Red, White and Back the Blue

On most days at Rummel Creek you wouldn't want to see a Police squad car on the campus, however, on Friday October 30th, the students were thrilled to see the officers drive up.  Friday, the students were celebrating law enforcement officers.  Friday was our Spirit Rally for Red Ribbon Week, we just jazzed it up to Red, White and Back the Blue!

Sometime in September, the students began to prepare.  They wrote songs, poems, letters, and more to honor the officers.  A student lead team planned the event, created the invitation and followed through to make sure everything was in place.  A fifth grade Girl Scout troop even made special cookies to give to the officers.

The Stratford Band and Cheerleaders joined in the celebration and an RCE Boy Scout troop presented the flags.  Students shared their songs through video, the choir sang, the Rockin' Roadrunners performed and one student shared both music and writing.  It was a great celebration.

After the hour long Spirit Rally, the officers were treated to a reception sponsored by Chic-fil-a and Starbucks.  It was a great day for all.

Enjoy the photos and links below:

Song Writers

Song Writers

Song Writers

Song Writers

Song Writers

Student Lead Team

Student Leaders - Ross Stewart and Ethan Manry

Student photographers and videographers

Musician and Writer

Even some of our own are officers, Noah Godin was a Roadrunner - class of 2000, and Mr. Bacon.

Below are links to several videos and webpages....Enjoy!
Animoto of the day's events
Article from the Memorial Examiner
Video of the students performing their songs
Video in honor of the police and law enforcement officers
Slideshow of the words to the songs

Rummel Creek Roadrunners, you did a great thing on Friday, October 30th.  Thank you for supporting and honoring law enforcement officers!

Students and Technology (Social Media)

Last week the district brought in speakers to share about students and social media.  You really don't think about elementary students and social media - however after participating in the session last week and watching the CNN special last night, elementary parents need to be aware of social media and their children.

Technology is great - there are so many things that technology improves in our lives, but with that - have we become an addictive society?  Last night on CNN, several of the 13 year old students claimed to check their phones/social media 100 times a day.  One young lady said that in the middle of class she would check to see what was being said about her on social media.

The "normal" things of growing up - taunting, gossiping, spreading rumors - are all still with us...they are just now broadcast through the internet to thousands.  And ...the new piece with technology - they can't be thrown away and could resurface at any time.

This is not to scare you.  As the speakers shared a book "Should I smash my child's phone?"  It's not about removing all devices from your children, it's about opening a dialogue with your child -  talking about what is appropriate in your household, and how to use technology effectively.  Having an open conversation in elementary school can help when your child goes off to middle school - you have set your family's guidelines.  Are you setting a good example to your children with your own technology usage?

The CNN special last night was a great companion piece to the district presentation.  We're all in this together.

Some photos just to make you think....

Are you living and enjoying life...or being a spectator through your phone?

Gen Tex Week at RCE

Next week we celebrate Gen Tex Week at Rummel Creek.  It is a fun week of activities emphasizing careers and post-secondary education.

During the week, we encourage adults to share their post secondary education experiences with children.  You may have attended and / or graduated from a college or university, a junior college, a trade/ technical school or a specialized school such as the Police Academy.  You may also have had special seminars or on the job training since you have started your career.  Please take time to share with your children your memories and experiences of your education and training following high school.  At the same time share with them your hopes for their future education and careers.

Please join us in emphasizing the importance of post high school education by talking to your children about attending colleges and specialized schools.  To support our Gen Tex emphasis at RCE, please participate in the activities we have planned at RCE.

Monday - October 5th - "Our future is so bright we have to wear shades"  Wear sunglasses as a reminder of setting goals and focusing on achieving those goals.

Tuesday - October 6th - "Futuristic Tuesday" - Dress as your future chosen profession.

Wednesday - October 7th - "College Rocks" - Wear a college shirt, jersey and talk with your teacher about their college experiences.

Thursday - October 8th - "Dress for Success" - Wear your best business attire.

Friday - October 9th - "Hats off to College" - Wear a funny hat, visor, college hat etc and discuss different college choices.

