News from the

Eagle's Nest

Notes from Mrs. Schacht

Vaughn Families,

We have exciting news to share! Vaughn Elementary has been recognized by the University of Arkansas Office for Education Policy for having some of the Best Math Growth Scores in the northwest region for 2025! This recognition reflects the incredible effort of our students, teachers, and families working together to help every learner grow. Congratulations, Eagles!

Thank you to all the families who joined us for parent-teacher conferences in October! We value your partnership and appreciate the time you took to connect with teachers about your child’s progress.

As a reminder, there will be no school the week of November 24–28 in observance of Thanksgiving break. We hope your family enjoys a restful week together.

I also want to share a brief reminder from Bentonville Schools regarding student safety at athletic events. The district asks that:

Students in sixth grade or younger must be accompanied by a parent or adult family member.
All students should remain in the bleachers to watch the event.
Backpacks are not permitted inside athletic venues.

Parents or guardians will be called to pick up any student who does not follow these guidelines, and students may face disciplinary consequences at their home school. These expectations are in place to help ensure all students can enjoy events safely and responsibly.

Finally, we’ve included a few simple STEM activity your family can try over Thanksgiving break just for fun!

Wishing you and your family a safe, relaxing, and joy-filled holiday season.
Kendra Schacht

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

STEM Around the Table (and Beyond!)

Fun ways to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math together over the holiday break

Science

Pumpkin Investigation: Compare the size, weight, and number of seeds from different pumpkins or gourds.
Nature Walk Discovery: Collect leaves or pinecones and sort them by size, shape, or color. Discuss how plants change in fall.
Dissolving Candy Corn: Test what happens when candy corn sits in water, vinegar, or oil.

Technology

Cooking with Tech: Use a digital scale, timer, or thermometer to measure precisely. Talk about how technology makes cooking safer and more accurate.
Family Photo Challenge: Take or edit a family photo, experimenting with light, filters, and angles to explore digital photography.
Map Your Trip: Use an online map or GPS to calculate travel distance, time, and fuel needs for a family visit.

Engineering

Parade Float Design: Build a mini parade float using LEGO, cardboard, or recycled materials.
Turkey Trap Challenge: Design a (humane) trap using everyday materials. Think string, boxes, or paper tubes.
Bridge to the Feast: Build a bridge strong enough to hold small food cans or toy figures.

Math

Table Tally: Estimate and count how many plates, cups, and utensils are needed for guests—then compare to your actual total!
Pattern Place Settings: Create napkin or table decorations using repeating patterns and symmetry.
Turkey Budgeting: Pretend you’re shopping for dinner. Compare prices per pound or find the best deal.

Important Dates

Picture Retakes - November 12th

A photographer from Strawbridge Studios will be at VESl on 11/12/2025 to photograph your Fall Retake pictures.

Click here to order: Strawbridge Link

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

Hello Parents!

Cold and Flu season is upon us so let's be prepared. Please make sure your student is well-rested and hydrated. They should be getting 9-12 hours of sleep each night and should always bring a water bottle to school to stay hydrated. Encourage lots of water at home as well. If your student has a fever or vomiting and/or diarrhea, please have them remain home a full school day after symptoms. You can review the handbook acute illness section here. It is very important that ALL students have a change of clothes in their backpacks for spills and accidents. If your student does not have clothes in their backpack and clothes are needed, we will call for you to bring clothes to school. Please make sure they are appropriate for the current weather. November 14th is World Diabetes Day and we are wearing blue to show support and raise awareness. The amount of new cases of diabetes is increasing and it is important to know the symptoms. You can review those symptoms here. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I am always happy to help and wish you and your student(s) a very healthy and happy school year!

PTO Posts

Before we dive into November we want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came to the Fall Carnival!

11/7 Eagles Nest 7:05-7:25am

Our Eagles Nest Store happens the first Friday of every month and is a favorite event for the kids. Kids are allowed to purchase items that range from .25 to $5 in the cafeteria and fourth grade hall between 7:05-7:25.

This is a cash only event and it is best to send your child’s money in an envelope or baggie with their name and amount on it. If you want your child to bring home change please write that on there too!

We need a few more volunteers for this event (you can bring your child with you that morning), please click here to sign up.

