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April 29, 2008. Herod holds Kindergarten roundup. Calling all future kindergarteners and parents. Herod Elementary is hosting Kindergarten Round-Up on Tuesday, May 6 at 9 am and Thursday, May 8 at 6pm. Visit the Herod campus to learn about our premiere kindergarten program, tour our facility, register for school and get answers to "everything you ever wanted to know about Kindergarten." Students must be five years old on or before September 1 to register. Parents must provide a valid birth certificate and up-to-date immunization record for each child, as well as a public utility bill showing proof of residency. We look forward to seeing you on the Herod Campus located at 5627 Jason St. Herod is proud to be an HISD Vanguard magnet school serving the community of Southwest Houston. For more details please contact the school at 713-778-3315. April 29, 2008 Herod Elementary 3-5 Name That Book competed in a district competition and was awarded 1st place in the Preliminary Round, correctly answering 23 of 25 questions. Herod's team received fourth place in the district’s final round held on Friday, April 25, 2008. The team consisted of 3rd grader - Joel V., 4th graders - Mackenzie A., Dinah B., and Minh Thu T., and 5th graders - Steffannie A., Nirvana S., and Rishi W. The team’s coach was fourth grade teacher, Dianne Bissell. Bissell commented, “The students feel that they increased their memory, learned teamwork and to listen to others, expanded their ability to focus on the goal, learned to move on from mistakes rather than dwell on the negative, and increased their ability to think about and analyze what they read, as opposed to just scanning through and reading words.” Some of the team members began reading the books this past summer. A team-qualifying test was given in January and was open to all Herod 3rd - 5th graders. The seven students performing the best on the test were given the team spots. These students continued to read the books and met two times a week to practice by identifying quotes and working on problem-solving strategies and building teamwork. Among the books were the 20 titles from the 2007-2008 Texas Bluebonnet List (which are books chosen by the Texas Library Association) as well as 15 non-Bluebonnet books. The reading list included some classics including Weedflower - Cynthia Kadohata, The Year of the Dog : a novel - Grace Lin, Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson, Chicken Boy- Frances O'Roark Dowell, The Earth Dragon Awakes : the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 - Laurence Yep, Hachet – Gary Paulsen, The Journey : Stories of Migration - Cynthia Rylant, and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - Robert C. O'Brien. The Name that Book competition Program originated at River Oaks Elementary School over 20 years ago to promote reading, to help students develop problem-solving skills and to encourage cooperative teamwork and good sportsmanship. The program became too big for one school to organize, so the Department of Library Services stepped in and took over the organizational role. Initially the Name That Book Program was for elementary schools only. Then the program expanded to middle schools due to requests from former participants and their parents. Five years ago, an early grade program and a high school program was added making the program K-12 in scope.
Congratulations to the Herod team winners April 24, 2008 Herod Elementary School competes in Science Fair: In late March, students from Herod Elementary school competed in the annual science fair. Third, fourth and fifth graders used the scientific process to explore exciting topics including “ What’s your favorite color?” “Toilet Paper Decomposition,” “Ladies and Germs,” “Water Works,” “ All Tied up in Knots,” “ Which Tile Cleaner Works Best?” “Sports that Help the Heart” and “Moldy Bread: Where and When.” Houston ISD sponsors Science Fair as a middle school & high school level competition to promote higher level thinking in terms of a scientific paper. Herod ES believes that participation in science fair is an exciting way to understand science. Each project was judged by three independent judges. Scores were tallied and the winners are listed below. Mrs. Robin Henry, third grade teacher administered the competition. She commented, “Science fair was a huge success. I am so proud of these students. Their projects reflected time and effort spent on them.” Christian Stuart, fourth grade winner stated, “My experiment didn't turn out the way I predicted it would. I learned a lot. Wait until next year.”
Pictured are the Herod Elementary Science Fair Winners from 2007-08 competition.
Third Grade Individual: 1st place
Marissa R., 2nd place Kyle B., 3rd place Hunter C.
