News from the

Eagle's Nest

Welcome to the 2025-2026 School Year!

Dear Vaughn Families,

Welcome to a brand-new school year at Vaughn Elementary! I hope your summer has been restful, joyful, and just the right length to make your child(ren) miss the excitement of school. We are thrilled to welcome your family to the 2025–2026 school year and can’t wait to partner with you on the journey ahead.

This year’s theme is "Building Futures at VES." Like LEGO bricks coming together to create something extraordinary, every member of our school community—students, staff, and families—brings unique strengths, creativity, and dedication to the table. Together, we’re building a strong foundation that connects each learner to their future.

At Vaughn, our mission is clear: Every learner…every day!
We are committed to supporting and challenging every student every single day so they can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. We also believe in the power of strong relationships and consistent, high-quality instruction to help each learner reach their full potential.

This year, we have an updated vision based on feedback from parents, students, and staff:
We are the foundation that connects every learner to their future.
This vision reflects our belief that Vaughn is a place where student's build the essential skills that prepare them for lifelong success. That foundation includes not only academics, but also the development of social and emotional skills, physical well-being, curiousity, creativity, and confidence. We want every student to leave VES with a strong self of self, a love of learning, and the confidence to pursue their goals.

As a designated Arkansas Model STEM School, we are proud to continue our commitment to providing authentic, hands-on learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This year, we are expanding that work to include the arts, ensuring our students are exposed to a wide range of opportunities that allow them to discover and nurture their unique talents and interests. This deeper integration will help students make meaningful connections between their passions and the opportunities that await them as learners in the Bentonville School District and beyond.

We also believe the partnership between home and school plays a powerful role in student success. We’re excited to work with you to create a joyful, engaging learning environment where every child feels safe, supported, and inspired.

Included on this site you will find:

Information about our PTO and how to get involved
Contact information for Discovery, our after-school care partner
Links to school supply lists
A link to our school calendar of events
Open House details and schedules
A link to the Back to School Hub from the Bentonville School District, which includes info about attendance, bus transportation, student handbooks, lunch accounts, and more: https://www.bentonvillek12.org/page/back-to-school-hub

We are honored that you’ve chosen Vaughn Elementary as your child’s learning home. Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, and trust. We can’t wait to see you soon and begin another great year of learning, growing, and building bright futures—brick by brick.

Warmly,
Kendra Schacht
Principal

EVERY EAGLE…EVERY DAY!

Important Dates

You can view events for the year on this master calendar. Please check back frequently for updates as we add events throughout the year.

Bentonville Schools Back to School Hub

As you begin preparing for the first day, be sure to check out the Back to School Hub on the Bentonville Schools website.

This helpful resource includes everything you need to get started:

Attendance guidelines
Bus transportation information
School calendars
School supply lists
Lunch account setup
Student handbooks

You can find the Back to School Hub here: Back to School Hub

VES PTO Info

Interested in supporting VES students and staff throughout the year? Scroll through the attached document to learn more about how the PTO and how you can be involved.

25-26 PTO Open House Welcome.pdf

Transportation and Safety Procedures

Arrival & Dismissal Procedures

Your child’s safety is a top priority for the Bentonville School District and for the staff at Vaughn. For that reason, all K-4 principals and district officials are requesting your cooperation in following the district’s transportation and safety procedures.

On the first day of school, parents may park in the parking lot and walk students to their classes in the morning between 7:05 am and 7:30 am without checking in. The carline will be moving for morning arrival so please do not park and leave your vehicle in the carline. If the parking lot is full, please avoid parking on the grass at Vaughn as there are sprinkler heads near the curbs. Access to their back parking lot can be found adjacent to the front entrance of Vaughn. Beginning August 13, 2025, students will walk to class on their own or with staff assistance.

We welcome visitors and volunteers at Vaughn. All visitors between the hours of 7:05 am and 3:30 pm must check in at the office. Please be prepared to show a photo ID when visiting or picking up a student. Again, we cannot reiterate enough how important your child’s safety is to us, and so for that reason, we appreciate your support. If your child has a performance, or you invite family members to events at Vaughn, all guests must check in with a photo ID.

