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.

February 15 -No School

Teacher Professional Development Day

PTA Dates•February 2nd

4:30-7:00Winter Carnival

Non-Nutritional Days• September 25

• October 30• November 20• December 18

• January 30• February 12

• March 17• April 22• May 24

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

Central Elementary Media Center

Our Book Fair is Coming!March 11th through March 17th

At the Book Fair you will find the latest and finest titles for kids, as well as books

of interest to parents.See you here.

From the Counselor……Word of the Month

LOYALTYDiamonds are only chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs. Some ways to show kindness

this month:• Smile at 25 people• Take a treat to your local firefighters• Do a household chore without being asked• Pick up trash in your neighborhood• Read a book to a younger child--• Say “Thank you” to a police officer

Amanda Ming - Counselor

Reading- Bigger Books, Bigger Reading Muscles; Growing Expertise in Little Books: Reading for Information

Writing- All About Books; Persuasive Writing of All Kinds: Using Words to Make a Change

Math- Make a Shape; Build a Block

Science/S.S. - Dental Health, National Symbols, Historical Events, Positions of Authority, Plants, Animals, Weather

Kindergarten News

Dates to Remember:February 2nd - Winter Carnival 4:30-7

February 9th- Class PicturesFebruary 12th- Non-Nutritional/Party Day

February 15th – No School Professional DevelopmentFebruary 25th-Literacy Night 5:30-7:00

What are we studying??

Reading: Fluency, Comprehension, and Decoding Words Strategies

Math: Combinations of 10, Addition and SubtractionWriting: Poetry

Don’t forget to read 100 minutes every week! And study your sight words!

We are also studying what it

means to be a good citizen and what

our American symbols and

traditions are.

Study your spelling sight

words too!

First Grade

February 2nd Grade NewsReading- Amping up Reading Power and Nonfiction book clubs

Writing- Poetry and Lab Reports

Math- How Many Tens? How Many Ones? And Parts of a Whole, Parts of a Group

Civics- Our Culture and Government protects rights of individuals and groups

Physical Science- Energy, Forces of Motion, and Waves.

3rd Grade Notes:Mrs. Hesson Ms. Mattox Mrs. Branson

Happenings for February:2nd- Winter Carnival4th- Award Ceremony11th- Mrs. Branson’s Party12th- Valentine’s Party15th- President’s Day- No School25th- Literacy Night

What are we learning?Writing- Persuasive Essays- How we can change the world!Reading- Solving Mysteries and following a character’s every move!Math- Learning to read tables and graphs.Science- Sound and Magnets

Frolics of a 4th GraderReading:

We are in the middle of our Interpretation Unit. We are studying themes in our book clubs and comparing themes

across multiple books! Theme work help our writing during Writers Workshop time!

Writing:Our writers are in the middle of our Literary

Essay unit. We are learning not just to read the book, but to ask ourselves “What is the book

REALLY about” and what did we learn from this book. Math:We are learning about fractions and decimals!!

We are still working on our multiplication skills!!!

Million Minute Reading:Make sure your child reads every night for 30 minutes and logs it on their sheet!! Reading

logs are due every Wednesday!!

*5th Grade**February*• Science

In science, we will be learning about Space as well as the history of aviation and rocketry. 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.

• Social Studies In this unit we will learn about the causes

of the Civil War and the important battles that took place. We will also learn about how the reunified United States reconstructed the South after the war

• Reading Workshop In reading, the students are reading multiple texts by one author. They are studying the author’s craft and identifying themes across multiple texts.

• Writing Workshop In writing, the students are reading short

stories and gathering entries. Students are using what they’ve learned from their author study in reading to write a literary essay. They are learning how to use evidence from the texts to support their reasons, as well as how to tackle complex texts and identify multiple themes!

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!

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.