Knight Notes
Yarbrough Elementary February Newsletter
Quick Glance at Important Dates
February 5th - Club Day
February 8th - Blood Drive
February 22nd - State ACCESS test for English Language Learners
February 23rd - Spirit Night at Louie's (Cary Creek)February 24th - Six Flags Reading Logs are due
February 29th - Family Night 5:30-6:30
February 29th - March 4th - Book Fair
March 4th-5th - Bodda Getta BBQ
March 7-11th - Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week
March 8th-5th Grade Field Trip to American Village
March 14th-18th - Spring Break
March 28th-April 1st - After-school Program sign up for current participants
April 4th-8th - After-school Program sign up for new students
April 29th - Spring Fling
From the Principal's Pen
Our first YES Family Book Club was a huge success with over 70 family members joining us throughout the day on Friday. Our next book is The BFG by Roald Dahl. Please consider picking this book up and reading with your child. The next Family Book Club will be held the last week of March, so everyone has two months to read this one.
While we would love to have you join our Book Club, the real goal is to get our students reading more. It doesn’t matter if they are reading to you or reading on their own; increasing the volume of reading a child does each day will increase academic performance in a number of areas. The expectations for our children are increasing every year. We recently took the Aspire Periodic Assessment in 3rd and 4th grade, (we are taking it this week and next in 5th grade). This assessment is a formative assessment which means it is used to form or change instruction – not for a grade or part of a permanent record. The Aspire Periodic gives us an idea of how our children will score on the end of year ACT Aspire Assessment. In reading through the questions that our children are asked, I can tell you that they need to be able to read for detail and need the stamina to read several long passages. In a highly competitive world, we want our children to be ready. Please help us prepare our children by modeling the importance of reading each and every day.
Pete Forster
Leap on Over for Family Night
PTO Partners
We will have a short PTO meeting at 5:30 on Feb. 29th, during Family Night. Please join us for a quick, yet informative meeting. The book fair doors will be open at 5:00. You won't want to miss this fun-filled, informative night AND you can get your book fair shopping done...all in one night!!
Please consider being in a leadership role with your YES PTO! We are beginning our search for officers and committee chairs for next year. If you are looking for a way to get plugged in, please contact Kathy Powell at kathy.powell.sq9j@statefarm.com.
Please mark your calendars for March 7-11 for Teacher and Staff Appreciation week! Contact Kate Annuik, our Hospitality/Staff Appreciation Week Chair at kateannuik@gmail.com
Please save the date for April 29 from 4:30-7:30 on Magic Mountain for our annual Spring Fling and Silent Auction! All proceeds will go to support our awesome art and music departments! ***We are looking for items to auction at our silent auction! If you have a service, a condo or lake house that you would be willing to offer a weekend getaway or longer or any other items that we could put in our silent auction, please let us know! *** Please contact Aly Casey at the6caseys@me.com if you have questions about items for the silent auction. Please be on the lookout, in the coming weeks, for more information.
Congratulations to our Leaders of the Month!
Third Grade Leaders
Fourth Grade Leaders
Fifth Grade Leaders
Celebrating our Teacher and Support Staff of the Month
The December Teacher of the Month is Mrs. Kelly Walsh. Mrs. Walsh is dedicated to caring for students and assisting them with any needs they may have. As one student reported, Mrs. Walsh is always willing to listen and provide help when I need it.
Officer Brandon Elliot was voted as our Support Staff of the Month. Officer Elliot keeps our school safe and is friendly to all the students and parents at Yarbrough. In addition, Officer Elliot teaches the DARE program to our fifth graders.
Yarbrough Family at the Super Bowl
Fourth grade teacher, Tracey Oprandy, will be looking for her brother, Rusty Baynes, as he serves as the Line Judge for the big game. Mrs. Oprandy's father and two of her brothers have been NFL referees. What a great honor for her family!
Linebacker, Demarcus Ware
KristiAnna and Mrs. Oprandy
Line Judge, Rusty Baynes
After-School Program Registration Coming Soon
Sign up for the 2016-2017 After-School program will be:
Students currently in the program: March 28-April 1st, from 3:00-5:15
Open enrollment: April 4-8 from 3:00-5:15
Parents should come to the multi-purpose room for a registration form.
Boda Getta BBQ Benefits the A.C.S. FACES Program!
