff. I hope you will be able to attend our

1st meeting.

We will keep you informed of things happening at Baranoff

through our website, twitter page, electronic monthly newsletters,

weekly email blasts, grade and/or class websites or newsletters,

and notes from your child’s teacher.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to join our Baranoff PTA.

Our goal this year is to obtain at least 600 memberships from

teachers, parents, grandparents, and even students! Thank you for

being part of this amazing learning community. We are looking

forward to another AWESOME year at Baranoff.

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Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet GT PARENT INFORMATION

Fall GT nominations open on Mon., Sept.12th and close at 3:30 pm on Fri., Sept.23rd. Nomination forms will be available in the front foyer at Baranoff. You can also request a form from your child's teacher. Please return forms to your child’s teacher or the front office. The Principal’s Coffee on Sept. 15th in the am and pm will be an opportunity to ask any questions about the GT nomination and identification process. If you are a parent of an already identified GT student at Baranoff, we invite you to come on Sept. 15 at 6 pm for our first GT Parent Group. The intent of this group is to create a network of support to share ideas on how to best support your GT child (ren). This meeting will be to discuss ways to support one another and GT students and share contact information.

Kristina Sanchez~ Assistant Principal

and GT Coordinator

Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year Buffaloes and

Buffalo Parents!

NEWS FLASH: We are now referring to ourselves

as the Wellness Department. (Physical Education +

Health = WELLNESS)

We have gotten the students off to a quick start

reviewing our 5 Powers (Heart, Muscle, Food,

People, and Protection). We have been impressed

with how much our students remember about the

powers from our introduction last year! This school

year we will continue to stress the importance of

caring for our body, mind, and others.

This month we are reviewing our beginning

procedures and learning about Cooperation and

Nutrition. We will begin the next unit on Cardio,

and Throwing & Catching at all grade levels by the

end of the month. Part of your child’s health grade

comes from Wellness class and ALL grade levels

have written exams on the health concepts. Please

talk to your children about what they are learning

in Wellness.

Also, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades will be taking the

FitnessGram pretests. Get fit!

Conduct Grades in PE will be based on the following:

(Core Values – Be Respectful, Be Honest, Be Responsible,

Stay Focused on Learning)

4- Students behavior will CONSISTENTLY represent

above grade level expectations

3- Students behavior will OFTEN represent grade level

expectations

2 - Students behavior will SOMETIMES represent below

grade level expectations

1- Students behavior SELDOM represents grade level

expectations

Stay Tuned: One way to stay “tuned in” is to

look for us on Twitter @BESWellness and on

the Internet at baranoffwellness.weebly.com

Thanks, Ms. Page and Mr. Brouillard

Wellness Education

FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS:

Primary responsibilities for each Assistant

Principal are listed below, so if you have a

concern or question in one of these areas, please

feel free to contact us.

Kristina Sanchez (512) 841-7107

ü Child Study Team Coordinator

ü Gifted and Talented Coordinator

ü Safety Coordinator (custodians)

Beth Cantu (512) 841-7172

ü LPAC Chair

ü TELPAS Coordinator

ü Cafeteria (monitors, concerns)

ü Bus (arrival, dismissal, concerns)

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Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet

ART IN ACTION

Please welcome our new full time art teacher, Myiesha Arnold! She comes to us from Menchaca Elementary. Kindergarten students, before the end of September, will be working on a shape dinosaur followed by a family portrait. Before then we will be working on cutting, coloring and drawing skills, along with practice in listening and following directions. So far, both art teachers, Ms. Arnold and Mr. Stryker are impressed at how prepared for school our kinder students are! First grade students will create a still life collage using various media. We will be studying repeated patterns and texture, as well as foreground/background. Second grade students will use the work of American artist and designer Laural Burch to create a Fantastic Feline, paying attention to color, pattern and symmetry. Third grade students will design a mola. They will learn about and study the Kuna Indians of northwest Panama. The Kuna mola designs evolved from tattoo art to cloth designs. But, we’ll be using cut paper for our mola designs. Fourth grade will study the work of Pittsburg illustrator/animator Ron Magnes. The wonderful thing about his pop art influenced work is his playful and colorful representation of food. Fifth grade will learn about the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. His Tree of Life is the only landscape he created during his golden period. Students will use gold, copper and silver tempera paint in creating their own version of this painting. Every year the Baranoff Art Department offers parents the option of having their child’s first competed artwork of the year printed on one or more of a selection of gift items. We have worked with this same company, Original Works, for several years, and they’ve always offered a quality selection, as well as a quality product. This fundraiser is timed such that purchased items will be delivered around the Thanksgiving break, well before the gift-giving season. A packet announcing this fundraiser, along with pertinent information and your child’s artwork, will be going home in an October Thursday folder. Participation in our school’s art fundraiser is optional but greatly appreciated.

