Welcome toCentral Elementary

SchoolGo Eagles!!!2013-2014

Notes From Mrs. MizellOn behalf of the teachers and staff of the Central Elementary School (CES), I would

like to welcome you to school. The 2013-14 academic year’s beginning has proven to be an exciting and productive year. To those who are new to Central, we hope that you will quickly feel at home and become involved in the activities of our school through the PTA and your child’s classroom.

As I continue as principal at Central Elementary, I will work diligently with parents and faculty to foster an atmosphere that promotes a learning community that is child centered. Working as a team we will move forward in our mission to create a warm, caring, disciplined, and challenging environment in which all students can learn and reach their highest potential becoming responsible members of society.

Although we strongly believe in academic excellence, we also feel that learning must be fun and rewarding for each child. By working together, students, parents/guardians, and staff can make Central Elementary School an exciting and enjoyable place to learn: Reading & Writing Celebrations, Family Nights, quarterly Friday Fitness, and weekly Rise & Shine assemblies. Research states that parents being involved in your child’s school, students reading at home and at school are the three actions that help your child succeed the most.

Central is in partnership with UAFS as a Professional Development School. Pre-service teachers’ classes are held on Central’s campus providing various teaching and learning experiences for the future teachers. I am blessed to work with the Central staff, families, and community. If you have any concerns, questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.

Reaching New Heights-Soaring to Excellence   Sincerely,

Cindy Mizell

Central Elementary 2013-2014 GoalsArkansas Comprehensive School Improvement

PlanPriority 1: Literacy

Goal: All students will improve their performance in writing abilities in the area of content and style and in answering open-response questions in

literary and content reading passages.Priority 2: Mathematics

Goal: all students will improve their mathematics performance in answering multiple choice question and open response questions in numbers and

operations and measurement. Priority 3: Wellness

Goal: Students participating in the BMI screening show a need to improve their physical activity and nutrition in order to develop lifelong health habits

and to live a healthy lifestyle. Priority 4: English Language Learners

Goal: By developing high-quality language instruction programs the school  will enable English Language Learner students to speak, read, write, and

comprehend in the English language, develop high levels of academic attainment in English, meet the same challenging AR State academic content and student academic achievement standards as all students are expected to

meet, and to enter all-English instruction settings. Within the Priorities we add Parental Involvement

• March 7th

K-2 Spring Pictures

• March 8th

3-5 Spring Pictures

• March 20th

Parent Teacher Conferences

• March 24th -28th

Spring Break-No School

Announcements

Kindergarten Registration for the 2014-2015 school year is on

Friday, April 25, 2014, beginning at 8:00 a.m.

Kindergarten students for the 2014-2015 school year must turn five years old on or before August 1, 2014.

 Parents should bring a copy of their child’s shot record, birth certificate, social security card, and proof of a

physical exam from a doctor within the past two years.

Non-Nutritional Days

• September 27th • October 31st

• November 22nd • December 20th

• January 29th • February 13th

• March 21st • April 17th • May 23rd

PTA DatesMarch

• 6th—PTA Night• 13th—Skate Night

April• 3rd – PTA Night

• 10th – Skate Night

Positive beliefs; to think that

all will work for the best

When life hands you

lemons, make lemonade!

MARCH

Reading- Learning About Ourselves and Our World: Reading for Information; Readers are Resourceful: Tackling Hard Words & Tricky Parts In Books

Writing- Persuasive Writing of all Kinds :Using Words to Make a Change

Math- How Many Do You Have?

Science/S.S. - Solar System, Living/Non-Living Things, Natural Resources, Reused/Recycle, Electricity, Plants, Citizenship

Kindergarten News

Dates to Remember:March 6- PTA NightMarch 6- K-2 Spring PicturesMarch 13- Skate NightMarch 20- Parent/Teacher ConferencesMarch 24-28- Spring Break-NO SCHOOL

First Grade NewsWhat are we studying??Reading:. Information booksMath: Color, Shape and Number PatternsWriting: Writing Fiction

Make sure your child is reading 3-4 times a week at home! Make sure to sign the log!! Read 100 Minutes!

Make sure you study your Sight

Word Lists!!

We are studying the

Human Body in Sceince

What’s Happening in 2nd Grade???

