Vaughan Viking Newsletter
4/3/2019
Vaughan's 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year!
Congratulations to Mrs. Casey Duckworth who was nominated by her peers for Vaughan’s 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year! Here are just a few reasons why she was chosen:
· Casey works collaboratively with her coworkers and is motivated to find new and better instructional strategies to best teach children.
· She is constantly looking for ways to make her school feel happy, safe and welcome!
· Casey works year round to support and increase teacher morale!
· She has a growth mindset and a positive outlook when change is implemented.
· Casey is always willing to go above and beyond for our students, teachers, school, and community.
We are so lucky and thankful to have her here at Vaughan!
Student Information Form for Class Placement 19-20
The Vaughan Elementary Parent Information for Student's Class Placement Form is now available for parents to share their student's academic, social or learning style for consideration for 2019 - 2020 homeroom teacher placement.
Spring Picture Packet Due!
Individual spring picture packets were sent home the week before last. The deadline to purchase or return the pictures has passed! Please send the packets or payment by this coming Friday, 4/5.
Empty Bowls: An Art Show to Prevent Hunger 4/5
Date: Friday, April 5 , 2019
Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Place: Allen HS Performing Arts Center
This event allows participants to enjoy tasty, bowl-friendly fare and served in a selection of handmade bowls created by Allen ISD students, art teachers and the Visual Arts League of Allen. Vaughan will have several students with artwork featured at the show!
All proceeds benefit ACO Food Pantry and the Allen Arts Alliance program for at-risk students. “Empty Bowls” is presented by Allen ISD Fine Arts, Allen Community Outreach and the Allen Arts Alliance. Elementary student bowls and restaurant offerings cost $5 each.
Event sponsors are: Elke’s Market Café, Two Rows Grill, Silver Thai Cuisine, Chick-fil-A, Jason’s Deli, Blú Restaurant, Torchy’s Tacos, Fish City Grill, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Buttermilk Sky Pies and Frios Gourmet Pops.
STAAR Testing Dates - Closed Campus
The Vaughan campus will be closed to visitors and volunteers on the following STAAR testing days in order to provide the best testing environment for our students:
April 9, 2019
STAAR Writing
4th Grade
April 9, 2019
STAAR Math
5th Grade
April 10. 2019
STAAR Reading
5th Grade
May 13, 2019
STAAR Mathematics
3rd, 4th, & 6th Grade
May 14, 2019
STAAR Reading
3rd, 4th, & 6th Grade
May 15, 2019
STAAR Science
5th Grade
We appreciate your help and understanding during state testing. If you have any questions about testing, please contact Gwynn Loftin at Gwynn.loftin@allenisd.org.
19-20 Kinder Registration -Don't Delay!
Kindergarten Registration is open! Your student must be 5 years old by 9/1/19 to enroll for the upcoming school year. Please click the following link to begin: Kindergarten Registration
The New Student Online Enrollment (NSOE) link will be on the Allen ISD and Vaughan websites. Siblings of students already in Allen ISD can be enrolled by logging into Enrollment Access in Family Access.
19-20 School Supply Kits are On Sale Through June 20
Vaughan PTA wants to make school supply shopping easy for you by offering school supply kits. Easily purchase online with a card or you can purchase with cash/check (orders due by May 24th to the school with payment).
CLICK HERE for more info and to order.
Volunteer Appreciation Lunch – Please RSVP by April 5
Vaughan is hosting a volunteer appreciation lunch on Monday, April 15 to thank all of our volunteers for their hard work throughout the year! If you are able to attend the lunch, which is hosted during your child’s lunch time, please RSVP by clicking here.
April 15: Vaughan Senior Scholarship Due
Vaughan Elementary is pleased to offer former Vaughan Vikings the opportunity to receive a scholarship. Please share this with any former Viking who attended Vaughan for three years and will graduate this year. For more information, please click here.
April 16: PTA Membership Meeting – 6 pm
All PTA members are invited to the membership meeting at 6 pm on Tuesday, April 16th. We will be electing the officers for next year’s board.
"Superhero" Gift Card Collection for Staff Appreciation Week
Vaughan PTA will be collecting gift cards for Staff Appreciation Week now through April 25th. Gift cards can be from $10 to $30, in any denomination between that amount and from a place of your choosing. Our goal is to collect 75 gift cards. This is your chance to be super just like our superhero staff!
To sign up and for more details, please sign in to your Membership Toolkit account and CLICK HERE. Gift cards should be turned into the office.
Field Day Volunteers Needed
Field Day volunteering is a lot of fun! Field Day is Tuesday, May 21 and there are lots of opportunities! CLICK HERE to sign up!
Please be sure you are an approved Allen ISD volunteer. You can do this by clicking here.
April 26: Dr. Niven, Allen ISD Superintendent at Vaughan
You are invited at 5:30 pm on Friday, April 26th to hear Dr. Niven speak and answer questions about the upcoming bond proposal. To learn more about the bond, please click here.
