News from the

Eagle's Nest

Note from Mrs. Schacht

Vaughn Families,

We were so glad to have a full week with our Eagles last week. On Friday, we kicked off All Bentonville Reads by announcing the book "A Boy Called Bat." The oldest sibling in each family received a copy of the book and the reading schedule on Friday. All Bentonville reads is a special initiative to promote family bonding and a love for reading. Throughout the month, we will have daily trivia and other opportunities to celebrate the book together. It's a fantastic chance for families to engage in meaningful conversations about the book and create lasting memories.

We're excited to invite you to a culminating event at Crystal Bridges Museum on Sunday, March 3rd from 12:00-4:00. The day will be filled with games, crafts, and various activities for families to enjoy. It's a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community and celebrate the joy of reading.

We look forward to seeing you there and making this initiative a memorable experience for all!

Happy Reading!

Kendra Schacht

Principal

Has a staff member gone above and beyond for your child or family? If so, please let us know by completing the Staff Shout Out form.

Opportunities to Provide Feedback

At Vaughn, we are committed to providing an exceptional educational experience for our students and fostering a positive and inclusive school culture. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us achieve and maintain the level of excellence that Vaughn students and families deserve.

To gain insights into your perspectives and experiences, we are sharing a brief survey focused on our school's culture and climate. Your honest feedback will enable us to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement, ensuring that we continue to create an environment where every student thrives.

The survey is provided in collaboration with the Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. It covers various aspects, including communication, community engagement, and overall satisfaction with the school environment.

We encourage you to take a few minutes to share your thoughts and suggestions. The survey will close on February 9th. Results will be shared with Bentonville Schools administration, the Northwest Arkansas Educational Cooperative, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

We appreciate your active participation in this process and thank you for your ongoing support in making Vaughn a place of excellence.

High Reliability Schools Survey

Each year Bentonville Schools requests your feedback on family engagement opportunities within the district. You can help us prepare for the upcoming school year and form a better partnership between school and home by answering the questions on the parent & family engagement survey. Please complete the survey by March 1. You may complete the survey more than once if you have multiple children in the district. Results will be shared with the district and building leadership teams.

Bentonville Schools Family Engagement Survey

Interested in a career with Bentonville Schools?

We will host our second annual Educators’ Career Fair on Saturday, February 24. If you are interested in a career with Bentonville Schools or would like to learn more about work opportunities within the district, this is a great opportunity to connect and learn more.

What: Educators’ Career Fair Hosted by Bentonville Schools

When: Saturday, February 24

9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Where: Bentonville High School, 1801 SE J Street

Who: Anyone interested in working with Bentonville Schools (Teachers, Bus Drivers, Administrators, Paraprofessionals, Nurses, Administrative Assistants & Facilities Personnel)

Important Dates

See the calendar at the end of this page to view events scheduled throughout the year.

February Events

February 7 - PTO meeting @ 8:30am

February 12 - Literacy Night 5:30-7:00pm

February 14 - Class Valentine's Parties

11am - 3rd grade

11:45am - Kindergarten

12:50pm - 1st grade

1:30pm - 2nd & 4th grade

February 12-16 - Kindness Week

Monday - Green

Tuesday - Orange

Wednesday - Red

Thursday - Blue

Friday - Yellow

February 19 - Students will attend this day - Inclement Weather Make-Up

February 22 - School Bus Driver Appreciation Day

February 28 - Class pictures

Please join us for our VES family night on Monday, February 12th. Vaughn staff members will facilitate fun games and activities. We will also celebrate the cultures of our Eagle families. MARK Harmony will join us for a special performance.

This is a free event for our school community. Overflow parking will be available at the Benton County Fairgrounds on the corner of Barron Rd and Airport Blvd. Please do not park on the grass at Vaughn as it will damange the sprinklers.

Valentine's Day Party Information

Valentine's Day parties are scheduled for Wednesday, February 14th. In order to ensure the safety of all students, we will scan all guests through the Raptor system. All guests need to bring your driver's license or state ID to visit your child's party.

