The Parker Lion's Tale

B.Haverkamp

Parker Elementary - The 2002 National GRAMMY® Signature Elementary School

November 2013 Volume 25 No. 3

The Elementary School of Choice in HISD

MAGNET AWARENESS WEEK

Magnet application time is fast approaching. Magnet Awareness Week kicks off on Saturday, November 2rd, at the HISD Administration Building with an Open House for parents to get appli-cations and visit school displays. Mag-net Awareness Week is November 4-8 with HISD Magnet schools generally offering tours at 1 PM each day. This is the time for 5th grade parents to fill out applications for middle schools and for current Parker families interested in the magnet program at Parker to apply. Parker tour times are listed on the Parker Calendar. Contact other schools of inter-est for their specific tour times.

Middle School Magnet Coordina-tors have already done a presentation for parents on October 29, 2013, in the Parker cafeteria. The 5th grade packet of records that go with a magnet applica-tion must be requested. Request forms have gone home with 5th graders and are also available in the main office. Magnet Week is the time for on site visits.

Parker Parents, if you have neigh-bors or know other community mem-bers who are looking for an elementary school for their Kindergarten children, please tell them about your school. You can be some of my best recruiters!

Ms. Kehlenbrink

MAGNET MATINEE ENJOYED BY ALL

Parker’s first Magnet Matinee event of this school year was held in the cafeteria on October 22. These monthly matinee concerts feature violin and cello students in solo performances of vari-ous Suzuki repertoire pieces, which they have “passed and polished”, in front of an audience of string students, families, and friends. These mini-concerts are a great way for students to gain experi-ence as solo performers on stage, as well as a chance for the magnet students in the audience to practice their best con-cert manners.

Congratulations to the following students who gave exemplary perfor-mances on October 22: Violinists, Joanna Wilson, Ellis Haverkamp, Mad-dison Nguyen, Nicole Gonzalez, Adrian Gee, Naideen Alcid, Morgan Hsieh, and Maddy Vanlandingham; and Cellists, Emilee Rogers and Jayda Shaw.

Look for future Magnet Matinee concerts on November 15th, February 12th, March 12th, and April 17th. Come hear our outstanding Parker Suzuki solo-ists perform center stage.

Regina Puccio

PIANO STUDENTS PRESENT FALL

PIANO RECITAL Twelve selected piano students

performed in the Parker Cafeteria on Thursday Oct. 24th for parents plus first and second grade students. We are very proud of the achievement of the following selected pianists. They were Abby Nitsch, Prince Frazier, Andrew Donovan, Samantha Jazmin, Isabella Batarse, Rachel Coleman, Samson Colburn, Donovan Snell, Lyudmila Yankovskaya, Jacob Goins, Richard Colburn, and EJ Brotomonte. This first concert was a great start for our year. Grade level concerts will be presented in December.

Parker Book FairOpen daily November 4 – 8

8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

It is the policy of the Houston Independent School District not to discrimi-nate on the

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basis of age, color, handicap or disability, ancestry, national origin, marital status, race, religion, sex, veteran status, or political affiliation in its educa-tional or employment programs and activities.

HEALTH BEATOctober really flew by fast! Hear-

ing screenings are now completed on all Kinder, 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade students. If children do not pass the initial test, I re-test them in a couple of weeks. If your child did not pass the 2nd hearing test, you will receive a referral letter from me. Often children do not pass the hearing test due to fluid in their ears or ear infections. It is very important that the child gets medical treatment as soon as possible because if left untreated, it could result in permanent hearing loss.

Has your child complained of a sore throat? Did you know that 15% of kids with sore throats and fever have in-fections caused by Group A Streptococ-ci, better know as STREP THROAT. This causes a painful inflammation of the throat. Children may have fever greater than 101 (but not always), body aches, and loss of appetite. They may also have headache, stomachache, and vomiting. The tonsils and the back of throat may be red, swollen, and dotted with whitish specks of pus. There may also be swollen glands in the back of the neck. Usually, cough and runny nose are not associated with strep throat. Strep throat may also result in a production of a toxin that causes a bright red skin rash, leading to scarlet fever.

