FEBRUARY 2, 2015
CONTACT US
IDEA Walzem
8750 Fourwinds Drive
Windcrest, TX 78239
210-239-4600
www.ideapublicschools.org
_____________________
Evan Yates
Principal, Academy
Khalil Graham
Principal, College Prep
Purvi Gordon
Assistant Principal of Operations
Christina Flores
Assistant Principal of Instruction,
Academy
Sadie Ellner
Assistant Principal of Instruction,
Academy
Rachel Fiddelman
Academic Counselor
IDEA AUTHORS
COMPETITION
Each month, IDEA Public Schools
will be holding an essay writing
contest! The author of the winning
essay from each grade level will
receive a $200 Savings Bond!
February’s essay prompt is:
IDEA #11 says to surprise others
by performing random acts of
kindness.
K-2: Write about a time you were
kind to someone or someone was
kind to you.
6: Write an essay in which you
recollect a moment when you
learned the power of a kind
gesture.
Please encourage your student to
spend time at home responding to this
essay prompt! All essay submissions
will be due in early February!
IMPORTANT
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- There will be no school on Monday,
February 16th and there will be an early
release day on Friday, February 27th.
School will end at 12:00 PM. Wolf
Care will be in session for all students
currently enrolled in the program; our
standard late pick up fees apply.
- As a reminder, Wolf Care payments
will only be collected on Fridays.
- Texas State Law prohibits the use of
cell phones while operating a vehicle.
For the safety of our scholars and
staff, please refrain from using your
cell phone while driving. Drive now,
talk later. Thank you in advance for
sweating the small stuff to ensure that
our team and family members are safe.
Uniform Reminder
Monday – Thursday:
Shirt: Tucked in IDEA embroidered
polo
*Long-sleeved shirts must be all
white
Pants: Dickie’s flat front khakis
*Leggings must be all black
Shoes: All black shoes; black laces;
white socks
Belt: Plain black belt
Friday:
Shirt: Tucked in IDEA spirit shirt or
college shirt
Pants: Jeans (no holes,
studs/designs, jeggings/skinny jeans)
Shoes: All black shoes; black laces;
white socks
Belt: Plain black belt
Upcoming Events
COWBOY BREAKFAST
Thursday, February
26th
(7:00 – 7:45 AM)
We will be hosting an IDEA
Walzem Cowboy Breakfast for
students and their families! Our
CNP staff will prepare a buffet of
eggs, bacon, biscuits and more!
Please RSVP to Purvi.Gordon@idea
publicschools.org by 2/13. Tickets
will cost $3 for students and $5 for
adults.
EXPLORE UT
Saturday, March 7th (11:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
Every year, The University of Texas at
Austin hosts EXPLORE UT, a free,
family-friendly open house, full of
exciting activities for the whole family!
We will be providing transportation to
and from Austin, TX for the first 40
families that sign up! Please visit
https://exploreut.utexas.edu/ for
more information. Please RSVP to
Rachel.Fiddelman@ideapublicschools.
org to reserve your spot today!
Average Daily Attendance
Kinder: 96.0%
First Grade: 96.9%
Second Grade: 95.2%
Sixth Grade: 96.6%
We will be posting our weekly
attendance averages here in future
Parent Weeklys. Our goal is 98%!
Bringing your child to school every
day helps ensure his or her success
at IDEA, college, and beyond!
STUDENT
SHOUT OUTS!
Kinder
Star Student: Grace Briones
Core Value: Landon Royer
First Grade
Star Student: Riley Buchanan
Core Value: Simone Green
Second Grade
Star Student: Luis Cervantes
FEBRUARY 2, 2015
Grade Team Updates
KINDER CORNER
Kinder Parents,
Kinder Life Work and reading logs are sent home weekly by classroom teachers. This is an
opportunity to reinforce skills being taught during the previous weeks while preparing
scholars for 1st grade. Please set aside time and facilitate homework expectations with
your child. Allow them to show you strategies that are taught in class, and encourage them
to do their best. If you have questions concerning homework procedures, please contact
your child's homeroom teacher.
