Dear Taylor Families,
I am writing to inform you of my intentions to retire after 30 years of service as an educator. I have loved every season of my career, but the past 11 years as principal of Taylor Elementary have been especially rewarding to me.
Leading the students, staff, and our community through a world-wide pandemic has been the most challenging and rewarding part of my career. I am proud of how our students, teachers, and staff persevered through all of this.
I am proud of how our students have consistently achieved at high levels throughout my tenure as principal of Taylor Elementary.
I am proud of the growing diversity of our staff, which reflects the diversity of our student population. Taylor Elementary has an incredible core of teachers and support staff. I am amazed at their ability to get the best out of our students every day.
I see this next season of my life as a time of transition with a new era of possibility, balance, and flexibility. My final day as principal will be January 31, 2023. This is bittersweet for me and my final days as principal will be extremely emotional.
I want the students of Taylor Elementary to know that I love them, and I tell them this every day on the morning announcements. This will continue to be the case even after I am retired.
With a heart of gratitude,
Paula Cobb, Taylor ES Principal
Dec. 6 has been designated as a Digital Learning Day (DLD).
To ensure that students have a nutritious breakfast and lunch to fuel their learning, our bus drivers will be on the road and at every bus stop to deliver meals prepared by the School Nutrition Program staff.
Families should expect buses to run their routes from approximately 10:45 a.m. to noon, beginning at the first stops on the route. These delivered meals are provided at no cost to families and are available to anyone 18 years old and under.
We are excited to welcome our Taylor friends and family back for Holiday Lunches! For any adults or children visiting for Holiday Lunches the cost of an adult lunch is $3.00, and a visiting child's lunch is $3.75. Please plan to pay for lunch with exact change, small bills, or a check. We do not have the means to make change for large bills.
Holiday Lunch Schedule
December 12th - 2nd & 5th Grade
December 13th - 4th & Kindergarten
December 14th - 1st & 3rd Grade
The weeks between Thanksgiving and Winter breaks are very busy around Taylor. If you are planning to join your child for lunch, please check with him/her first to make sure they are eating in the cafeteria that day and that their lunch time has not been adjusted. Due to space constraints, we suggest families not join their student(s) for lunch if their class is. Also, please be sure to check the Holiday Luncheon schedules below. Grade levels not participating in Holiday Lunch will eat in classrooms each day.
This year, our 4th & 5th grade Spring Musical will be Aladdin, Kids. Aladdin, Kids auditions will be held the week of December 12th and all 4th & 5th grade students are invited to audition.
Everything you need to know about the program auditions can be found on Mr. Thompson's eCLASS page. There you can find all the music, audition tracks as well as the script. Students should complete the Aladdin Audition Form and begin preparing an audition by Monday, December 12th.
Please see the schedule below for audition dates and times.
12/13 -7:45-8:15 am AND 3:45-4:45 pm
12/14 - 3:45-4:45 pm
12/15 - 3:45-4:45 - Callbacks - students who need to stay will be notified
12/16 - Cast List will be posted
Do you ever ask yourself, "How can I support and encourage reading at home?"
This article gives the top 5 tips to support your child's reading at home. You are not alone...knowing how to build your child's literacy skills can be a challenge for any parent.
Reading has proven to have many cognitive benefits—not only for children, but also for adults. Increased concentration, mental stimulation, vocabulary expansion, memory improvement and the building of knowledge are just some of the benefits of reading. Below are the top five tips to support your child’s reading at home.
1. Read everything you see and encourage your child to do so too
Encouraging your child to read everything they come across will stimulate their curiosity for the world around them. For example, when children start to read newspapers, magazines or even store names, they will begin to make connections between words and their understanding of the world.
2. Use fun and inventive ways to practice spelling words with your children
Making reading fun will help your child practice spelling and leave them feeling more engaged. Spelling games also help to reinforce familiar spelling patterns. Hundreds of spelling games can be found online, but some of the classics include Hangman, Text Twist and Word Search.
3. Embolden your child to go beyond their comfort zone
Children respond to positive reinforcement. If your child appears intimidated to reading longer books or words, encourage them to take it one step at a time. Instead of reading an entire chapter of a long book, perhaps you can challenge them to reading just one page or one paragraph of a book. If your child has problems reading a new word, you may want to help them sound out each syllable and explain the meaning of a word.
4. Make reading an enjoyable activity
Set time aside so that your child can curl up on a couch to read. Spending quality time next to them reading and letting them know that they can ask questions also reinforces a positive association to reading. By creating an environment which makes reading enjoyable and relaxing, your child is more likely to read without seeing it as homework or a chore. Books do not always have to challenge a child. Encourage them to just read and explore the story and ask them what they think about the book.
5. Share your enthusiasm for reading with your child
Parents can be the best promoter for reading. When children see their parent’s enthusiasm for a book, a story in the newspaper or magazine, they are more inclined to be interested in reading the same story. If you happen to read something interesting on the internet, or in a book, share with your child why you found it interesting and incite a discussion around the topic. You can also ask your child to help you choose a book that they are excited to read.
Flu season is upon us... and schools are a perfect place for transmission. Many respiratory infections spread primarily from person to person when coughs and sneezes go airborne, or by touching a surface or object where the flu virus is present, and then touching their own mouth, eyes, or nose.
Aside from colds, there is rising concern about RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) infections, that usually cause mild, cold-like symptoms. For more information about protecting yourself and your loved ones, please visit the Centers for Disease Control website.
We'd love to give our teachers a break during lunchtime on Wednesday's. To do this, we need 5 volunteers to come help supervise the students while they eat lunch.
Sign up to help HERE:
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/30e0b4da9a629a3ff2-duty/62876292
MEDIA CENTER VOLUNTEER
Sign up here to help out in the media center: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0B4DA9A629A3FF2-help1
BECOME A PTA MEMBER
PTA offers all parents and guardian's the opportunity to be engaged in their child’s school. Your PTA dues ($5.00) help fund essential resources and curriculum needs. No meetings required. Join online at our new MemberHub store located at ketaylorpta.memberhub.com.
AMAZON SMILE
Select “K E Taylor ES PTA” as your charitable organization at smile.amazon.com. For eligible purchases at AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com or through AmazonSmile activated in the Amazon Shopping app), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to your selected charity.
BOX TOPS
Box Tops For Education (BTFE) is all digital. Physical receipts can be photographed and submitted via app. Digital receipts can be forwarded to BTFE for points.
KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS
Kroger Community Rewards Go to www.kroger.com and link your Kroger Plus account to our organization (K.E. Taylor Elementary School PTA, organization number IX040). Any transactions moving forward using the Shopper’s Card number associated with your digital account will be applied to the program, at no added cost to you.
PUBLIX PARTNERS
Publix Partners Sign up for Club Publix at www.publix.com/myaccount/register, click Publix Partners, and select our school (K E Taylor Elementary School). Then, enter your phone number or pay with the Publix app every time you check out
VOLUNTEER
Interested in volunteering or want to know more about how you can help out? There are lots of opportunities to help, and you don’t have to join the PTA to volunteer. If you have questions about volunteer opportunities, please contact Molly Frizzell at molly.frizzell@ketaylorpta.com.
BECOME A ROOM REP
The PTA is looking for individuals to be Room Representatives (Room Reps) for their student’s class. If you are interested in serving as a Room Rep, please reach out to your child's teacher and please contact Molly Frizzell at molly.frizzell@ketaylorpta.com