Evening Star Elementary
January 2023
A Note from Principal Williams:
Welcome to 2023 and the second semester of the 2022-2023 school year! At the beginning of each year, we always enjoy reflecting on memories made and lessons learned while looking ahead to set new goals for future growth. First and foremost, we are incredibly grateful for our Evening Star families and staff. You each play an integral role in your child's learning academically and socially/emotionally. Parents - you are your child's first teacher. As their role model and biggest cheerleader, your continued support of Evening Star Elementary and your child's education truly sets your little one up for future success. We are beyond thankful for your proactive partnership with our ESE staff.
Winter MAP testing will occur this month. MAP tests are designed to measure a student's growth when compared to where he/she was at the beginning of the year. Each student's growth goal is unique to him/herself. Our goal is to ensure that each child shows growth on these tests. Over the next few days, students are working with their homeroom teachers to set MAP testing goals for their Winter MAP assessment. MAP Testing dates are as follows:
- January 9th-10th - Third and Fourth-Grade MAP Testing
- January 12th-13th - Kindergarten/First Grade MAP Testing
- January 19th-20th - Second Grade MAP Testing
In the meantime, we ask that you partner with us by ensuring that your child maintains healthy routines, such as reading nightly, getting plenty of rest, and eating a healthy breakfast.
- See that your child is well-rested and eats a good breakfast. Studies suggest that good nutrition is related to improved attention and concentration. Also, when children are well-rested, they are more likely to be able to focus.
- Make sure that your child arrives at school on time and is relaxed. We want them to have ample time to settle in and relax before the test begins.
- Encourage your child to do their best on the test. We appreciate your support in helping your child understand the importance of the MAP test.
- Make every effort to avoid checking your child out for appointments during these days.
Additionally, parents, we want to share some information regarding the importance of your child's attendance at the elementary level. First and foremost, attendance matters!
Research shows:
- Regular school attendance helps children feel better about school and themselves.
- Students who are chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade are much less likely to be able to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade.
- By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
- Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That is just two days a month, which is known as chronic absence.
- Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and even once they enter the workforce.
Feel free to visit attendanceworks.org to gain more information regarding the importance of your child's attendance at school.
When purchasing a home or considering neighborhoods, many of you consider the quality of the nearest school, right? Did you know that your child's attendance is part of our overall school quality score? The Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) (ESSA) includes 5 indicators: Achievement, Growth, English Learner Progress toward English Language Proficiency, Graduation Rate, School Quality, and Student Success. The School Quality and Student Success indicator counts for 15% of our overall ESSA score. Attendance is factored within the School Quality and Student Success indicator. Our school is awarded 1 point for EVERY child who is absent 8.5 or fewer days (excused and unexcused), 0.5 points for a student who misses 9 to 17.5 days, and 0.0 points for a student who misses 18 or more days. Every student, regardless of grade level, counts with regards to our school quality rating for our ESSA score. Please help us by ensuring your little one is here every day. Please try to make any appointments after the school day ends so your child doesn’t miss any classroom instructional time. As we shared in December, Arkansas State Report Cards were recently published. Our building was awarded an A rating. Additionally, the Department of Education recognized Evening Star Elementary for scoring in the Top 5% regarding our performance when compared across the state. We want to continue to be recognized as an A school and a Top Performing school in the state. Parents and families, we can only do this with your help.
Bentonville Schools requires an annual Profile Verification for every student to ensure the data in our student management system is current and accurate. The form is available online now and should be completed by January 22, 2023. You may submit your Profile Verification by visiting www.bentonvillek12.org, clicking on the Parents tab, and selecting Forms – Online Forms. The Profile Verification form is mobile-friendly.
Report cards will be sent through email on January 10th.
Thank you for allowing us to be part of your child’s educational career. We love your little owlet and value every minute of our day with them!
Principal Williams
Future ESE Events:
Here are just a few events we have planned so far. Mark your calendars now and keep a watch out for more events over the course of the school year:
January 5th - Students Return and 3rd Quarter begins.
- January 9th - School Resource Officer & Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
- January 9th-10th - Third and Fourth-Grade MAP Testing
- January 10th - Report Cards will be emailed home.
January 12th-13th - Kindergarten/First Grade MAP Testing
January 16th - MLK Day, No School
January 17th - Board of Education Meeting 5:30-7:00 pm
January 19th-20th - Second Grade MAP Testing
January 23rd-27th - Students vs. Staff Reading Challenge (See more in the Who Loves to Read section below.)
January 25th-27th - PTO Goodies with Grown-Ups (see January Parent Newsletter for additional information.)
January 27th - 100th Day of School and All Bentonville Reads Kick-off
February 3rd - Spring Individual & Class Picture Day
February 13th-17th - Random Acts of Kindness Week
February 14th - Valentine's Day Parties (more information to follow in the Feb. newsletter.)
February 17th - No School - Teachers in Staff Development training.
February 21st - Board of Education Meeting 5:30-7:00 pm
February 21st - 4th Grade Musical at 6:00 p.m
February 27th - March 3rd - ESE PTO Teacher Appreciation Week
March 2nd - Read Across America
March 20th-March 24th - Spring Break
Weather
As the cold weather begins to sneak up on us, please be sure your child has dressed appropriately for school with a proper jacket, hat, footwear, etc. We encourage you to take a moment and label your child's outerwear with their name.