Strep throat left untreated or incompletely treated can lead to rheu-matic fever, an illness that can result in heart disease and arthritis. Strep throat is very contagious and is spread from person to person contact through fluid droplets from the nose or throat of someone who has strep. The incubation period is 2-7 days. Diagnosis is made by a painless swab of the throat at the doctor’s office. The treatment includes antibiotics, usually penicillin, for 7-10 days. Children may return to school after 24 hours of antibiotic treatment and only if no fever is present. There is no real way to prevent strep throat. Children should wash their hands fre-quently and avoid putting their fingers

in their mouths. Along with antibiotic treatment, ibuprofen, gargling, a soft diet, and cool drinks may help with some of the pain associated with strep throat.

On a sad note, I am leaving Parker. Parker is an awesome school and I have enjoyed my 14 years as your school nurse, but I am leaving for professional reasons. I am returning to Methodist Hospital. My last day will be Wednes-day, Nov. 6. Thank you for all of your support over the years!

I will miss you all!Angela Smith R.N.

Parker Band Performs at Butler StadiumThe Parker Advanced Band

performed at Butler Stadium on October 25, 2013, at the invitation of the Westbury High School Band. Bands from Welch MS and Fondren MS were also invited to perform. The performance was at half time during the WHS football game. Parker band students, wearing Band Night t-shirts given to them by WHS, reprised their pieces from FunFest (on October 19) and also performed several songs with the WHS Band. Our students performed from the stands. Performing in the open air is so different from a closed space. The music soared into the sky to

Flautist Kailynne Prawl and percussionist Lawrence Turner in WHS Band Night shirts.

Parker Band students interspersed with Westbury High School Band students on WHS Band Night.

glorious heights!Said Mr. Campbell, “We (Parker

musicians) watched the performance from the field to give them a view of how a performance looks from standing on the field. We wanted to give them the total experience of a marching band in the stands and on the field. It was a great night for all schools that attended.”

Thank you, students, for sharing your music with the Wesbury com-munity. You make us Parker Proud. Special thanks to your band instruc-tors, Lloyd Hughes, Kristell Nelson, and Al Campbell.

Dynamite performance all!

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Discover a Reading Oasis at the Parker Book Fair

Open daily November 4 – 8, 20138 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Join us and the Book Fair-oh on a journey toAncient Egypt where you will discover an oasis flowing with music, books, food, and friends!

The Parker Book Fair gives families a chance to buy quality books at affordable prices and helps support our school library.

You are also invited to visit our School’s Book Fair Homepage at: http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/parkerelementary

Grandparent Visits at the Book Fair!Students, invite your grandparents to join you

on your class tour of the Book Fair.

Family Night atthe Book Fair

Thursday, November 7th5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Discover new books at the Book Fair before or after dining! Enjoy

dinner with your friends and family. A delicious meal of lasagna, salad,

garlic bread, a drink and dessert will be served from 5-7 p.m.

Dinner tickets are $6 in advance, or $10 at the door.

11th AnnualPOPS Concert!

6 p.m. The POPS Concert is performed by

students’ fathers, uncles, older brothers, and Parker music

instructors led by renowned Houston Jazz Sax and

Piano Man, Kelly Dean. The concert is free.

Proceeds from these events to benefit the school.

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PAINLESS FUNDRAISING

P a r k e r E l e m e n t a r y participates in all of these fundraising programs. Please continue to save box tops, bottle caps, UPCs, etc., for Parker. Thank you.

Getting information about the parent happenings and opportunities at Parker Elementary has never been easier! Simply "Friend" us on Face-book by searching for "Parker Pto". Note: "Parker Pto" is case sensitive.

In the Details….There has been some confusion

amongst the PTO members as far as badges go. Even with their PTO badges, PTO Board members need to stop by the office and let Mrs. Gibson know they are here. They must still write their names in the sign in book at the front desk. There must be a record that they were on campus and why. The safety and security of our campus for our children and faculty is important. The process for PTO board members with a 2013-2014 badge should be as follows:

1. Have a current 2013-2014 badge (please do not use outdated badges)

2. Stop by the office and sign in the book

3. Ms. Gibson will sign them in to the computer (but will not print them a temporary badge).

4. Ms. Gibson will take the sign in book twice a month and add all activity to the online system for Volunteers for Public Schools.

