Dear Parents,

February was such an exciting month for our students and their families. One of the time honored activities we were all involved in as children was Valentines Day. Our PTO sponsored the classroom parties and it was a success for all grade levels. Students enjoyed the giving and
receiving of these special messages. The Theiss staff also showed allot of heart by donating money to the Susan G. Komen foundation. The participation by our staff was amazing.

On Friday, February 15th, Theiss was one of the honored schools at Freedom Trek. Cameron Chadinha, a 4th grader, earned 2nd place with his winning composition.

February 20th was the date set for all our Theiss cowboys and cowgirls to slip on their boots and western hats for a fabulous Hoe Down. We saw everything
from line dancing to square dancing! Be sure to tip your hats to our three coaches for
doing it up right!

No sooner did we sweep up the saw dust from the Hoe Down,
we rolled out the red carpet for our 6th Annual Spring Fling.
The Theiss PTO out did themselves with exciting games, kid-friendly raffles, special prizes, silent auction items and live auction items. We even had a former Astro, Gerald Young, present for autographing baseballs, pictures, and other baseball memorabilia. A collection of donated items provided by the parents in our Theiss community were
auctioned off in cleverly decorated baskets. Parents and local business owners donated other great items for our school auction. A special thank you to all of the parents who volunteered countless hours in preparation of this perfect event. Tons of parents, children, teachers, even Dr. Cain were present for this exciting night at Theiss.

On Saturday, February 23rd, two of our three Destination Imagination teams won 1st place at the district competition.
These teams have advanced to the state competition in Round Rock. We are incredibly proud of all three teams and their coaches.

Theiss Elementary’s staff works hard to make your child's experience in education valuable. When we pair that with outstanding students and parents, we have limitless potential for great things to happen.

Sincerely,



JoAnn Keenan



Jennifer Campbell





March 5- TAKS Testing
TAKS Writing Grade 4
TAKS Reading
Grade 3&5
Help us establish a quiet testing environment for all students. Please bring your child on time and refrain from visiting or bringing your child lunch on that day.

March 6 Dr. Cain’s Community Dinner 6:30-8:00 pm Kleb

March 11 Open House 6:30-8:00
PTO Meeting 5:45

March 13 Field Day

March 17-21 Spring Break

March 24-Student Holiday/Staff
Development

March 26 PTO Cookie Dough Kick Off

April 4 Report Cards

April 5 D.I.State Tournament

April 8 TAKS Math- Grade 5

April 17 Kindergarten Round-up Cafetorium


IMMUNIZATION UPDATE
Students in fifth grade who have not had their chicken pox vaccine will be required to do so prior to sixth grade.
COMMUNITY DINNER
Parents of Klein ISD students are invited to attend a community dinner hosted by Superintendent Jim Cain. A pizza and salad dinner will be provided free to parents from 6:30-8:00 pm on March 6, 2008, at Kleb Intermediate School, 7425 Louetta Road. A district informational update and a question and answer session will follow. Parents, please call to reserve your seat by calling 832-249-4173 (English), or 832-249-4172 (en Español). No childcare will be provided.

TAKS TESTING A pat on the back to our third, fourth and fifth grade students who took the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) Test in February. Please see the attached informative flyer for important testing information.
We are proud of our students and our school’s past performance on the TAKS test. Our students and staff have worked very hard this year!
FITNESS TESTING IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASS
Under new legislation, the Texas Education Agency has mandated annual fitness testing for all students grade 3 through 12. The TEA has selected FITNESSGRAM® to serve as the state-wide fitness assessment in which all school districts will administer the required tests.

Theiss will begin preparations for testing beginning on or about March 25th. Since this particular fitness test has not been administered at Theiss in the past we will take some time to familiarize the children with each test item before we actually administer the test.

Student results will be available to the parent or guardians after the results have been reported to the state. Composite results for Klein ISD will be sent to the Texas Education Agency as required by law.

THEISS HOLDS SCIENCE FAIR
On February 6 we had our first annual Science Fair. All 5th grade students participated. Top awards were presented Krissie Cossick: "Melt Away", and
Allie Cossick: "Flower Survival" earned our overall 1st and 2nd place trophies.

The following students were top winners in their individual science classes:
1. Anthony Paulino: "The Effect of Soccer Ball Temperature in Kicking Distance"
2. Chris Beaver: "Wet Green or Dry Green"
3. Tyler Gonzales: "M&M Math"
4. Kirby Carlock: "Shape vs. Accuracy"

1. Brandon Weber: "How Does Heart Rate Change with Exercise?"
2. Kyle Ghetes: "Got Batteries?"
3. William Barrett: "Weird Ways of Digestion"
4. Austin Zessin: "Light and Sound"

1. Russ Hueske: "The Specific Gravity of Yaupon"
2. Adam Trocsinski: "Do Kids Need More Recess?"
3. John Vindiola: "The Great Potato Battery"
4. (tie) Jake Gaudet: "Do Ants Hate Darkness"
4. (tie) Quinn Chesser: "Heat vs. Magnets"

1. Robert Slaughter: "Battery Life"
2. Mary Ludlow: "Which Battery Lasts the Longest?"
3. Paul Appleton: "What is the pH of Household Items?"
4. Alex Blackham: "The Result of Water Freezing in Sealed Objects"

1. Logan Dunbar: "Rechargeable vs. Alkaline: A Battery Life Comparison"
2. Austin Dupont: "Golf"
3. Alex Crowley: "Zap… Testing Potential Energy"
4. (tie) Elizabeth Genrich: "Do Plants Like Hot Baths?"
4. (tie) John Rachal: "Plant Growth!"

