News from the

Eagle's Nest

Note from Mrs. Schacht

Dear Vaughn Family,

I hope this message finds you well! I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all our students, families, and staff for making the start of the school year so smooth and successful. Your cooperation and enthusiasm have truly set a positive tone for the year ahead.

Please be reminded that school will be closed on Monday, September 2, in observance of Labor Day. I hope you all enjoy the long weekend with your loved ones.

I would also like to give a special shoutout to our amazing PTO for their generous contribution to our playground. The new musical instruments have been a big hit! If you've visited VES recently, you might have noticed the joyful, melodic sounds coming from our playground. The students are absolutely loving this new addition, and it has added a wonderful new dimension to their outdoor playtime.

Thank you for your continued support of our school community. Let's keep this momentum going as we move further into the school year!

Warm regards,

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.

Enrichment & Interest Activities

PIT Time

Have your 2nd-4th graders told you about PIT time? PIT time is a special time each week for students to explore their Passions, Interests and Talents. During PIT time, students can choose from a variety of engaging clubs. Students can choose from Book, Origami, Puzzle, Lego, Board Game, Agriculture or Choir club. We are excited to provide a unique opportunity for students to explore their interests and make new friends during this time.

STEM

Each week, our K-1 students will have a special STEM time with the activity teachers. For the month of September, we are exploring what STEM is and why it is important. Students will be exploring the many facets of STEM including coding, robotics, and circuitry.

Policy & Procedure Updates

Student Handbook Review

Please note the following procedures to help ensure your child has a successful day at school.

Page 68 of the Student Handbook provides guidance for student personal property at school. Toys or electronic devices used as toys should not be brought to school unless a teacher notifies you that they will be used in a class activity. Toys broght for other reasons will be stored in the classroom until the end of the day.
Students are not allowed to wear hats during the school day in the building. If students wear a hat inside the school, a staff member will direct them to put the hat in their backpack while in the building.
Please write your child's name on every jacket, sweatshirt, lunchbox and water bottle. Our building is always much cooler than it is outside in the summer and early fall. Every day, there are several personal items left on the playground after recess. Items labled with the student's name are returned. Items that are not labled go to the lost and found where they often stay until our next donation date. If your child is missing an item, please email his/her teacher and they will remind the student to check the lost and found.

Important Dates

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

September Events:

Sept. 2 - Labor Day - No School

Sept. 3 - A Christmas Carol Auditions at BHS: 3rd & 4th Grades

Sept. 3 & 4 - MAP Testing: Kindergarten

Sept. 4 - PTO Meeting - 8:30am @ VES

Sept. 4 - Volunteer Training - 9:00 am

Sept. 4 & 5 - MAP Testing: 1st & 2nd Grades

Sept. 13 - Team Spirit Day - Represent your favorite team or club

Sept. 14 - Eagles sing @ Arvest Ballpark - 5:00 pm

Sept. 17 - Bentonville Board of Education Meeting - 5:30 pm

Sept. 19 - VES Spirit Night @ Slim Chickens on Airport Blvd

Sept. 23 - Volunteer Training - 5:00 - 5:30 pm

Sept. 23 - VES Family Event - Literacy Night 5:30-6:00 pm

Sept. 25 - Fall Picture Day

Sept. 27 - PTO School Store: Eagle Nest

Parent Resources

Bentonville Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day. Breakfast cost $2.05; lunch costs K-6 $2.85 & 7-12 $3.05. Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. According to Act 656, for the 24-25 School year, students qualifying for reduced meals will no longer be charged the copay.

To apply for free or reduced-priced meals, visit https://bentonville.familyportal.cloud/

For more information and to preview the application, click here.

Parenting Education for School Families

Arisa Health hosts monthly zoom trainings for parents. These events are free to attend. You can also access the recording after the event data.

Click here for a list of dates and topics.

Teens & Screens Seminar

A Note from Nurse Brittany

Hello Parents!

