child at Grissom will once again be

able to check out their own library

books each week.

We are also sponsoring afterschool

clubs here at Grissom Elementary.

With the support of our teachers we

have been able to increase the J-

Factor (Joy Factor) at Grissom Ele-

mentary. Students are able to

choose from Dance, Art, Photogra-

phy, Student Council, Soccer, Span-

ish, Boy Scouts, and J.O.I. (a Girls

Club). Clubs

meet Mondays

and Fridays for

an hour. These

clubs allow

students the

opportunity to

have fun at

school while

learning a new

hobby, skill, or

sport. It allows them the opportu-

nity to meet and make friends with

students outside of their class-

room. Most importantly it increases

the J-Factor at Grissom Elementary.

I also want to take a moment and

remind you of how important your

child’s attendance is to their aca-

demic success. Learning begins at

Grissom Elementary at 8:15 and

continues past the end of the

school day. Learning continues

Hello Mighty Grissom Rockets,

I just wanted to update you on

some of the positive changes going

on here at Grissom Elementary.

Our Enrichment Program has grown

and now includes PE, Art, Music,

and Library. Coach Makoge is lead-

ing our Enrichment Team as Grade

Level Chair and is sponsoring an

afterschool soccer club on Mondays

and Fridays. There are approxi-

mately 50 boys and girls par-

ticipating in his soccer club.

Ms. White is our new Art

teacher and she is working with

PK-5th grade students. Be sure

to look for some great art work

from your child. Mr. Williams is

our new Music Teacher and

Band Director and he is work-

ing with 2nd-5th grade students.

Mr. Williams schedule allows

him to meet with our Beginning

Band and our Advanced Band 4

days a week after school for 1 ½

hours. Our Might Grissom Rocket

Band will be performing throughout

the year. I am very proud to also

acknowledge our full-time librarian,

Ms. Anderson. Ms. Anderson has

been hard at taking a good inven-

tory of our library and working to

update and expand it. She is also

working to update our checkout

system and soon each and every

when your child goes to tutorials,

clubs, or they’re completing their

homework. Our teachers have a

Daily Schedule in which each minute

of the day is accounted for. There is

no such thing as a wasted minute.

Instructional time is sacred and it is

limited. I encourage you to have your

child at school each and every day

and on time. Our school hours are

from 8:15 until 3:30. Our teachers

are teaching and your child is learn-

ing the entire day. Each minute or

day your child misses is a minute or

day of learning that they are now

behind. The truth is many students

start the school year behind. Stu-

dents are a semester, a year, or

several years behind where they

should be. One of the most powerful

things a parent can do to help their

child succeed is to ensure that they

are in school each and every day, for

the entire day. Emergencies will

happen, doctor visits will need to be

scheduled, and children will get sick

but outside of that please help us

bridge the gap your child may have

by ensuring that they are in school,

in class, and in the learning each

and every day of this school year.

Sincerely,

Mr. James Rippard

FROM T HE PR IN CI PAL . . .

We’re on the Web!

http://es.houstonisd.org/GrissomES

V i r gi l

I va n

G ri s so m

E l e me nt ar y

S ch o ol

Home of the MIGHTY GRISSOM

ROCKETS!!

James S. Rippard, Principal

Shelia M. Edwards, Asst. Principal

4900 Simsbrook

Houston, Texas 77045

Phone: 713.434.5660

Fax: 713.434.5668

vigrocket_email@yahoo.com

new assignment--this is rigor at work. Rigor is pushing yourself be-yond what is easy. We must constantly push ourselves be-yond our individual limits in order to get better at something. Let’s make it plain and simple: whether it’s sports, reading, math, anger manage-ment or dieting—to make progress in any-thing there has to be an

element of rigor.

Education—from Kindergarten through college—should push stu-

We are nearing the end

of our first nine weeks and our students are do-ing quite well with the rigorous lessons put be-fore them. Our teachers are challenging their minds and the students are rising to that chal-lenge. Part of our mis-sion is to teach with the purpose of life-long learning to develop our students for ease of ma-triculation through the

college of their choice.

Sometimes when our students may appear uncomfortable with a

dents to move beyond who and where they

were when they en-tered the classroom. At Grissom we know that our job is to push them, and

their job is to be pushed.

So…when your child starts to feel the tension with their work from school—relax; for this is a stage of their metamorphosis from en-try level students to col-

lege bound scholars. ♥

T H E P E N O F T H E A S S I S TA N T P R I N C I PA L , M S . S H E L I A M . E D W A R D S

Virgi l Ivan Grissom Elementar y School

Exciting things are afoot at Virgil I. Grissom Elementary School! High Command is putting all commanders, cadets, and crew members on high alert! The goals are HIGH ACHIEVEMENT and HIGH STANDARDS with HIGH EXPECTATIONS! We expect every Grissom Rocket to SOAR to new heights academically, person-ally and socially. We expect our Cadets to challenge themselves by learning something new everyday. We want them to set goals for themselves and work to achieve them. OPERATION SCORING SUCCESS is a bi-weekly tutorial session designed to provide stu-dents assistance in core subject

areas. Tutorials take place on Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:45 pm -

4:45 pm.