During the first week of school, our focus is on developing the classroom and school community. This includes teaching and practicing routines for all areas. Due to this, we ask that lunch visitors wait until Monday, August 18 before visiting students at lunch.

Prior to the first day of school, please make sure your child and your child’s homeroom teacher know how your child is getting home. To ensure the safety of all children, we will send your child home the same way every day unless we are notified by you, prior to 2:00 p.m. If you have any questions regarding your child’s after-school dismissal status, please contact the school office at 479-254-5500. Please do not contact your child’s teacher with requests for dismissal changes. The teacher will not see your message during instructional times, or may be out of the building. Contact the office with all requests for dismissal changes. The office is open daily from 7:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., if you need help or have any questions.

There are two modes of transportation: car riders and bus riders. Click the dropdown arrow below to learn about the procedures for your child's arrival and dismissal.

Arrival & Dismissal Carline Procedures

Click here to learn more about our carline procedures.

Morning Car Riders

Drop off is in the front of the building through the car loop between 7:05-7:30 a.m. Students may enter the building starting at 7:05 a.m.
At approximately 7:05 a.m., school officials will be on duty for the car riders. Please do not let students exit your vehicle until signaled to do so, once duty personnel are in place.
Please do not drop off on the road, or at the bus loop.
If your child needs assistance getting into the building, please park in the parking lot, and escort him or her across the crosswalk.
We have marked handicap parking spots on the front row of our lot. These are reserved for handicapped patrons and should not be used for drop off or pick up.
Please pull all the way forward to the front of the line. Drop off extends all the way to the staff member holding the stop sign. Please ensure that you are looking forward when driving through the line to ensure the safety of students and staff.
Have students ready to exit the car (backpacks in their laps, kisses and hugs given, etc.) so that they can exit as soon as someone signals to unload.
Students should exit the vehicle independently, and parents and guardians should remain in the vehicle.
Please make sure your car is in “PARK,” and do not proceed until the stop sign at the front of the line is turned to “Slow.”
Staff members will also double check each car with a thumbs up.
Once the cars in both the outside and inside lanes have unloaded, traffic will pull forward to the stop sign at our exit on Barron Road. Cars in the left lane must turn left onto Barron and proceed to Airport Blvd/Hwy 12. Cars in the right lane must turn right and proceed towards Anglin Road.
Please note that during the hours before and after school, the intersection of Barron Rd and Airport Blvd/Hwy 12 right (just past the fairgrounds) is a right turn only intersection.
Once in the building, students may enter the cafeteria for breakfast or go to sit in the designated space in their hallway. At 7:25 a.m., teachers will begin greeting students at their classroom doors.
Breakfast will be available in the cafeteria from 7:05 a.m.- 7:30 a.m.
Please refrain from smoking or being on your cell phone in school zones, including the car lines.
Thank you for being courteous in the car line!

Afternoon Car Riders

The afternoon bell rings at 2:30 p.m. All car riders will be escorted to a designated area within the building, where they will be kept in a group until their dismissal numbers are called.
All students should be picked up no later than 3:00pm.
All parents picking up students in a vehicle are asked to utilize the car-rider line and remain in their cars to pick up their child.
Students will only be permitted to load into cars with an official car tag that you can pick up in the office with your photo ID. Please display tags clearly in the front window.
Please leave the car tag visible until your child has loaded.
School-duty personnel will call the numbers of several students and have them wait in our entryway until signaled to walk to cars. Staff will lead all students to the front of the line and down the middle line to load cars. School personnel will load approximately 20 cars at a time - 10 cars on the inside lane and 10 cars on the outside lane.
Please make sure your car is in “PARK” and do not proceed until the stop sign at the front of the line is turned to “Slow.”
Staff members will also double check each car with a thumbs up. If your child has not made it to your car by the time staff is giving the thumbs up, you will need to let them know. We will call for your child again, and may ask you to park in the parking lot. We will then escort your child to your car.
Once the cars in both the outside and inside lanes are full, traffic will pull forward to the stop sign at our exit on Barron Road. Cars in the left lane must turn left onto Barron and proceed to Airport Blvd/Hwy 12. Cars in the right lane must turn right and proceed towards Anglin Road.
Please note that during the hours before and after school, the intersection of Barron Rd and Airport Blvd/Hwy 12 right (just past the fairgrounds) is a right turn only intersection.
When entering the parking lot from the southwest side of the building, the lanes that turn into the parking lot are ONE WAY. Please do not drive south in that lane. The only way to exit the parking lot or car lanes is at the end of the car lanes at the north end of the parking lot.