What college does your child want to attend right now?  What profession are they thinking about right now?

Student Council

So proud of the work that our Student Council does.  Today they sorted and boxed up all of the food we collected for the WAIS food pantry.  Fourth grade student council also helped in picking up around the school.  It is nice to see students working hard to benefit others.

The library was a busy busy place today as students sorted and boxed!  So much food!

Someone even sent prepackaged "Backpack Blessings."  The students at WAIS will be blessed!

It took teamwork to make this job short and sweet.  In less than 20 minutes the food was sorted and boxed.  Way to go Student Council!

Thank you Student Council for making a difference!

Love it when we make the media!

It's so nice to open the Houston Chronicle and see two articles about Rummel Creek on the front page of the neighborhood news.
One is about our new construction - yeah.....we're almost there....January here we come!
The second one is about a former student, Sydney Hemphill.  I love seeing information about former Roadrunners and all they have accomplished.   I looked at the photo of Sydney and she still has the award wining smile she had when she was a student at RCE.  As I read the article, I am so proud to see the strong amazing young lady she has become.  Congratulations Sydney on your accomplishments.

We have had some amazing students come through our doors. Please update us on the accomplishments of your children, grandchildren or any former students from RCE.  It's nice to see what becomes of former RCE students and where their paths have gone.

So many things....so little time

Rummel Creek is a busy place.  So many things are filling up the calendar....we're looking at October already!

October 30th is our Red, White and Back the Blue spirit rally.  Students are busy writing songs, creating videos and putting things together for this celebration for law enforcement.

Last week of October is Book Fair.  Again this year we will travel over to the Barnes and Noble book store in Town and Country.  Teachers will have wish lists, the Fiddlers and the Choir will sing, and student art will be displayed.  It will be a fun week of activities.

Read Across the Globe will happen at RCE this year.  Reading is one of our big goals this year. Are your primary students participating in the Primary Reading Motivation Program?  Turn in your child's reading logs each week.  Intermediate students are participating in the Bluebonnet Award Program.  Everyone at RCE is reading!

We love to share success stories about our RCE students.  Last year, Parker Samuelson, a fifth grade student decided to respond to a writer's prompt from Scholastic News.  How exciting it was for the students to open up this month's edition and find Parker's picture and his response to the question.  Way to go Parker!  Memorial Middle School you have a PUBLISHED AUTHOR!

Student Council is still collecting food for the WAIS Food Pantry.  Send your canned goods, dry goods or paper goods to the RCE Library, Office or Cafeteria.  Thank you for your support!

WAIS Food Drive

Last year, the fourth grade student council decided to do a food drive for WAIS as they begin their food pantry.  Unfortunately, the year came to a close before we were able to complete it.  The students came back together this week and have put the food drive together.  We are collecting canned food, pastas and more for the WAIS Food Pantry.

The student entitled this Food Drive as Return the Favor to WAIS.  WAIS has been our host school for the past months as we wait for our new school to be built.  They have loaned us their cafeteria, gym, and even the theater for all kinds of activities.  This food drive is to thank them for sharing with us.

WAIS has many students who are in need.  This food drive will make a big difference in the lives of those students.  If every child at RCE brings ONE item to donate, we'll start their Food Pantry off with a bang.  If every child at RCE brings TWO items, I think they will be looking for more space.  If every child at RCE brings THREE items, their pantry will be able to provide for all of their needs for a little while.

Thank you RCE families for sharing with our host campus.

PTA Reflections

It's that time of year when the students begin to show their creativity for the PTA Reflections Contest....

What is Reflections? It is a PTA sponsored art contest which all grade levels at RCE can compete in any of six media categories--literature, visual arts, musical composition, film production, photography, and dance choreography. What is the contest? The contest is about the child's interpretation of the national PTA selected theme, "Let Your Imagination Fly."

Eligibility The student or at least one person from their primary household must be a current member of the Local PTA where the student is participating.