Our Cadets also have the oppor-tunity to develop new skills and talents by joining clubs geared toward their interests. Cadets have chosen from Dance, Spanish, Photography, Art, Band, Soccer, Student Coun-cil, or the Jewels of Integrity (J.O.I.), a club for young ladies. Clubs meet every Monday &

Friday from 3:45pm - 4:45pm.

Now don’t think Cadets have all the fun! Parents, great things are

also popping for you to get in-volved. The 2012-2013 PTO has new officers and plenty of ideas. PTO HAS BIG PLANS FOR GRISSOM THIS YEAR! Our new president, Ms. Leticia George is

excited and raring to go!! She’s already initiated the SunnyD Book Spree to get a 20-book library for each class by collecting labels from Sunny Delight con-tainers. Grissom has also signed up to collect Box Tops for Education! Par-ents, WE NEED YOU!

Get involved! JOIN THE PTO! Membership information will be

coming soon.

Volume 1 , Issue 2

V I G R O C K E T S A R E L A U N C H I N G M A N Y N E W M I S S I O N S !

9 October 2012

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

PK, Kindergarten, & PALS 1

First, Second,& Third Grade 1

Hea lth Ale rt 2

Employee of the Month /Rocket of the Week 3

Fourth & Fifth Grade 3

Mr. Pacheco, Teacher Specialist 3

The Pen of the Assistant Principal 4

From the Principal 4

M IGHTY ROCKET GAZETTE

P E P P Y P A L S , P E R K Y P R E - K & C O L O S S A L K I N D E R G A R T E N C A D E T S A R E S H O W I N G T H E I R M I G H T W I T H A B C ’ S & 1 2 3 ’ S

PEPPY PALS:

Our class is staying on task. We are having fun learning our alphabets and numbers. We are also learning self-help skills such as hand wash-ing and cleaning our

faces.

In art we are learning about Fall. Each Cadet decorated a personal pumpkins for the Peppy Pals Pumpkin patch.

Come Check us out!

PERKY PRE-K & COLASSAL

KINDERGARTEN: Wow! We’ve almost completed the first se-mester and our Cadets are really into the swing of things. We have been

discussing similarities and differences. Alpha-bets have also been a big focus for the Perkys and Colossals. We have learned the following: E, F, P, G, H, O, and N just to name a few. We are showing our strength in following school rules and routines. Cadets are singing songs, playing

games listening to engag-ing stories and interact-ing with their class-mates. We have the spotlight on being help-

ful and using kind words.

Last week Cadets fin-ished the Beginning of the Year Assessments, and they learned about the five (5)senses. The assessments will afford us an opportunity to de-termine where students are and what we need to do to help them become successful students. Please let them get plenty of rest so they will do their very best in class and during upcom-

ing assessments.

The Fantastic First Grade is comparing and contrasting dif-ferent genres, dif-ferent story charac-

ters, and different historical figures like George Wash-ington and Abraham Lincoln. For these

activities, ca-dets use the Venn Diagram. Cadets use pa-per plates to form the con-centric circles. They are also studying about

historical Figures in

Texas and the Coun-try, such as Sam Houston. This Month is Hispanic Heritage Month, so Cadets learned about Roberto Clemente a famous Baseball player in the 1950s who came from Puerto Rico an set a great example for all the Hispanics living in the USA at that time.

zuela, Puerto Rico, Spain, Honduras, El Sal-vador, and Guatemala. Cadets are encouraged to bring something for Show n’ Tell from each coun-try. We are

During Hispanic Heritage Month, TOP NOTCH THIRD GRADERS will be doing a special Social Studies project about countries that speak Spanish. We are trying to explain important fea-tures about each coun-try. We have cadets ex-plaining projects about Columbia, Mexico, Vene-

looking forward to our Social Studies lesson in

which our knowl-edge about Hispanic countries is going

to SOAR!!

Page 2

S E N S A T I O N A L S E C O N D G R A D E C A D E T S A R E S T U D Y I N G B A S E 1 0 U N I T S & P L A C E V A L U E .

FA N TA S TI C F I R S T GR A D E CA D ET S A R E USI N G VEN N D I A G R A M S !

T O P N O T C H T H I R D G R A D E I S S O A R I N G D U R I N G H I S PA N I C H E R I TA G E M O N T H !

a dollar or anything with a

similar measure. Being

able to touch and move

the units, bars, or flats

helps them learn place

value and comparing num-

bers. Also, here are a cou-

ple of simple templates

you can use to help your

child with their homework.

Please see your teacher

for additional strategies

and techniques to help at

home.

