Evening Star Elementary
March 2023
A Note from Principal Williams:
March is here, which means the end of the 3rd Quarter is near, and the first day of spring is only ten short days away. As we head into the 4th Quarter and the year starts to come to a close, we want to reiterate the importance of having your child in school every day. Every instructional minute counts as we all work hard to finish the year strong. Thank you for having your child at school on time each day, ready to learn.
We want to thank everyone for participating in All Bentonville Reads! Let's continue the reading at home. Check out the March RISE Newsletter linked HERE. It contains some fantastic reading tips. Information about multisyllabic words, syllable types, and additional information is linked throughout the newsletter about the Science of Reading, vocabulary, morphology, and more.
Evening Star Teacher Appreciation week was a huge success! Thank you so much for loving our teachers well. Also, a big thank you to our Hospitality Committee. Sarah Beahm, our committee chair, and her team members put together a thoughtfully planned week that was appreciated by all.
As shared in the February Parent Newsletter, all elementary buildings are starting a program called Guardians in Action. Our Guardians in Action's primary focus is security. They will check exterior doors, assist with monitoring the parking lot and bus loop, communicate any concerns to the building principal, and greet our fantastic students in the morning. The times for this opportunity are 6:55 am-7:35 am and 2:20 pm-2:55 pm. If you are interested in participating in this program and you have completed our required annual volunteer training, please complete this Google Form - linked HERE. Volunteers must be screened through the raptor system, wear our brand new Guardians in Action vest, and have a current ESE student enrolled. The office staff will provide our Guardian in Action with a radio for the time they are on campus, assisting with security.
As you may have seen on Peachjar, Summer Camp Explore registration is now live. Summer Camp Explore was created to serve rising kindergarten through sixth-grade students. We also have a number of programs planned for older students in the areas of the arts, athletics, and childcare camps. Those camps are also detailed on our website.
Click HERE to see the 2023-2024 calendar and mark your calendars.
We want to thank you for allowing us to be part of your child’s educational career. It's been an amazing 2022-2023 school year and we are looking forward to GREAT things for the 4th Quarter.
Principal Williams
Future ESE Events:
Here are just a few events we have planned so far. Mark your calendars now and keep a watch out for more events over the course of the school year:
March 13th - Spring and Class Pictures - see information below.
March 13-17 PTO Coin Drive - more information below.
March 16th - Grade-level Color Wars - Check out this link.
March 20th-March 24th - Spring Break
March 28th - ESE PTO Meeting @ 6:30 p.m.
April 3rd, 4th, & 6th - Parent Teacher Conferences
- April 3rd - Para Appreciation Day
- April 4th - Librarian Appreciation Day
- April 7th- Second Grade Field Trip
- April 11th - Kindergarten Graduation Pictures
- April 18th - ACT Aspire English & Writing Assessment 3rd & 4th Grade
- April 19th - ACT Aspire Science Assessment 3rd & 4th Grade
- April 20th - ACT Aspire Reading Assessment 3rd & 4th Grade
- April 21th - ACT Aspire Math Assessment 3rd & 4th Grade
- April 24th-25th - First Grade MAP Testing
- April 25th - PTO Meeting
- April 28th - Gold Rush @ Old Tiger Stadium 6:30 p.m.
- May 1st & 2nd - Third and Fourth Grade MAP Testing
- May 3rd & 4th - Kindergarten and Second Grade MAP Testing
- May 5th - 3rd & 4th Grade PTO Spring Fling
- May 5th - Cafeteria Lady Appreciation Day
Picture Day:
ESE Run Club Information:
Registration is open for the annual Gold Rush 5k and Fun Run!
In order to help prepare your owls for the race, we are starting up our ESE Run Club again. Registration is open for that too! We had the second largest club in the district last year. We’re aiming for the largest club this year!
We want your runners-in-training to join us every Tuesday and Thursday after school from March 28 through April 27.
In order to join Run Club, your student must be registered for the race along with an adult buddy runner. You must also fill out the registration/health history & release of liability form. Both must be completed for your student to be in Run Club! Students will not be allowed to run without both parts completed.
- First: Register your student and an adult buddy runner for the Gold Rush 5k or Fun Run at https://app.regwiz.io/register/goldrush/968
- Next: Fill out the Health History Update & Release of Liability form at https://forms.gle/YGnJGNkqFmyuKz5b7
- Last: Send your students in running clothes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from March 28 to April 27 with a water bottle and an extra snack. Carline will start at 3:30 each afternoon.
The final day to join Run Club will be April 5.
If you have any questions, you can reach out to Mr. Coriell at ccoriell@bentonvillek12.org.
We can’t wait to start running together!
ESE PTO News:
Start collecting your spare change!! We’re gearing up for a school-wide challenge- our Be the Change COIN DRIVE, beginning March 13th!