and Nima D. and Honorable Mention Itay B. Local team advances to World Finals of Odyssey of the Mind Houston, Texas April 14, 2008 – What would happen if Barney the Dinosaur met real dinosaurs? Maybe, just maybe, his message of caring and sharing would lead to their extinction. At least that’s the solution offered by a team of six local elementary school students challenged to present a unique theory for how the dinosaurs became extinct—a solution creative enough that the team has advanced to the World Finals of the Odyssey of the Mind competition. Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Kids apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program. More information about Odyssey of the Mind is available at www.odysseyofthemind.org. The team of Juliana D, Sophie D, Jordan R, Bonnie S, Mimi W, and Sarah W, who all attend either Herod Elementary or Trafton Academy, placed first in the Houston Region competition and second in state for their chosen problem, “Dino Stories.” They will compete at the World Finals in College Park, Maryland, on May 31-June 4. “Dino Stories” required them not only to conceive a new theory for the extinction of the dinosaurs, but to present it in a humorous skit. The team also had to design and execute a technical demonstration of their theory. Problem solving is a key element of the competition, which encourages designs that push the envelope of feasibility. One oft-seen saying on t-shirts at the competition: “It’ll be awesome…if it works.” The team’s own design of its technical demonstration, a Rube Goldberg-type device to pop a balloon, was plagued by an erratically behaving marble. During the state competition team member Jordan R kept her cool when a stray piece of tape caused a problem not encountered in any of the dozens of practice runs. She corrected the problem, and the team successfully completed its technical demonstration. "I knew it had to be perfect to get it to work. It took 4 times and the last time I was getting nervous, but it finally worked to pop the balloon," she said. Another feature of the competition is that coaches and parents cannot contribute to either the ideas or the work in putting them into use. A good working relationship among teammates is therefore especially important. The success of the team owes a lot to just that. Parent Kristin R said, "It's amazing to see how these six girls work so well together to develop the ideas, costumes, set, script and pull it all together into a performance.” Coach Patrick W agreed. “This is a really special group of girls. What really comes through to the judges is how much fun they are having with the problem and performing with each other. ” Jordan voiced the feelings of the entire team about its upcoming trip to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals. "I've had so much fun doing this and I am very excited we are going to Worlds so we can continue."
April 6, 2008Peer Mediation Program Grows with the Herod students: How do we help students learn to live cooperatively in a diverse world? Students at Herod are getting first hand experience through the Peer Mediation Program. The purpose of the Peer Mediation process is to teach conflict resolution and promote social awareness to help support a peaceful school environment. Some goals of the Peer Mediation Process are to reduce violence and cultivate a safe school environment, teach problem solving skills, and empower students. In August 2006, Ms Gayle Kamen, LMSW for 20 years and Ms Rashonda Palmer, Herod’s school counselor, trained 17 4th and 5th grade students in the principles of mediation and conflict resolution. The students spent two days during their summer vacation learning active listening skills, role-plays, managing anger, identifying feelings and other methods to becoming peer mediators and being effective at problem solving. Herod is now in the second year of its peer mediation program and has seen over 50 cases involving disputes between students. This year the mediators expanded to the playground and went out each week to work with children on the spot and assist and model problem-solving ideas for them. Kindergarten through 2nd grade have begun designating a Peace Place, where the children can take a few minutes to sit together in a safe setting to solve their current problem without an adult. Peer mediation programs have been brought to Long Middle School and Johnston Middle school. According to the administration, several physical fights have been averted due to the active involvement of peer mediators. Recently, peer mediators from Johnston met with peer mediators from Herod and co-mediated on several cases at Herod. The students worked together and collaborated to come up with creative problem-solving ideas to help the students at Herod. Gayle Kamen commented "We are empowering kids with the skills that teach how to solve problems, one problem and one child at a time."
April 1, 2008 Herod has new project based classroom called Mind Masters. Mind Masters is a creative problem solving class that gives students the opportunity to become their own teachers. It teaches them how to think, not what to think! The cornerstones of the class are teamwork, creativity and problem solving. All students at Herod participate in Mind Masters for one weekly session. The classroom is facilitated by Terri Pavlich and Heather Whitby, veteran Herod teachers. The two teachers along with Principal Jerri Nixon built the curriculum by finding activities that support the HISD Project CLEAR objectives. The goal was to support the learning of these objectives in a project based setting. Whitby commented “There is a growing base of academic research that supports the use of PBL (Project Based Learning) as a way to engage students and boost cooperative learning skills.” Ms. Pavlich, facilitator for Kindergarten, first and second grades, has students working on various math problem solving activities that promote collaboration and science activities that are based on HISD science objectives. For example last week kindergarten did an experiment called “Sink or Float” in which they had to predict whether or not an object would sink or float. The students tested objects in a tub of water and had to say whether or not their predictions were correct. Pavlich remarked “The kids are excited when they come to our class and can’t wait to find out what we are doing that day. Ms. Whtiby had a lively discussion with the 4th graders about the different frustrations of working with pencils. Now the fourth graders have