ART
Dear FamiLEE,
Hello! My name is Jessica Floyd and I am the Art Designer here at Lee Elementary. I grew up in Coppell, and feel so blessed to be able to teach here! I am so excited to meet all of our new learners and see all the returning faces that have made these last two years so special! I am continually blown away by the creativity and beautiful artwork our learners produce, and I am looking forward to another amazing year in ART! I want you to know that I love teaching and learning from your children and I am honored to get to spend my days with them. I want every learner at Lee to love their experience in our Spur Studio and enjoy their time in ART.
In ART, your child is expected to behave like an ARTIST!
A- Attitude-be positive
R- Respectful-of yourself, others, materials
T- Try your Best- come prepared to work
I- Imagine and Create
S- Safely use and care for art tools
T- Take Responsibility- clean up after yourself
I hope you will follow me on Twitter @JessicaLFloyd and on Instagram @Lee.Spurs.Spy.Art to see what is going on in the art studio. If you travel and see any art, go to an art museum, or your child draws a beautiful picture at home please feel free to use our art hashtag: #SpurArtSighting so we can share all the ART we encounter virtually!!!! If you do not use social media you can email me a picture and I will post it for you. This will help us unite as a community and help spark a discussion of what art really is and where we can find art in our lives.
I have opportunities to volunteer in the art room and would love to partner with more parents this year! Any donations toward building our Art Library is so very appreciated!
Looking forward to a great #RJLyear3,
Jessica Floyd
Art Designer
MUSIC
Music Notes
from Mrs. Benson
Dear Parents,
It’s going to be an exciting year in music! In music class, we will focus on building our musical skills and knowledge. We will explore our musical skills through singing, barred instruments, drumming, body percussion, literature, unpitched percussion, speech, movement and recorder. Also, we will be working on music literacy so your learner can read music.
Music Norms
The norms for the music classroom are:
M – Make good choices
U – Use kind words
S – Show respect to classmates, teacher, and music
I – Include yourself
C – Care for our room and instruments
House Performances
This year, we will continue to do performances by house, rather than by grade level. If you are wondering about performance dates and times, feel free to visit my staff webpage.
Singing Spurs Choir – 4th and 5th Grade
Does your learner love to sing? Well, choir might be the place to be! Choir auditions will be held on Monday, September 12th after school until 5:00. The audition will be on the song “My Country ‘tis of Thee” which will be learned in class. More information will be coming by email and PeachJar soon!!
Choir rehearsals will be held every Monday from 3:05 to 4:15.
5th Grade Instrumental Ensemble
Instrumental Ensemble is a performance group that makes music with our barred instruments, drums, recorder and more! Instrumental Ensemble auditions will be held on Thursday, September 15th after school until 5:00. More information will be coming by email and PeachJar soon!!
Instrumental Ensemble rehearsals will be held every Thursday from 3:05 to 4:15.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Details as to what is going on in music will be kept on the music staff webpage and twitter. Thanks for your support of our music program at RJL!
Sincerely,
Ashley Benson
Music Designer – Richard J. Lee Elementary
Twitter - @ashben08
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
My name is Julie Behr, and I get to teach your children about life-long health and wellness and help them build brain cells through exercise as your child’s Physical Education designer. I am very excited for the opportunity to start my 12th year of teaching and second year at R. J. Lee Elementary. I am a native Texan, growing up with 2 stop lights in Muenster, TX. I received my B. A. from the University of Dallas and my M.S. from Texas Women’s University. My husband, Steve, and I have been married for 11 years, and we have been blessed with 2 children, Jack-8 years old, and Abby, 5 years old. Joining me in PE again this year will be Julie Landefeld, a founding member of the staff at Lee and fitness guru. We are looking forward to a great year in Physical Education, cannot wait to see you all again, and excited to see the new faces as well.
All of our expectations for PE fall somewhere under our 3 main learning targets:
I can be safe. (This includes wearing the correct, safe shoes for PE.)
I can be kind.
I can be a mover. (Participating and following directions.)
My main goal for students is for them to learn about and improve their personal health and wellness and to HAVE FUN!
Julie Behr
Physical Education Designer
R. J. Lee Elementary
Twitter: @SpursPEatLEE
Physical Education Aide
Hello FamiLee!
My name is Julie Landefeld and I am Coach Behr's aide in P.E. This is going to be my third year at Lee Elementary and I'm excited to be able to work with your learners in the gym.
I've lived in Coppell for 13 years with my husband Todd and my 3 kids. My oldest , Adam, graduated from New Tech and is now a junior at UT. My son, Casey, is a senior this year at CHS and my daughter, Chloe, is in 7th grade at CMSW.
I hope to be able to help your kiddos learn about the benefits of exercise and wellness while playing and having fun!!
Julie Landefeld
Physical Education Aide
Enrichment
Hello to our FamiLee,
I am super excited to be apart of Lee’s exceptional team this year! I will be your child’s Enrichment Designer for the 2016-2017 school year. I graduated from Texas Woman’s University in December of 2015 with my degree in Elementary Education and have been a substitute for both Aubrey and Coppell ISD since. I grew up in Coppell but currently reside in Crossroads with my husband.
During Enrichment time, you learner will have a chance to explore new and creative ideas that will connect with not only curriculum but real world things as well. If you need to contact me, my email is jbounkhong@coppellisd.com. You can also follow me on twitter at @jbounkhong14.
I am looking forward to instructing and learning with your children this year.
Jayca Bounkhong
Enrichment Designer
STEM
Howdy FamiLEE!
I am so excited to be at #rjlyear3 as your child's new STEM Specialist! STEM is a unique program that incorporates and connects ideas in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics to better equip children to solve real world problems. I plan to challenge learners' minds through a variety of scientific methods and to ensure a safe place for all of my friends to have FUN!
I graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Leadership Development and am the proudest member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2011! In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my husband and daughter, who will be 2 years old in December. Watching my daughter learn new things and question EVERYTHING on a daily basis has prepared me to provide a variety of fun experiences that will challenge learners to question everything and will hopefully encourage them to think out of the box to solve common problems in the world around them.
My class expectations are very simple:
1. I can be safe.
2. I can be kind.
3. I can be curious.
If you ever need to contact me, you can email me at clopez@coppellisd.com
Please follow me at @netzero_lopez to see all of the great activities we do throughout the school year.
I look forward to meeting your child and I am excited to be part of another amazing year at Lee Elementary!
Carla Mendoza-Lopez
STEM Specialist
Richard J. Lee Elementary
LIBRARY
Hello FamiLEE,
I am super excited to be here this year at R J Lee as your learner’s Library Media Specialist! I am coming from Red Oak ISD where I was the librarian for 13 years and Duncanville ISD where I was the librarian for 4 years.. I received my Master’s Degree in Library Science from the University of North Texas and my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education at Dallas Baptist University.. I live in Duncanville with my husband, who is a pharmacist, my daughter, who attends college at TCC and my Tabby cat, who rules the roost! I also have a son that lives in Granbury.
In the Media Center your child will be expected to follow these norms:
1. Listen and follow directions immediately
2. Use walking feet at all times
3. Remember library book care rules
If you need to contact me concerning your child's library books you may email me at mmangum@coppellisd.com.
Follow me on Twitter @melmangum to see the exciting things we are learning this year in the Media Center.
If you would like to volunteer in the Media Center please email me and fill out a volunteer background check which can be found on the District's website.
I'm looking forward to a challenging year of reading and learning!!
Melinda Mangum, MLS
Library Media Specialist
Richard J. Lee Elementary
