Letter from our Principal, Mrs. Flores-Brothers

Dear Parents,

Wow, we are two weeks from our Winter Break! Where has the time gone? We are moving so fast, I can hardly keep up!

Yesterday, I was present for the culminating Spanish class celebration. Veronica Hernandez, director of Futura Language Professionals was thanking the parents for their support in their child’s Spanish endeavor. She made such a good point, I walked away feeling that bringing in Spanish classes had been the right thing for our children. You and I both know that our children will one day be leaders in our community and world. I truly believe that with all my heart. The best thing we can do is to provide opportunities that will give them that edge in the ever competitive world we live in. By learning Spanish now, when it comes easier, they will not have the pressures of learning it in middle and high school when there is so much going on in their lives to give Spanish the dedication it takes to become fluent. In today’s job market, bilingual folks have the edge in more and more trades and careers. What a long term gift you are giving your child by supporting the acquisition of another language, Spanish in particular. I encourage you to continue to enroll your children in these leveled classes to keep the momentum going. If you have not thought about it, please give it some thought. Feel free to call me or Veronica at 210-240-2071 if you have additional questions.

My goal has always been to define what motivates a student to want more knowledge. How do we provide what a student needs, at whatever level they are performing, and keep that motivation alive while protecting and raising their self-esteem especially when it is a challenge for them? It is not so easy. If there was a simple solution, I would have bottled the answer and be retired by now! We are fortunate at Elm Grove Elementary where a large percentage of our children are intrinsically motivated to learn so it makes our job a lot easier. There is still a small percentage of students that need a reason to put forth an effort. They can’t see the end result or how each step leads to another that leads to another that leads to future success in life. In this effort to motivate students, we have added afterschool opportunities. In addition, we continue to try to match mentors with professionals with a child’s future career interest. This gives them a peek into the world that might be theirs one day. Please help us keep that motivation going. If there is something you would like to offer as in a day to share your expertise or to lead an afternoon club, I would be happy to sit and discuss the possibilities with you.

By the way, the Thanksgiving dinner cooked in my kitchen wasn’t so bad after all. Thanks for all the “extra” treats we received. They were delicious and gone during the first round!

Sincerely,

Irma Flores-Brothers, Principal

Letter from our Assistant Principal, Mrs. Kathy Faulks

Dear Parents,

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and was able to spend some time with family and friends. It is nice to see everyone back safe and sound. The smiles and the hugs were greatly missed!

I wanted to thank all of you who participated in our First Annual Read-A-Thon. It was a huge success! All students spent the majority of the Read-A-Thon day engaged in reading activities such as reading with learning buddies, listening to stories and enjoying silent reading time during the “Read In” portion of the day. All in all I think the students had a great time. I know they outdid themselves in raising money for our school!

As the season of giving is upon us, I wanted to mention another project that is in the works. As you probably know, children benefit daily due to organizations such as the Ronald McDonald Houses. These provide a “home away from home” for children and families who have to spend extended times in the hospital. One simple way to help this organization is to collect pop tabs off of cans such as soda cans. The tabs are collected and given to the Ronald McDonald housing centers. They are then taken to local recycling centers where the tabs are weighed. The recycling center then sends a donation directly to Ronald McDonald houses. (1 pound of tabs is worth 57 cents)  What an easy way to give back! We would like to do our part to help make a difference, so start collecting those tabs!! Details on when and where to turn those in will be coming!

I have just one last thing to mention. We will be looking for parents (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc..) who are interested in giving a little time to listen to children read. While our teachers do an excellent job making time for individual students each day, they could always use more. This is still in the planning stages and will not begin until January. If you think you might be interested or if you just want more information, please email me and let me know.

Thanks so much for your support!

Kathy Faulks, Assistant Principal

Last updated December 5, 2008