Courtney Jaynes-Behavior Intervention Specialist

Cimarron’s 

Cheetah P.R.I.D.E

Cimarron Elementary has an exciting program called Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). It is a proactive approach to school-wide discipline. This program is meant to reinforce positive behaviors of students on campus “Showing Cheetah P.R.I.D.E.”  P.R.I.D.E. is the acronym for the campus wide behavior expectation. It stands for P, Purpose; R, Respect; I, Integrity; D, Dependable, and E, Effort. The staff at Cimarron are always encouraging our students to display these behavior every day and in every area at school.

The students have been and will continue to earn Cheetah bucks, when a staff member catches him or her exhibiting the Cheetah P.R.I.D.E throughout the school day. This could happen in the classroom, halls, cafeteria, playground, or any other area on the school grounds. The students then may use their Cheetah bucks to purchase special items and privileges from their teachers or the Cheetah store. Below is an example classroom menu from 5^th grade. When students earn a Cheetah buck, they are being told specifically what positive characteristic they are exhibiting!  

We have a Behavior Matrix for what is expected in all areas of the building to helpthe student know what P.R.I.D.E. looks like.  The students went on a tour at the beginning of the year to practice these behaviors and received a passport for their commitment to their success!

                                 

PBIS involves the entire staff, all students, and the school community.  It is the interaction of all these variables that make it a success.  I hope this blog gives you a quick glimpse into the PBIS program that will continue to help our students become positive contributors to our school! Should you have any questions, please contact our PBIS Coordinator/Behavior Interventionist for our campus, Courtney Jaynes or your student’s teacher. Mrs. Jaynes works with individual staff and students as well, to create plans for growth and success!

More information and resources on the PBIS Website:

www.pbis.org

PBIS Contact

Courtneyvjaynes@katyisd.org

1st Grade Team

1^st Grade Launching Parade

On Friday, September 22,2014, all first graders participated on a celebratory parade around school. All first graders have worked so hard launching their Reader’s and Writer’s workshops. The last 3 weeks they have learned different ways to become “Super” Readers and Writers! Students decorated shoe boxes and on them displayed their favorite book, their reading buddy, and their favorite piece of writing. Students were so excited about this project. “My stomach hurts of how excited I feel right now” a student commented about starting the parade. 

All our “Super” first graders lined up to start their parade around 8:45. We walked all through the hallways of our school.Teacher and students lined up the hallways and cheered on our “super” first graders. 

  

                                

                                     

Following the parade, all first graders and first grade teachers gathered in the LGI for an apple juice toast. Each student received a cup of apple juice and Mrs. Plut gave a toast for this wonderful celebration. We all said “cheers!” to becoming super readers and writers, “cheers!” to an exciting year ahead; “cheers!” for our love of Reading and Writing! The first graders finished the 

celebration by sitting with a friend and sharing their shoe box and telling them 

all about their book, pet, and piece of writing!

Samuel-3rd Grade Student

There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who know binary code and those who don’t. 

My favorite thing about today is that I did computer program coding on an iPad.  It had game characters like Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies.   Zombies!  I thought it was really cool!  And I learned that 10 in binary is really 2! I hope its homework! I thought I’d never say this about something hard, but it’s awesome! I hope we do it tomorrow!

JJJJJJ

Learning to Write program code

Learning Binary Code

Written by: Samuel B.

3^rd  grade Challenge class 

Cayce Corley-5th Grade Math

On your marks, get set, GO!!!!!!

It’s a race to the finish line on race day! Fifth grade students can use comparing and ordering decimals along with a race situation to help them be Olympic Champions. We started the lesson by watching some Olympic champions and their winning races. Visually, it helped the students to understand that in racing you want the smaller number because that means that you were the fastest and the winner of the race. We also discussed if you did not win the race what kind of times did that mean for the other participants in comparison to the winner. It helped the students to relate because it was a real world experience and something they participated in as well. 

We are off to the races.  I set up cones equal distances apart for all 5 groups outside on the playground.  Each group had a stop watch, recording sheet, and the speed of an Olympian. Each student was timed for how long it took them to complete the task of down and back. One student was the timer, one was the recorder, and everyone was a runner!! 

At the end of the racing rounds, we took the race times and ordered them in the first trial fastest to slowest and slowest to fastest with the second trial. Then we took the same numbers and ordered them as if they were regular decimals and discussed the differences of the orders and how you view the numbers. Based on the results, Cimarron has some future Olympians in training!

Cayce Corley-5th Grade Math Teacher

 Journals As a Learning Tool

J-jotting down your

O-own thoughts

U-until

R-reading, writing, math and science

N-naturally make

A-any

L-learning

S-seem fun and personal.

“Isn't it mysterious to begin a new journal like this? I can run my fingers through the fresh clean pages but I cannot guess what the writing on them will be.” 
― Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy in Spite of Herself

A journal is a diary in a sense. They are something personal to individuals. With that being said, they have also become popular in schools. In 5^th grade this year, we are making the journals an important part of all of our core classes. We used the first week of school to let the kids personalize and understand the journals they were creating. 

It is important to let the students personalize their journals because they take more responsibility and ownership in something that they took the time to create. The journals are excellent because they get children to think creatively and to learn to put their thoughts and feelings down on paper. This is an important step in teaching children to express themselves and communicate effectively through the written word. 

It is a way of capturing moments of importance in class to use later in reference for assignments completed at home or at school. It is not only an informational tool, but a learning tool.

The kids had a blast putting their spin on their journals using a variety of things. Magazines, stickers, different types and colors of paper, newspapers, etc. Their creativity and ingenuity impressed all the 5^th grade teachers. 

We are off to a great start in 5^th grade, and we cannot wait for our PAW-some Cheetahs to go the extra mile and then some with all challenges and journeys thrown their way!!!

Here are some examples of the 5^th grade creations!

Sanee Bell, Principal

Going the Extra Mile... And Then Some!

Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year. This year at Cimarron Elementary we are going the extra mile...and then some! 

Things are up and running around Cimarron and I could not be more proud of how we have begun the year.We had an amazing first week of school and we are well on our way to meeting our goals for this school year. This year we will be focusing on the importance of setting goals and working through challenges.  

Going the extra mile...and then some means giving the extra degree of effort. Water is hot at 211 degrees, but it is at 212 degrees when it begins to boil. With boiling water comes steam, and steam can power a locomotive. An extra degree of effort is what separates a good school from a great school. We invite you on our journey as our staff and students commit to go the extra mile and then some, and we challenge you to give the extra degree of effort in everything you do. It is going to be a great year!