Party times for each grade are listed below. Please do not park in the grass or in the fire zones (car line or bus line). Additional parking is available on the north side of Opal Rd. or on the west side of Barron Rd.

11:00-11:40am - 3rd grade

11:45am -12:25 pm - Kindergarten

12:50pm -1:30pm- 1st grade

1:30pm - 2nd & 4th grade

Per district policy, we do not accept deliveries of flowers, candy, or other gifts for students.

Kindness Week: February 12-16

February Menus

Counselors' Corner

The week of February 5-9, 2024, is National School Counseling Week in Arkansas. At this time, we would like to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within the U.S. school system and how students are positively impacted as a result of what counselors do.

To help you understand what elementary school counselors do, read here to find out…What does an elementary school counselor do?

We all want to know that we matter, that we are important.

One way that we can discover how we are important to others is through work. Maybe your child isn’t ready to put in an 8-hour day at the office, but he or she can still do significant work that will help your family and others. From taking out the trash, to doing dishes, folding laundry, or lending a hand to the neighbor, there are age appropriate tasks that all kids can do. Doing this work will make them feel important, needed, and connected to others.

Snack Packs

If you are interested in your child receiving a snack pack on Fridays please email msnow@bentonvillek12.org. Each pack has about 8 different snacks for the weekend to help with food needs.

Winter Coats

If you need assistance providing a winter coat for your child, please reach out to Mrs. Snow. You can reach her through email at msnow@bentonvillek12.org or by calling 254-5500.

A Note from Nurse Brittany

Hello Parents!

February is American Heart Month and National Children's Dental Month. Feel free to wear red on Feb 2nd to support American Heart Month! It is so important to make sure your student is getting regular exercise and is brushing their teeth at least twice a day and flossing at least once a day. It is important to have a yearly checkup with their pediatrician and a dental checkup with their dentist 1-2 times a year. Encourage your student to limit sugary drinks and treats and to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Hydration is so important so please make sure they are drinking lots of water and make sure they have a water bottle daily at school so they can stay hydrated. We are definitely experiencing cold weather so please make sure they have the appropriate weather gear (coat, hat, gloves, etc). If your student is in need of these items, please let me or our counselor, Ms Snow, know. We are very happy to help! As always, if you have any questions or medical concerns for your student please do not hesitate to contact me. I am very happy to help! bclupny@bentonvillek12.org

Updates from Activity Classes

Library

Tales from the Library...

It's the most wonderful time of the school year...All Bentonville Reads time! Our All Bentonville Reads will kick off on Friday, February 2nd with the announcement of the book! Every family in Bentonville will receive a copy of the same book along with a reading schedule. Families are encouraged to snuggle up and read this wonderful story together at home. At school, we have a lot of fun activities, trivia questions with daily prizes and spirit days planned. Mark your calendar for our End of the Book Celebration at Crystal Bridges on Sunday, March 3rd! This free event is always a lot of fun!

February is all about using information texts in the library! Our youngest learners are learning the basics of research. Through engaging and age-appropriate activities, Kindergarten and First Grade students will discover how to gather information from nonfiction books and resources. Our little researchers are sure to enjoy this journey of curiosity and discovery. In the month of February, Second Grade students will delve into the fascinating realm of biographies. They will be captivated by the life stories of inspirational individuals who have left a lasting impact on the world. Third Grade will be continuing to learn about using reference materials such as dictionaries and thesauruses to improve their writing and for understanding. We will practice using guide words effectively to navigate reference materials. For our seasoned researchers in Fourth Grade, February brings a unique challenge – mastering the art of research and note-taking using nonfiction texts. Students will be guided through the process of extracting valuable information from diverse sources.

Digital Literacy

Hi there! We have been having lots of fun in Digital Literacy this month. K and 1st grades have been practicing their typing skills and learning about setting screen time limits. 2-4th graders have been practicing typing skills while their hands are covered, preparing for the March Typing Madness competition coming up.

Music

Kindergarten - Students in Kindergarten will be reviewing tempo and then moving on to long and short sounds.

First - First grade students will be learning about note durations and tempo. We will use bucket drums to practice playing fast and slow. A variety of note durations will be used.

