Happy New Year, Vaughn Families! We are excited to welcome our students and families back as we begin the second semester. This time of year brings renewed energy, fresh goals, and continued opportunities to grow together as a school community.

Note that students return to school on Tuesday, January 6th.

As we start the semester, I want to share a few important reminders:

Annual Family Survey
Bentonville Schools’ Annual Parent & Family Engagement Survey is still open, and we encourage all families to take a few minutes to share their feedback. Your responses directly impact how we support students, families, and teachers. The survey will remain open through January 12, and families with multiple children are welcome to submit a response for each child.

Conscious Discipline Parent Night – January 8
We hope you’ll join us for Conscious Discipline Parent Night on January 8. Several of our staff members attended this session in the fall and found the presenter to be engaging, relatable, and full of practical strategies families can use right away at home. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about how we support students’ social-emotional growth and how school and home can work together.

Second Quarter Report Cards
Second quarter report cards will be emailed to families on January 13. This is a great time to review your child’s progress and celebrate their growth during the first half of the school year.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. We’re looking forward to a strong and successful second semester at Vaughn Elementary!

Warmly,
Kendra Schacht
Principal, Vaughn Elementary School

VES Parent Feedback Opportunity

As part of our Building Futures @ VES focus, we invite families to share feedback on their child’s STEM experiences at Vaughn Elementary. We are currently reviewing our STEM strategic plan, and family input is an important part of that process. We have also applied for STEM Model School redesignation and will host a review visit from the state in March. Your perspectives help us reflect on what is working well and identify opportunities to continue strengthening hands-on, meaningful learning experiences for our students. Thank you for taking a few moments to complete the survey and for partnering with us in building strong futures for our Eagles.

Survey Link: Parent STEM Experience Survey

January ATLAS Interim Assessments

During the month of January, students will participate in ATLAS interim assessments as part of the district assessment calendar. These assessments help teachers measure student progress toward end of year standards, compare learning across classrooms, and identify skills or concepts that may need additional instruction or targeted intervention.

January Testing Windows by Grade:

1st Grade (Math & Reading): January 15–16
2nd Grade (Math & Reading): January 14–16
Kindergarten (Math & Reading): January 21–23
3rd & 4th Grade (Math, Science, Reading, Writing): January 27–30

How families can help students prepare:

Ensure students arrive at school on time on assessment days
Avoid scheduling appointments during the school day whenever possible
Encourage your child to do their best and show what they know—no extra studying is required

Thank you for your partnership as we use this information to strengthen instruction and support every learner.

Winter STEM at Home

Cold days are a great time to explore STEM together at home. These winter-themed activities use everyday household items and help students build problem-solving, creativity, and critical-thinking skills - all while having fun.

Kindergarten–1st Grade

Snowflake Geometry – Cut paper snowflakes and look for shapes and symmetry.
Patterned Mittens – Design mittens using repeating shapes or colors.

Ask your child:
• What shapes do you see?
• How do you know your pattern repeats?

2nd Grade

Ice Melt Investigation – Test salt, sugar, or sand to see which melts ice fastest.
Penguin Slide Challenge – Build a ramp and test how far a toy or coin slides.

Ask your child:
• What did you predict would happen?
• What changed when you adjusted the ramp or material?

3rd–4th Grade

Winter Shelter Engineering – Design a shelter to protect an animal from winter weather.
Marshmallow (or Cotton Ball) Structures – Build the tallest or strongest structure possible.

Ask your child:
• What was your plan before you started building?
• What would you improve if you tried again?

Family Tip: Encourage your child to explain their thinking. There is no “right” answer—learning happens through trying, testing, and improving.

Important Dates

Conscious Discipline Parent Event

We hope to see you at the Conscious Discipline Parent event on January 14th. The event is scheduled for 5:30-7:30pm at Creekside MIddle School. This is a great opportunity to learn more about brain development and how we can support children to develop self-regulation skills. Please see the attached flyer for more information.