I am so excited to be taking care of your precious students. Please help me to be able to do all that I can by completing their health history form online in ETRIEVE. You can log in here. If you have any issues, please let me know and I can send you a paper version to be scanned into their records. Please make sure all students K-4th have an extra set of clothes in case of spills and accidents and have a water bottle daily to stay hydrated. I will be starting hearing and vision screenings soon, so if your student wears glasses please make sure they have them available. If you have any questions or if your student has any medical concerns, please make sure to let me know. You can always email me at bclupny@bentonvillek12.org. I am very happy to help!

PTO Posts

Thank You!!

We would like to say a BIG thank you to our boosters! Your donations will help to ensure our students and staff have what they need to have a successful year! Those that qualify for incentives, expect them to be sent home on Tuesday, September 10th!

Eagles Nest

Our first school store will be held on Friday, September 27th from 7:00 am to 7:30 am in the cafeteria. If your child would like to shop, please make sure they are to school on time and have their money in a sealed envelope or bag with their name labeled Eagles Nest.

Counselor Connections

What Does A School Counselor Do?

Let me share a few of the things that we do each day to serve the students, staff and families at Vaughn Elementary School.

Individual Counseling

Students may be referred for individual counseling as deemed necessary by the student, parents/guardians, and teachers.

Counselor meets with students to:

Work through personal problems that may affect academics or relationships
Improve social skills
Cope with school or community-related trauma
Develop skills to improve organization, study habits, and time management
Identify strengths and interests

Classroom Guidance

We reach 100% of the student population through teaching classroom lessons. Several of the many subjects include:

Problem Solving
Conflict Resolution
Kindness
Friendship
Coping Skills
Bullying
Career Awareness
And Much More!

Small Group Counseling

Group counseling is available for students. Small groups require parent permission and may be initiated by parent/teacher referral.

Group topics include:

Anger Management
Family Changes
Divorce
Grief & Loss
Attendance
Coping Skills
And Much More!

Please reach out at any time!

Updates from Activity Classes

Library

We are so excited to see our Eagle Readers in the library. My name is Carol Halbmaier and I'm your child's librarian. Jane Hundley is also in the library so we are both here to help your readers grow!

Kindergarten: Our youngest readers are getting familiar with the library rules and procedures. They’re learning how to handle books with care and how to navigate our space, ensuring their library experience is both fun and respectful!
First Grade: First graders are diving into the world of story elements! They’re exploring key components like characters, settings, and plots, and discovering how these elements come together to create engaging stories.
Second Grade: Second graders are embarking on a journey through Asian folk tales. They’ll explore traditional stories from Asia while broadening their understanding of storytelling from around the world.
Third Grade: Third graders are delving into book genres! They’ll learn about different types of genres and how identifying them can help them find books they’ll love. It’s a great way for them to discover new favorites and develop their reading preferences.
Fourth Grade: Fourth graders are focusing on personal narrative books. They’ll be exploring stories that reflect personal experiences and learning how these narratives can connect with their own lives and interests.

Mark your calendars for our Fall Book Fair on Thursday, October 3rd during the PTO Fall Carnival!

Digital Literacy

My name is Shanna Amos. I am the Digital Literacy teacher, and I am excited to teach your children here at Vaughn. This month, we are focusing on:

Caring for Chromebooks
Internet Safety
Beginning Keyboarding Skills

P.E.

Hello Vaughn Families! My name is Leslie Mackey. Coach LaValle, Coach McFadden, and I are the lucky ones who get to teach your children in Physical Education! The first few weeks of school, we like to focus on moving safely in the gym, being respectful of our classmates and teammates, and using equipment responsibly. With our Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students, we are learning about moving in different pathways, changing the speed in which we are moving, and reviewing basic locomotor movements. Our third and fourth grade students are performing several fitness activities, cooperation activities, and we will soon be focusing on throwing overhand. We are having a wonderful time! I have been so excited to see our students from last year, and meet the students who are new to Vaughn! Thank you!