Thank you,
The Kinder Team
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FIRST GRADE CORNER
Team and Family,
Congratulations to Riley Buchanan and Simone Green, our Star Student and
Core Value winners last week! Congratulations to Emily Wash who has read
50,000 words this year! A warm welcome back to Ms. Leyva, who is returning
to Walzem after the birth of her son! Thank you to Ms. Barnes for all of her
hard work and dedication during this transition!
Thank you!
First Grade Team
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SECOND GRADE CORNER
Second Grade Parents,
In 2nd grade, the STAR student of the week was Luis Cervantes!
Congratulations to Ginger Embry who has read 200,000 words so far this year!
Please see the IDEA Authors section of the parent weekly for the new writing
prompt. The winner of each grade level will receive a $200 savings bond! As a
reminder, students are expected to read 30 minutes every night and get their
Reading Log signed.
Second Grade Team
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SIXTH GRADE CORNER
Hello 6th Grade Families!
Thank you to all of the parents that participated in our University Day: Career Day on Friday!
Throughout second semester, College Prep will be offering student outings, in which students will be able to
buy tickets to events at a discounted price, and IDEA will provide transportation. Our first outing is to a
UIW Men’s Basketball Game. Please see the flyer that will be sent home for more information.
6th Grade Team https://sites.google.com/site/walzemcp/
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FEBRUARY 2, 2015
ELECTIVES CORNER
Dear Parents,
*You can track your child’s progress and see how well they did on their AR test as soon as it is completed by
signing up for Email Notifications. Remember AR quizzes are 50% of your child’s grade.
The username is the Students ID and Password is abc123
https://hosted274.renlearn.com/2406896/HomeConnect/
Please email me at Beverly.deluna@ideapublicschools.org if you have any questions!
Thank you, Ms. De Luna, AR Zone Facilitator
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Child Nutrition Update
Academy Parent Lunch: IDEA Walzem Academy parents may visit campus to eat with their students
during their designated Parent Lunch Day. Parent Lunch Days will be on Fridays on a rotating schedule
based on grade level (kinder, 1st, 2nd ….). Parents should arrive at the times noted below. Please park in the
front lot and check in with the receptionist.
Upcoming Parent Lunch Days:
Kinder 2/6 12:15 PM
First 2/13 11:15 AM
Second 2/20 11:45 AM
Parents may not bring commercial food (i.e. McDonalds, Subway) to campus for Parent Lunch. Feel free to
bring lunch from home or eat the food provided by our Child Nutrition Program.
Birthdays: Students may bring store-bought cupcakes to school on the Friday of their birthday. Parent must
first e-mail purvi.gordon@ideapublicschools.org to confirm. All cupcakes must be brought to the main
office by the parent by 2:00 PM.
Payment Update: The Child Nutrition Department works hard on a daily basis to provide your child with
a healthy and nutritious lunch for a nominal fee. However, please understand that we do need to have all
negative lunch balances paid to avoid your child getting a courtesy meal, which would consist of a cold
cheese sandwich and milk. Once your child’s account is paid in full, the courtesy meal will be withdrawn
and he/she will be able to choose their meals from the regular menu. All balances can be paid by cash or
check at the child nutrition department between the hours of 8:00am and 4:00pm. Or you can also create
an account and pay for meals on our online system at www.myschoolbucks.com. We apologize for any
inconvenience this may cause. Any questions please contact Mr. Galicia CNP Manager at (210)284-7957.
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Volunteer Opportunities
Parent Volunteers: If you would like to become a parent volunteer, please stop by our receptionist’s desk
to fill out the necessary paperwork. Parent volunteers must be on campus before 11:00 AM, as IDEA
Walzem’s campus will be closed between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM.
Academy Open House: We will be hosting Open House events during the spring semester for both
currently enrolled families, and families who wish to find out more about IDEA. Please check next week’s
Parent Weekly for our new Open House dates and times!
Parent Ambassador Opportunity: We are looking for current parents to help us recruit students
for the 2015-2016 school year! You will be assisting Mrs. Purvi Gordon in recruiting our new
students! If you are interested, please send an email to Mrs. Purvi Gordon at
purvi.gordon@ideapublicschools.org.
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