Paw Prints September 2023
The Newsletter of Auburn Early Education Center
Principal's Message
Hello AEEC families and welcome to the first newsletter of the 2023-24 school year!
For those new, newsletters will be emailed to parents at the beginning of each month to keep you updated on the latest news and happenings from various departments as well as any special information. I am excited about the start of this school year! Our students transitioned smoothly, learned procedures and routines, and have begun to focus on the most meaningful work of academic, social, physical, and emotional growth.
We are thrilled to welcome our new teachers and staff members! Jennifer Bailey is our new assistant principal. The kindergarten team welcomed Shaniqua Lockhart and Megan Pace. Ann Cicero and Maddy Horne joined our first grade team. Lauren Munnerlyn is a new resource teacher and Ingrid Crawford is part of our Title One tutoring program. We’re thrilled to welcome all these new faces to AEEC!
We will hold our first Pep Rally on September 1st and have a lot of fun learning what it means to live out our core value of "Responsibility". Karl Nonemaker and Auburn University baseball players are our special guests who will share the importance of making responsible choices. AHS majorettes will lead the mini majorettes and perform 2 routines. We love the special partnership that we have with Auburn University and Auburn High School.
Our PTO annual fundraiser is kicking off on September 8th. The theme for this year is "All in for AEEC!" You will see information coming home soon from our amazing PTO team. This is a great opportunity for business sponsors to support our school while getting your name out to our school community and beyond. Anyone may contribute. These funds are critical for supporting our facility, curricular support, fine arts, and beyond! We hope to purchase a performance stage and art room tables with the funds raised.
With appreciation,
Glori Lammons
Curriculum News
Welcome back to an amazing school year at AEEC! We were so excited to see all of those smiling faces enter the building. Students have been hard at work building relationships, learning routines and procedures, and building a strong community within their classroom.
While at AEEC, one of our main goals is building a strong foundation of reading and writing for your child to build upon. Reading is very complex and requires many components (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, oral language, etc.) to be explicitly and systematically taught. We are working hard with your child every day to build and instill a strong reading foundation. However, learning doesn’t stop at school. There are many ways you can help your child build that strong foundation. Read to or with your child, encourage your child to read for pleasure, have conversations about what you read, and spend time noticing details in illustrations. All of these are valuable opportunities to help your child build a solid reading and writing foundation. Building a LOVE of reading in your child is our goal!
I am providing an excellent research-based resource for your convenience. Please visit this website: https://www.readingrockets.org/audience/parents. Reading Rockets will provide insight to all things reading-including blogs, research-based articles, and advice from experts. I hope you enjoy exploring this website.
Please don’t hesitate to email me with any questions at mnclifton@auburnschools.org. I am more than happy to assist with any questions you may have. Wishing you a happy September!
Kindness Matters,
Mrs. Clifton
Title 1 News
August was a busy month full of all things new at AEEC, but September is always one of my favorite months as fall begins to settle in the air, football season is in full swing, and our sweet students settle into learning and daily school routines. Students are ready to dive deeper into learning with their classmates and teachers are ready to provide those differentiated needs in the classroom.
AEEC is excited to be back as a school-wide Title 1 school! Being a Title 1 School means receiving federal funding (Title 1 dollars) to supplement the school’s existing programs. These dollars are used for…
- identifying students experiencing academic difficulties and providing timely assistance to help these students meet the state’s challenging content standards
- purchasing supplemental staff/programs/materials/supplies
- conducting parent and family engagement meetings/trainings/activities
Being a Title 1 school also means parent and family involvement and knowing their rights under ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act). This is just a small snapshot of what being a Title 1 school entails but if you have any questions, please reach out to me. Happy Fall!
Always Choose Kindness,
Dr. Dorman
Counselor News
Welcome back to school! I hope everyone had an amazing summer. It is so good to see familiar faces as well as new faces around AEEC. We are off to a great start! This month in guidance we are learning all about our core value, RESPONSIBILITY. We are also making new friends, being bucket-fillers, and just getting back into the swing of things. As always, I am here if you need me. I look forward to working with your children this year.