"Hey Dude, Nice Shoes" - Parent Education Program 4/26 @ 6pm
We are excited to announce that National PTA Lifetime Achievement Award winner (and TX PTA Honorary Lifetime member) Carolyn Jennings Brown will be sharing her anti-bullying/pro-kindness presentation, "Hey Dude, Nice Shoes" with our students and their parents at Vaughan Elementary, Friday, 4/26 at 6 pm.
During this workshop, she will share her unique experiences and stories, in a passionate and honest way, to educate the two separate generations on this topic and bridge the gap of understanding on growing up.
Students will participate in her presentation during the school day and that evening at 6 pm, Vaughan parents are invited for a parent/guardian-only presentation at Vaughan that mirrors what students learned.
May 3: Allen ISD Night at the Frisco RoughRiders
State Announces PTA Reflections Results for 2018-2019
Texas PTA received 948 entries for state-level judging and it is Vaughan's honor that Aiza Nackvi, 2nd grade, will be receiving an Award of Merit at the ceremony held in Austin for her entry in the category of Film Production. She has earned a silver medal in her grade division of K-2. Congratulations Aiza! We look forward to another great year for PTA Reflections next year with active participation from our Vikings! https://www.txpta.org/reflections-results
GeoChallenge
The GeoChallenge is an annual competition sponsored by the National Geographic Society for teams of students from grades 5 - 8 across the United States. Teams respond to a problem, challenge, or critical issue by using research, collaboration, creativity, and communication to create and present real-world solutions, just like National Geographic Explorers!
Mrs. Galyon was privileged to take five of her students that advanced to the the regional competition this past Friday:
Mitul Gouni
Olivia Aggarwal
Amrutha Chittimoori
Nathan Charles
Ameen Hasan
M.O.A.N.A. presented along with 10 other groups and was recognized as a team with "great collaboration"! We are so proud of the hard work they put in to get to this level of the competition!
Destination Imagination Team Advances to Globals
The Cheetahs are a team of 4th and 5th graders who attend Cheatham, Preston and Vaughan Elementary in Allen. Vaughan students that participated are:
Mihika Bhat
Aanya Chawla
Latasha Gurrum
Andrew Obermeyer
Aryan Padarthi
Marco Parada II
Eshita Saha
Laila Saithu
Arav Shah
Rayna Shah
They have again chosen the “Service Learning,” challenge category to help serve the community. Last year, they helped raised and donated $3000 to a homeless shelter in Plano. This year, they are trying to make a difference by helping people recycle properly.
At the DI Global Finals, they will be competing against the best teams from over 40 states and 30 countries. The team had the opportunity to compete in last year’s Globals in Knoxville, Tennessee and placed 13th in the world.
We are excited to go back to represent Allen ISD. We also hope to introduce some of our recycling goals into Allen ISD schools in the coming months.
Allen ISD Hosts Medication Disposal Day 4/27
Allen ISD's Lowery Freshman Center will host the Medication Disposal Day on Saturday, April 27 from 10 AM until 2 PM. The event is designed to allow families to safely dispose of old and unused prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications. Used and expired needles, lancets and epi-pens also will be accepted at the drive-through event.
Lowery Freshman Center is located at 368 North Greenville Avenue in Allen. The event is sponsored by Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Allen, The Allen Police Department, and Allen ISD.
For more information or questions about the disposal day, contact Jennifer Atencio at Allen High School, 972-727-0400 ext. 6163, or the Allen ISD Public Information Office at 972-727-0510.
Reuse-A-Shoe Collection
Start gathering old shoes to bring to Vaughan for the City of Allen Reuse-A-Shoe collection from April 29 - May 10! Closed-toe shoes such as sneakers and work boots will be accepted. Please rubber band your donations.
The school that collects the highest number of shoes will receive a $400 prize from the City of Allen! Many thanks to Vaughan’s Environmental Club for their help.
Upcoming Events
April 4: Care Van Immunizations at Boyd
April 5: Allen ISD Spring Art Show and Empty Bowls Event
April 9-10: STAAR Testing/Campus Closed to Visitors & Volunteers
April 16: PTA Membership Meeting & 4th Grade Musical
April 19: No School, Staff & Student Holiday
April 22: Chick Fil A Spirit Day, Stacy Road
April 26: Dr. Niven and Parent Education Night
May 3: Allen ISD Night at the RoughRiders
May 10: End of Year Bash
May 21: Field Day K-5 / Bethany Lakes – 6th Grade
May 23: End of Year Parties
May 24: Last Day of School – Early Release at 12 PM
PTA Facebook Page
Interested in keeping up with all the events hosted by Vaughan PTA? Please CLICK HERE to "LIKE” our PTA Facebook page.
Contact Vaughan PTA
PTA Website: Click here
Facebook: Click here