Knight Notes
Yarbrough Elementary April Newsletter
Quick Glance at Important Dates
April 4th-8th - STAR Testing
April 4th-8th - Open Enrollment for Afterschool Program
April 4th-8th - Relay for Life Spirit Days
April 6th - Krispy Kreme Relay For Life Orders Due
April 8th - Fourth Grade Division Fact Mastery Party
April 13th - Fourth Grade Field Trip to Montgomery
April 13th - Special Olympics
April 13th - Krispy Kreme Pick Up in Car Line
April 13th or 14th - Third Grade Field Trip to Pioneer Village
April 14th - Skate Night
April 15th - No SchoolApril 20th-May 6th - ACT Aspire Testing (Each teacher will give specific dates)
April 21st - Poem in Your Pocket Day
April 22nd - 5th Grade Track Meet
April 22nd - Relay for Life
April 23rd - F.A.B. 5K and Wellness Fair
April 29th - Spring Fling
P.T.O. Partners
SPRING FLING
Friday, April 29th from 4:30-7:00 PM
Last Skate Night of the year in celebration of the Friday holiday - Thursday, April 14th from 6:30-8:30 PM
ACT Aspire Testing Information
Your child will be taking the ACT Aspire Summative Assessment between April 20th and May 6th. Third and fourth grade students will be tested in the areas of reading and math, while fifth grade students will be tested in the areas of reading, math, and science.
This is a very different kind of test from those in the past because our students will be taking the assessments on the computer. The computer program has special tools built into the program to assist your child. Students have already had a head start on learning the new testing program. In October and January all students participated in ACT Aspire Periodic Assessment which provided practice with the multiple choice questions.
Parents can assist students in preparing for the ACT Aspire in the following ways:
· Make sure your child gets a good night sleep.
· Feed your child a healthy breakfast.
· Encourage your child. Explain to them that while they are expected to try hard on every question, they are not expected to know all of the answers. Some questions are intended to be challenging.
It is important to note that a letter will be coming home next week indicating the date and time that your child will be taking the assessments. Please mark these dates on your calendar. It is our desire to provide the best testing experience for your child. While the ACT Aspire is an important test that all students in our state take, we want you and your child to know that it is just one measure of their growth this year. The leadership, character, effort, and all-around amazing talents of our students are even more important to us!
Congratulations to our Leaders of the Month
Third Grade
Trip Motley, Savannah Broome, Danny Won, and Charlsie Long
(Not pictured: Laura Wood)
Fourth Grade
Emmi Scott, Janiah Downs, Holland Ferguson, Ella Stackhouse, Emmanuel Mitchell, Michael Daniel, and Noah Langston
Fifth Grade
Celebrating the Teacher and Support Staff of the Month
We are proud to announce Mrs. Aleesa Zutter and Nurse Julia Manciagli as our Teacher and Support Staff of the Month for February. Mrs. Zutter can always be found reading with her students. Her class has participated in many read alouds this year, and her students always have a book they are reading with a small group. As one of Mrs. Zutter’s students noted, “Mrs. Zutter is always smiling and makes learning fun.” Nurse Julia provides care to those who are sick or who may have gotten injured while at play. “Nurse Julia always has time to help those who are sick,” states one Y.E.S. student. Another student commented that Nurse Julia helps to make students feel better and takes good care of others.
Time to Register for Next Year
All students returning to Auburn City Schools need to be registered using the online registration program. Go to www.auburnschools.org; click on parent link; click on “on line registration”; returning students (or new); be sure to download two proofs of residency (lease, mortgage, property tax statement AND a utility bill, NO cell phone bill). If you cannot download, bring hard copies to the office to be downloaded or send via email to ywterhune@auburnschools.org. Deadline is April 22nd.
Box Tops and Coke Rewards Raise Money - Collect all Summer!
Also, send your drink caps and box codes from Coke Products to Mrs. Roberts! Our school can earn resources from the points!
Thank You PTO for a Wonderful Teacher Appreciation Week
Relay for Life
Relay for Life Spirit Week - $1 each day/$5 week
Monday- April 4th- Grade Level Color Day (3rd - blue, 4th - green, 5th - yellow)
Tuesday- April 5th- Tacky Tourist Day
Wednesday- April 6th- Favorite Team Day
Thursday- April 7th- Hawaiian Day
Friday- April 8th- 70's (Hippie) Day
Relay for Life
Krispy Kreme Doughnut Sales
Help us raise money for Lee County’s Relay for Life! Ask your friends, neighbors, and family to buy some doughnuts.
Fundraiser ends: Wednesday, April 6
Doughnut pickup day: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 in the CAR LINE (7:00am-7:30am)
Send in Lunch Money
Online Payment for Field Trips
Online Registration Help Available for ESL Parents
Third Graders Will Go Back in Time at Pioneer Village
Fourth Graders are Headed to Montgomery
The 4th grade is so excited about our trip to the state capital, Montgomery, Alabama on April 13th. We will be visiting the Capitol Building, the Civil Rights Museum, the Rosa Parks Museum, and the Archives Museum. This is sure to be an educational, yet fun packed day!
Division Facts = Movie Time for Fourth Graders
Fourth grade will be celebrating their Division Fact Mastery on Friday, April 8th. The students have worked hard mastering their division facts and will be rewarded with a Movie Party. Depending on how many facts the student mastered, he/she can earn candy, a Sprite, and special privileges during the movie. We are so proud of our 4th grade Fact Masters!