Arrival & Dismissal: Bus Procedures

Click here to learn more about scheduling bus service for your child or arrival and dismissal for bus riders.

Bus Riders

If you need bus information regarding your child’s transportation needs, please see the information below regarding BusQuest or BusCompass.
A bus tag will be added to your child’s backpack. This needs to remain on his or her backpack throughout the course of the school year.
Students will have an ID badge that will be attached to your child’s backpack with a zip tie. This should remain on their backpack throughout the school year as students must use the badge to check on and off of the bus.
If you have a Kindergarten student who will ride the bus, please make sure an adult is available each day at the bus stop to receive your child.
Kindergarten students must be picked up by an adult from the bus stop, or they will be transported back to VES.
If a kindergarten student has an older sibling on the bus, they can be released to walk home with their sibling only if parents or guardians complete this online form: Kindergarten Bus Release Form
Please use the district Transportation Department Page to sign your child up for riding the bus. BusQuest and BusCompass information will be on that site.
Our bus service consists of only VES students and is highly recommended!

Need to sign up for bus transportation or check your child's bus schedule?

Check BusQuest for Accuracy

Log in to the BusQuest App and confirm the information for your student(s) is correct.

If you have moved, you will need to contact your school’s registrar starting July 14 to update your address.
If no information has changed and your student used bus service last year, you don't need to do anything. The system will automatically add your student for the 2025–2026 school year.

New Requests or Changes

If your student is new to Bentonville Schools or if any of your student’s information has changed, you will submit a transportation request in the BusQuest App starting Monday, July 7. We will process requests in the order they are received.

Stay Updated with BusQuest
As we approach the start of school, please check the BusQuest App regularly. Your student’s bus stop location and times may change

If your student’s transportation needs change during the year (because of practice schedules, etc.), you can submit updates through the BusQuest App. You can select specific days, morning or afternoon service or both.

Daily Bus Tracking with BusCompass
Download the BusCompass App now so your family is ready for the start of school on August 12. This app will provide real-time updates about your child’s bus, including route changes. Be sure to enable notifications when downloading the app.

Need Help?
Instructions on how to download both apps can be found on our Bus Registration Information

Tardies

The tardy bell rings at 7:30 a.m. If you arrive at school later than 7:30 a.m., you will need to come into the office to sign in your child.

Lightning

If lightning is detected in our area, we cannot unload or load cars and buses until lightning stops. We will hold all students in a safe area.

Transportation Changes

Students must bring a note to school if their mode of afternoon transportation is to change. Without a note, or a phone call to the office from a parent, students will be sent as usual. If calling, please phone before 2:00 p.m. Please notify the office of any transportation changes rather than the classroom teachers. Our teachers are providing instruction, and they may not see an email from you until after 2:45 p.m.

Before & After School Care Program

Before & After School Care Program Information

Discovery

Discovery is an on-campus before and after school child-care program. The hours of operation are from 6:00 a.m. to 7:05 a.m. in the mornings, and from 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. after school. During school breaks, Discovery is open from 7:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m at Willowbrook Elementary.
Please ring the doorbell at the front-door entrance and a Discovery staff member will assist you. In the mornings, Discovery students are signed in by a parent. In the afternoons, parents will be met by Discovery staff at the door to sign out their child.
Please contact the Discovery office regarding enrollment and drop-off/pick-up information for your child at information@joindiscoverysteam.com.