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

If you are unable to view the events in the calendar linked above, click here:

VES Event Calendar

You can also view events on our website: VES Website Calendar

A Note from Nurse Brittany

It's a new year, can you believe it? Here are a few reminders to start off the new semester with a bang. Please make sure your student's health history is completed. To access this form, go to the www.bentonvillek12.org and click on the parent tab and then click online forms. All students must have a completed health form each year to receive medical care. Please make sure your student has a filled water bottle daily and has an extra set of weather appropriate clothes. It is so important in case of accidents and spills. We will start BMI screenings soon for grades K,2,4. If you do not wish your student to participate, please mark no on their health history form. If your student has an injury and ends up needing a brace, cast, crutches, etc, please let me know as I will need paperwork to manage restrictions. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am very happy to help. I am wishing you all a very blessed and Happy New Year!

PTO Posts

Happy New Year from the VES PTO. We are so appreciative of all of your amazing support this school year and are excited for a fun 2026!

1/27 PTO Meeting and Bingo

We are excited to welcome you to a 15 minute PTO meeting and FREE family Bingo Night on 1/27 from 5:30-7:00pm in the cafeteria. During this event we will be selling pizza, popcorn, chips and candy as a fundraiser (available via cash or via card for a small fee). All items will be sold on a first come, first serve basis starting at 5pm with the meeting starting promptly at 5:30pm and ending at 7:00pm.

Please RSVP for Bingo by CLICKING HERE so we can ensure we have enough game boards, prizes and order enough food.

1/30-2/13 Read-A-Thon

Our annual read-a-thon will run from 1/30-2/13 to align with the district's annual reading event called All Bentonville Reads where the entire district reads the same book.

You can donate by CLICKING HERE and making one entry per each student you would like to support.

Your child may read any book to participate and collect the prizes based on the amount of pledges they raise for reading 15 minutes a day independently or with a grown up.

Reading can be tracked through the Beanstack app. The PTO will operate on the honor system that your child is completing the reading to be eligible for prizes.

Prizes:

Pizza Party: The classroom with the most donations from each grade will win a pizza party on 3/19 date
Record Time In Beanstack: Extra Recess
$25 Blue Zoo Pass For 1 Student
$75 Glow Part In The Gym on 3/19
$125 Mystery Prize
$175 Movie Pass For 1 Student
$225 Climbing Gym Pass For 1 Student

Updates from Activity Classes

P.E.

Happy New Year, Vaughn Families! Physical Education in January will be packed with lots of large group activities and team games! Our 3rd and 4th grade students will be playing three modified, indoor versions of kickball! We will be stressing the importance of teamwork and strategy. Kindergarten,1st grade, and 2nd grade students will be participating in tossing and catching activities, learning a few whole group fitness games, and reviewing our locomotor skills. Coach LaValle, Coach McFadden, and I are excited to be back with your students!

Art

Vaughn Artists: Kindergarten created Winter Ornaments with realistic pine tree branches. They used a variety of materials to create their art. First and Second grade students studied the artist Wassily Kandinsky. They learned about Expressionism and how color can express emotion. They created winter pine trees inspired by his work. Third grade worked on their blending skills with oil pastels. They created large candy canes that look realistic and 3 dimensional. Fourth grade talked about silhouettes and color theory. They drew trees and blended colors using cool and warm colors.

Music Notes

All grades have been caroling around VES lately. We spent a few music classes getting the songs ready and talking about the purpose of caroling...to spread joy and bring smiles to faces! Since classes are on a 5-6 day activity rotation, it took a while to get all the classes to have the experience of traveling around and singing for people. I definitely noticed the smiles on the faces of those students and teachers we sang for, but a secondary effect was smiles back on the faces of the singers. This gave us the opportunity to talk about how when you make others happy, it makes you happy too.

Innovation Lab

I can't believe we're already halfway through the year.

Here’s a quick update on what each grade level will be learning:

Kindergarten will be exploring forces and motion by designing ramps for a sled, followed by lessons on how snowflakes form and what makes them unique.

1st–3rd Grade will also be studying snowflakes. Students will also be learning about hibernation and will also design small homes for hibernating animals.

4th Grade will begin a research project on a person who has contributed to science or made discoveries in any area in STEM.

