Mills Elementary School

October 9 - October 13

FAMILY STEM NIGHT IS ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11!

Join your teacher and friends at the first ever FREE Family STEM Night on campus from 5:30pm-7:00pm on Wednesday, October 11th! We hope to see you and your family at STEM Night!

Here are some highlights:

We will be raffling a number of prizes including: Drone, STEM kit, Student microscope kit, STEM book
Explore with hands on Maker Space activities!
Learn about lessons students do in Maker Lab!
Chat with outside agencies on campus (Figment Creative Labs, Mathnasium, etc.)

Essential Areas Spotlight: ART at Mills

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Students in PK - 5th Grade enjoy enriching Art, Music, Spanish, and Maker Space opportunities here at Mills. This week, we spotlight our awesome Art department, led by Ms. Trueheart and Ms. Tipton! Here are the projects that students are working on at each grade level:

All Art are wrapping up their Original Works art projects!

PK- Symmetry and monarch butterflies and their migration to Mexico

K- Element of line and creating a colorful abstract work of art.

1st- Henri Matisse “drew with scissors” by creating fishbowl collages

2nd-Cultural importance of Cherry Blossoms in Japan, China and the United States using watercolor and painting techniques

3rd- Entomologists! Drawing insects “zoomed in”

4th- Cultural significance of dots and circles by designing their own hand and personally significant symbol with concentric dotted lines

5th- Science behind Optical illusions and how they trick our brain by using the elements of line, value and color to create their own optical illusion.

Here is the Mills Art Newsletter: https://www.smore.com/q8cuva

Are you interested in volunteering and supporting our Art department? Reach out to Ms. Trueheart (caitlin.trueheart@austinisd.org) & Ms. Tipton (melissa.tipton@austinisd.org) .

Learn All About Texas Bluebonnet Books!

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Texas Bluebonnet Book Award

The Texas Bluebonnet Award is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the United States. Each year, 20 books are chosen for the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master list. Schools and libraries across the state participate in the program, encouraging students to read a minimum of five books from the list. Students in 3rd through 5th grades all across Texas vote on their favorite Bluebonnet Book. Any student who has read 5 or more Bluebonnet Books may vote. The book that receives the most student votes will be named the 2023-2024 Bluebonnet Award winner. Voting begins in early January and ends mid-February. The Bluebonnet Books are available for check out in the Mills' library and at all Austin Public Library branches.

Mills' Bluebonnet Book Breakfast

Here at Mills, students in 3rd-5th grades are encouraged to read 10 Bluebonnet Books and write summaries of each book read. Students who read 10 or more books are invited to attend the Mills' Bluebonnet breakfast! Summary forms must be turned in to Mrs. Rasmussen by February 2nd in order to attend the Bluebonnet breakfast held in the Mills' library. At the breakfast, the winner of the Texas Bluebonnet Book Award will be revealed, and students will participate in a fun Bluebonnet Book trivia Kahoot, discuss their favorite books, and enjoy blueberry muffins and other breakfast treats.

Texas Bluebonnet Award 2023 - 2024 List

Here is the list, alphabetized by title:

Black Boy Joy, edited by Kwame Mbalia.
Blue by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond. Illustrated by Daniel Minter.
Gladys the Magic Chicken by Adam Rubin. Illustrated by Adam Rex.
Haven: A Small Cat’s Big Adventure by Megan Wagner Lloyd.
Indelible Ann by Meghan P. Browne. Illustrated by Carlynn Whitt.
Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez. Illustrated by Gabriela Epstein.
Leave it to Plum! by Matt Phelan.
Once Upon a Tim by Stuart Gibbs. Illustrated by Stacy Curtis.
Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs by Pam Muñoz Ryan.
Tales to Keep You Up At Night by Dan Poblocki. Illustrated by Marie Bergeron.
The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Sophie Blackall.
The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet by David L. Harrison. Illustrated by Kate Cosgrove.
The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Shawn Harris.
The Last Beekeeper by Pablo Cartaya. Illustrated by C. Vélez Aguilera.
The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat.
The Legend of Gravity by Charly Palmer.
The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton.
The Polter-Ghost Problem by Betsy Uhrig.
Thirst by Varsha Bajaj.
Unbound: The Life + Art of Judith Scott by Joyce Scott with Brie Spangler. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet.