We are Backing the Future!

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1 November 2014 Volume 5, Issue 1 Special Interest Articles: Welcome Back Staff Appreciation Tuscany Heights Growlin Good News Tuscany Heights Elementary Wilderness Oak (210) San Antonio, TX Grandparents Day Meet The Teacher Tiger Book Club Tiger Spirit Day THE PTA Presents... Yahoo/Boohoo WatchD.O.G.S. Partner in Education (Sister School) Covey Leadership THE PTA Presents... Author Visit Nathan Hale PTA Sept General Mtg / Leadership Night Pep Rally PTA Oct General Mtg / Wellness Night PTA Inspirational Contest THE PTA Presents... Cody Fisher the Magician Box Tops Contest Greenbacks PTA Membership Volunteers Directory Art Contest Run For The Heights We are Backing the Future! Perhaps you ve seen us use Back the Future as we talked about our PTA membership drive this year. It s the new slogan for the Texas PTA, and I think it is appropriate as we look at what we do as community members. We ARE backing the future. The education of our children is not limited to just parents and teachers, but is the result of our entire community working together for the future of our children. What a way to synergize as we all join together to Back the Future! We began the year with the end in mind and are quickly noticing leaders popping up at Tuscany Heights! In the first nine weeks we ve seen students and their families step up and lead our campus as we all reach for new heights together. We asked you to help us Light the Way to Leadership and you helped us recognize new levels of giving as we surpassed this year s goals during our Greenbacks campaign. Your donations and involvement are backing the future of Tuscany Heights by helping provide PTA sponsored events and programs such as Bike Rodeo, Red Ribbon Week, author visits, and Field Day, just to start the year! Together we are growing healthy and happy Tigers. We ve got a great year planned for all of our students and I hope that you will find a way to connect with the campus and the community of Tuscany Heights. WatchD.O.G.S. are recruiting new members to be Heroes of the Hallways. It s not too late to sign up! With so many great things planned we can t help but be excited to begin a new year! We want every volunteer to feel like they are an important part of our PTA. We hope that you will join our team in volunteering at home or on campus and see all of our Tigers lead, honor, and excel. Please feel free to contact me to help you get connected with the Tuscany Heights Elementary PTA and be a part of backing the future. Alana Harris T.H.E. PTA President tuscanyheightspta.org

2 Growlin Good News Page 2 of 15 THE PTA Celebrates THE Staff "A teacher takes a hand, Teaches a mind, And touches a heart." To help get this year off to a banner start, THE PTA Staff Appreciation Committee hosted a back to school breakfast, in which all of the staff took part. They were celebrated on their very last summer Friday as we wished them good luck, well wishes and said many thanks before they finished their long work day! Markers, pencils, sharpies, and highlighters were given as our small token of appreciation to display in a cute way on how they have made a "MARK" on our student's lives that will always stay. In the month of September, we celebrated the September birthdays and we got a little "CHEESY"' as we had a "NACHO" average luncheon to honor our ABOVE average teachers! Freebirds helped out quite a bit, and this new lunch idea seemed to be quite the hit! If you are a room rep or just curious and want to learn more about your child's teacher, please visit click on helpful links then click Faculty Favorites. Do you want to get to know the teachers at Tuscany Heights? We have such a wonderful and FUN group of teachers at our school. Over the years I have had the opportunity to get to know them on a personal basis, only because I volunteered with this committee! This is why I chose to be the chair of this committee this year... Because of our teachers! I love them and I would love it if you would take the time out only once a month for maybe 3 hours to serve the teachers, get to know them, and say thank you! It really is a lot of fun! Our next luncheon is Wednesday, October 28th. We plan on serving them sandwitches and put them under a "SUGARY SPELL" by our candy buffet. Please sign up if you are willing to help out. That would be "WICKEDLY" awesome! If you see a Tuscany Heights staff member while walking down the hall, or in the lunchroom or even at the pick-up line... Don't forget to tell them "THANK YOU!" It's feels great to know you are truly appreciated. We have many volunteer opportunities coming up before Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks, including our Staff Gift Wrapping in December. If you are interested in helping or would like more information on Staff Appreciation, please contact staffappreciation@tuscanyheightspta.org. On Friday, September 5th Tuscany Heights welcomed hundreds of grandparents for our 5th annual Grandparents Day. T.H.E. PTA hosted coffee in the library and then the Grandparents joined their students in their classroom for crafts, stories, creative writing, games, and lots of fun!! This is always such a fun event and it is great to see all the smiling faces. We are so proud to have so many family members supporting our Tuscany Tigers!!!