Fifth Grade Headed to American Village
On Tuesday, March 8th, the fifth grade classes will go on a field trip to the American Village in Montevallo, Alabama. This is always a fun filed trip which features historical events from the American Revolution. Please see the parent information letter in your student’s Tuesday folder for all the important field trip information.
Save a Life...Give Blood!
Parents, please consider participating in the Red Cross blood drive that is being held on the Yarbrough Elementary School campus on February 8th. The blood drive will be held from 10 AM to 3 PM. You can sign up at www.redcrossblood.org and enter the sponsor code, yarbrough. Any student who has a parent or family friend older than 18 participate will receive a special bag tag.
Six Flags Read to Succeed
English Language Learners are Ready to Show What They Know!
We don’t have a large EL (English Learner) population at Yarbough, but many languages are represented at our school! Did you know we have students that speak the following 14 languages? Korean, Arabic, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese, Portuguese, Swiss German, Vietnamese, Marathi, Bengali, French, Ewe, German, Japanese
The ACCESS test for ELLs (English Language Learners) begins February 22. This is our annual state standardized test that all ELLs take. Please go to bed early and eat a good breakfast!
Recycling Grant Funded!
We have many students who are passionate about recycling! This year, several students wanted Y.E.S. to commit to being more diligent about recycling paper. Because of their passion and persistence, a grant was inspired!
Students in Mrs. Mooty's class wrote a letter to convince the school to recycle more. Classes and faculty voted to let their voices be heard! The votes are in, and we are ready to let the recycling begin!
We would like to thank the PTO for funding the grant, Phillip Pollard for helping to organize the pick up with the city, Mr. Donald for all of his efforts, Mrs. Barrett for allowing after school students to help, Mr. Forster for allowing us to get the program started, and everyone who has offered their services!
We would like to give a big thank you to the after school students, Shivani Babu, Armani Chatman, Jaden Echols, Brannon Massey and Alaya Johnson for volunteering to collect the recycling each week!
We're so thankful to help our school, community, and world! ---Mrs. Mooty's Class
Child Nutrition Elementary News
Please remember to add money to your child's lunch account when it runs low. You can access his/her account at www.myschoolbucks.com.
Media Memos with Mrs. McGilberry
The Groovy Book fair will be here Feb. 29-March 4. We will be open 7:30 am-2:00 pm each day. We will be closing Friday at 11:00 am. On Monday night, we will be open 30 minutes before and after Family Night.
Art Action with Mr. Daniel
Several of our third, fourth, and fifth graders (total of 40 in all), will have their artwork on display in the Auburn Library Art Exhibit. This is a joint art exhibit with Richland Elementary for the month of February. Thanks everyone for supporting the awesome work of our young artists!
Health Notes with Nurse Julia
The Tdap Vaccine
Did you know your child can receive the Tdap vaccination as soon as they turn 11 years old? The Tdap vaccine is required for Alabama students, age 11, entering 6th grade,
but you don’t need to wait until summer to get your child vaccinated if your child turns 11 during the school year. Beat the summer rush! Be sure to request an updated blue card at your visit and turn it in to the school nurse so your child’s immunization records can be updated.
The Tdap vaccine protects against three serious bacterial diseases; Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis. Tetanus enters the body through wounds and cuts and affects the brain and nervous system. Although it is rare in the US today, it kills 1 out of 10 people who are infected, even after receiving the best medical care. Diphtheria is a very contagious infection that is spread from person to person. It makes it difficult to breathe and infection can lead to heart failure, paralysis and death. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is also a very contagious infection spread from person to person that can lead to severe breathing problems and uncontrollable coughing spells.
Tdap is also recommended for adults over 19 years old who are:
Health care workers who have direct contact with patients
Care givers of infants under 1 yr old
Pregnant women in their third trimester
New mothers who have never received the Tdap
People who travel to countries where pertussis is common
The Computer Lab Latest with Miss Ball
In the Computer lab the students will be presenting the stories they wrote last month. They will be working on speaking clearly, having good posture, and bringing enthusiasm to their words. We will then transition into Powerpoint at the end of February.
Leader Lessons
Habit of the Month: Synergize
Key Phrase: Together is better
What this habit looks like in action: I value other people’s strengths and learn from them. I get along with others, even people who are different than me. I work well in groups. I seek other people’s ideas to solve problems because I know that by teaming with others, we can create better solutions than any one of us can do alone. I am humble.