course description

AEC

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT COMMITTEE 
Next Meeting:  October 13, 2009, 6:30 to 7:30, Room 118 

2009 School Play:  A Connecticut Yankee – The Musical
Congratulations on a FANTASTIC school play!   This year’s play featured   58  CHE students  (plus a handful of alumni)  and kicked  off our BIG READ theme: King Arthur’s Court.   Many thanks to the hours of work students and parents have put into making this a great performance, especially our director, Amy Stengel who makes this  wonderful event happen each year!  And, a special thanks to the school for supporting this undertaking!
For tickets for Thursday or Friday performances, stop by the office.  Tickets are $5 and the money goes toward Academic Enrichment Programs. 
Family Fun Nights
We had our first family fun night in conjunction with the PTA’s Open House in August.  Families that attended made family shields to decorate our campus.  These shields are a wonderful way to recognize the families behind the Castle Hills community and decorate our campus for the BIG READ.
More Family Fun to come …
October 15       Bike Rodeo Tail Gate Party!  Bring your bikes up to school to practice for the rodeo and bring a picnic/tailgate dinner to enjoy with friends from school.
November 12   Family Health Night!  Join the PTA for Health-fest!
December  11  Barnes & Noble Night!  Enjoy a night out with CHE families and get a little holiday shopping done (with a percentage of all profits dedicated back to the school).
Thanks to Rebecca Baker for coordinating CHE family fun nights!
Destination Imagination
CHE will be represented by four DI teams this year!  Participating students will begin preparing for the March tournament challenges in the areas of theater arts, engineering, construction, script writing, creative problem solving, teamwork, etc.  
Thanks to Aileen Holeman for being the DI campus coordinator and Karen Schwartz for mentoring our Instant Challenge coaches – partners from the International School of the Americas.
Road Runner Express News
The Road Runner Express News has selected the 2009-2010 editorial board and is working on their first edition!  Congratulations to all writers and editors!  We look forward to seeing your bi-weekly newsletters .  The newspaper is sponsored by Venessa and Lance Hoppes and Robin Gallegos.  Thank you!
Great News from the Science Lab
CHE has established a rotating science lab schedule in an effort to get our kids in the lab on a regular basis.  First grade and kindergarten are in the lab on Mondays, second grade on Fridays, third grade on Wednesdays, fourth grade on Thursday, and fifth grade on Tuesdays.  CHE has made a serious commitment to focusing on hands-on science education. 
Watch for information on our Family Fun Science Night on February 11.  This will be a great event!
Story Book Character Day is here!
CHE will celebrate Story Book Character Day on October 30 by allowing students to come dressed as their favorite story book character.  Students will be invited to come as either a character from Camelot (think BIG READ) or a character from a book they choose, but they’ll have to carry the book with them to explain their character.
Physical Enrichment
KidsRock Marathon is on!  Each student was given a tracking form for the KidsRock Marathon.  The idea is that over a 10 week period, the kids complete all but one mile of a marathon (25.2 miles), and they run the last mile together (to complete 26.2) at an event at SA Zoo on November 14.   Registration is required for the Zoo portion (kids get t-shirt, medal, etc.):  http://san-antonio.competitor.com/register/kids-rock-registration/.
CANstruction / Spring Food Drive
This spring, CHE students will conduct a food drive and put the cans to creative and innovative use before they are delivered to the SA Food Bank by building a CANstruction sculpture.  Thanks to Cristina Davis for helping with this exciting event.  More to come …
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Enriching Events Around Town:
Children's Book & Author Celebration.  Meet author's and illustrators, including Benjamin Alire Saenz, Diane Stanley, Elaine Scott, Roxie Munroe, Tim McKenzie, and April Lurie.  Sat, Oct 3, 10-2 at the Pearl Stables.  Reservations 225-4728.  $25 adult / $10 child, includes lunch.
San Antonio Museum of Art First Sundays.  FREE activities for families.  This month's theme is INDIA.  Sun, Oct 4, 1-5.  Free!
Mitchell Lake's 5th Annual Fall Wildlife Festival.  Sat, Oct 24, 9-4 at Mitchell Lake.  Free!

Hello and Welcome Back! 

 
We are excited for a great and enriching year at Castle Hills.  We will have our first meeting of the Academic Enrichment Committee on Monday, August 24, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. in room 118.
 
Many of our programs are underway already:
  • The Big Read has been announced:  King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
  • The school play, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, is in its third week of rehearsals.  The cast is doing great!  The play will open on September 24 and close on the 25th. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend.
  • The Road Runner Express News has interviewed for the editorial staff and should be announcing its board soon.
  • Our first Family Fun night is tonight, in conjunction with Open House. 
  • Mr. Wicker has been meeting with teachers on school clubs and should be ready to announce lots of new opportunities soon.
I hope you can join us on Monday to discuss ways that we can make CHE a more engaging place to learn so that all of students feel connected to their education and their own intellectual pursuits.
 
There are no dues for AEC and the time commitment is just what you are able to give (it's a no guilt group).  We are specifically looking for help in the following areas, but always open to new ideas.
  • Campus decorations (Big Read Theme)
  • Family Fun Nights (Rebecca Baker is co-chairing and we are looking for her partner...  September will be the school play, October will be the bike rodeo tailgate party, November will be a science fair night, and December will be our Barnes & Noble night  -- we just need help wrapping up the details on each of these events)
  • School Clubs -- The teachers may be seeking parent partners for each of the clubs we institute
  • Can-struction -- This is half-food drive, half building challenge. We did a mini version last year at Barnes and Noble where the kids built a barn out of cans that were later donated to the Food Bank.  Probably something we would do in the Spring.
  • CHE is Thankful for Science -- In November, we are planning to combine Family Fun Night and Science and ask CHE families to bring supplies to help beef up the science lab.  We were planning to have (something like) a tree with leaves noted with requested supplies.  Students can take a leaf home and bring the supplies back  to school.
  • Destination Imagination -- Challenges will be released in September and CHE will be well represented again this year! 

 

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