As always we appreciate all PARKER PTO does for the school.

Parker Celebrates Hispanic Heritage

MonthAs part of the National Hispanic

Heritage month, the Spanish Club organized a meeting giving a special recognition to the Hispanics talent. Several parents brought different foods from Spanish speaking countries and regions. The event began with a small poem, “Cultivo una Flor” written by a well-known Cuban author, José Martí, recited by Ms. Carlock. It ended with a wonderful interpretation by Mr. Bardin and some of his guitar students. The song is titled - “ La Serpiente”. We would like to thank the teachers for their time and the parents for making this event a success.

Parker celebra el mes de la Herencia

HispanaComo parte de la celebración del

mes nacional de la Herencia Hispana el club de español organizo una reunion en la cual se dio un reconocimiento al talento hispano. Varios de los padres de los estudiantes trajeron comida tipica de varias de las regiones de habla hispana. El evento empezo con un pequeño poema � �Cultivo una Flor� por el escritor José Martí, redactado por Ms. Carlock. La reunion termino con una hermosa interpretación de la cancion �La Serpiente� por algunos de los estudientes de Parker dirijiada por el maestro de guitarra el Sr. Bardin. Quer-emos agradecerles a los maestros por su tiempo y a todos aquellos que asistieron a este evento.

Spanish Club meeting.Mr. Bardin's guitar students perform at Spanish Club meeting.

10626 AtwellPhone no. 713-726-3634

Website address:<http://www.houstonisd.org/parkerelem>

Code of CooperationMake bright decisions

Use good judgmentSpeak with respect

Interact with others positivelyControl your own behavior.

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The Parker Elementary PTO tweetings Twitter! To access, go to “Twitter Search” on your phone or computer, then type “Parker PTO”. A long list of “Parker” results will appear. Find “Parker PTO” and click.

Please Subscribe to Receive the Lion's Tale Electronically!

Don't forget to subscribe to receive the Lion's Tale via e-mail. Please visit <http://www.houstonisd.org/parkerelem> to subscribe to this service. You can also retrieve The Lion's Tale from the website. Please subscribe today and help us cut down on paper use and associated costs. Thank you for your assistance.

MARATHON KIDS!Many Parker students were in attendance to kick off the

Marathon Kids Kickoff Event! These students must’ve prac-ticed all summer because they all beat Ms. Benjamin across the finish line! The students in attendance included:

Synae AdamsEllie AvellanedaLea AvellanedaIvan BarahonaMatthew BarahonaAaron ComenskyParker ComenskyAndrew DonovanGillian DonovanKyle DonovanEli ElleryNaveah EvansJacob Goins Lola GoinsBriana GonzalezJonathan GonzalezSolomon Marlin

Malachy MarshallMark MarshallRomina Orozco-SanchezJasmine OseOsaheni OseKailynne PrawlSeva RamanShane ReedIsabella SalcedoIvana SantiagoYamilet SantiagoDB SpurlockAlyssa ThomasAzaria ThomasMya TurnerFallon Wright

Rest assured that Ms. Benjamin will be practicing hard so that she can beat you all in the spring time. A big thank you goes out to all the students who signed up for this program and the parents who are supporting them. A very special thank you goes out to all who attended and helped make the Marathon Kids Kick-Off such a wonderful event. I can�t wait to compete with you during PE class!

Ms. Benjamin

LIBRARY LIONSAt Parker Elementary, we are so lucky to have Susan

Schafer as our librarian. Many schools in HISD have elimi-nated the librarian position due to budget cuts. At Parker, we know how very important our librarian is and how much our children love Ms. Schafer. Our students are very sad if they are sick and have to miss school on their library day. Ms. Schafer makes learning to read and reading fun!