Last year we raised more than $10,000 for our ESE library, and we know we can beat that number this year!! This year we’ll be splitting our earnings between 4 ESE activity classes- PE, ART, MUSIC, and LIBRARY!
Totals will be announced daily! The top 3 classes that bring the most money in by the end of the week will earn a class pizza party! Plus, every day, we will count totals to give a daily prize to the top class in each grade that day!
Let’s gather up our change and bring it in for our ESE activity classes!! ALL money counts toward your class goal- coins, dollars, checks- it all works! Start collecting now- we can’t wait to share our totals next week!!
Our ESE Spring Spirit shop is open!! We’ve got some super cute new t-shirt designs and some awesome new caps for those sunny days ahead! Check out the following link: https://evening-star-elementary-school-pto.square.site/ese-spirit-gear
News from Nurse Crutchfield:
March brings us not one but two days to celebrate, support, and bring awareness to our students at Evening Star. Both official days fall during our Spring Break so we will have our own ESES awareness days upon return!
ESES Down Syndrome Awareness Day- Wear BLUE & YELLOW and/or brightly colored socks on Monday, March 27th.
March 21st is World Down Syndrome Awareness Day! This date was picked for its significance, as Down Syndrome happens when the 21st chromosome is triplicated – as in 3/21. Down Syndrome remains the most common chromosomal condition diagnosed in the United States. Each year, about 6,000 babies born in the United States have Down Syndrome. This means that Down Syndrome occurs in about 1 in every 700 babies. We celebrate to promote awareness and to empower individuals with Down Syndrome to live their best lives. Please wear BLUE & YELLOW and/or brightly colored socks on March 27th for World Down Syndrome Awareness Day at ESES!
ESES Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day- Wear GREEN Tuesday, March 28th.
March is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, and National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day is March 25th! Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a disorder that affects muscle tone, movement, and coordination. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood. About 1 in 345 children have been identified with CP, according to estimates from the CDC. There are different types of CP. Some people have one type or a mix of different types. There’s no cure for CP, but a child’s quality of life can improve with early intervention and treatment. Please join us in bringing awareness and showing support for our friends and family members with Cerebral Palsy by wearing GREEN on March 28th!
EDUCATE. ADVOCATE. If you’d like to know more about Down Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy, please check out these additional resources below.
CDC link for info on Cerebral Palsy
Nurse Crutchfield
Counselor Updates:
Spring is around the corner, and so is spring testing for Grades 3 and 4! We cannot wait to see how much our Owls have progressed! Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Spring Testing dates: Grades 3 and 4 will both take the ACT Aspire test on April 18-21.
To help your child be successful, it is very important that they be at school on these dates. Students do much better and are less anxious if they take tests with their grade cohort. If at all possible, please make all appointments after school and refrain from checking your child in late or out early. Once testing begins, the class cannot be interrupted until the designated break time. Therefore, please help us by checking appointments/calendars and rescheduling if possible. With your help and encouragement, we know that our Owls will do their best on their tests!
Our Guidance lessons this month will focus on setting goals, and we will highlight the word of the month, “Forgiveness.”
Please know that we are always here for your owls and you!
Pam Gaskin 479-360-7407 pgaskin@bentonvillek12.org
Paula Kaufmann 779-360-7408 pkaufmann@bentonvillek12.org
Literacy Coach News:
To be able to accurately understand what is written, children need to be able to decode what they read, make connections between what they read and what they already know, and they need to be able to think about what they have read. Here are some ways to help support reading comprehension at home.
Help your child go back to the text to support his or her thinking.
Read the material in short sections, making sure your child understands each step of the way.
Help your child make connections between what he or she reads and similar experiences he has felt, seen in a movie, or read in another book.
Discuss the meaning of unknown words, both those he reads and those he hears.
Discuss what your child has learned from reading an informational text.
Discuss what your child has read. Ask your child questions about the book and connect events to his or her own life. For example, “How do you think she felt? Why?” and “What lesson can we learn here?” or “I wonder what that character did that?”
Help your child monitor his understanding. Teach her to ask herself whether she understands what she is reading.
Happy reading!
Julie Dibee (Literacy Coach)
Math Coach News:
March 14th is the International Day of Mathematics! To celebrate, head outside with a box of chalk and do some math on the sidewalk. For K-2 students, ask them to draw shapes based on the number of sides or vertices you describe (or give them the name of the shape- circle, triangle, rhombus, pentagon, hexagon). For 3-4 students, have them draw a game of hopscotch squares. As they jump from square to square, have them shout out multiples of a number. For example, list the multiples of 6- 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, etc.
Katie Curry (Math Coach)
Whooo Loves to read? Your ESE OWLS DO!