Welcome back Buffalo families! We are ready for a great year in the library. I am excited to be joining the Special Areas team as the new Baranoff Librarian.

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME: The

education field has always been in my "blood". I was raised by a teacher, so it was not a hard decision to make when I decided to study education at Texas Tech University. I taught for 10 years at Northwest High School in Justin, TX and then went on to receive my Master's Degree from Texas Woman's University in Denton, TX.

I started volunteering and substitute teaching at Baranoff when my 2 boys started school. I found my way into the library where I started working as the library clerk. I decided to go back to school for my Librarian Certification in the hopes of becoming a librarian! I enjoy working with students and spreading the love of reading to others.

LESSONS IN THE LIBRARY: This

coming month in the library all students will become detectives learning how to search and hunt for the perfect book. Kindergarten will have a visit from the shelf elf, while first grade will have a Pokémon Go competition, and second grade will learn about book care through QR codes. The older grades (3-5) will enjoy a variety of games while learning about call numbers and book organization in the library.

SAVE THE DATE:

• Scholastic Book Fair will be October 17-20

• Our first Family Movie Night in the Library will be held on Friday, November 11th.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We are still

looking for a few more volunteers in the library to help manage our large circulation. Please email me,angie.merriman@austinisd.org, if you are interested.

Please check out the Baranoff Library

website, http://amerriman.wixsite.com/baranofflibrary/merriman, you can access the on-line catalog and other AISD resources from our webpage.

Angie Merriman

LIBRARY NEWS

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Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet

The fundamental purpose of music at the elementary level is to provide the students with varied

experiences of the arts. Through singing every student should have the opportunity (1) to become

musically literate in the sense of being able to see a score and imagine the sounds or to hear

sounds and imagine the score: and (2) to know and love his or her own folk music heritage and

great art music of the world. As Texas music specialist we are required to present the art of music

in 4 different domains or "strands"

Perception: Students describe and analyze musical sound and demonstrate musical artistry.

Creative Expression: Students will write and read musical notation and perform varied

repertoire vocally, instrumentally alone or in a small group

Historical /cultural heritage: Students will relate music to history, to society, and to culture,

using various aurally presented musical experiences. Students will also describe the relationship

between music and other subject area

Response/ Evaluation: The student responds to and evaluates music and musical performances

using basic criteria and learns to understand and appreciate proper audience etiquette.

CHOIR NOTES

Calling all singers!!! This year we are excited to announce a new offering for our younger

singers. We will have 3rd graders signing up for “The Trailblazer” choir and the 4th and 5th graders

will be signing up for “Buffalo Chorale”. Both choirs will be conducted by Mrs. Keenan, and Mr.

Richards depending on scheduled choral needs. Due to the expanded daily schedule, these two

choirs will meet: Each Monday from 3:00-4:15pm. Information about both choirs will be available outside Mr. Richards and Mrs. Keenan’s classroom in large envelopes. Please feel free to pick information up starting August 29th. Due date for sign up will be September 9th. Our first rehearsals will start September 12th.

Many parents ask us what expectations are for students’ work in Music. Since this is primarily a performance-based experience we have compiled several charts to help encourage and further conversation with your students. Starting September 1st we will have these available on our websites. We are looking forward to a wonderful year in Music!

Music “Da Capo”

CAFETERIA NEWS

Austin ISD is reinventing the School Cafeteria. Here are several ways we are changing the student

dining experience.

* Cultivating School Gardens * Local Food Options *Salad Bars

* Exploring Global Flavors *Raising the Standard *Healthy Options

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Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet

We’re back!!! We, Ms. Tackett and Mrs. Ornelas, will continue to work together to bring a

seamless program that supports the emotional and academic needs of our students through

classroom guidance, small groups and individual counseling. We also provide support for parents.

You can reach us at 512-841-7127 and checkout our website for more detailed information.

Back to School Jitters…For Parents

A new schedule can cause anxiety even for kids and parents who have been through it many

times! Extra support may be needed in the first few weeks. Here are a few hints to help along the

way:

- Reassurance

o Be available in the mornings and evenings for support

o Open and consistent communication is key

- Connectivity

o Schedule an activity for your child and a few of their school mates to reconnect

o Check school websites for good -to-know info

o Monitor social media for appropriate interactions

- Prepare ahead of time

o Have your child pick our school clothes the night before

o Arrange for a place in the house to do homework and gather materials there

- Plan for Emergencies

o Make a plan for potential conflict at school. Where will your child go and whom can

they talk to? Fitting in, tough classes and adjusting to the routine are all potential

anxiety producers.

- Most important for you and your child: Stay positive and have FUN!

COUNSELOR’S CORNER

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