IDEA Walzem Academy 6445 Walzem Rd.

San Antonio, TX 78239 (210) 239-4600

www.ideapublicschools.org

CONTACT US IDEA Walzem 6445 Walzem Rd. San Antonio, TX 78239 210-239-4600 www.ideapublicschools.org _____________________ Ryane Burke Principal, Academy Crystal Arreaola (K-1) Assistant Principal of Instruction Christopher Mayes (2-3) Assistant Principal of Instruction Alicia Ramirez Assistant Principal of Operations Te’Nesha Austin-Jackson Academic Counselor

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE Dear Families –

I am very pleased to make some

announcements this week regarding a few

staff promotions here at Walzem

Academy. Starting this week, Ms. Arreola,

who was one of our amazing Kinder

teachers, will be transitioning into an

Assistant Principal role here. She brings a

wealth of experience around excellent

instruction, and we look forward to having

her support our Kinder and 1st grade teams

in their academic growth. We will share

with you more information about the

Kinder teacher who will be replacing Ms.

Arreola during this week. Temporarily,

Ms. Chacon, one of our awesome, regular

Walzem Academy teachers will be

teaching in Ms. Arreola’s room. If you

have a Kinder or 1st grade student, please

feel free to reach out to Ms. Arreola for

support or questions regarding your child’s

instruction, of course, in addition to talking

directly with their teachers. As Ms.

Arreola transitions out of her current role,

we are also excited to announce that Ms.

Barnes will be the new grade level leader

for our Kinder team, so please use her as a

support as well, she is an excellent

resource and experienced teacher and

leader!

The second staff transition that will be

taking place this week will be Ms. Bracy

moving out of the AR Zone and into a 2nd

grade co-teaching role. While we know all

of your students loved having Ms. Bracy

as their AR facilitator, we are excited to

see our 2nd graders thrive under her ELA

instruction. Ms. Alyssa Solano will be

transitioning into the AR Zone and will be

continuing to support our students’

continued road to becoming millionaires!

We would like to congratulate all of our

staff being promoted to new roles, and

while we are sad to have had staff leave

our community due to personal reasons,

we know that this Team and Family will

continue on and keep getting better

together!

AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDENCE

Scholars who achieve perfect attendance

during the week are awarded a token and

the opportunity to select a prize from the

Treasure Tower. We have a high

expectation and aspiration for perfect

student attendance! Bringing your scholar

to school every day helps ensure his or her

success at IDEA, college, and beyond!

STUDENT SHOUT OUTS!

Kinder

Star Student: Ralph Ocura

Core Value: Janelle Robinson

First Grade

Star Student: Mariah Reynolds

Core Value: Justin Briones

Second Grade

Star Student: Zariah Woodkins

Core Value: Adrian Cervantes

Third Grade

Star Student: Isaiah Mendez

Core Value: Amilia Aldaco

Fourth Grade

Star Student: Xiomara Martinez

Core Value: Alex Thrope

No School: Monday, October 10th, 2016

School Holiday

October 3rd, 2016 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS Reading Selfies: Whatcha readin’? It’s something we ask

our scholars every day. They are reading

some awesome, fun, and really insightful

books. As parents you are their favorite

people and best example of what it means

to be life-long learners. What are you

currently reading? We’d love to know.

Send a selfie with the book you’re reading,

tell us who your child/children are, we’ll

use them in a creative way to encourage

our scholars. Send selfies to

angela.brien@ideapublicschools.org.

WordMasters rock!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS Upcoming Student/Parent Lunch

Oct. 7th – 3rd gr. 11:25 am

IDEA Walzem Academy 1st Annual

Pumpkin Patch Academy families we will be hosting a

pumpkin patch for students during science

class on Thursday, October 6th and

pumpkin decorating on Friday, October

7th. Families who are registered volunteers

(submitted volunteer forms with front

office and valid ID) are welcome to join us

by signing up with your child’s homeroom

teacher by Tuesday, October 5th.

Interim Assessment (IA) #1 Spirit Week

Monday- “Mismatched Monday” Wear mismatched colors shirts, socks,

and/or jeans.

Tuesday- “Career Day” Dress in your

future occupation.

Wednesday- “Crazy Hair Day” Natural

hair styles must resume on Tues., Oct. 11.

Thursday- “Superhero Day” Dress as

your favorite superhero.

Friday- “College Day” Wear your

favorite college shirt or jersey.

IDEA Walzem Academy 6445 Walzem Rd.

San Antonio, TX 78239 (210) 239-4600

www.ideapublicschools.org

IDEA Academy Walzem Fall Fundraiser

“Since all children will benefit from our fundraiser, we would greatly appreciate participation from everyone”

Prizes Prizes Prizes Prizes The more you sell, the more you get!

Bonus Prize Sell 10 items

Win Magic Box – 1 Lucky student will find $100 prize inside box!

Sell 25 items Get time in the Cash Cube (grab all you can and keep it)

Dear Parents & Students,

We are asking for your support in making our fundraiser a great success.

This is a PRE-PAID fundraiser so please collect the money with each order.

Sell to family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.

Fill out order forms completely & return top copy.

Start Date Friday, September 30th

End Date (Money & orders due)

Friday, October 14TH

For Questions Contact:

The school at (210) 239-4600

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SCHOOL!

Our greatest treasures are our children, no door-to-door selling!

IDEA Walzem Academy 6445 Walzem Rd.

San Antonio, TX 78239 (210) 239-4600

www.ideapublicschools.org

IDEA WALZEM ACADEMY: STEPS FOR PARENTS WITH QUESTIONS & CONCERNS

___________________________________________________________________________________

ADDITIONAL REMINDERS Uniforms Monday- Thursday:

-Shirt: Tucked in IDEA embroidered polo

-Pants: Dickie’s flat front khakis

-Shoes: All black shores; black laces; white socks

-Belt: Plain black belt

Uniforms Friday:

-Shirt: Tucked in IDEA spirit shirt or college shirt.

-Pants: Jeans (no holes, studs, designs, jeggings/skinny jeans)

-Shoes: All black shoes; black laces; white socks

-Belt: Plain black belt. Students who are not in proper

uniform will receive a call home.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Friday Dress – Students may either

wear the complete Friday dress OR wear their Monday-

Thursday dress, but not a combination of the two (i.e. Students

cannot wear blue jeans and their IDEA polo).

Recess Expectations

Parents please review these recess expectations with your

scholar(s) as students who do not meet expectations will be sat

out and lose recess privileges:

1. Keep hands and feet to yourselves

2. Do not leave designated area without permission

3. Follow directions on the first time given

Staying Hydrated During Recess

We ask that parents send water bottles for their children to

drink during recess. This will help all kids get hydrated

without losing fun recess time.

Student Drop Off: 7:15AM – 7:45 AM

*Students arriving after 7:45 AM are marked tardy.

STEP 1: Email, call, or Dojo message your homeroom teacher or subject

teacher

STEP 2: Call or email the Grade Team Leader

STEP 3: Email an Administrator

IDEA Walzem Academy 6445 Walzem Rd.

San Antonio, TX 78239 (210) 239-4600

www.ideapublicschools.org

Grade Team Updates KINDER CORNER Happy Monday parents! Last week for science your scholars began to learn all about matter. What is a solid, liquid and a

gas? This week test your students to see if they can give you an example of each type of matter. A few reminders and

updates; if your child did not get their picture taken last Monday the make-up day will be November 4th. This week we

will be having our pumpkin patch and our pumpkin decorating. Only parents that have been officially registered with the

front office will be able to join. Please contact the front office to make sure you are on the approves list. We hope you

have a fabulous week! GO KINDER WOLVES!

NEW Grade Team Leader: Mrs. Barnes Carole.Barnes1@ideapublicschools.org ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FIRST GRADE CORNER First Grade Families,

Every 1st grade student at IDEA Walzem Academy is expected to honor our classroom rules: we are kind and respectful,

we help each other, we are good listeners, we stay safe and we try our best. We wanted to express our ladder of

consequences we enforce when these rules are broken (every teacher has the behavior plan and classroom rules posted in

their room for students to see). These are the steps we will take in the classroom: Step 1: Redirection, Step 2: “Needs

Work” point, Step 3: Reflection desk, Step 4: Time off recess, Step 5: Phone call home, Step 6: Referral. Students will

receive an automatic office referral and you will be notified if your child is: hitting, using profanity, running out of the

classroom, or throwing objects in a dangerous way. If you receive a phone call from any teacher, please know we need

your immediate support.

