4th and 5th Grade scholars are invited to join the Handley Choir! Scholars have the opportunity to join choir at the beginning of the year for the fall semester and again in January.

In the Fall, choir scholars practice a Winter Program that they will present in the month of December. In the Spring, the choir will learn a program featuring various folk and choral pieces. The Handley Choir plans to visit Southern Methodist University in the Spring to work with Dr. Julie Scott and her music education students. This music workshop will allow the university students to practice their teaching skills and give our scholars exposure to a local university. Handley students will learn new repertoire and get to tour parts of the SMU campus. The Spring season will conclude with a concert for friends and family at Handley Elementary.

Handley scholars in fourth and fifth grade are given the opportunity to join our chapter of the 
National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS) each school year. Handley NEHS students must have a GPA of 85, as well as, show responsibility and good citizenship. Handley NEHS members meet a few times each semester and participate in various leadership roles throughout the school and conduct several service projects throughout our local community.  For more information about the Handley chapter of NEHS please contact Mrs. Rolon our site leader. 

Handley Elementary is proud to offer competitive robotics to third through fifth grade scholars. At Handley we use VEX Robotics for our older grades. VEX is student driven and encourages creativity, teamwork, leadership, and problem solving among small groups. In robotics class, our students get to use engineering blueprints to build their own robot then make changes to make their robots more efficient. 

Students in grades kindergarten through second grade are also exposed to robotics in the classroom as well as during STEM class. Our younger scholars use several different types of robots to foster and grow their understanding of engineering through a hands-on approach. 

At the end of each grading cycle our scholars are recognized for their hard work at the grade level awards assembly. Some of the awards we recognize at Handley are: A honor roll, A/B honor roll, perfect attendance, good citizenship, most improved, excellence in Science, Math, Reading and Writing. Students are also recognized for their performance in Art Class, Library, Music Class, and Physical Education Class.

Twice a year our students have the opportunity to purchase books from a wide selection of age-appropriate materials. Book fairs allow families to grow their home libraries, while supporting our school.

All profits from the book fair will go directly to the school. Some of the resources we've purchased with book fair profits are: 

• new books for the library
• books for classrooms and book clubs
• technology
• author visits
• makerspace materials
• STEM materials

Each year we conduct several "mini" career days for our scholars to dream big and plan for their futures. The "mini" career concept allows our scholars to be exposed to higher-level learning, various career fields, and the military all year long, rather than just a single focus day at the end of the year. 

Here’s what we are doing at Handley to promote career development this school year:

• Visitor presentation regarding different careers 
• Inciting curiosity and exploration in different careers 
• Role play of different careers
• Books, videos, songs about careers
• Career explorations during each lesson
• Completing a career survey

Throughout the year, we will continue to expose our scholars to a variety of careers to help prepare them to have a successful life. 

Each year our P.E. staff plans our school-wide field day. This is a day every scholar looks forward to at the end of the year. Parents wishing to volunteer for field day should contact Coach Lucas for more details. 

Each school year kindergarten through third grade Scholars have the opportunity to showcase their music skills and “Show What They Know”!  All music programs are structured in a “SING. MOVE. PLAY.” format. Scholars SING songs and rounds they are currently working on in music class. Scholars MOVE to perform various folk dances. Scholars PLAY various instruments from the music classroom. All portions of the program contain repertoire that support the Garland ISD Elementary Music Curriculum. Scholars enjoy performing for their friends and family!

Each year our school hosts it's annual Literacy Night, and each year's theme is different. Families will participate in a wide range of activities including: 

• Live read aloud by Handley staff members
• Opportunities to learn about cultures around the world
• The book fair
• The Reading with Rodney Bus
• Various reading games & and hands-on learning opportunites
• A dyslexia demonstration & information booth 

Each year Handley hosts a special music program called the Peace Concert. This program includes every kindergarten through fifth grade scholar at Handley. The program takes place in January to honor Martin Luther King Junior and his message of peace. Each grade level is featured with their own song performance. There are also other songs that are sung by the entire school and some featuring special guest performers.

You may be wondering, “What is this concert about?” Our program contains a variety of music that celebrates freedom, peace, love for one another, and a better furture for all.  While we are excited for the scholars to learn about great music, we are more excited about the message being conveyed. We hope that each child walks away with a new found respect for music, performing, and for one another.  We also hope that each child will learn something about peace, freedom, respect, caring, and about the true meaning of community. 

During this week long event, Handley has a variety of activities and lessons that are aimed at raising awareness on the benefits of preventing alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. We also spend the week promoting a drug-free lifestyle for our scholars.

The school counselor will send home more information about the activities planned for Red Ribbon Week as we get closer to the actual date. Information will also be shared on our school ClassDojo page. 

Handley Elementary fourth and fifth graders participate in our annual spelling bee competition each spring. The winner from our competition goes on to the district spelling competition.

Spanish Spelling Bee Runner Up

Each year we host a STEAM Family Night for everyone to enjoy. During this event, the Perot Museum brings hands-on science activities for the whole family to participate in. 

Scholars from each grade level, showcase their engineering challenge projects and the top two designs are voted on to move on to STEAMposium in the late spring.

Families also participate in math games, science games, drive robots on a VEX field, and admire the beautiful art displayed throughout our campus. 

Scholars in grades kindergarten through fifth participate in the STEAM engineering challenges each year. Winners from each grade level have the opportunity to compete against other schools at our districtwide STEAMposium held at the Curtis Culwell Center.