The Rams Report
The Pulse of Yorkville Elementary School
A Message From the Principal
It's difficult to believe that the first month of school is already behind us. Over the last few weeks, students and staff became acquainted with their new schedules, established positive working relationships and immersed themselves in teaching and learning.
Now that we are all back into the school routine, it's important to revisit the guidelines regarding school attendance. Research demonstrates that regular attendance directly correlates with academic success and positive social development. At Yorkville, we are dedicated to ensuring that all students experience continued growth and progress. Attendance in school is essential to meeting this goal. State statute allows parents to excuse their children for no more than ten days of school. This includes absences due to illness, vacation and family requests. Please keep this in mind when scheduling vacations and appointments. Thank you for your continued support and involvement!
The Reading Corner
Without a doubt, reading with children spells success for early literacy. Putting a few simple strategies into action will make a significant difference in helping children develop into good readers and writers. By reading aloud, providing print materials, and promoting positive attitudes about reading and writing, you can have a powerful impact on children’s literacy and learning. The U.S. Department of Education suggests implementing the following strategies to create strong readers at an early age:
1. Invite a child to read with you every day
2. When reading a book where the print is large, point word by word as you read. This will help the child learn the reading goes from left to right and understand that the word he or she says is the word he or she sees
3. Read a child’s favorite book over and over again.
4. Read many stories with rhyming words and lines that repeat. Invite the child to join in on these parts. Point, word by word, as he or she reads along with you
5. Discuss new words. For example, “This big house is called a palace. Who do you think lives in a palace?”
6. Stop and ask about the pictures and about what is happening in the story
7. Read from a variety of children’s books, including fairy tales, song books, poems, and information books. Reading well is at the heart of all learning. Children who can’t read well, can’t learn. Help make a difference for a child.
September Highlights
It's hard to believe that September is already over. The last few weeks have been filled with exciting experiences and opportunities for exploration. Classrooms and hallways are filled with the sounds of students learning and growing.
The first graders have been busy getting "Down on the Farm"! They had visitors from some real farm animals including a piglet and a hen. Addison Seils also shared all about her life on a dairy farm. To top it off, the first graders made butter and ice cream.
The third grade students had the opportunity to observe ducklings as they hatched and began to grow. They were welcomed additions to the classroom.
Third grade students have also been reading about Flat Stanley and making their own Flat Stanley look alikes that were sent to destinations all over the world.
Sixth grade students are becoming mathematicians. When working on finding the greatest common factor, students had an opportunity to use QR code readers to check their answers.
The boys' and girls' softball season has come and gone. Each team worked hard and had fun.
The cross country season has also come to an end. The boys' and girls' team both placed second out of ten at the conference meet. Congratulations!
Seventh and eighth grade students had an opportunity to develop a campaign and run for student council. Each candidate addressed the junior high student body. All of the candidates should be proud of their efforts and their willingness to get involved. This year student council consists of the following individuals: Marissa Polzin (President), Taylor Diener (Vice-President); Mackenzi Jones (Secretary) and Zach Eifert (Treasurer).
All students took part in celebrating Thank a Police Officer Day, a national event held on September 17th. The student body wrote notes to police officers expressing their gratitude and appreciation. These heartfelt letters were then distributed to officers who work in surrounding areas.
Upcoming Events
- Family PE Night - October 10 @ 6:00 (Large gym)
- Conferences (Grades 4 - 8) - October 12 between 4:30 - 8:00
- School Board Listening Session - October 13 @ 7:00 (Cafeteria)
- Girls' Basketball - October 20th @ 4:00 (at Randall)
- PTO Meeting - October 20 @ 6:30 (Library)
- School Board Meeting - October 20 @ 7:00 (Rm. 112)
- PTO Family Fun Night - October 21 from 6:00 - 8:00
- Girls' Basketball - October 25 @ 4:00 (at Yorkville)
- Girls' Basketball - October 26 @ 4:00 (at Yorkville)
- Halloween Costume Parade - October 27 @ 2:30 (Large gym)
- No School - October 28 and October 31
PTO Update
Our next event is October's Family Fun Night. The event will take place at school on Friday, October 21st from 6:00 - 8:00. Join us for an evening of Halloween fun including a costume contest and crafts.
The next PTO meeting will be held on Thursday, October 20th at 6:30 in the school library. All are welcome. Hope to see you there!