Grade Team Leader: Ms. Acuna roxann.acuna@ideapublicschools.org

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SECOND GRADE CORNER Hello 2nd Grade Families,

Thank you for making in our first parent lunch a success! We have a lot of exciting things going on this week. Our 3rd and

4th grade students will be completing their first Interim Assessments this week. As a celebration of this, we will have our

first Spirit Week of the School Year. The schedule will be as follows:

Monday: Mismatch Day- wear mismatched color shirts, socks, and/or jeans.

Tuesday: Career Day- dress in your future occupation.

Wednesday: Crazy Hair Day

Thursday: Super Hero Day- dress as your favorite super hero.

Friday: College Day- wear your favorite college shirt or jersey.

Also, Thursday, October 6th (3:00-3:20pm) we will be having our first ever Pumpkin Patch. Pumpkin donations (6 to 8

inches in size) are greatly appreciated. Only registered parent volunteers may participate. On Friday, October 7th (2:30-

3:30pm) scholars will be able participate in a pumpkin decorating activity. All families welcomed. Please arrive at the

front office from 2:15-2:30 to sign in. We will begin decorating shortly after. Please reach out to your scholar’s home

room teacher for further info. Here’s to a great week!

Grade Team Leader: Mrs. Morales stephanie.morales@ideapublicschools.org

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

IDEA Walzem Academy 6445 Walzem Rd.

San Antonio, TX 78239 (210) 239-4600

www.ideapublicschools.org

THIRD GRADE CORNER Dear Third Grade Families,

Happy October! We have some exciting things happening this month!

Reminders:

-As the weather "cools off" (I use the quotes as a former North Dakota native) please remember that students cannot wear

non-idea jackets in the building. There are also a lot of IDEA jackets in the lost and found, so please stop by the academy

office to check if your scholar is missing theirs.

-Please remember to turn in sibling letters, even if your scholar does not have a sibling.

-On October 11th-12th, third grade students will take their first Interim assessments. This is like a practice STAAR

test. The duration of this test is 2 hours. Students will complete the math IA on Tuesday and the reading IA on

Wednesday. Please be sure your scholar is at school, on-time especially during these two days. It will also help for

students to get a good night of sleep so they can do their best! This test will count as their final grade for the quarter.

-Please don't bring toys or Pokemon cards.

-Report Card Night is on the 18th from 4:30-6:30

Thank you for everything you do!

Sincerely,

The 3rd Grade Team

Grade Team Leader: Mrs. Mahoney lacey.mahoney@ideapublicschools.org

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

FOURTH GRADE CORNER

Every week, our students are working on a set of spelling words to expand their vocabularies and writing abilities.

Lifework reminders: Parents please ensure students are writing 5 complete sentences on their reading logs. Students need

to show their work for their math questions. Mr. De Leon has taught them to show the inverse operation to check their

work.

Uniform reminders: Please ensure your child is wearing a black belt and all black shoes. If you need assistance in

purchasing any of these items, please reach out to your child’s homeroom teacher.

Upcoming events: Writing IA October 4th Reading IA October 12th Math IA October 11th

Sincerely,

The 4th Grade Team

Grade Team Leader: Mrs. Solano samantha.solano@ideapublicschools.org

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

IDEA Walzem Academy 6445 Walzem Rd.

San Antonio, TX 78239 (210) 239-4600

www.ideapublicschools.org

Individualized Learning: Accelerate Reading Zone

100% of all students will be on grade level or show growth of 1.5 years based on the Renaissance STAR reading

assessment by the end of the school year.

100% of all students will become Word Masters and 100% will become Millionaire Readers.

We ask you to encourage reading at home. The better reader a student is the better overall learner they become. We thank

you in advance for your support and look forward to meeting with you all. Please feel free to contact Ms. Brien-AR Zone

co-teacher at 210-350-1417; with questions and concerns or for ways we can partner with you.