- Mrs. Mackey

Music Notes

The Vaughn Music Department is keeping a steady beat for Fall. Below you will find what your child will be learning and ways to reinforce those concepts.

Kindergarten: Beat, Steady Beat, Voices (Whisper, Shout, Talk Sing)

Listen to music with your child. Try to keep the beat (clapping, nodding, marching, etc). Practice using a talking, whisper, and singing voice.

First Grade: Steady Beat, Strong and Weak Beats, Meter (2, 3, and 4)

Listen to music with your child. Try to keep the beat (clapping, nodding, marching, etc).

Second Grade: Meter Review, Identifying Meters

Listen to music with your child. Try to find songs that have a meter of 2, 3, and 4. Try to keep the beat (clapping, nodding, marching, etc).

Third Grade: Creating and Performing Ostinatos (short repeated patterns). Create an ostinato at home. Use common household items to perform the ostinato (trash can, table top, etc)

Fourth Grade: Triplets, Sixteenth Notes, Part Singing (Rounds, Descants)

We will be extending our knowledge of rhythm and writing beat patterns using triplets and sixteenth notes.

Upcoming Productions:

September 14th: Naturals Baseball Game - 1st - 4th Grade

Global Connections

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful summer and enjoyed their time off. I’ve already heard many great stories from the kids about their adventures. I’m excited to start planning some fun activities for the year.

To kick off the year, we will begin by exploring what it means to be a global citizen and adopt the kind of perspective we should have when learning about countries that differ vastly from our own. After that, we will start our journey in North America and continue from there.

It’s going to be a fantastic year!

Art

Hey everyone! We are rocking and rolling in art and have made some awesome portfolios to store all of the beautiful art we do this year. Kindergarten and 1st graders are currently working on how to draw and color different lines and shapes. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders are creating artworks about important things and people in their lives! I can't wait to see what they come up with and they will share with their peers on why they chose those things to draw.

-Mr. Smith

Across the Grade Levels

4th Grade

As we have kicked off the school year in 4th grade we've been creating class families, learning procedures, and expectations and getting into the swing of things. In literacy, students have been focusing on crafting personal narratives, learning how to write dialogue, and exploring character traits. In math we are enjoying our new curriculum as we learn all about multiplicative comparison and place value using measurement and money. In science, students have been investigating the role of scientists, how they make observations, and GEARING up for the upcoming UP Summit with a fascinating study of rockets. It’s shaping up to be a dynamic and engaging year of learning!

3rd Grade

Third grade students participated in multiple STEM and cooperation activities the first couple weeks of school. These activities helped students get to know one another, and also practice classroom norms while working with partners and in small groups. The picture above shows students completing the "Balloon Bounce" cooperation activity.

2nd Grade

Second graders worked on fact fluency during a game of Happy Numbers. Two students held numbers on their foreheads, while a third student added the numbers and gave them the total. Then, each student had to figure out the number they were holding.

1st Grade

First graders are having so much fun learning math partner game routines! Students have been practicing the skill of counting on from a known part in order to find the total of two parts. This "Roll a Total" dice game was a big hit!

Kindergarten

We are thrilled to share that Kindergarten is off to a wonderful start! The children have been enjoying their time working collaboratively in centers, fostering teamwork and social skills. Additionally, they have been practicing writing on vertical surfaces, which helps strengthen their fine motor muscles. It's truly inspiring to see so much learning happening in such a fun and engaging environment! Thank you for your continued support as we embark on this exciting journey together!

Upcoming Events

UP SUMMIT Community Day September 29, 2024 at noon - 5pm

Flying cars, drones, rockets, and space ships will be on display. See our links to the website, flyer, and complimentary tickets for the event at the Bentonville Municipal Airport. Shuttles will run from the 702 SW 8th street lot to the north gate on SW Aviation Street.