designed an improved (yet still functional) pencil that they could take back to the classroom. The 3rd through 5th grade classes have developed hands-on science learning centers for the Pre K-2 grades. Students reviewed key concepts in earth and life science areas and used their knowledge to create age appropriate activities for others to learn from and enjoy. Some of the projects developed include touch-and-feel boxes, written picture books, interactive posters and more. The Mind Masters room has been transformed into an interactive wonderland with a tree growing in the middle. Pavlich and Whitby remarked, “We love teaching this class because the kids are always so excited about the different projects we do. Our class gives them the opportunity to take risks and think creatively while working with their friends. We are always amazed at the ideas and solutions they come up with!” March 27, 2008 Herod Elementary holds spring Junior Jet camp: All new kindergarten students and parents new to Herod are invited to Junior Jet camp. Students and parents will preview the Kindergarten experience, meet the Herod Kindergarten team (teachers and staff) and tour the school on April 3 or April 8 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm. To register for the 2008-2009 school year, parents will need to bring a birth certificate (passport will work), up to date immunization records, and proof of residence. All students entering kindergarten must be 5 years old by September 1, 2007. The Herod administration and current parents will be available to answer questions about the variety of programs offered at the school. Please contact the Herod office if you have further questions 713-778-3315. March 11, 2008
Herod
Elementary will hold its annual Spring Carnival and Blood Drive:
The 2008 Herod Carnival will be March 29, 2008 from
11 to
3pm. The
entire community is invited to spend a fun day at Herod, playing exciting
games, enjoying inflatable rides and tasting wonderful treats. Commit for life. This year the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center will be present for you to donate blood. Herod is committed to help maintain an adequate blood supply at all times in the Texas Gulf Coast region. Every blood donation helps save up to three lives! Please help us reach our goal and donate! To schedule an appointment, visit www.eblooddrive.org and enter sponsor code 6870 or contact Angela Magin at (713)778-3315. Herod is fortunate to have hamburger meals once again provided by the Meyerland Outback Steakhouse, and ice cream provided by the Meyerland Cold Stone Creamery! Our new favorite neighborhood coffeehouse, Fioza, will keep attendants caffeinated and refreshed throughout the day. Wristband ($10 optional wristband for inflatables and rides all day) and ticket presale will begin March 25 before and after school. Tickets can also be purchased at the door. All proceeds go to Herod Elementary School PTO. For further information please contact Michael Grosser at mpgrosser@hotmail.com or at the Herod school office at 713-778-3315. February 29, 2008 Herod Elementary celebrated the Chinese New Year. After Herod students read books and discussed traditions and customs of the Chinese New Year, a wonderful parade took place on the campus for everyone to enjoy. The Chinese New Year, known as the Lunar New Year, is celebrated for fifteen days. This year it began on February 7 and ended on February 22, which is the Lantern Festival on the Chinese calendar. Each year on the Chinese calendar is represented by one of 12 animals. 2008 is the Year of the Rat. The Chinese New Year is celebrated in many Asian countries and in Chinatown all over the world. In Houston, it was celebrated in Asian American communities and also at some American social events. Herod students made crafts including lanterns, Chinese hats, and dragon masks. They learned and wrote Chinese numbers and characters. Chinese characters written on red paper symbolize happiness, luck, and good fortune for the coming year. In addition, Pre-K through 2nd grade students celebrated with parades and dancing at school. Dragon dances, lion dances, and fire crackers are ways to scare away evil spirits and welcome prosperity for the New Year. The celebration was organized by the Pre-K teacher Ms. Maria De Jesus-Pagan, National Bi-lingual teacher of the year 2007. Mrs. Ginny Liang, first grade teacher commented, “Since we live in a global community, we need to encourage our students to become better citizens of the world. What better way to learn about another culture’s language, traditions, and values than to experience the excitement of an international celebration!” Click on a thumbnail to see a larger view.
February 20, 2008 Herod fourth graders have a heart for pets. Lauren A., Elizabeth H., Payton G., Samantha E. and Molly E., fourth graders at Herod Elementary organized and collected pet supplies for the Houston SPCA. The girls saw a commercial on TV about the abused animals the ASPCA helps care for and decided to try to help these homeless animals. First they asked their fourth grade teacher, Dianne Bissell who then got permission from Jerri Nixon, principal at Herod. Ms. Bissell, an animal lover and owner of two dogs, encouraged the girls in this worthwhile project. The girls drafted articles for the Herod newsletter and announced the pet supply drive on the morning announcements. Their enthusiasm encouraged many of their fellow students to participate in the pet supply drive. 100 pounds of dog food and $111 were donated. The dog food donated has gone to foster homes for the animals served by the Houston SPCA. The money donations benefit the SPCA. After the delivery of the pet supplies, Molly E. decided to continue the true spirit of giving by foregoing gifts for her birthday in order to donate money to the Houston SPCA.
January 29, 2008 Herod Spelling Bee Champion: Jonathan M., 5th grade student in Ms. O’Rourke’s class was the winner of the oral spelling bee at Herod Elementary school on January 23, 2008. Students began practicing in October with coaches Ms. Fluitt, Ms. Jackson and Mr. Castle. The written portion of the test was taken in December and narrowed the field to 30 participants from grades 3-5 for the oral spelling bee. The oral spelling bee consisted of 14 rounds. Jonathan won on the word glitz. Anna J., a third grader from Ms. Chestnut’s class, took second place. Jonathan will compete at a regional HISD Oral Spelling Bee on February 8, 2008. Good luck!
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