Second - Second grade students will be learning about note durations and dynamics. We will use bucket drums to practice whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes. Dynamics will be sprinkled throughout the lessons.

Third - Recorder Karate!

Fourth - Nothing says Valentine's Day like the Romantic period of music. Students will discover how to tell stories with music. Recorder Karate!

Stem

For this semester, each Activity Teacher will introduce a new STEM-related technology to all students. Teachers can then use these materials in their classroom with their highly-trained students. We will highlight one of these technologies in the newsletter each month so you can be sure to ask them what they are doing in STEM! Those students who have Mrs. Halbmaier for STEM this month are learning how to program using the VEX robot system. Students are asked to problem solve and collaborate with their group to program their robot to move through a particular maze. Next month, we'll highlight the Cubelets with Mrs. Amos!

P.E.

Hello Vaughn Families! February is Heart Month! We all want to live a healthier lifestyle, so we are focusing on cardiovascular health this month! Engaging in "heart healthy" activities are important for keeping our hearts strong! Jumping rope, running, and jumping jacks are examples of exercises that get our hearts pumping and bodies moving! We will be doing lots of activities like these this month! Thanks so much!

Mrs. Mackey, Coach Calvert, and Coach Fewell

Global Connections

Happy February! After concluding our exploration of Spain and Europe, where the kids enthusiastically embraced Flamenco dancing and absorbed cultural insights, we are gearing up for an icy adventure in Antarctica. Following the frosty escapade, our journey will leap to the vibrant continent of Africa. Here, the children will delve into captivating folk stories from various regions, immersing themselves in the rich tapestry of African cultures and traditions.

Art

Hey everyone! Had to change up the lesson order and the kids organized their portfolios and finished any artwork they hadn't gotten the chance to finish. Kinder actually is in the middle of making clay cups which has been super exciting to see! 1st grade is going to make cardboard sculptures, 2nd grade will be making 3D animal sculptures, and 3rd and 4th will be working on circle weaving with yarn! All of the 3D sculptures will take multiple class periods to finish but always turn out awesome!

PTO Posts

We are teaming up with our counseling team to support the Samaritan Center. We are in need of 5 large boxes to collect items. If able to help out, please email Kati at vaughnptopresident@gmail.com

Our Mochi Gram Fundraiser has begun! Mochi Grams come with one mochi and a card. Students can send to a few friends or the whole class! Parents or Grandparents are welcome to send to their students as well!

Please fill out your flyer and mochi gram cards. If doing a class set, please fill out the teacher and from lines only. If doing individual mochi grams, please fill out the entire card. Once cards are filled out, cut out the individual cards. Place your cards, flyer, and payment in a sealed bag or envelope and return to your child’s teacher no later than February 7th. All mochi grams will be delivered on February 13th.

Our next Eagles Nest store is Feb 23rd! To volunteer for as an Eagle Nest shopper assistant, please sign up here. All proceeds from our February store will go to our SPED classrooms! Let’s show up and show them our support!

We would love to see you in person at our February meeting, but if unable to attend please join us online.

Across the Grade Levels

Kindergarten

It is an exciting time in Kindergarten as the students are practicing reading on their own. We love working with our classmates to support each other and grow together.

3rd Grade

Third grade has been learning all about light and sound. When learning about light, we did an experiment with a prism to demonstrate refraction.

We will be writing about the differences between light and sound.

A new science unit has begun about animal adaptations. We are really excited to start learning about adaptations and ecosystems.

2nd Grade

During STEM 2nd grade built the New Years Ball Drop Tower! This was no ordinary STEM project, because this time they had constraints. There was a time limit, specific materials, and a limited number of each material used. The goal was to make the tower as tall as possible, with a tin foil ball sitting on top of the tower! These boys look like they are working hard even with the constraints!

1st Grade

First grade has been working on partitioning shapes into halves and fourths. Since it's been cold outside, we decided to make Granny a quilt of fourths and a quilt of halves. Each student designed their own patch and created a quilted masterpiece of partitioned squares!