I hope you enjoyed the special time reading together during All Bentonville Reads! It was great to see so many of you at Crystal Bridges! Parents, you are welcome to come into the library from 2:30-3:00 pm on Mondays and Friday’s. I can set you up with your own account and you can check out books to read with your children!
Don’t forget you can order a special book to celebrate your child and their many accomplishments!
Read, Learn, and Explore!
Mrs. Watson, ESE Librarian
"Gym Shorts"
March Madness is here, and we are ready! We will be starting our basketball unit: learning how to dribble, pass, and shoot correctly. We will be making it fun with a little demo ball, leveling up with Pokemon basketball, and finishing up with scooter basketball. Our 4th graders will be diving deeper into heart-healthy nutrition with a hands-on cooking class after spring break.
Coach Kerkhover and Coach LaRocco
ART Studio:
During the month of March, our little artists will be busy doing some cute Spring cards for the local nursing homes. Also, we will be continuing to expand our art experience and working on several new projects. I do appreciate the work ethic the artists have developed this year, and with the school year quickly going by, we are striving to cover all our bases in art. Thank you for sharing your kiddos with us every day :)
Mr. Van Slyke
Music Notes:
It’s March! And that means that it is national “Music In Our Schools Month,” a time to celebrate the many positive effects that music has on our learning environment. From cross-curricular activities that reinforce literacy and math concepts, to team building and problem-solving games, music education stretches our minds and feeds our souls!
Speaking of music learning…
- Kinder students are beginning to prepare for their end-of-the-year K celebration. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 23 6:00 p.m. You won’t want to miss these sweet voices!
- 1st Graders are learning to read 2 and 3-note melodies and are enjoying some old-fashioned music fun - singing traditional folk songs and playing singing games. Please dress comfortably on music days - we may even go outside to play!
- 2nd graders and 3rd graders are continuing to hone our music reading skills, but are also in “spring training” for music baseball. Students are training their ears to be able to step up and hear the “pitch”.
- 4th graders are getting some much deserved celebration time as they reflect on their musical “Pirates!” Students are also starting to analyze and select music for their upcoming performance at the Naturals baseball game on Friday, April 21st. Click here to read more information on this event: 4th Grade Music News.
Keep filling the world with music.
Mrs. Simpson
Global Connections:
Happy March, ESE Families! Your child has now embarked on their journey through Africa! Most classes have been given a brief introduction to Northern, Western, Middle, and Eastern areas of the continent. We will finish up with Southern Africa and then focus on Egypt and Kenya in the upcoming weeks.
FUN FACT: By the end of this unit, your child will have held authentic artifacts from the country of Malawi! Thank you to Mrs. Fandrich for wanting to share her experience, handmade gifts, and South African/Malawi currency with us!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Connor
Digital Literacy:
Hello ESE Families! March Madness Typing Challenge starts when we get back from Spring Break! Our 3rd and 4th Grade Owls will participate in typing with the keys covered. One class from each of those grades will win the golden keyboard and prizes for the highest average of Words Per Minute and Accuracy.
2nd-4th are working on getting their Google "Driv-ers" License. 1st Graders are learning to be digital leaders, and kindergarten is focusing on coding.
Happy Typing!
Ms. Castro
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE:
Talking and listening play major roles in children's school success. It's through hearing parents and family members talk and through responding to that talk that children begin to pick up the language skills they will need if they are to do well. One fun way to do this is through a family game of “Would you Rather?”
Would you rather be invisible or able to fly?
Would you rather live without music or without movies?
Would you rather be able to control the weather or be able to talk to animals?
You can even have fun creating some of your own. Talking about what you "would rather and why" is sure to lead to some fun family discussions.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Tomblin
ESE Yearbook!
Yearbooks are on sale! Click this link to purchase and use our school code: 1015671061902803
Remember, all parents can create their own custom page at no extra cost! Custom pages are due by March 28, 2023.
Whooo's Soaring at ESE?
To access the Google form click on the following link: https://forms.gle/FNdobVKuUbBv2sx1A
Absences & Transportation Changes:
Teachers and front office staff may be out, so we ask that you refrain from emailing staff directly. This also applies to transportation changes. You can also use the esesattendanceclerk@bentonvillek12.org to send in doctor's notes. When parents email the esesattendanceclerk@bentonvillek12.org, both Mrs. Kendra and Mrs. Tammy receive the email. Thank you for your help with us as we want to make sure your child's attendance record is accurate and current.
SCHOOL BREAKFAST AND LUNCH MENUS:
School breakfast and lunch are no longer provided for students for free. If you have not deposited funds into your child's account or applied for support for the cost of the meals, please log in to the Family Portal and do that. You will need your student's ID to log in.
If you would like to see what our cafeteria will be serving for breakfast and lunch for this month, simply click on the following link: https://www.bentonvillek12.org/page/food-and-nutrition