Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this letter finds you well and filled with the warmth of the holiday season. As we approach the end of the calendar year, I wanted to take a moment to update you on some important happenings at our school and share a few exciting events that will unfold in December.

Academic Achievements: I am pleased to inform you that our 3rd-5th grade students have been demonstrating remarkable dedication to their studies. The teachers have been working diligently to provide engaging lessons and foster a positive learning environment. Please continue to encourage your child's commitment to their education, and feel free to reach out if you have any concerns or questions about their academic journey.

Upcoming Events:

• December 2- Breakfast with Santa
• December 7- 3rd - 5th grade students to HSHS to Rio Grande Shoot-Out Basketball Game
• December 11-15- Holiday Spirit Week: To infuse a bit of holiday cheer into our school days, we will be hosting a Holiday Spirit Week. Each day will have a different theme, allowing students to showcase their creativity and holiday spirit. The schedule for the week will be shared in advance, so please encourage your child to participate and join in the festive fun.
• Monday- Jingle Toes
• Tuesday- 100% That Grinch
• Wednesday- Winter Wonderland
• Thursday- Holiday Head to Toe
• Friday- Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Please ensure your contact information is up-to-date with the school office to ensure you receive timely updates and announcements.

Encourage your child to dress warmly as the weather gets colder, especially for outdoor activities and recess.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership in your child's education. Wishing you and your family a joyous holiday season filled with love, laughter, and memorable moments.

Warm regards,

Shirley Muncy,

Principal, Sierra Elementary Complex

• December 2- PTO Breakfast with Santa
• December 7- Rio Grande Shoot-Out Basketball Game Field Trip

• December 13th- DARE Celebration- 5th grade to Bowling Alley

• December 15th- End of Quarter Two

• December 18- January 3- Winter Break
• January 4- Students Return
• January 15- No School- MLK Jr. Day

December Students of the Month!

Congratulations to our December Students of the Month! These students made the list, and it checks out they are 100% Nice! These stars are brightly shining as they demonstrate positive leadership skills and ROAR with our character counts traits of Respect, Trustworthiness, Fairness; Responsibility; Caring; and Citizenship. Our teachers are thankful for these students who help make our classrooms merry and bright!

Allie R. is “attentive and contributes to class lessons. She is a model student.”-Mr. Placencio

Kaiden T. “has a great attitude and is working harder than ever to succeed. The sky is the limit with his work ethic and great attitude.”-Mr. Glines

Kayde G. is “an outstanding student. He is respectful, responsible and has a super positive attitude all the time.” -Mrs. Gonzalez

Zayden H. “is a great student and helper! He is trustworthy and kind. He is always the first person to lend a helping hand.”-Mrs. Rivera

Justin L. “will help others who are struggling, and he is always willing to volunteer to help with classroom responsibilities. Justin is an exceptional young man.”-Mrs. Jankowski

Emily A. “Emily continually strives for excellence. Emily not only makes sure that she has integrity but tries to help the peers in her group develop integrity too.”-Mrs. Flores

Celina G. “has shown responsibility, teamwork, perseverance, and plenty of kindness and respect for everyone. She is a great student and deserves this award”-Mr. Madrid

Toni H. “is amazing about staying on task and doing what is right, even when no one is looking! She is helpful and a good friend too!”-Mrs. Fletcher

Luke H. “always works hard and is friendly and very respectful. ”-Mr. Crofford

Schawn S. “is an exemplary student. He constantly shows respect, ownership, has a great attitude and is responsible.”-Mrs. Zuni

Jaycee H. “ALWAYS comes to school ready to learn. She is kind, respectful, responsible, and resilient. Jaycee makes our classroom a better place.” -Ms. Gervasio

Thank you for rising above and beyond the expectation! Keep shining bright and keep ROARing!

December news from physical education:

Remember to wear tennis shoes on P.E. days. K-5th will be working on soccer skills, playing a rock, paper, scissor game and having their free day before break. Remember to eat healthy and exercise daily.

PE Schedule:

• Monday- 3rd-Rivera, 4th-Fletcher, Rintelen
• Tuesday- 3rd-Glines, 4th-Flores, 5th-Crofford
• Thursday- 3rd-Placencio, 4th-Madrid, 5th-Gervasio
• Friday- 3rd-Gonzalez, 4th-Jankowski, 5th-Zuni

Thank you,

Mrs. Zambrano

Hello SEC families! In the library we are working on an introduction to the Dewey Decimal System, and it will continue into the new year.

Please help your student to return any books they may have at home to the library before the beginning of the Christmas break.

Remember this holiday season that books make excellent Christmas gifts and please encourage reading at home over the break.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Mrs. Q!

Happy December!

As always, we love donations of egg cartons! When students work with tempera or acrylic paint, egg cartons are used as paint palettes. We throw them out after use, so we go through quite a lot of them.

As always, the art room is filled with busy students engaged in exciting art projects! This month, kids are working to make decorative objects. They are sculpting with model magic clay and adding color with watercolor paint. It’s great to watch as kids gain more and more control over their paints and their brushes.

Art supplies make great gifts and stocking stuffers! Here are some of the things that students really enjoy using: Sharpies, scissors, glue sticks, watercolor paints, model magic clay, and oil pastels.

As always, please reach out with questions or concerns.

Be well,

Thea Storz

Rhonda Nickles

tstorz@torcschools.net

rnickles@torcschools.net

Our annual school spelling bee will be held on Friday, January 19, 2024. You will find the words below to help your kiddos to start studying! Happy spelling!

Hello from music!

For the month of December, we will be listening to world famous songs from “The Nutcracker”, along with fun winter themed activities. We will also be reviewing our “musical alphabet” in order to prepare for an engaging “music escape room” activity. During this activity, students must solve clues containing topics such as note values, instrument families, and the names of the lines and spaces on the treble clef staff. I hope everyone has an amazing winter break!!

Thank you,

Mrs. Harrison

Happy Holidays from Computers!

Here in computers, we have a few exciting things coming up, TCHS Computer Technology class has chosen our amazing tech learners to interact and be taught more in-depth coding activities here at TCES! We will continue working on our research papers, as well starting some virtual grid coding Christmas activities.

Please continue to practice safe technology habits! Wishing you all a safe and happy Christmas break!

Hello SEC students and families. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

This week, Save the Children students have begun G.I.R.P. (Guided Independent Reading Practice). During GIRP students pick a book at their reading level to read independently, we do a book talk, and then they take an AR (Accelerated Reader) test to show if they are comprehending what they read. So far, the students are loving this and are doing a wonderful job practicing their independent reading.

4th grade parents and families, please be on the lookout throughout the month for a parental form from your child to see if they qualify to join this reading program.

I hope the month of December brings loads of joy and happiness to your home!

Mary Reuland