The document is a newsletter from Central Elementary School welcoming parents and providing updates on upcoming events including kindergarten registration, state testing, and PTA activities. It introduces the school principal, Cindy Mizell, and shares the school's mission of providing a caring learning environment to help students reach their potential. Grade level sections provide information on curriculum and upcoming dates for kindergarten through 5th grade classes.

1. Welcome to
Central Elementary
School
Go Eagles!!!
2015-2016

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. We have lots of happenings going on at
Central. Our PTA ladies are busy with our membership drive and t-shirt
sales. Reading & Writing Assessments are being given as well as math
screeners. Children are settling into routines both at home and at school.
Reading each night makes a difference in school performance. Stay informed
of Central’s events by following us on Twitter and/or like us on Facebook. 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,
Cindy Mizell

3. School Motto
Reaching New Heights-Soaring to Excellence
School Vision
Our vision is for Central Elementary School to be a safe and
loving environment full of positive, caring teachers and staff
meeting the academic, physical, and emotional needs of each
child – whatever it takes.
School Mission
Our mission is to provide a learning environment which:
•Places the child first in all decisions made.
•Uses best practices and the latest technology.
•Sets high expectations for all staff, parents and students.
•Supports all students and helps them reach their individual
potential.
•Communicates and works as a team with parents and the
community to ensure each child’s success.

4. Kindergarten Registration for the
2016-2017 school year is on
Friday, April 22, 2016,
beginning at 8:00 a.m.
Kindergarten students for the 2016-2017 school year
must turn five years old on or before August 1,
2016. Parents should bring a copy of their child’s shot
record, birth certificate, social security card, and proof of
a physical exam from a doctor within the past two years.

5. PTA 2016-2017
Officer Nominations
President: April Tipton
Vice President: Kerri Boggs
Treasure: Melissa Downey
Secretary: Melissa Scott

6. • April 4-7 K-2 IOWA Testing
• April 11-14 5th Grade ACT Aspire
• April 18-21 4th Grade ACT Aspire
• April 25-28 3rd Grade ACT Aspire
•April 22nd
Kindergarten Registration
Announcements

7. PTA Information
Upcoming Dates
• May 10th – Glam and Car night
• May 24th – Fun Day
• May 25th – Teacher Talent Show

8. End of the Year Reading Goal
Proficient Score of 3 = at grade level
Kdg - D/E
1st - I/J/K
2nd – M
3rd – P
4th – S/T
5th - V

9. Working hard at
something
"It is not important who
starts the game but who
finishes it." - John Wooden
April
During April, students participate in
state testing. Their hard work and
perseverance will pay off as they show
what they’ve learned this year.
Make it the best day possible by:
• Picking out a comfortable outfit to wear
• Setting your alarm clock so that you do
not oversleep.
• Going to bed on time – or even early – so
that you get a good night’s sleep and feel
rested when you wake up in the morning.
• Making sure that you have time to eat a
good breakfast. Eat healthy foods that
will give you plenty of energy.
• Leaving for school or the bus stop a
little early so you are sure to get to
school on time.
• Remembering that school starts at
8:00 a.m.

10. Kindergarten News
Reading- Becoming Avid Readers; Readers Get to Know Characters by Pretending and by
Performing Our Books
Writing- Persuasive Writing of all Kinds :Using Words to
Make a Change; Crafting Stories Using All We Know about Narrative Writing
Math- How Many Do You Have?; Sorting & Surveys
Science/S.S. – State Symbols, Famous Arkansans, State Map, Weather, Plants, Animals
Dates to Remember:
April 22nd - Non-Nutritional Day
April 22nd - Kindergarten Registration at 8:00am!!
April 26th- Field Trip to Botanical Gardens!!
April 27th and 28th- Kindergarten Prescreening for New Students Coming
Next Year!

13. We are finished with our first round of PARCC
testing….YAY!!!! We will not test again until the beginning
of May.
Reading:
We are starting our unit on Biographies and studying the lives of
famous, influential people. We will be studying the obstacles they
faced, how they overcame those obstacles, and what influence they
have on our lives.
Writing:
We are reading classic Fairy Tales and adapting them
into more modern fairy tales. We will also be studying
characters, settings, and problems and writing our own
fairy take stories!!
Math:
We are working on our addition and subtraction skills.
We are also continuing our work on multiplication and
division!!

14. 4th Grade
• Reading Workshop: Nonfiction Book
Clubs: Author Studies
• Writing Workshop: Journalism
• Math: How Many Packages? How
Many Groups?
• Social Studies: Immigration

15. *5th Grade*
*March*
• Science
In science, we will be learning about Space. We will
be participating in labs , activities, and class work
that will teach us about space exploration.
Students will be engaged in designing and
engineering models of planes, rockets, and Mars
rovers. That’s just a few of the fun experiments we
will be doing in this unit!
• Math
In math, the students are learning to add, subtract,
multiply, and divide using decimals. Students will
also be analyzing the equivalence in multiplication
and division.
• Social Studies
In this unit we will learn about the election and
voting process. Students will have a mock election
for class president. Students will also be studying
economics.
• ReadingWorkshop
In reading, the students are reading
passages in preparation for the ACT Aspire
Assessment. Students are also studying Fantasy
texts and learning about the structure of a fantasy
text.
• Writing Workshop
In writing, the students are responding to
writing prompts in preparation for the ACT
Aspire Assessment. Students are also writing
fantasy entries and stories.
REMINDERS: Students should be reading 30-45
minutes per night! Reading logs are due every
Wednesday and they must be signed. Also,
students need to be studying their
multiplication facts!

17. Lunch Times
5th: 10:50 -11:10
4th: 10:45 -11:05
3rd: 11:05 -11:25
2nd: 11:15 -11:35
1st: 11:30 -11:50
Kdg: 11:40 -12:00

18. K-2 Enrichment is provided for all students in the
district by Mrs. Wilcox. Students focus on
creative problem solving.
Students that are placed in the 3rd-5th grade
GT program attend a 2.5 hour pull-out
session with Mrs. McDaniel once a week.
Students focus on problem solving,
leadership, communication , and research
skills.
Gifted students in 6th-12th grade meet with Mrs. Taylor and focus
on motivation, values and positive attitudes.

19. Reading is important because…
Scientific evidence reviewed by the U.S. Department of
Education's What Works Clearinghouse confirms that
Reading Recovery is effective.
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 Teacher
Reading Recovery
at Central Elementary, Van Buren School District
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!

20. with Reading Recovery
Success is
Within
Reach!

21. 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.