Kindness in Action
Media Memos with Mrs. McGilberry
Third grade: Oregon Trail is May 11. The classroom teachers and library are working together on a unit on the Oregon Trail. As a culminating activity, we will be having a day in the life on the the Oregon Trail (May 11th 8am-2pm). If you are willing and able to send in items or volunteer time, we would greatly appreciate it. All donated items need to be brought to the library by April 22nd. I know this is early, but we need to organize the items by the classes and then purchase any items that don't get donated. Please let me know if you have any questions. To sign up, go to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b4bacaf28a3f49-oregon1
Fourth Grade: Reading Road Trip is May 13. Fourth grade teachers and I have been working on a project throughout the year involving reading and writing skills. The culminating activity is the reading road trip. The trip is arriving soon. We are in need of some supplies. If you are willing to donate please sign up below and send to the library by April 29th. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know. To sign up, go to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b4bacaf28a3f49-reading1.
Art Action with Mr. Daniel
I would like to thank every student who participated in the Auburn Public Library Art Show (February 2016), as well as the Jan Dempsey Art Show the last week of March. I would like to thank the parents for their support as well.
Our three students who represented YES in the annual State Superintendent Art Show are:
Jordis Short (3rd grade), Leah Beason (4th grade) and Sophie Henderson (5th Grade).
Jan Dempsey Art Show Reception
March 31st, 2016
We had 53 artists displayed!
Notes with Nurse Julia
Mark your calendars for some health and wellness family fun time!
What: The inaugural F.A.B. (Food and Body) 5K & Wellness Fair ~ a 5K fun run and a day of family-oriented diet and exercise programming promoting a healthy lifestyle
When: April 23rd, Wellness Fair from 8-11:00 am and a 5K race beginning at 9:00 am
Where: Ag Heritage Park, on the corner or Donahue and Lem Morrison Avenue, in Auburn
Who: The event is sponsored by AU Nutrition Science, Dietetics and Hospitality Management and is open to the public.
All participants will receive a t-shirt, top three finishers in each group will be awarded a medal, and overall first place will receive a weekend getaway for two at Gulf Shores Plantation on Alabama's beautiful Gulf Coast. Race begins and ends at the Red Barn at Ag Heritage Park and is open to the public, ages 3 and up. All skill levels welcome.
Race registration must be completed prior to 5:00 pm, April 22nd, via the online portal. https://www.facebook.com/fab5k/ No walk-up registration allowed.
Proceeds generated from the F.A.B. 5K Fun Run will be fully invested into Auburn University students enrolled in the Nutrition Science, Dietetics, & Wellness programs.
The Counseling Connection with Mrs. Walsh
Our Guidance lessons during the end of March and into April will help prepare our students for our standardized testing. Our test dates will begin on April 20th and will run through May 5th. The 3rd and 4th graders will take the Reading and Math tests. The 5th graders will take the Reading, Math, and Science tests. Classroom teachers will remind you of their class’s test dates.
Parents, please make sure your children get adequate sleep before the test dates, as well as, eat a healthy breakfast; avoiding high sugary foods. Research shows students perform better if they eat before a test. Keep a positive atmosphere and help resolve any conflicts that may arise, so your children are focused on the test. Encourage your children to do their best and let them know you are interested in the tests.
Students should BE ON TIME and wear comfortable clothing; this might mean getting up a little earlier to avoid rushing. Talk to your children about their feelings concerning the test and reassure them their performance on the test is not a condition for your love. Stress to your children that you love them for who they are and just want them to do their best!
Quote of the month by Donna B. Forrest
Make a Choice to Do Your Best
Practice, practice, practice…at anything you wish to accomplish.
Be neat.
Try, try, try…persevere and don’t give up easily.
Venture Visit with Mrs. Roberts
Empty plastic ice cream buckets are needed! Please send them with your child to Venture so we can organize some of the new supplies we have received through grants.
3rd Grade
The children have LOVED constructing their Stick Bombs! We have measured some stick bombs to be over 60 feet in length! Made from woven craft sticks, they were a blend of art, math, science and just enough of the mischievous element to make the whole premise fascinating. There are several skills the students learned while constructing their bombs: team work, problem solving, parallel lines, critical thinking, as well as, potential & kinetic energy. Like dominoes, kids can spend hours setting up sticks to cause a chain reaction. But whereas dominoes rely on one domino falling into the next, stick bombs are powered by tension. You create the tension by weaving the sticks together. When released, the sticks fly up into the air. It’s an engineering feat of awesomeness. I’m not sure who has enjoyed this unit more, me or the students! I hope to incorporate the stick bombs into other projects as the students explore more fun and excited units for the rest of the year.
4th and 5th Grade
Students are enjoying the power of “CODE”! It truly helps students excel at problem-solving, critical thinking, logic, persistence, and creativity in all subject areas, no matter what their age! The courses build on the previous skills learned, giving them a deeper understanding. The children work through the lessons at their own pace and wherever they have internet, they can precede right on to the next lesson. So if your child wants to work on his/her programming, please sit with them and watch them excel. Here at Yarbrough, we have some future Engineers well on their way!
The Computer Lab Latest with Miss Ball
In the computer lab the students will present about their Spring Break stories. Also, there will be STAR Reading in the computer lab. In addition to that, the students will be preparing for Aspire Testing by learning where to find the mathematical signs such as: addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (x), and division(/) on the keyboard and also how to type them using word problems.
Fitness Fun with Coach Smith
Fourth Grade began their Bike Safety unit on Wednesday March 30th. Classes will alternate riding days. Students need to bring their helmets on riding days if they have one. Those who do not will be sized and can borrow one from the school. Riding days are as follows:
Turner, Anderson, Day, Oprandy - Wednesday, March 30th, Tuesday, April 12th , and Wednesday, April 27
Zutter, Lindsey, Ramey - Wednesday, April 6th, Wednesday, April 20th, and Thursday, April 28th
Special Olympics is Wednesday, April 13th
5th Grade Auburn City Schools Track Meet is Friday evening, April 22 at the Auburn High school Track; Details will be sent home with 5th graders