ReadingFor January we are paying attention to the

strategies we use while reading books.

WritingThis month we are writing Poetry.

MathOur focus in math this month is

How Many Tens How Many Ones and then Parts of a Group Part of a Whole.

Science/Social StudiesWe will be learning about

Force and Motion.Dates to Remember:

March 24th thru 27th – Spring Break No School

Thinkings of a Third GraderReading and Writing:

We are getting closer to TESTING SEASON!!!!! We are starting our Test Prep Unit in both Reading and Writing. In

these units, we are teaching the students what the Benchmark exam will look like, how to answer open response and multiple choice questions. We will be analyzing reading passages looking for the main ideas and supporting details. In writing, we will look at different types of writing prompts (narrative, fiction, essay, poem) and then going over how to

answer them! Math:We are reviewing subtraction!! This unit, we

will be working with larger number (numbers in the thousands). We are also reviewing

multiplication!!

A HUGE shout out to our students that are reading EVERY night for at least 20 minutes!!! Thank you to the parents that are

signing those Million Minute Reading Logs!!!

4th Grade HappeningsReading- Students are preparing for the Benchmark Test in April. We are discussing test taking strategies for reading.

Writing- Students are preparing for the Benchmark Test in writing. We are learning to identify the different types of prompts and how to respond to them.

Social Studies: Students are learning bout The Dust Bowl, The Great Depression, and Arkansas History.

Math- Students are learning how to multiply twp digits by two digits. Students will be working on test strategies for Math Open Response and Multiple Choice questions.

March 3-7 the school that has the biggest breakfast increase wins $300.00 for their kitchen. Be eat breakfast that week! Spring Break is March 24th -28th!

4th Grade says… “GO HOGS!”

March- 5th Grade Math: We are learning about decimal numbers. We will be ordering, rounding, comparing, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals.

Science: We are continuing to learn about ecosystems in science. We have made our own pond ecosystems and now we will study the effects of pollution in ecosystems.

Reading Workshop: We will continue in our Historical Fiction Book Club Unit. We will be working with complex story elements, multiple plot lines, and shifts in time and place.

Writing Workshop: We will continue in our Argument Essay Unit. Students will learn to sort, weigh, and order evidence to support a claim. They will be reading and thinking critically to note take and build an argument. Social Studies: We will be learning about various aspects of the Civil War.

Gifted & Talented

K-2 Enrichment is provided for all students in the district by Mrs. Wilcox. Students focus on creative problem solving.

Students that are placed in the GT program attend a 2.5 hour pull-out session with Mrs. Christman once a week. Students are challenged in all core subject areas.

Students can be nominated for the GT program by teachers, parents or community members. Nominees are tested in the fall and spring of each school year.

Reading is important because…

Strong reading and writing skills are essential for success in school and later life. Although most children learn to read in their classroom programs, a few children have great difficulty learning to read and write. Reading Recovery can help!

Scientific evidence reviewed by the U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse confirms that

 Reading Recovery is effective.

Reading Recovery Teacher

Bonnie Duff

Central Elementary

Van Buren, AR 72921

479-474-7059

bonnie.duff@vbsd.us

University Training Center

University of Arkansas

Little Rock, AR

Center For Literacy

Contact your local Reading Recovery

professional

Reading Recovery at Central Elementary, Van Buren School District

25 Years of Excellence in North America

•Nearly 2 million American first graders have had Reading Recovery      lessons.•75% reached grade-level standard at the end of their lessons.•All children make progress, but a few do not reach grade-level standard.• Information from Reading Recovery lessons helps schools and parents plan future evaluation and services.

Reading Recovery works because… Families can help by…•highly trained teachers work intensively, with individual children each school day.•lessons are planned to build on the knowledge and strengths of each child.

•being sure your child's school attendance is as regular as possible.•listening to your child read books sent home by the Reading Recovery teacher.•returning the books each day so the teacher can send home new books.•making reading time positive, short, and enjoyable.

To find out more about Reading Recovery visit our website at www.readingrecovery.org

Drop off and Pick up

• Bus drop off and pick up will be located behind the building on North 22nd Street.

• Car drop off and pick up will now be located in the front of Central Elementary School on North 24th Street.