Brushy Creek Elementary

The ABCs of Brushy Creek

After School Activities
Students may register to participate in after school programs held at Brushy Creek through RRISD Community Schools. Our PTA and school team also coordinate after school clubs. Look for registration information online and in Tuesday folders.

Art Class
The art program at Brushy Creek Elementary gives students the opportunity to express themselves using a variety of materials in a hands-on learning environment. We explore various techniques, artists, and cultures, as well as learn how to create our own unique pieces of artwork. Students generally attend art class 50 minutes per week.

BITS (Bridges Into Tomorrow’s Solutions)
BITS are McNeil High School students who have received training in developing communication, social and support skills. They work with our young Blue Jays as pals – listening, laughing, learning and serving as positive role models.

Blue Jay Mentors
Caring, committed adults volunteer at least thirty minutes a week to work with students on an academic and/or "buddy" basis. Students are identified by teachers, parents, and /or counselor. All mentors go through a training program and a criminal background check.

Carnival
PTA coordinates this yearly event to provide an afternoon of community building, entertainment and fun! The event is also a large fundraiser for the PTA to support educational initiatives.

CATCH Program
CATCH (Coordinated Approach To Child Health) is a TEA approved Coordinated School Health Program designed to promote physical activity, healthy food choices, and prevent tobacco use in elementary school aged children. By teaching children that eating healthy and being physically active every day can be FUN, the CATCH Program has proved that establishing healthy habits in childhood can promote behavior change that carry into adulthood. Check out http://www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/catch/ for more information.

Community Agreements
Community Agreements are used by every adult and child in our school. They are discussed in classrooms and reinforced in all areas of our school. Blue Jays SOAR to do their PERSONAL BEST each day…the Blue Jay Way!

S Show mutual respect
O Only appreciations; no put-downs
A Attentive listening
R Right to participate; right to pass in community circle

Community Circles
Community circles are held in every classroom a minimum of twice weekly. This is an opportunity for students to share, discuss, and reflect on what is happening in their lives. It is also an opportunity to build relationships and create a risk-free classroom environment. Through a community circle, teachers may facilitate a team-building activity, review our agreements, problem-solve an issue in the classroom, create curriculum connections, or review content from a lesson.

Connect With Kids
In class, on the playing field, in the lunchroom, kids are learning from other kids all the time. Studies show students have significant retention and recall when they receive information in a peer-to-peer format. This is the successful foundation of the Connect with Kids Character Collection - using real children to tell their own stories... reaching out to other students and helping teachers achieve the school climate and character education goals they have for their students.

FLIGHT Time
FLIGHT (flexible learning guides higher thinking) time is a flexible grouping model to support meeting individual student needs. During designated times daily, support personnel are designated to 1^st - 5^th grade teachers to help reduce student to teacher ratios. Teachers review current assessment data to create learning groups for students. Students may attend enrichment classes in art, music, physical education or academic areas, or they may grouped with a teacher to work on a specific concept or skill. Groups are flexible and based on student need.

Guidance Program
The four components of our comprehensive developmental guidance program are: (1) guidance curriculum; (2) responsive services; (3) individual planning; and (4) system support. Our school counselor meets with whole classes and small groups on a regular basis and consistently works with classroom teachers to provide just-in-time support.

Hoe Down
Traditionally held on the Friday before Spring Break, our Hoe Down is a schoolwide celebration. During this cumulative event for the dance unit of physical education, students "show off" all their moves! Parents are invited to dance with their children during the specials period.

International Children’s Day
Come see the world with us! International Children’s Day has been a tradition at Brushy Creek for over eight years. Customs, traditions, dances, games, costumes and food form various countries around the globe are shared with students in a festive celebration. Parents, community members and teachers come together to host booths to allow students to travel the world in just one day – exemplifying that we are truly better together!

KJAY Radio
Students at Brushy Creek broadcast the latest news on our own radio station – KJAY. Tune into 90.1 FM to hear fifth graders use their talents as DJs to announce events, reminders and dates to keep everyone in touch with all that happens with our blue jays!

Main Thing
Teachers are committed to the MAIN THING at Brushy Creek – planning, teaching, assessing and intervening at the student expectation level of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills to result in increased student achievement.

What does this mean? Teachers are constantly reviewing student progress to adjust their planning and instruction. We look to the Aligned Round Rock ISD Curriculum to guide our initial classroom instruction, and then look at individual assessment data to help us modify and adjust to student needs, so that all students are making academic progress. The goal is learning and success for all!

Math Pentathlon
Students in first through third grade have opportunities in the school day to participate in Math Pentathlon. Math Pentathlon integrates adventures in problem solving, math pentathlon games, and investigation exercises. This adventure challenges us to use our critical powers of observation, classification, description and analysis in logical ways to creatively deal with personal, professional, social and ethical situations. The game develops a diverse range of mathematical abilities by integrating spatial/geometric, arithmetic/computational, and logical/scientific reasoning at each division level.

MIDI for Kids
MIDI for Kids is an after school music keyboard program incorporating ear training and sight reading into a group lesson format. Students meet once a week for a total of 30 lessons per year. Each lesson lasts 45 minutes. Classes are currently full, but we are accepting names to add to the waiting list for fall of 2007. For more information, check out www.midiforkids.com.

Musicals
Where is every student a star? Where does every student feel the thrill of success with thunderous applause? Right here at Brushy Creek Elementary! Each year brings six musical productions. Annual events include the 5th grade 50’s show and the 4th grade Nutcracker production.

News Team
The Brushy Creek Blue Jay News Team broadcasts school news and weather over our closed circuit TV system every school day. Teams of five students in the fifth grade are on the job each morning after the bell rings, with a ten minute update of the school's activities. Students apply for a news team position at the end of fourth grade and serve for one month during their fifth grade year.

Parent Resource Room
Actually, it is our Parent Resource "nook." We have a small nook on our second grade hallway dedicated to parents. It is a great place to check out books & videos related to parenting, network with other parents, and learn about opportunities to be involved at school. Many of our mentors use this nook when working with our children.

Partners in Education
Community involvement in schools provides resources and perspectives that expand the educational experiences for students. Mutually beneficial partnerships between schools, businesses, community groups, civic organizations, and individuals greatly enhance learning opportunities. Brushy Creek students directly benefit from our Partners in Education, as local partners sponsor our summer library program, back-to-school events, Read Across America, and much more!

PTA
We have an active Parent-Teacher Association. Our PTA works hard to provide the best school experience possible for students, supporting several educational initiatives.

Safety Patrol
Fifth grade students have the opportunity to participate in Safety Patrol, representing Brushy Creek to our community and setting an example for student behavior. Students work with a team one day a week to provide a safe environment for arrival and dismissal of students.

SOAR Celebrations
SOAR celebrations are a time to recognize our Blue Jays who have demonstrated their Personal Best. Students gather in the cafeteria to sing, cheer and celebrate learning. Grades 3-5 have a SOAR celebration bi-monthly. Grades K-2 have a SOAR celebration at the end of each quarter.

SAIL (Student Assistance In Learning)
SAIL is a support service for students who are having difficulty mastering grade-level curriculum. SAIL provides a positive, safe environment that is open all day for one-on-one or small group assistance. Students can come for help at a point of need, or sometimes they are scheduled in for direct small group support.

Science Night
Our annual spring Science Night promotes "real" science through the scientific method in the classroom. Students learn and practice planning, organizational, problem solving and research skills. Fifth grade students prepare individual projects that are judged with the winners advancing to the Regional Competition. Students in kindergarten through 4th grades create whole class or small group science projects that are displayed for the event.

Student Council
Leadership, government and the ability for your voice to be heard is what students get to experience at Brushy Creek through Student Council. Students in the third, fourth and fifth grades are elected by their classmates. The 42 elected representatives participate in after school meetings twice a month and work together on committees to identify and implement ways our school can show hospitality, spirit, teacher appreciation, community service and plan fundraising events.

TAG Program
The Round Rock ISD Programs for Talented and Gifted (TAG) students provide instructional opportunities and other services designed to meet the needs of students with significantly advanced general intellectual and/or specific subject matter aptitude in language arts, science, social studies and/or mathematics. Open nominations are held in November for students currently enrolled in grades K-11 for January testing. Results are received by mid May. Students who qualify begin services the next fall.

Turkey Trot
The whole school participates in this fun run/walk the day before our Thanksgiving holiday. The run was created to promote healthy lifestyles and to get kids moving!