For the next couple of

weeks the Sensational

Second Grade Command-

ers are will be teaching

base 10 units and place

value. One unit equals 1,

ten units equal a base 10

and of course ten 10’s

equal 100. At home you

can substitute units for

pennies, ten’s bars for

dimes, and 100’s flat with

Nurse’s Notes

(Information From The Nurse’s Office)

Health Alert! It’s Flu Season

Immunize you and your

family TODAY.

Become a FLU

FIGHTER!

Take the Flu Fighter

Pledge:

I pledge to always

practice healthy habits

and to help stop the

spread of the flu!

I will wash my hands

often.

I will cover my

coughs and sneezes.

I will get my flu shot.

I will stay home

when I’m sick.

Nurse I. Ray, R.N., B.S.N.

Volume 1 , Issue 2

#

1’s 10’s 100’s

Thousands

1000’s

Hundreds

100’s

Tens Ones

Mighty Rocket Gazette

Greetings Fourth Grade

Parents,

Can you believe we are

already in October? Our

students are working hard

and S.O.A.R.’ing through

the Fourth Grade. We

would like to share what is

going on in our classrooms

right now and what will be

happening in the upcoming

weeks. Fabulous Fourth

Grade Cadets are working

on a Social Studies

project to celebrate

Hispanic Heritage

Month. These poster

projects are due on

Monday, October 15, 2012

and will be displayed in our

hall for viewing.

This week in Math, Read-

ing, and Writing, we are

taking a Benchmark

Tests to see how our

students are doing.

Small Groups and

Tutorial Groups will

be formed based on

this data. Also in Math, we

will be working on generat-

ing and modeling

equivalent fractions

and using number

lines to assist them

in determining

equivalency. In Science, we

will be working on electrical

circuits. If you can donate

1 or 2 size C or D batteries,

we would greatly appreci-

ate it. We will end

the month by explor-

ing the effects of

force on the move-

ment of objects.

Students are reading

and writing daily at school

and should be doing the

same at home. Thanks

again for partnering with us

and please contact any

member of our team with

any questions or concerns.

ily member, or par-

ent will produce sig-

Mighty Grissom

Rockets,

We are well into the

school year and I

would like to encour-

age you to read.

Studies show that

regularly reading out

loud to a peer, fam-

nificant gains in read-

ing comprehension,

vocabulary, and the

decoding of words.

Whether your are a

preschooler or pre-

teen, it will increase

your desire to read

i n d e p e n d e n t l y .

READ!! READ!! READ!!

Page 3

T H E P H E N O M E N A L F I F T H G R A D E A R E M U N C H I N G O N “ S U M M A R Y B U R G E R S ” M E D D L I N G W I T H M A T T E R

TH E FA B U L OU S FOU RT H GR A D E A R E SOAR I N G I N A L L SU B J EC TS !

M R . E D G A R P A C H E C O , T E A C H E R S P E C I A L I S T

nents of a great summary.

In math, the Cadets

are working so hard on

convert-

ing frac-

tions into

decimals

and decimals

into fractions

using skills and strategies

learned during class in-

struction. These future

scientists are discovering

how matter is all around

us, and they are also

learning the physical

properties of matter.

Houston, there is no

problem because 5th

Grade Cadets have

blasted off and continue to

SOAR to new heights.

Grissom’s Phenomenal

Fifth Grade Cadets

busy reviewing and

learning different

skills. One of the

skills they are focus-

ing on in reading is

summary writing, and each

student is creating a

“Summary Burger” that

includes all of the compo-

Mrs. J. Hayman:

Nominated by a student for

“being the best teacher” is a

Phenomenal Fifth Grade

Commander. She is a proud

graduate of Texas Southern

University and Prairie View A & M

University. She always tells her students “If

you can believe it, you can achieve

it!”

Saige Sweet:

A Phenomenal Fifth Grade Cadet,

found living out the Mighty Rocket Core

Values of S.O.A.R., has

big plans for the future.

“When I grow up, I want

to be a police officer. I

would like to attend the University of

Texas at Austin.”

September: Ms. B. Rayford-

A dynamic Third Grade Teacher , who’s

tenacity for learning is infectious for her

Top-Notch Cadets. Her parents, who were

educators, stressed the importance of a

good education and as a

child she had a love of

learning. “I had great

teachers who motivated me

to learn in a manner that

was relevant, meaningful,

and memorable. She was born in

Hempstead, Texas. Her favorite children’s

book is Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott.

Her favorite color is blue or purple and her

favorite foods are chicken and cashews.

October: Mrs. M. Smith-

A talented Bilingual Kindergarten

Teacher , who daily creates

engaging learning

experiences for her young

Cadets. Although she likes to

be a part of the “behind the

scenes” happenings, her hard

work and dedication to her students has

brought her to the forefront. She was born

in Brownsville, Texas. Her favorite

children’s book is The Cat in the Hat by Dr

Seuss. Her favorite color is blue and her

favorite food is pizza.

E M P L O Y E E O F T H E M O N T H

R O C K E T O F T H E W E E K