3 Growlin Good News Page 3 of 15 Meet the Teacher Nights Welcome Back Tuscany Heights! Prior to opening the doors for another exciting school year, THE Tigers received a welcoming video message from their new teacher. What a great way to see their new teacher before stepping foot in the classroom. Meet the Teacher Nights were held August 19th and 21st. Both nights were successful in giving students an opportunity to meet their teacher, drop off school supplies, and meet fellow classmates in preparation for the new school year. There were opportunities from THE PTA & staff to purchase new spirit wear and agendas and pick up their car rider tags. Tusky was there adding excitement & high fives for all Tigers. Parents were able to learn about the various volunteer opportunities, upcoming events and also receive an overview of their child s upcoming school year and grade level orientation. Students were also able to get information on Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts. It was a great kick-off to the school year! TIGER BOOK CLUB is a great way to share your child's birthday, teacher appreciation or birthday, and other special occasions at Tuscany Heights. Donation forms will go home around your child's birthday to purchase a book for the library. You may include a picture and special message that will be placed in the front cover of the book. Your child will be the first to check out the book and once returned it can be shared with all Tuscany Tiger Readers!!!

4 Growlin Good News Page 4 of 15 Don't forget EVERY FRIDAY is Tiger Spirit Day for all staff, students and volunteers!!! Show your tiger pride with our great spirit items for this school year. There are grade level contests for the most classroom participation. If you haven't yet purchased your spirit items, you may do so on the PTA website or contact our Spirit spirititems@tuscanyheightspta.org GO TIGERS!!!!!! The PTA Presents... YAHOO/BOOHOO T.H.E. PTA hosted a social gathering the first morning of school for the new Kindergarten parents. The PTA Hospitality Committee along with other PTA officers and staff welcomed our new Kinder Tiger parents. They were encouraged to meet other parents and discuss the excitement for what is to come as well as sadness that their little one is really growing up. Mrs. Bailey presented a nice poem called "Thoughts at the Bottom of the Beanstalk" which was a cute perspective for helping parents practice saying goodbye and cheering on their little ones.

5 Growlin Good News Page 5 of 15 Say Hello to the Team Tuscany D.O.G.S. "Dads Of Great Students" Join the WatchD.O.G.S. and become the "Hero of the Hallway" one day a year at school. You will help with drop-off / pick-up, visit your child's classroom, have lunch with your child, play at recess, and WATCH the school for safety measures throughout the day. This is a GREAT way for fathers and father-figures to get involved at Tuscany Heights. T.H.E. PTA hosted a WatchD.O.G.S. breakfast for dads to sign up, order tshirts, and find out more about the program. There are many available days this school year for T.H.E. fathers to serve as a WatchD.O.G. If you have not been a WatchD.O.G. yet, now is the time to sign up! If you served as a WatchD.O.G. last year, please consider returning for another day! For more information or to sign up please contact watchdogs@tuscanyheightspta.org Team Tuscany Loves to Donate!! Tuscany Heights was able to donate 2 full mattresses, clothing, household items and a dresser to the Moreno Family at East Terrell Hills. This family recently moved to San Antonio and had nothing at all. We had a former Tuscany Heights Student, Chloe Martin along with her brothers Jaden Martin & Chase Martin who delivered the donated items to the Moreno Family on Sunday. Mrs. Moreno was speechless and could not thank us enough for the generosity that was shown to her & her children! Ours truly, Chase Martin, exhausted himself carrying the mattresse s to the Moreno Family. Thank you Chase for all your hard work! Partner in Education (Sister School) is an alliance between East Terrell Hills Elementary and Tuscany Heights Elementary. T.H.E. assists with volunteering, mentoring and various donation collections throughout the year. Team Tuscany also supported our Sister School with cakes and volunteers for their Fall Festival in October. If you would like more information on supporting our Sister School please contact sisterschool@tuscanyheightspta.org.

6 Growlin Good News Page 6 of 15 Tuscany Heights is Lighting the Way to Leadership! Tuscany Heights Elementary is proactively working towards the honor of obtaining Lighthouse Status. A Lighthouse School integrates the Franklin Covey Model of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People with their students, staff and parents. Our school will sharpen the saw to reinforce leadership and self-worth through hallway and room displays, teaching and modeling the Covey language, events throughout the school year and tracking results to see improvements. Working with teachers and students, parents are encouraged to synergize and model the habits outside of the classroom as well. THE hosted a visit from a Covey Trait expert who toured our campus on Oct. 15th providing further direction and highlighting our progress thus far. Let's be proactive and reach our Lighthouse Status Goal!!