Wishing you a restful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Across the Grade Levels

Fourth Grade

4th grades last field trip of 2025 was a trip to Grimsley to watch their students put on a showing of Alice in Wonderland! It tied in nicely to the figurative language that we studied in poetry. We loved getting to see former Eagles in action and showing our current Eagles what they have to look forward to in the future!

Third Grade

December Fun!

This month, our students finished strong! In reading, we enjoyed Unit 5, Adventures in Light and Sound — exploring shadows, mirrors, lenses, color, and how sound (and our own voices) work. In math we sharpened multiplication and division skills with 0, 1, 6, 7, 8, and 9, plus lots of helpful strategies through 9.

We capped things off with a lively STEM challenge: teams built Snoopy‑style doghouses, using critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and clear communication. The kids impressed us with their imagination and teamwork — what a joyful finish to the month!

Second Grade

Second grade has been busy learning all about cycles! We explored the life cycle of a chicken and had an exciting hands-on experience when 12 eggs hatched into fluffy chicks right in our classroom. Students observed daily changes, asked thoughtful questions, and recorded what they noticed as the chicks grew. It was a joyful, memorable way to bring science to life and build curiosity through real-world learning!🐣

First Grade

First graders are wrapping up our Knowledge unit about Astronomy. We have learned about the history of space exploration, the inner planets, and the outer planets. Students extended their learning by painting and stamping a planet.

First grade is ready to blast off into the New Year!

Kindergarten

Our kindergarten families enjoyed a special time together celebrating the season by decorating gingerbread houses and Christmas trees. Smiles, creativity, and lots of holiday cheer filled the room as students and families made sweet memories together. Thank you to all of our families who joined us and helped make this festive gathering such a joyful experience for our kinders!

Counselor Connections

Core Value for December: Commitment

Click the link to find out how to incorporate the core value at home

CEV Parent Podcast

Conflict Resolution

In January, our Vaughn counselors will be visiting classrooms in grades K–4 to teach lessons on conflict resolution using the Conscious Discipline Time Machine Mat. Students will practice slowing down, calming their bodies, and talking through problems step by step. They will learn how to use respectful words, listen to others, and work together to find solutions that feel fair and safe. Through modeling and guided practice, the Time Machine Mat helps students reflect on what happened, take responsibility, and make helpful choices moving forward. Our goal is to build empathy, self-control, and stronger friendships across our school community.

Schoolhouse Pantry Grocery Assistance Program

Through the counseling department we offer customizable food boxes for families in need of food support, in partnership with the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank and their Order Ahead program. If you are in need, please complete the Bentonville School Pantry Registration Form. You will then receive a text or email with a link to set up your account. Once your login is created, you can place an order each month and choose the foods you'd like to receive. You will be able to pick up your order on a specific date once a month at Vaughn. Mrs. Snow will send out those dates when you register and place an order. If you need help placing an order, contact: Amanda Kelly | akelly@bentonvillek12.org | 479-367-8076

Helpful Links

2025-2026 School Calendar

Lunch Account

School Supply Lists

Vaughn Facebook Page

Vaughn PTO Facebook Page

Bentonville Schools

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.

Bentonville Schools also accepts nominations for the district's Extra Mile Award. This award is presented to a current staff member who has provided outstanding service. You can nominate someone by submitted this form. Extra Mile Nomination

Important Contacts

Main Office

479-254-5500

Staff Email Links

If you have a question about...

Grades, assignments, or tests: your child's teacher

Attendance: Dana McKasson, Attendance Clerk vesattendanceclerk@bentonvillek12.org

Medical issues: Nurse Brittney Clupny bclupny@bentonvillek12.org

Counseling: Marisa Snow msnow@bentonvillek12.org & Jalynn Mayo jmayo@bentonvillek12.org

Volunteering: Marisa Snow msnow@bentonvillek12.org

Special Education: Amanda Bene, SPED Lead abene@bentonvillek12.org

English as a Second Language (ESL): Eunice Richey erichey@bentonvillek12.org

Address/phone/email change: Mary Samuel, Registrar msamuel@bentonvillek12.org

Library: Carol Halbmaier, librarian chalbmaier@bentonvillek12.org

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