The document provides information about the upcoming school year at Central Elementary School. It welcomes students, parents, and teachers back for the 2013-2014 academic year. It announces upcoming events like open houses and non-nutritional days. It provides summaries of what each grade level will be studying in core subjects like reading, writing, math, science and social studies. It also includes announcements from the counselor, media center, and information about drop off/pick up procedures.

1. Welcome to
Central Elementary
School
Go Eagles!!!
2013-2014

2. Notes From Mrs. Mizell
Dear Parents,
On behalf of the teachers and staff of the Central Elementary
School (CES), I would like to welcome you back to school. I
anticipate that the 2013-14 academic year will prove to be an
exciting and productive year. To those who are new to Central, we
hope that you will quickly feel at home and become involved in the
activities of our school through the PTA and your child’s classroom.
As I continue as principal at Central Elementary, I will work diligently
with parents and faculty to foster an atmosphere that promotes a
learning community that is child centered. Working as a team we will
move forward in our mission to create a
warm, caring, disciplined, and challenging environment in which all
students can learn and reach their highest potential becoming
responsible members of society. Although we strongly believe in
academic excellence, we also feel that learning must be fun and
rewarding for each child. By working
together, students, parents/guardians, and staff can make Central
Elementary School an exciting and enjoyable place to learn. I am
blessed to work with the Central staff, families, and community.
Reaching New Heights-Soaring to Excellence
Sincerely,

4. Announcements
• August 15th – Open House
• 5:00 – 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grades
• 6:00 – Kindergarten Orientation
• 7:00 – 1st & 2nd Grades
• August 19th- First Day of School
• September 2nd – NO SCHOOL – Labor Day
• September 25th – Grandparents Breakfast
• September 26th – Family Math Night
5:30-7:30

5. Non-Nutritional Days
• September 27th
• October 31st
• November 22nd
• December 20th
• January 29th
• February 13th
• March 21st
• April 17th
• May 23rd

6. PTA Dates
• September 5th –
PTA Family Movie Night
• September 12th –
Skate Night (changed from Sept. 3rd)
• September 25th –
Grandparents Breakfast
• October 3rd –
PTA Guys Game Night
• October 10th –
Skate Night

7. From the Counselor……
WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL
I love the start of a
new school year! The
excitement of those
returning, and the
curiosity of the
kindergartners brings a
smile. I’m here to help
out in any way possible.
Feel free to contact me
anytime.
Phone –
474-7058
Email –
amanda.ming@vbsd.us
Word of the Month
RESPECT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
We start the year off learning about respect
because it is an expectation with have for all
students and staff at Central Elementary. The
quote of the month says it all…..
Treat others the way you
want to be treated.
Amanda Ming - Counselor

8. Welcome to Kindergarten!
Starting Wednesday, we will be talking about the eight basic colors! If possible, please dress your
child in the specific color that corresponds with that day. It can be a solid color or just a little
of the color. If your child does not have clothes to go along with the color of the day that is
just fine too! 
Wednesday, August 21………Black
Thursday, August 22…………Red
Friday, August 23……………….Yellow
Monday, August 26…………….Orange
Tuesday, August 27…………….Blue
Wednesday, August 28.………Purple
Thursday, August 29…………..Brown
Friday, August 30…………………Green
Unit 1
• Reading- We are Readers
• Writing- Launching the Writing Workshop
• Math- Who is in School Today?
• Science/Social Studies- Five Senses, Your Place in the World

9. What are we studying??
Reading:. Readers Build Good Habits
Math: : How Many of Each?
Writing: Small Moment Writing

10. What’s Happening in
2nd Grade???Reading
For August and September we are .
Writing
This month we are studying Master Authors and using
their tips to improve our Narrative Writing.
Math
Our focus in math this month is Counting, Coins,
and Combinations.
Science/Social Studies
We will be learning about Maps and Geography.
Dates to Remember:
September 2nd- No School
September 26th- Family Math Night

11. Reading:
We are “Launching” into „Creating a Readerly Third Grade
Life.‟ We will be in this unit for the rest of August and all of
September
Writing:
For the months of August and September, we will
be crafting Personal Narratives (stories from our
lives). Help your child brainstorm
people, objects, and events that are meaningful to
them.
Math:
PLACE VALUE is our focus in our first unit!!
We will also be learning different strategies to
help us add and subtract!
Science:
What‟s that sound?! We are ringing in the new
school year by studying the different types of
sound and sound waves.
Meet the 3rd Grade Crew:
Mrs. Tia Smith
Mrs. Rachel Hackler
Mrs. Melissa Nuckolls

12. 4th Grade Happenings
Reading- We will be setting goals for our reading lives. They will also be working on
characters. This unit will challenge readers to identify with the characters as they read.
Writing- We are doing a unit on writing realistic fiction. Students will be creating and
developing stories and characters that feel real.
Science – We will start out the year learning all about science process skills and the scientific
method, before starting our unit on the study of electricity. Students will be learning how
electricity travels and how the structure of a circuit affects the flow of electricity. Students
will learn how to construct simple circuits from circuit diagrams.
Math- Students we will be studying multiplication. They will learn how to represent
multiplication using arrays. We will learn multiplication combinations and how to find
factors.
4th Grade says… “GO HOGS!”

13. 5th Grade
• Science
We will start out the year
learning all about science
process skills and the scientific
method, before starting our
unit of study on matter.
• Math
In math we will be studying
multiplication and division to
start the year! We will also
learn about factors and
multiples of numbers.
• Reading Workshop
We will be setting goals for our
reading lives. Students will be
working on reading with greater
urgency and independence.
• Writing Workshop
We will revisit narrative writing.
Students will use the skills they
have acquired through previous
units to write like a pro.
• Social Studies
Our first unit of study is going
to be Geography. We will be
learning all about how to use
maps and globes to gather
information.

14. Reading is important because…
Strong reading and writing
skills are essential for
success in school and later
life. Although most children
learn to read in their
classroom programs, a few
children have great difficulty
learning to read and write.
Reading Recovery can help!
Scientific evidence reviewed by the U.S. Department of
Education's What Works Clearinghouse confirms that
Reading Recovery is effective.
Reading Recovery Teacher
Bonnie Duff
Central Elementary
Van Buren, AR 72921
479-474-7059
bonnie.duff@vbsd.us
University Training Center
University of Arkansas
Little Rock, AR
Center For Literacy
Contact your local
Reading Recovery
professional
Reading Recovery
at Central Elementary, Van Buren School District

15. 25 Years of Excellence in North America
•Nearly 2 million American first graders have had Reading Recovery
lessons.
•75% reached grade-level standard at the end of their lessons.
•All children make progress, but a few do not reach grade-level
standard.
• Information from Reading Recovery lessons helps schools and parents
plan future evaluation and services.
Reading Recovery works because… Families can help by…
•highly trained teachers
work intensively, with
individual children each
school day.
•lessons are planned to
build on the knowledge
and strengths of
each child.
•being sure your child's school
attendance is as regular as
possible.
•listening to your child read books
sent home by the Reading
Recovery teacher.
•returning the books each day so
the teacher can send home
new books.
•making reading time positive,
short, and enjoyable.
To find out more about
Reading Recovery visit our website at www.readingrecovery.org

16. Central Elementary Media Center
Our Book Fair is Coming!
Friday Oct 19 through Thursday Oct 25
At the Book Fair you will find the latest
and finest titles for kids, as well as
books of interest to parents.
See you there.

17. Drop off and
Pick up
• Bus drop off and
pick up will be
located behind the
building on North
22nd Street.
• Car drop off and
pick up will now be
located in the front
of Central
Elementary School
on North 24th
Street.