Create an original artwork(s) that captures the theme in any or all six Artistic Categories: Literature, Film Production, Dance Choreography, Photography, Musical Composition, and Visual Arts

Age categories Prek-2nd, 3rd-5th and Special Artist

Complete Student Entry Form with each entry.  The form and all guidelines are found on the Reflections website at http://www.txpta.org/programs/reflections/participate or on the RCE PTA website.

Submit Entries with a signed student entry form by 3:00 p.m., Friday, October 16th. Envelopes marked “Reflections” should be delivered to the library.

All artwork will be displayed in the new RCE library! Participants will be treated to a fun party at contest completion. Winning entries will have the opportunity to advance to local, district, state and national PTA competition!  Please contact Diane Chong, dimunizchong@gmail.com with any additional questions.  Good luck!

Start working on your entry today!

School is in Session!

The second week at school and already so much has happened.  It seems like summer was months away!

Thursday was Third Grade Dictionary Day.  Every Third Grader at RCE received their very own dictionary.  Board Members - Katherine Dawson and Chris Gonzalez presented the dictionaries to the students.  It was a wonderful day at RCE!  Watch the Animoto!

Students at RCE have started checking out books from the library.  Next week the Primary Reading Motivation Program begins.  Students in grades PreK - 2nd will take home the Reading Logs on Tuesday to begin writing down the books they read through October 31st.  Reading and Literacy are two big goals we have at RCE!  We want students to READ!

PTA Coffee and Meeting this morning at school....as the parents came down the halls to the cafeteria we greeted lots of old faces but also lots of new faces.  This year will be a wonderful year at the Creek!

Enjoy the LONG weekend ....

Technology at RCE

Rummel Creek is a BYOD school.  Many students do bring devices to school daily.  In our Library Learning Commons orientation we are talking about the guidelines for use at RCE. In preparation for the lessons, I found a good article for parents to share with their children from Common Sense Media about guidelines with technology....check out the link for the article.  Common Sense Media has some great resources for parents and for students.  The reviews on books, software, and more are very good and provide the information you need and they are up to date.  We want to provide a technology rich environment for our students, but we want to do it in a way that is best for learning and best for children.

As we begin the year in the Library Learning Commons, students are learning about the on-line resources, e-books and more.  Feel free to drop by the Library and learn about the resources available to you as a parent.  We have access to more than 1500 e-books on the Rummel Creek campus.  These books are available to you 24/7.  Students have been given handouts with passwords to all of the resources available to them.  If you need any assistance, please drop by the Library.   We want to make sure everyone knows how to utilize the resources available.

Great first week of school!

First Week of School 2015

Today is mid point in the first week of school.  Over all, it has been a GREAT week.  Lots of happy faces with new faces mixed in.  Within this first week of school we have had record high temps, our first big rain storm, and a cool front today.  We have had a fire drill (we made it out in 7 minutes!), practiced walking in the hallway and learned all kinds of rules.  We have had art and music classes, homework and checked out library books.  In many ways, it seems like we're in the middle of the year.  But ask any Roadrunner what happens in December and they know the answer - we move into our new building.

Yes the countdown is here.  August is nearly over...only September, October, November and then it's December and MOVE IN DAY!

We've loved the time at the transition campus.  It's been interesting.  However - we can't wait until we are in our new building.

Enjoy the photos below from the first day of school and then some photos taken at the new campus this week as well.  You'll see we're getting closer every day to having our new building!

And now a look at the new building....

Back to School 2015 - 16

Next week the students will return to Rummel Creek Elementary at the Transition Campus on the WAIS parking lot.  The teachers have been busy getting the classrooms ready, learning about new curriculum, and having RCE Staff Meetings.  The teachers are so excited about starting the new year.  This is the beginning of the countdown to the new building.  Every day we closer and closer to moving day.

Meet the teacher turned out a little wet...but that didn't keep the Roadrunners from coming.  We had a great group of parents and students coming to meet their teacher.  We've added lots of new families to our Rummel Creek family....we're over 700 strong this year!

Here are some photos for Meet the Teacher:

Looking forward to Monday!  It's going to be a great year!