Thanks,
Brittany Handley
AEEC School Counselor
bbhandley@auburnschools.org
Nurse News
Happy new school year!
Please remember, per Auburn City School policy, ALL medications must be brought to the nurse, & the prescriber parent authorization form will need to be filled out per guidelines. Please reach out to me with any questions or concerns! We like to make this process as easy as possible for parents. Thank you for helping to keep our students with food allergies safe. Classroom food allergy letters went home in Monday folders the second week of school to notify. There are also signs located beneath the class roster outside of the door. It is most helpful to include a change of clothing for your student(s) in case of accidents as availability & sizing are limited in the extra clothes closet.
Well wishes,
Nurse Haley
Media Center News
Things are off to a great start in the library! Our library media lessons have focused on reviewing library procedures, expectations and book care. Second grade and first grade have begun checking out library books. Our second graders will be helping kindergarten students learn how to use their shelf markers for book checkout in the near future. It’s so nice to have responsible students to help others learn library skills. We’re so excited about working with your children this year in the library!
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” – Sir Richard Steele
Sartain, Kara
AEEC Media Specialist ~ Technology Coordinator
Apple Teacher
Music and Art News
What's Happening in Art!
While Mrs. Kuhlman is out on maternity leave, Mrs. Duke is working hard with our students on wonderful artwork.
-Kindergarten will explore the work of artist Henri Matisse, mixing primary colors, making organic and geometric shapes and using positive and negative space to create a collage.
-First Grade will explore the art of Wayne Thiebaud, creating an interactive mixed media gum-ball machine project inspired by his Pop Art style.
-Second Grade will create drawings to illustrate their understanding of contrast (warm/cool colors), patterns, balance, and symmetry.
What's Happening in Music!
This month in Music, we are exploring locomotor and non-locomotor movement, learning simple songs, action songs, echo songs, and call-and-response songs, and distinguishing between our four voice types (shouting, speaking, singing, and whispering). Our back-to-school favorites include “Jump In, Jump Out,” “You Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song," and “Back to School Rap!”
We have also begun to play classroom instruments and learn about the four instrument families: Percussion, Woodwinds, Brass, and Strings. First graders have begun to prepare for our October showcase coinciding with the 50th day of school - we can’t wait to show you what we are learning!
Thank you,
Sara
PTO News
Hello AEEC Families!
We had a great start to the school year with fun events like Popsicles on the Playground, Meet the Teacher, Back to School Teacher Breakfast, School Supply Kit distribution and T-shirt sales! It has been a busy and fun time to be part of PTO! Thank you so much for your support! If you would like to join PTO, we would love to have you! The joining fee is $5 per family and can be paid through My School Bucks! Feel Free to email us anytime at ptoaeec@gmail.com. Coming up next is Restaurant Night at TCBY where a portion of sales comes back to the school! Please turn in your coloring sheet when you go to TCBY. Kindergarten Night will be August 29th, First Grade on August 30th, and Second Grade on August 31st! We will also kick off our annual Fundraiser on September 8th ! Families are welcome to donate September 11th-15th! Business Sponsor Donations are accepted now through September 1st! Help us go “ALL IN FOR AEEC” so we can purchase a new stage for performances, art tables, and more for our wonderful school! We look forward to celebrating the end of the fundraiser with the whole school on September 29th!
Safety Reminders:
- Please turn right when exiting onto Wrights Mill Road during car drop-off or pickup.
- Please refrain from cell phone use in the car line.
- Please remain in your spot in the car line. Do not pull around cars that are loading or unloading.
- Thank you for keeping our students, families, and staff safe!
Upcoming Dates for AEEC
August 29: TCBY Night: Kindergarten
August 30: TCBY Night: First Grade
August 31: TCBY Night: Second Grade
September 4: Labor Day Holiday/No School
September 5: Progress Reports Go Home
September 8: All in for AEEC Fundraiser Kickoff
September 11: Make-Up Picture Day and Class Pictures
September 11: Kindergarten and Second Grade Vision Research Screening
September 11-15: All in for AEEC Fundraiser Week
September 19: All in for AEEC Fundraiser Celebration