To honor Ms. Schafer, the theme for this years’ fall Funfest was Page Masters and the t-shirt for this event had different images of Ms. Schafer dressed as Ms. Boring, Officer Page, Chef Shafois, Shabraham Lincoln, Yo Shaf, Buzzzz Shafer, Elvis Shafer, and the Great Shaferini. All of these “relatives” and more have come to enhance the library experience for our students over time.

In October, Parker students learned the Alexandria cata-log system for locating books in our library. This was new for second graders and a refresher for 3rd - 5th graders. Our kindergartners learned how to remove and replace books in the easy section of the library according to the alphabet.

Continuing with the study of literary genres, students in all grades learned about mystery books with Sherlock Shafer. Our students also had a fun lesson about alphabet books and alliteration.

If you have time to help re-shelve books, please stop by the library and offer to help. For more information about the library, contact Ellen Tagtmeier at etagtmeier@comcast.net. Ellen Tagtmeier, Library Chair

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CARPOOL LINE AND LUNCHTIME PARENT ASSIST PROGRAMNovember 2013 Schedule

Cafeteria Volunteer Class

November Lunch Times

Carpool Volunteer Class

November Carpool Dates

Mrs. Kolb 12:25 - 12:50 p.m. Ms. Carter 11/4 - 11/8/2013Mrs. Holloway 12:10 - 12:40 p.m. Ms. McIlveen 11/11 - 11/15/2013Ms. Macomber 11:35 - 12:05 p.m. Mrs. Bascom 11/18 - 11/22/2013Ms. Hoyt 11:15 – 11:45 a.m. Ms. Campbell 11/25 - 11/26/2013Ms. Grosso 10:50 - 11:20 a.m. Mrs. Richardson 10:30 - 11:00 a.m.

General Guidelines for Parent Volunteers:Car Pool Line Assistance

Car Pool Drop off is from 7:20 to 7:45 a.m. We are requesting at least one parent (more is helpful) at each of the 3 drop off gates. We have two gates on Stillbrooke and one on Willowbend that need coverage. We request that you encourage cars to move up to the gates for drop off and assist children in getting out of their vehicles. There will be a Parker faculty member at each gate to monitor entrance and exits. Our safety patrol students are also stationed to assist arriving students; they may need your encouragement to know how to help. Faculty members will be responsible for closing the gate at 7:45.

Faculty and safety patrol need to be in their classrooms at 7:45. Any student arrivals after 7:45 should be directed to the front school entrance on Atwell.

General GuidelinesDrop-offs should be as close to the

gate as possible to encourage a “moving car pool lane”. At the Stillbrooke gates, If you see older children getting out of their cars early, ask them to wait until they are at the gate next time.

At the Willowbend gates, the older students who generally need less assis-tance can be encouraged to get out of the vehicles sooner.

Open as many doors as possible

to encourage everyone to wait their turn and avoid backups into the intersections and crosswalks.

Also watch for cars standing in the drop off areas. Should you see any cars stopped by the yellow lines, kindly remind them that these are moving car pool lanes and there is no parking by the yellow lines during morning drops and afternoon pickups.

Assist children out of vehicles particularly those with instruments and heavy baggage.

Reminder: Student arrivals after 7:45 should be directed to the front school entrance on Atwell.

Lunchtime AssistanceIn an effort to assist during lunch

times we are requesting 2 parents from each homeroom volunteer to assist ac-cording to the schedule above. Parent volunteers are welcome to assist once a week or the entire month on their assigned dates. We appreciate all the helping hands that are available.

General GuidelinesEnforce the rule that children walk

and not run to and from their seats.Smaller children may need assis-

tance in opening containers.Carrying some condiments, extra

utensils and napkins is helpful to assist children who forget something or have an accident.

Children should remain seated until the faculty aides tell their table to clean up their area and throw away trash.

No yelling and screaming is per-mitted. Children are encouraged to speak softly.

Children should be respectful of each other and not touch things that do not belong to them.

Discipline matters and requests to

go to the bathroom should be deferred to the Parker faculty aides. Parents are not requested to take names or give conduct cuts. Parents should not allow students to leave the cafeteria without permission from an aide.

Mary FrancisSafety Patrol Chair

WE OURVOLUNTEERS!