1. Farzan Poonawala: "Resistance Against Different Surfaces"
2. Matthew Dupuy: "Acid, Neutral, and Basic Solutions"
3. Leah Malstrom: "Pansies Planted with Worm Castings"
4. Courtney Khim: "Fish Feeding Frenzy: Granules vs. Flakes"

On February 14 & 15, the North Harris County Regional Water Authority (NHCRWA) sent its mobile education lab to Theiss Elementary. The lab offers interactive experiences for students to learn about water conservation, pollution, and decomposition. Parent volunteers graciously guided all the 4th and 5th grade students through the lab. To supplement the lab experience, NHCRWA also sent videos on water conservation and water treatment which teachers were able to use in their classrooms. Thanks to the NHCRWA and the wonderful parent volunteers, the experience was both exciting and educational for all the students who visited the lab.


DISMISSAL PROCEDURE
For safety reasons, it is extremely important that all drivers follow the designated traffic patterns and procedures.

Drivers are asked to list on a card/paper large enough for staff to read from a distance, the last name(s) of students who are to ride home with you. Also, we ask that drivers remain in their cars and in the traffic lanes while waiting for their children to be dismissed from their classrooms. Please do not park in the handicapped parking spaces unless you have plates that are marked handicapped. Please do not park on Hidden Forest in the no parking zone. This slows the flow of traffic and creates an unsafe situation for students who are walking home. For the safety of all students please do not ask your children to meet you anywhere other than in the waiting carpool lines, this includes the Memorial Northwest parking lot. Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we dismiss over 650 students in a timely manner.

THEISS SERVICE ORGANIZATION
The Theiss Service Organization continues throughout the year to collect Box Tops for Education. We have just mailed in our yearly collection and will begin working on our 2008 - 2009 collection. Thanks for your support!








LIBRARY NEWS
The Theiss Library will now be open after school on Wednesdays from 3:15 till 3:45 starting March 12th, 2008. Students will have the opportunity to complete online quizzes independently during this time. Mrs. Parr, the school librarian, will stay and monitor the students. Students will need to have read their books before they come to take the quizzes. During this time the library will not be opened for browsing or for check out. Parents are welcome to come and wait for their students in the library. Students will need to turn in a Parent Permission Form in order to attend on Wednesdays. Permission slips will be available in the library. All students will need to be picked up promptly by 3:45. If you have any questions call the school library at 832-484-5888.

We held our Bluebonnet voting party on January 28th. We had 89 students who were eligible to vote in the statewide Bluebonnet Reading Program this year. Each of the 89 participants who voted received a cookie, pencil and bookmark. Double Identity by Margaret Haddix was voted the favorite Bluebonnet book at Theiss. The Ghost’s Grave by Peg Kehret came in second while Down Girl and Sit: On the Road by Lucy A. Nolan and Who Stole Halloween by Martha Freeman tied for third. Down Girl and Sit: On the Road won the statewide Bluebonnet Award for 2007-2008. We had 12 students who read the required number of Bluebonnet books for their grade level attend our annual Bluebonnet Breakfast.

The 2008-2009 Bluebonnet selections will be available for purchase at our Scholastic Book Fair on Thursday, April 24th and Friday, April 25th! Additional information on the book fair with be coming in Wednesday folders beginning in early April so mark your calendar for this exciting event!

There is still time to join the Theiss Birthday Book Club! It is a great way to honor your child's birthday while raising funds to purchase new books for the library. We have six new members of the Birthday Book Club: Kathleen Maestas, Peyton Davis, Thomas Pham, Courtney Berlin, Carson Berlin and Megan Ziemer. If you are interested in supporting this program, please stop by the library on March 11 for open house to learn more about the book club. We will have a large selection of new books to choose from at a cost of $12.

Our Star Reader program is going strong! Savannah Stapp in second grade was our 100th Theiss Tiger to earn her t-shirt on the 100th day of school! On that same day, Theiss students were reported to have read over 100 million words! To date, 130 Theiss Tigers in grades 1st through 5th have earned their Star Reader t-shirt! Keep reading Theiss Tigers!




SCHOOL GROUNDS
Teams are always welcome to use the school grounds for after school practices, on a first come first serve basis. We ask that participants do not park their vehicles on the grounds, because it develops ruts in the surface and can create possible
safety issues. Please limit your parking to the school parking lot.



CROSSING GUARDS
We are fortunate to have their assistance. We’d like to thank them for the great job that they do each day.

Anyone interested in becoming a Klein ISD crossing guard should call 832-249-4265 between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm.