The Pony Express West University Elementary School Scott C. Disch Principal Houston Independent School District Amber Pinchback Assistant Principal Spring Edition, Volume III, January 21, 2020 Daphne Rawlinson Assistant Principal John W. LaGrone Jr. Dean of Instruction Stephanie Lugo Teacher Specialist In This Issue Principal’s Corner Principal’s Corner 1 Librarian Notes 1 A big WUES thank you to PTO and Torchy’s Tacos for the delicious lunch donated to our GT Results Update 1 teachers and staff last Friday! It’s always a joy to see everyone enjoying good food and great Birthday Book Club 2 company. Souper Bowl of Caring 2 International Festival 3 Speaking of good food, International Festival is this Friday (details on pg. 3 & 4), beginning at IF 2020 Schedule 4 4:30. Participating students have been working hard on their performances, so do not miss the opportunity to see them in action and taste great food from a variety of countries.

Upcoming Events Continuing the food theme, Souper Bowl of Caring begins next Monday and will last all week.

Let’s see if we can outdo last year’s incredible donation total of 46,639 pounds of food.

• International Festival

Friday, January 24 Have a wonderful week! 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Cafeteria/MPR Scott C. Disch, Principal

• Souper Bowl of Caring Jan. 27 - Jan. 31

• Kindergarten Roundup th th Thursday, February 6 Librarian Notes – Upcoming Author Visit for 4 & 5 Graders 9:30 a.m., Meet in Cafeteria Erin Hunter, author of the very popular and series, will visit all 4th and 5th grade students at West University Elementary on February 5th. She will share her experiences and talk about the writing process. She will also introduce her newest book series, Bravelands,

which currently includes five books.

All students have the opportunity to purchase a signed book(s) that will be delivered straight to the classroom. If you would like to place an order, please visit the link below:

https://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/school-visits-erin-hunter

The link will close the morning of January 29th to ensure that all orders are processed correctly.

Books will be delivered to the school on the day of the event. Visit us on the web

at: Lauren Simmons, Librarian www.westues.org

Explore the PTO GT Results Update website at:

https://www.westup January 31, 2020 (Approximate date) • Office of School Choice will notify SmartChoice applicant families of GT identification and to.org/ School Choice status.

February 20, 2020 – GT NEIGHBORHOOD • All GT Neighborhood families are to be notified of GT identification status.

West University Elementary School, Houston Independent School District

Welcome to the Birthday Book Club

“"Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and in all the nooks." – Dr. Seuss

In this week’s Pony Express, we are honoring our January 20th – January 26th birthdays. Happy Birthday to you!

January 20th - January 26th Birthdays Sebastian Davis January 21 Samuel Arroyo January 22 Avery Berkman January 21 Aditya Tandon January 23 Ryan Wexler January 21 Frances Prescott January 26

Your child will soon be receiving an invitation from their teacher to choose a special birthday book during library ancillary or after school library hours. A personalized book plate will be placed in the front of their selected book. After they are done reading, your child will return their book to our library for others to enjoy and check out in the future. Students, siblings, and friends will enjoy seeing their name in these books for years to come!

For more information, please contact: Lori Naughton [email protected], or Darcy Reid [email protected]

Join West University Elementary in helping The Houston Food Bank tackle hunger! Souper Bowl of Caring is coming up, January 27 - 31! Donate food through your child’s classroom all week! The most needed items from the Food Bank are protein items (tuna fish, peanut butter). Extra points will be awarded for those items!

The winning classrooms will have a special visit from Toro for the Texans and will get a class photo with Toro!

We also need volunteers and hand carts/dollies to move the food and help count all the donated food! Sign up for one shift or all week long! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080d4da5af28a02-tackle

Last year, WUES donated 46,639 pounds of food which equates to 54, 767 meals for children, families and senior citizens.

International Festival 2020

The 2020 International Festival is this Friday, January 24th, 2020!

➢ Over 30 Countries Represented: Learn how each nation sustains their natural habitat, takes care of endangered species, and creates a better environment. ➢ Create a #BetterPlanet: Each boxed water you purchase during the Festival will help to plant a tree by posting a picture of it with the hashtag #BetterPlanet. ➢ Raffle Prizes: Students can win prizes by completing a passport scavenger hunt. o Houston Rockets Tickets o Apple Gift Cards o Pizzaro's Gourmet Pizza o Bayou City Martial Arts o Guitar Lessons o Many More ➢ WUES Performances: 20 teams of performances from various nations combined with 7 rounds of vibrant cultural parades. o 85% of the performers are WUES students – come and celebrate their efforts and acts! ➢ Photo Frames: Don't forget to take pictures at our awesome portable photo frames! ➢ Cuisine: Sample dishes from all around the world at our food stations and there will be a free taste of gourmet ice cream from Pop Fancy and yogurt drinks from Yakult. ➢ Support Australia: The Australian Team will have a bake sale & virtual lemonade stand to benefit Australian fire relief efforts! ➢ Class Prizes: The class with the best attendance will win Amorino Gelato gift cards & lunch treats from Pizzaro's Gourmet Pizza!

IF 2020 Main Stage Schedule

4:12pm Soft Opening Program 4:15pm Special Guest 1 - IRAN “The Chakavak Group” 4:28pm Opening Program 4:31pm PARADE Of AFRICA (Kenya, Algeria, Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt) 4:36pm ALGERIA “Folk & Lullaby of The Beauty of North East Algeria” 4:41pm PARADE Of NORTH AMERICA (Canada, Cuba, Haiti, Mexico, USA) 4:46pm MEXICO II “Jalisco” 4:50pm MEXICO I “The Colors of Folklorico” 4:55pm PARADE Of ASIA I (China, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, UAE, South Korea, Palestine, Pakistan) 5:00pm PAKISTAN “Pakistani Traditional Girls Dance” 5:04pm INDIA I “Bollywood Girls Dance of Rajasthan” 5:08pm INDIA III “Incredible India” in Fashion Show & Dance 5:16pm Intermezzo to Special Guest 2 - JAPAN “Soran Bushi” 5:21pm INDIA II “Indian Classical Bharat Nathyam to Shape of You by Ed Sheeran” 5:26pm PARADE Of AUS & ANTARCTICA 5:31pm PARADE Of SOUTH AMERICA (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela) 5:35pm Intermezzo to Special Guest 3 - BRAZIL “Brazilian Jiujitsu Self Defense” 5:42pm COLOMBIA “Cumbia & Salsa” 5:50pm WUES Principal’s Remarks | Mr. Scott Disch 5:56pm PARADE Of EUROPE (Germany, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, Ukraine, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia) 6:01pm Special Guest 4 – IRELAND “Clan Kelly School of Irish Dance in Soar” 6:08pm GERMANY “Home of The Waltz” 6:13pm Intermezzo to Special Guest 5 – INDONESIA I “Central Motion Martial Arts in Pencak Silat Panglipuran” 6:20pm INTERMISSION I 6:23pm Special Guest 6 – CHINA II – Soaring Phoenix “Dragon & Lion Dance” 6:40pm INTERMISSION II 6:43pm PARADE Of ASIA II (Iran, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Cambodia, Philippines) 06:47pm INDONESIA II “Mask of The Barong of Balinese” 6:53pm MALAYSIA “Rasa Sayang Joget” 6:58pm CHINA I “Chen Style Taichi & Traditional Shaolin Temple Kung Fu” 7:05pm Intermezzo to GREECE “Zorba The Greek & Syrtaki Kasbiko Dance” 7:09pm INTERMISSION III 7:25pm Closing Program

Let's celebrate our heritages in rich diversity & harmony. See you on Friday!

Enrica Vagliani Gray | Natesha Tama-Madison | Selin Salerian & 2020 International Festival Committee