11/10 PTO Meeting 8:30-9:00am

We hold our meetings in the cafeteria, but also have a virtual option to join https://meet.google.com/cvj-kywp-rkj. You can see the full meeting schedule on our website by clicking here.

We will be planning our January Bingo and our February Read-A-Thon event during this meeting, join us to share your suggestions!

11/12 Chuck E Cheese Spirit Night

These are fundraisers where local businesses give us a portion of their sales for that particular day/time. We have one coming up at Chuck E Cheese on 11/12.

11/14 School Staff Appreciation Event

The hospitality committee will be hosting an appreciation event on 11/14 for the school staff. If you are interested in helping please email vaughnptohospitality@gmail.com

11/21 Holiday Decorating

Every year the PTO decorates the school for the holidays on the last school day before Winter Break. If you are interested in helping please click here.

Holiday Shop Volunteers Needed

Every year the PTO hosts a Holiday Shop (12/8, 12/10, and 12/12) for the kids to purchase small gifts for the holidays. There will be more information on the items and price ranges sent home with your child closer to the event. We need parent volunteers to help make this event possible. Please click here to sign up for a volunteer shift.

Parent Directory

The parent directory is the only way you can share/receive the contact information of other students at the school. This document is shared the first of each month with the people who sign up. This is for personal use only. You can join that here.

If you have any questions or suggestions please email: vaughnptopresident@gmail.com

We are looking forward to an amazing Nov together at VES!

-Amanda, Jessica, Ashley, Kelly, Ellen and Sabryna

Updates from Activity Classes

Tales from the Library

It's an exciting month in the library! Each grade level will be diving into fun stories and new ideas. Here’s a peek at what we’re learning together:

Kindergarten – Making Connections

Our youngest readers will learn how to make connections between stories and their own lives! We’ll talk about how books can remind us of our own experiences, other books we’ve read, or things happening in the world around us.

1st Grade – Fabulous Fables

First graders will continue their fable adventures! We’ll meet clever animals, learn important lessons, and discover what makes a story a fable.

2nd Grade – Greek Mythology Magic

Second graders are exploring Greek mythology, connecting what they’re learning in the classroom to our library time. We’ll read exciting myths full of gods, heroes, and creatures—while learning what these ancient stories can teach us today.

3rd Grade – Comparing Characters

Third graders will be reading two different stories with similar characters. We’ll look closely at how authors tell their stories in different ways and what we can learn from comparing them.

4th Grade – Exploring Poetry

Fourth graders will step into the wonderful world of poetry! We’ll listen to poems, play with rhythm and rhyme, and even try writing a few poems of our own.

It’s going to be a month full of imagination, creativity, and great books!
Come ready to read, think, and share your ideas—see you in the library!

P.E.

Hello Vaughn Families!

Let's "fall into fitness"! P.E. in the month of November will be all about fitness! We will have various activities that focus on cardiovascular endurance (getting our heart rate up), as well as a few muscular strength activities (working to make our muscles stronger). We will also focus on flexibility and stretching. We will explore these concepts with some fun activities including basic balancing and tumbling, parachute activities, and jump rope activities. We love working with your students! - Coach Mackey, Coach Lavalle, and Coach McFadden

Music Notes

We've been hard at work in music class!

K: We're learning about our 4 different voices and when to use them. Whisper, Talk, Shout, & Sing.

1st: We've been working to learn about dynamics and the terms piano and forte. Students have also shown they can play music with dynamic expression.

2nd: We've been learning about music meters 2,3, and 4. Students listened to examples to identify the meter. Now we're introducing the idea of notes either being on a line or a space.

3rd: We've learned the names of the notes on the lines and spaces of the treble clef. Students enjoyed a friendly competition to identify notes. Next, we'll preview the musical theater show we're doing in the spring!

4th: We've learned/reviewed the names of the notes on the lines and spaces of the treble clef. This was a weaker area on the pre-test students took about a month ago. Next, we'll preview the musical theater show we're doing in the spring!

Innovation Lab

Hello everyone! Happy fall!

Kindergarten: We’re exploring plants and animals and discovering how they grow and live. Students will also begin learning early coding skills using our friendly Bee-Bots!

1st Grade: After using our observational skills to investigate pumpkins, we’re reaching for the stars—literally! Next, we’ll be learning about space and the stars.

2nd Grade: We’ll be diving into the world of pollinators and discovering how creatures like bees and butterflies help plants grow and thrive.