FUNFEST 2013In spite of torrential rains the night

before and the possibility of flooded playground, Parker’s FunFest on Oc-tober 19th was a great success. Set for 2-6 PM, much of the water had drained from the field and the game booths were set up without problems. The weather was cool to perfect with a bright sun above.

The theme was “Page Masters”, inspired by Parker’s Librarian, Susan Shafer and her “relatives”. (She likes to play dress up to make lessons more memorable, while convincing students that Ms. Shafer isn’t in school today, so her “cousin” came in her place.) There was the Johnny Appleseed Apple Bas-ket Toss game (sponsored by Walmart), Miss Spider’s Blossom Toss, the Cat in the Hat game, Eric Carle Wiffle Ball, the Captain Underpants game, the Harry Potter Dragon Moon Walk, Hogwarts Castle Moon Walk, and more. There was a Pinkalicious Glam Tent for hav-ing one’s nails done, creating a crown, or painting one’s hair, along with 200 pink iced donuts with sprinkles (thanks to Shipley’s on Bissonnet). There was a Petting Zoo, Sumo Wrestling, and a Rock Wall to climb. There was a train ride and a wagon ride around the block (thanks to Los Vaquero’s Trail Riders). There was a dunk tank where favorite teachers took a seat while students paid for the chance to hit a target and dunk them.

Food was abundant and yummy. From turkey legs to tamales to Honey’s Snowballs to funnel cakes, there was something delicious for every palette.

The event started with a perfor-mance by the Parker Advanced Band followed by the Parker Jazz Band. Both of the bands played beautifully, setting a carnival mood. 104 KRBE’s “beast” truck supplied the music once the Parker bands retired.

Families from all over West-bury came for the fun, not just Parker families. There were smiles all around.

FunFest at Parker was a great day of fun and is always a nice addition to the fall calendar.

Barbara Haverkamp

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FUNFEST PHOTOS!

Clockwise from upper left: Ms Floyd (violin teacher) perched over dunk tank; children rock climbing; Pinkalicious hair boy-style; Officer Page with Riley Magray and Ellis Haverkamp; Michael Brooks with snowcone; inimitable Ms. Shafer in dunk tank.

PTO MEMBERSHIP UPDATE & MOREThe Winners

STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS

The newly elected 2013-14 Stu-dent Council members are:

President - Lawrence TurnerVice-President - Jennivie BuiSecretary - Seva RamanTreasurer - Andrew DonovanCongratulations to all of them.

Student Council Food Drive

Thanksgiving is upon us and you know what that means, it’s time for Student Council’s annual Food Drive! Please donate non-perishable food items such as canned tuna, canned chicken, peanut butter, canned vegetables, canned soups, pasta, macaroni, and dry beans to help families who are in need. Send the canned goods to your child’s homeroom teacher where they will be collected at the end of each week. The food drive will begin on November 4st and last through November 15th. Thank you for your participation.

Congratulations to the following Homeroom Classes for having the high-est participation in our PTO Member-ship Drive this year. Each class has been awarded a Popsicle Party.

Our homeroom class winners are:

Ms. Campbell - 3rd gradeMs. Cummings - KindergartenMs. Kelly - 1st gradeMs. Grosso - 1st grade Meanwhile, back at the num-

bers…Thank you Parker Parents who

have already joined the Parker PTO for your generous membership donations this year.

The 2013-2014 Membership Goal is $10,000. As of November 2013, we have raised $5,395.00. While we have not met our goal yet, it is early in the year. We have approximately 400 fami-lies at Parker Elementary. To date, 165

families are joined the PTO. This comes to about 41% participation.

If you have not yet become a Parker PTO Member, please visit our website at http://www.houstonisd.org/parkerelem. Go to the PTO/Membership dropdown and print out a membership form. Your completed form can be sent to class with your child or drop it off at the front office.

Families that donate $50.00 or more receive a Parker Yard Sign and School Directory. School Directories will be distributed in early November. They can also be purchased individually for $10 each. Those families who wish to purchase a School Directory should sub-mit the Directory Order Form that went out in Tuesday’s (10-23-13) folder.

Though the competition for the highest participation rate is over, mem-bership dues are still needed to help the PTO help Parker. Please join today.

