New on the Website

The Gattis website  at https://gattis.roundrockisd.org/ is being updated to keep you informed! Here are some highlights of what to look for on the front page.

Digital Citizenship Week Oct. 19-23

Digital Citizenship Week October 19-23

All around the world and throughout RRISD students, teachers and families are celebrating Digital Citizenship Week.  We encourage families to “Have the Talk” with their students. We want our students to be responsible, respectful and safe citizens in the digital world.  Visit Common Sense Media for resources and ideas on how you can promote Digital Citizenship at home.

​See the RRISD Digital Citizenship Site for more.

Monday:  "Stay Safe Online"
What does it mean to be a good digital citizen?  Keep online experiences safe and secure. 

Tuesday:  "It's Hip to be Aware"
Be aware that everywhere you go online, everything you post leaves a trail.  It's called your digital footprint. 

Wednesday:  "Stand up to Cyberbullying"
Treat people the way we want to be treated. This day is Unity Day. Wear Orange to show your stand against bullying online or in person.

Thursday:  "Give Credit Where Credit is Due"
Just because you found it on the internet, doesn't mean you can use it. Copyright laws protect creative work.  

Friday:  "Balance is Best!"
A healthy balance between technology and other activities is key. Be with the ones you're with!

More and more Math Activities

This just in!  Gattis Teachers of all grade levels collaborated to make a HUGE list of Math websites. If you joined us for Math Night last night, a teacher from each grade level highlighted a site and talked about how it met with our TEKS and units studied at RRISD.  To get to the page of Math Sites go to our Gattis Webpage at http://gattis.roundrockisd.org/ Click on Resources, For Students then the link to "Math Websites" on the left side.

Connect to the Olympics Online

It’s time for the Olympics! How will you stay connected?  The following blog post was created with Olympic Resources for students and teachers.  They are in 3 categories. The first are links to the current Sochi Winter Olympics, the first 2 sites are geared for younger kids to be able to read.  The second is a history of the Olympics (great for those studying timelines) and the last are some teacher resources. 

http://techhintz.blogspot.com/2014/02/olympic-resources-for-kids-and-teachers.html

Here’s how some Gattis Teachers are using them: Second Grade teacher Ms. Zahm is using the Time for Kids link for morning work with her class which has lots of current event snapshots about the Olympics.  Third Grade teacher Mrs. Tilger is using the Enchanted Learning which has facts of the current Olympics, history of the Olympics and loads of Olympic facts. It even has a list of where EVERY Olympic has been held since 1896.  Mrs. Dawson’s 3rd grade class explored a few of the sites listed, they especially liked Time for Kids for the articles and some of the printables available.  Which site do you like best?  Do you have a new one to share? 

Tech Resources for Kindergarten

Here at Gattis, students are using Technology at all grade levels.  One Kindergarten teacher, Lisa Sanford, not only encourages the use of technology at school, but at home as well.  She has several resources on her website for parents to use with their children.  They range from ideas for learning crafts, or online activities, to links to videos that reinforce skills. Check out her page at http://gattis.roundrockisd.org/our_staff/kindergarten_team/lisa_sanford/.  Make sure to you go to her Pinterest page as well! 

StemScopes and Think Through Math

As 5th Grade students prepare for the upcoming STAAR Tests, they look to online resources that the district has provided.  Stemscopes and Think Through Math are two of the resources they went to the most. Students can work at their own pace and can even access their accounts from home.  Students were loving it so much they were aleady asking if they could use them in the summer months!

3rd Grade Researches Solar System

All of our awesome Third Grade teachers worked in the lab or with the netbooks in their classrooms to have students research the Solar System.  Students were given a set of questions to look for on a specific planet and sites to find the information on.  They then compliled their research into a report.  To see the sites they used to research, check out http://goo.gl/4a5QU

Gattis Goes Google!

This School year Gattis Elementary and all of RRISD has gone Google.  Teaches are using a version of Gmail which will enable them to streamline communication with parents. We are using Google forms to collect data and survey our families, students and staff and Calendars to keep each other informed!  If you would like to subscribe to our Gattis Google calendar here are the steps. 

1. Have a Google account of your own, it doesn't have to be Gmail, in fact you can go to google.com and register another email address to create a Google account.
2. Go to the Gattis website at http://schools.roundrockisd.org/Gattis/
3. On the bottom right of the calendar, click on the “+Google Calendar” button
4. A prompt will appear that will ask you “Would you like to add calendar: gattis_master@roundrockisd.org?  Click “Yes, add this calendar”

Now, when you look at your google calendar, you will see our Gattis Calendar as well! Never miss another fantastic Event!

Technology as a Tool

Technology is a great tool for various reasons!  In the Resource classrooms there are some great individualized programs that students can use and set their own pace. Students are motivated by the interactivity of the programs and teachers are able to monitor progress.