7 Growlin Good News Page 7 of 15 Celebrated Author/Illustrator Nathan Hale Visits Tuscany Library Graphic novelist and Bluebonnet Award nominee, Nathan Hale, visited the Tuscany Heights Library on October 2nd. Mr. Hale is the author/illustrator of the popular Hazardous Tales series which focuses on trying times in American History. Each thoroughly researched graphic novel is written and illustrated in a way that appeals to young readers who might not ordinarily pick up a history book. 3rd-5th grade students sat spellbound as they listened to Mr. Hale tell stories about Napoleon, Lewis and Clark and the Louisiana Purchase. Using an ipad, he drew pictures to enhance his fascinating stories. The entire audience was captivated; in fact, several Tuscany students visited Barnes and Noble with their families on October 3rd to see Mr. Hale present to community members. Nathan Hale signed over 160 books for Tuscany students and teachers. Mrs. Johnson would like to thank the Tuscany community for their continued support of library programs and literacy!

8 Growlin Good News Page 8 of 15 Lighting the Way to Leadership Tuscany Heights 5th Annual GREENBACK Fundraiser A Greenback Donation is a tax deductible contribution to the Tuscany Heights Elementary PTA. 100% of your donation will fund many beneficial and educational PTA programs planned for your children during the school year, including: Field Trips Bike Rodeo Red Ribbon Week Student Enrichment Grandparents Day Arts in Education Field Day Author Visits Staff Appreciation 5 th Grade End of Year Celebration Donations may be made online at tuscanyheightspta.org with a credit card, cash or check payable to Tuscany Heights Elementary PTA. Double your Greenback donation with a donation from your company s Matching Gift Program! Contact your Human Resources Department for a Matching Gift form and program details. Donation Levels $150 Tiger $100 Partner $75 Gold $50 Silver $25 Bronze $10,000 GREENBACK GOAL ACHIEVED!! Exciting news! Tuscany Heights families worked together to "Light the Way to Leadership" by hitting our Greenback goal of $10,000! As a reward, students were able to wear their pajama pants and spirit shirt to school on Friday, October 10 and use their flashlights for a special reading time. Students also voted on a song for Principal Bailey and Assistant Principal Hayden to sing on the stage for the entire school! Thank you to everyone who "Began With the End in Mind" to help the school reach our goal. Thank you for generously supporting your PTA!!

9 Growlin Good News Page 9 of 15 September PTA General Meeting / Leadership Pep Rally We kicked off a new year at Tuscany Heights by getting our Tigers fired up with a Leadership Pep Rally to educate families about the Leader in Me program. Thank you to Cub Scouts Pack 9 for presenting the Colors and Pledge of Allegiance to start the PTA meeting. The cafeteria was decorated with megaphones and sports themed items with game day style posters around the tables ready for fans to cheer. Student leaders passed out pompoms to families as they lined up for a pizza dinner served by PTA volunteers. Our staff synergized with an upbeat song about the Seven Habits. Cheerleaders from Johnson and Reagan High Schools danced and cheered together about the Seven Habits. Leaders from each squad talked to the students about leadership qualities. Spirit items, PTA memberships, and Greenbacks were promoted while Watch D.O.G.S. were recruited. The final score was a great evening of family fun and leadership education. It was definitely a Win-Win! October PTA General Meeting & Family Wellness Night Over 300 people attended the first ever Family Wellness Night at Tuscany Heights on Tuesday, October 7th. To open the PTA General Meeting, Girl Scout Troop 766 presented the Colors & Pledge of Allegiance. During Wellness Night, our Tigers and their families enthusiatically rotated through a variety of fitness classes. Participants learned jump rope techniques by the Jumping Dragons; worked their core with Papillon Pilates; perfored challenging exercise circuits with Pillar CrossFit; and demonstrated chops and kicks with Victory Martial Arts. Many new THE Student Leaders got an extra workout by assisting our fitness instructors during each session. Our new HEB/Oaks Crossing Restaurant and North Central Baptist Hosptial were also present to provide delicious healthy food samples and health related information. Each student who worked their body that night, got a break for their brain with a Homework Pass. In addition, the top classes in each grade that had the most participants and earned extra recess were: Young (K), Borgeson (1st), Silvers (2nd), Anderson (3rd), Luna (4th), and Hesles (5th). Overall, our 5th graders had the most participants for the night and earned the coveted THE Spirit Stick! THE PTA and Campus Wellness Committee, which organized this event, loved seeing our Tuscany families having a fun and healthy time together!

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11 Growlin Good News Page 11 of 15 T.H.E. PTA Inspirational Writing Contests THE PTA holds grade level writing contests before each PTA meeting in support of our children's creativity and writing success. For October, the fourth graders were given the topic "How Can I Be Proactive to Prevent Bullying at Tuscany Heights". We were amazed to see such great talent among our Tigers! Our winning student was Kayla Hunt from Mrs. Cowan's fourth grade class. Great job, Kayla and keep up the FANTASTIC writing! Thank you to The Invitation Chicks for providing both Kayla and Mrs. Cowan a small token of our appreciation for their efforts. In December, our 5th graders will have the chance to showcase their creative writing. Stay tuned for the theme to be announced soon. Come see our winning student writer at the December 2nd PTA meeting! Be a Leader and Don't Bully by Kayla Hunt Bullying is a problem in many elementary schools. Students bully others by spreading rumors or excluding someone from a group on purpose. There are many ways students can be proactive to prevent bullying at T.H.E. The first thing students can do is don t spread rumors. If you see someone do something embarrassing don t share with other people. If you hear something mean don t repeat. A second way to prevent bullying is including everyone. If you see someone sitting out see if they want to join your group. If someone is lonely ask to sit with them. In conclusion, we all need to work together to prevent bullying at T.H.E. We can be proactive in preventing bullying by not spreading rumors and including everyone. Be a leader and don t bully.

12 Growlin Good News Page 12 of 15 T.H.E. PTA PRESENTS... CODY FISHER THE MAGICIAN On September 19th, Tuscany Heights cafeteria was full of magic and fantasy thanks to the great show performed by Cody Fisher. Our kids enjoyed the magician s tricks while also reinforcing some of Covey s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and Core Knowledge. The Character Counts Magic Show teaches children the importance of developing GOOD CHARACTER! Throughout the program the children learned about Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship. These often abstract concepts were explained in a very FUN & MAGICAL way so the children are GUARANTEED to remember them! During the program the children learned the magic word Terrific (T.R.R.F.C.C.) which is an acronym for all the traits of a strong character! The goal of this program was to help the students understand that it is their responsibility to create a caring community in their school. Students also learned that their actions have consequences. This program combined magic, storytelling, puppetry, and audience participation with important educational themes that created memorable messages that will have a lasting and positive impact on our students. This Program Teaches The Following Curriculum: Trustworthiness Being Honest & Reliable Respect Following The Golden Rule & Learning Tolerance Responsibility Perseverance & Self Control Fairness Playing By The Rules & Sharing Caring How To Express Compassion, Gratitude, & Kindness Citizenship Making Your Community Better

13 Growlin Good News Page 13 of 15 JOIN PTA! Are you a proud member of T.H.E. PTA? It's not too late to join! Our current membership is at 334 members. We have already earned the Head Start Award and are well on our way to earn the Early Bird and Golden Apple Awards as well. By joining T.H.E. PTA, you not only support our school, but it allows you to be more involved and informed in matters concerning your child's education and well being. If you would like more info on becoming a member, visit our website or contact Caroline Cain at membership@tuscanyheightspta.org Calling all Volunteers!!! Are you interested in helping out at Tuscany Heights? Our TIGERS need YOU and there is plenty to do!!! volunteers@tuscanyheightspta.org to get started. The Fall collection for Box Tops For Education is complete and we have earned $1,900 for THE PTA!! The grade level classroom winners were: Shelby (K), Borgeson (1st), Davis (2nd), Kramer (3rd), Luna (4th), & Sweeney (5th). These teachers will be part of the snow ball toss as well as their classes earned extra recess. The list of 40 students who earned a spot in the snow ball toss has been sent to the teachers and the snow ball toss date will be on November 4th! Thank you all for another great box top contest! Keep saving for our Box Top Shop coming in February!!!

14 Growlin Good News Page 14 of 15 PTA Directory Art Contest Winners Our Tigers SYNERGIZED to showcase their artistic side in our student directory art contest. Tuscany Heights students submitted nearly 60 drawings with the theme "Watch Tigers Synergize". Our judges selected 9 of these entries to be included in the directory. Our top award for the outside cover was awarded to Emiliano Caceres, in Mrs. Hesles' 5th grade class, displaying Tigers around the world spelling out SYNERGIZE hand in hand. All entries earned a special art spirit stick and the selected winners received a trophy. Winners were announced on the morning announcements on Friday, October 17th. Our tigers did a fabulous job making our directory one special work of art. Congratulations, Tuscany Heights Directory Art Contest Winners! Kinder: Joslyn Johnson, Mrs. Drew 1st Grade: Kai McCullough, Mrs. Hunt 2nd Grade: Addison Cervenka, Mrs. Branch 3rd Grade: Jacy Chapman, Mrs. Herrera 4th Grade: Molly Devine, Mr. Spicer 5th Grade: Avery Neale, Mrs. Blackler Special Ed: Kamyrn Miller, 3rd Grade, Mrs. Ferguson Index: Ellie Waters, 4th Grade, Mrs. Cowan T.H.E. RUN FOR THE HEIGHTS Saturday, February 28, K Run / Walk, Kid's Fun Run & Health Fair Tigers Begin with the End in Mind!!! Join us for the 5th Annual Run for the Heights Do you own a business or work for a company that might be interested in sponsoring this year's event? For Sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jennifer Bissen at (214) or runfortheheights@tuscanyheightspta.org

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