Volunteers Needed

We are in need of volunteers throughout the school year for various events. Contact Mary Francis for vol-unteer opportunities and/or your child’s homeroom parent. Any assistance you

can provide goes a long way in keep-ing Parker Elementary a great HISD school.

Mary FrancisMembership & VIPS Chair

Pre-FunFest HappeningsAdministrators and staff don storybook

character costumes from Snow White and visit Ms. Grosso's class.

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Music Quote"Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.” - Jimi Hendrix

Source: www.brainyquote.com

Courtesy Robin Gibson

The PARKER LION’S TALE is pub-lished each month by the Parker PTO. The deadline to submit articles for the December 2013 issue will be November 19, 2013. Please drop your news in the PTO file box or e-mail me at lionstale7@yahoo.com. Contact me at 713-729-3505 to let me know where to find your article. Barbara Haverkamp, Editor & Layout

Westbury Park Grand Opening

CelebrationNovember 9th 11

AM-2PMThe park renovations are complete. Come for the ribbon cutting. Perfor-mances by bands from

Parker, JMS andWestbury HS.

Food, games, face paint-ing, soccer demos and

more!

Items on the calendar are accurate as of press time. For questions regarding possible cancellations and new times,

please call the main office at 713-726-3634.

PARKER CALENDARNovember1 PTO Meeting – 8:15 AM2 Magnet Kick off Northwest Mall – 10 AM-1 PM4 Tempo Session I - 10:45 AM4-8 Magnet Awareness Week Bookfair Week – Open daily 8 AM to 4 PM4 Magnet Tours – 9 AM and 1 PM5 Magnet Tour – 1 PM and 6:30 PM ELECTION DAY. Please vote.6 Magnet Tours - 9 AM & 1 PM7 Magnet Tour - 1 PM Family Night/Pops Concert – 5:30-8 PM8 Magnet Tour - 1 PM and Magnet School of Texas Conference Tour9 Band plays for park dedication - 11 AM11 Tempo Session I - 10:45 AM12 Picture Retakes13 Attendance Jam14 All-City Orchestra Auditions at Longfellow19 NNAT Testing - K-5th grade20 Early Dismissal – 12:30 PM22 Adv. Chorus Performance 7 AM – City of Houston event Americans Table Celebration27-29 Thanksgiving HolidayDecember2 PTO Free Dress Day fundraiser 4th Grade Spelling Bee - 8:15 AM3 3rd Grade Spelling Bee - 8:15 AM 4th Grade Piano Recital – 3 PM4 Performing Strings to Exxon Mobile 5th Grade Piano Recital - 3 PM5 5th Grade Spelling Bee - 8:15 AM 3rd Grade Piano Recital - 3 PM SDMC Meeting – 3:30 PM6 PTO Meeting - 8:15 AM 2nd Grade Piano Recital - 3 PM10 Int. & Adv. Guitar and Int. & Performing Strings Concert - 2 PM - for grades 4th and 5th

Int. & Adv. Guitar and Int. & Performing Strings Concert and 6:30 PM – for families and friends12 Chorus Concert Concert - 2 PM – for grades 2nd and 3rd Chorus Concert Concert - 6:30 PM – for families and friends 13 Adv. Chorus performs at Fine Arts Friday at the Administration building - 12:15 PM17 1st Grade Piano Recital - 12:45 PM Advanced Band, Rhythem Band and Pre Band Concert - 2 PM – for grades PreK, K and 1st Beginning Band & Advanced Band Concert - 6:30 PM – for families and friends18 1st Grade Piano Recital - 12:45 PM 2nd & 3rd Grade Guitar Recital - 3 PM19 Kinder Holiday Party Advanced Chorus to Houston City Club 4th Grade Water wise Presentation20 School Wide Pajama Day/ Class Parties - 2:15 PM20 MAGNET APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR ALL 5TH GRADERS TO MIDDLE SCHOOL AND PRE-K TO

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS23-1/3 Winter Holiday BreakJanuary 20146 Teacher Prep Day7 Students Return9 SDMC Meeting – 3:30

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