3rd Grade: Students will be learning the basics of coding using Ozobots, tiny robots that follow patterns and colors to complete fun challenges!

4th Grade: We’re exploring how AI works and experimenting with lightbulbs to understand how circuits and electricity make them shine.

Art

Fall is here in the Art Room and we are making art that is inspired by the changing leaves outside. We are learning about collage, layering and cutting in the early grades. Color blending colors and movement in the older grades.

Digital Literacy

Hello, Vaughn family! Mrs. Amos here. This month in Digital Literacy K-1 is diving into keyboarding. We are talking about using our home row keys and posture. 2-4th grades have been working on keyboarding skills as well, along with computer fundamentals. As always, we talk about staying safe online.

Across the Grade Levels

Fourth Grade

4th grade had another great adventure on their field trip to War Eagle Caverns! It was the perfect way for us to kick off our Processes that Shape the Earth unit in Science, and really take a look at some of the real life examples that we have here in Arkansas. Students have continued making connections to their learning from the caverns the last couple of weeks. We love it when our learning can connect to things that we see everyday!

Third Grade

This past month, our third graders wrapped up their third unit in CKLA, "How Does Your Body Work?" Students explored the amazing interconnected systems that keep our bodies functioning every day. A special highlight was a visit from high school students at the Ignite campus, who are training to be medical professionals. They brought excitement to our classrooms by teaching CPR and how to apply a tourniquet in emergency situations. Our students loved learning from their older peers and practicing these important life skills. It’s been a fantastic month of discovery and hands-on learning!

Second Grade

Second grade just finished our reading unit on Ancient Greek civilizations! To celebrate our learning, students enjoyed a fun day exploring Greek culture. We tasted olives, made laurel leaf crowns, learned a traditional Greek dance, and reviewed the many contributions from Ancient Greece that still impact our world today.

It was a wonderful way to wrap up our unit and celebrate all that we’ve learned!

First Grade

First graders recently took a field trip to Crystal Bridges. Students enjoyed taking in all there was to see! They experienced storytelling, created art with felt strips, played I Spy while searching for different art pieces, planned a picnic by the gardens, and enjoyed a delightful lunch on the patio.

Kindergarten

Our kindergarten classes joined forces to design and build their very own roller coaster! Each class added a unique section—with a surprising twist—to keep the marbles rolling from start to finish. This STEM challenge inspired creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork, with plenty of trial and error—but even more fun and excitement along the way!

Counselor Connections

Core Value for October: Trust

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

CEV Parent Podcast

Personal Safety

In November/December, the Vaughn counselors will be teaching personal safety using the district Empower Me Program. Topics covered include:

Check first with the adult in charge before going anywhere with anyone.
Identifying five trusted adults who make up their safety net.
Listening to their “uh-oh” feeling.
Saying “no” to anyone asking them to break a safety rule.
We talk about touches - Understanding that no touch should ever be a secret.

For more information, please visit https://youtu.be/OffEHgvmzg0. If you have any questions about the Empower Me presentations, please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs. Snow and Mrs. Mayo at vescounselor@bentonvillek12.org.

Family Activities to do over Thanksgiving break

(non-technology)

Communication & Team Games

• Thankful Charades – Act out things you’re thankful for (family, sunshine, pizza, pets!).

• Pass the Story – One person starts a Thanksgiving story; each person adds one sentence to continue it.

• Gratitude Alphabet Game – Go around saying things you’re thankful for, A to Z (“A—apples, B—blankets...”).

Active Family Games

• Family Scavenger Hunt – Find items around the house that fit a theme (something orange, something cozy, something that smells good).

• Balloon Keep-Up – Keep a balloon in the air as long as possible—add challenges like “no hands!”

• Obstacle Course – Set up a mini indoor course using pillows, chairs, and tape for balance beams.

• Minute to Win It Challenges – Stack cups, move marshmallows with a spoon, or toss cranberries into bowls.

Calm & Connection Games

• Gratitude Jar – Everyone writes one thing they’re thankful for and puts it in a jar to read aloud later.

• Would You Rather – Thanksgiving Edition – “Would you rather eat only turkey or only dessert?”

• Kindness Challenge – Each person secretly does something kind for another family member that day.

• Memory Match: Family Edition – Use family photos to make a memory game!

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