Welcome toCentral Elementary

SchoolGo Eagles!!!2015-2016

Notes From Mrs. MizellDear Parents,

On behalf of the teachers and staff of the Central Elementary School (CES), I would like to welcome you. We have lots of happenings going on at Central. Our PTA ladies are busy with our membership drive and t-shirt sales. Reading & Writing Assessments are being given as well as math screeners. Children are settling into routines both at home and at school. Reading each night makes a difference in school performance. Stay informed of Central’s events by following us on Twitter and/or like us on Facebook. 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. I am blessed to work with the Central staff, families, and community.

Reaching New Heights-Soaring to Excellence   Sincerely,

Cindy Mizell

School MottoReaching New Heights-Soaring to Excellence

School VisionOur vision is for Central Elementary School to be a safe and loving environment full of positive, caring teachers and staff

meeting the academic, physical, and emotional needs of each child – whatever it takes.School Mission

Our mission is to provide a learning environment which:•Places the child first in all decisions made.

•Uses best practices and the latest technology. •Sets high expectations for all staff, parents and students.

•Supports all students and helps them reach their individual potential.

•Communicates and works as a team with parents and the community to ensure each child’s success.

Kindergarten Registration for the 2016-2017 school year is on

Friday, April 22, 2016, beginning at 8:00 a.m.

Kindergarten students for the 2016-2017 school year must turn five years old on or before August 1, 2016.

 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.

PTA 2016-2017Officer Nominations

 President: April Tipton

Vice President: Kerri BoggsTreasure: Melissa DowneySecretary: Melissa Scott

• April 4-7 K-2 IOWA Testing• April 11-14 5th Grade ACT Aspire• April 18-21 4th Grade ACT Aspire• April 25-28 3rd Grade ACT Aspire

•April 22nd Kindergarten Registration

Announcements

PTA InformationUpcoming Dates

• May 10th – Glam and Car night• May 24th – Fun Day

• May 25th – Teacher Talent Show

End of the Year Reading GoalProficient Score of 3 = at grade level

Kdg - D/E 1st - I/J/K

2nd – M3rd – P

4th – S/T5th - V

Working hard at something

"It is not important who starts the game but who finishes it." -

John Wooden

AprilDuring April, students participate in state testing. Their hard work and

perseverance will pay off as they show what they’ve learned this year.

Make it the best day possible by:• Picking out a comfortable outfit to

wear• Setting your alarm clock so that you

do not oversleep.• Going to bed on time – or even early – so that you get a good night’s sleep and feel rested when you wake up in

the morning.• Making sure that you have time to

eat a good breakfast. Eat healthy foods that will give you plenty of

energy.• Leaving for school or the bus stop a

little early so you are sure to get to school on time.

• Remembering that school starts at 8:00 a.m.

Kindergarten NewsReading- Becoming Avid Readers; Readers Get to Know Characters by Pretending and by Performing Our Books

Writing- Persuasive Writing of all Kinds :Using Words to Make a Change; Crafting Stories Using All We Know about Narrative Writing

Math- How Many Do You Have?; Sorting & Surveys

Science/S.S. – State Symbols, Famous Arkansans, State Map, Weather, Plants, Animals

Dates to Remember:April 22nd - Non-Nutritional Day

April 22nd - Kindergarten Registration at 8:00am!!April 26th- Field Trip to Botanical Gardens!!

April 27th and 28th- Kindergarten Prescreening for New Students Coming Next Year!

APRIL 2ND GRADE NEWS

READING- NONFICTION BOOK CLUBS & SERIES BOOK CLUBS

WRITING- LAB REPORTS AND WRITING ABOUT READING

MATH-PARTNERS, TEAMS, & PAPER CLIPS AND MEASURING LENGTH & TIME

ARKANSAS HISTORY- UNDERSTANDING THE IDENTITY OF ARKANSAS

LIFE SCIENCE- ANIMALS, HABITATS, LIFE CYCLES, EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT, INCOMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS

Thinkings of a Third GraderWe are finished with our first round of PARCC

testing….YAY!!!! We will not test again until the beginning of May.

Reading:We are starting our unit on Biographies and studying the lives

of famous, influential people. We will be studying the obstacles they faced, how they overcame those obstacles, and

what influence they have on our lives.Writing:

We are reading classic Fairy Tales and adapting them into more modern fairy tales. We will also be

studying characters, settings, and problems and writing our own fairy take stories!!

Math:We are working on our addition and subtraction

skills. We are also continuing our work on multiplication and division!!

4th Grade • Reading Workshop: Nonfiction Book

Clubs: Author Studies• Writing Workshop: Journalism• Math: How Many Packages? How

Many Groups? • Social Studies: Immigration

*5th Grade**March*

• Science In science, we will be learning about Space. We will

be participating in labs , activities, and class work that will teach us about space exploration. Students will be engaged in designing and engineering models of planes, rockets, and Mars rovers. That’s just a few of the fun experiments we will be doing in this unit!

• Math In math, the students are learning to add, subtract,

multiply, and divide using decimals. Students will also be analyzing the equivalence in multiplication and division.

• Social Studies In this unit we will learn about the election and

voting process. Students will have a mock election for class president. Students will also be studying economics.

• Reading Workshop In reading, the students are reading passages in preparation for the ACT Aspire Assessment. Students are also studying Fantasy texts and learning about the structure of a fantasy text.

• Writing Workshop In writing, the students are responding to

writing prompts in preparation for the ACT Aspire Assessment. Students are also writing fantasy entries and stories.

REMINDERS: Students should be reading 30-45 minutes per night! Reading logs are due every Wednesday and they must be signed. Also, students need to be studying their multiplication facts!

Lunch Times5th: 10:50 -11:104th: 10:45 -11:05 3rd: 11:05 -11:252nd: 11:15 -11:35 1st: 11:30 -11:50 Kdg: 11:40 -12:00

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 3rd-5th grade GT program attend a 2.5 hour pull-out session with Mrs. McDaniel once a week. Students focus on problem solving, leadership, communication , and research skills.

Gifted students in 6th-12th grade meet with Mrs. Taylor and focus on motivation, values and positive attitudes.

Reading is important because…

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

 Reading Recovery is effective.

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 Teacher

Reading Recovery at Central Elementary, Van Buren School District

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!

with Reading Recovery

Success is Within Reach!

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.