Keep in mind, layered clothing is always a good idea since the mornings can be chilly, and the afternoons tend to be warm. Students will go outside for recess unless it is raining, sleeting, or the wind chill is dangerously low. With our unpredictable winter weather, it is never too early for families to begin to think about an alternate plan for inclement weather days.
Please know it is our intent to take students outside for recess every day. During extreme temperatures and/or wind chill, recess could be shortened. Elementary and middle school students will go outside for recess unless weather conditions make it unsafe or unwise to do so.
- Students will typically go outside if temperatures are 30 degrees F or above.
- If the temperature and/or wind chills are between 25 and 30 degrees F.
- Building administrators may use discretion when sending students outdoors.
Inclement Weather:
As winter approaches, we want to share the district's inclement weather procedures. When inclement weather is a concern, our Superintendent, Dr. Jones, dispatches school officials throughout the district to drive the roads to fully understand as many location conditions as possible. They begin this work as early as 2:30 a.m. so that they can make a decision by 5:30 a.m. If a decision can be announced earlier, they will do so. Information will immediately be announced on Facebook at Bentonville Schools and Twitter @Bville_Schools. Local news outlets will also be notified. BSD may need to run limited bus routes. In these situations, pick-up and drop-off times can be found on the Bentonville Schools website.
- It is our goal to dismiss school at the regular time, if at all possible. We understand that early dismissals cause disruption for parents and students, as well as the educational merit of the school day.
- If we must dismiss school early for safety reasons, it is important for you and your children to have a “Plan B” in place ahead of time. Your children need to know where to go after school, how to get in the house if they are going home alone, and have a pre-established plan for communicating with you that they have safely arrived. We will do our best to transport the students safely and in a timely manner.
SCHOOL BUILDINGS - CLOSED
- In the event of inclement weather and the closing of the school buildings, our district will pivot to Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI) Days. Click on the following link to read more regarding School Closings on our district website: https://www.bentonvillek12.org/page/school-closings
Students have Chromebooks for instruction. Students will learn through Posted Lessons and Live Instruction following the plans linked below. Students should log on to their Google Classroom as directed by their campus schedule. In order to be counted “present” for the AMI day, students must complete the assignments as noted in the grade level directions.
Kindergarten Enrollment 2023-2024 Pre-Registration
Pre-Registration for new kindergarteners for the 2023-24 school year will start on January 30th-February 10th. Detailed information will be on our district website towards the end of the month. You must complete the online pre-registration process (Step 1) before submitting an enrollment form (Step 2) and moving on to the final enrollment (Step 3). The pre-registration link will become “live” on 1/30 at 8:00 AM and will close on 2/10 at 3:00 PM. If you miss the pre-registration deadline you will have to wait and submit the enrollment form for kindergarten when our general enrollment for new students opens up on April 3rd.
Absences:
Teachers and front office staff may be out so we ask that you refrain from emailing staff directly. You can also use the esesattendanceclerk@bentonvillek12.org to send in doctor's notes. When parents email the esesattendanceclerk@bentonvillek12.org, both Mrs. Kendra and Mrs. Tammy receive the email. Thank you for your help with us as we want to make sure your child's attendance record is accurate and current.
Updates from Nurse Crutchfield:
BMI screenings will begin at the end of January. Please see the information below. If you would like to opt-out of this screening, please fill out Google form linked below.
BMI: (ARK Code 20-7-133 and 3.04) Act 1220 requires students in grades KF, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 to have their height and weight assessed. A parent who chooses to opt-out of the BMI assessment must provide a written request to do so using the form linked here by January 23rd. Screening results will be sent home only upon request of the parent/legal guardian.
Please reach out to me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Nurse Crutchfield
Counselor Updates:
Wow! This year is moving along quickly! We hope everyone had a wonderful break and is happy to be back in school! As we move forward into a new semester, we are hitting the ground running by continuing to equip, prepare, and inspire our owls with guidance to promote success in all areas: Social/Emotional, Academic, and Career.
Our topic for guidance lessons for this month is Coping Skills. We have all faced some kind of lasting stressful situation(s). Feeling unprepared or unhappy about the situation increases the stress. Stressful situations can wear our kiddos and us down over time. Finding ways to deal with them can help us grow strong.
Building good Coping Skills will help our owls learn how to deal with stressful situations. We have attached a few of our favorite sites to support your child in developing these lifelong skills.
Healthline Coping Skills for Kids
Pam Gaskin 479-360-7407 pgaskin@bentonvillek12.org
Paula Kaufmann 779-360-7408 pkaufmann@bentonvillek12.org
ESE Math and Literacy Coach News:
This month all of our students will be taking the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) test for both math and literacy. From our youngest to oldest owls, every child will set a goal based on their fall MAP scores. While teachers will set specific goals with each student, you can talk about goal setting with your child at home for both MAP testing and goal setting for the new year! Here are some talking points that can get you started with the conversation:
I hear you are going to be taking an important test called the MAP test this month! What is your goal? How are you going to reach your goal? (Talk about getting enough rest the night before, eating a healthy breakfast, taking your time, and using the knowledge and skills that you have learned in class).
We can set goals for other important things in our lives too. What is something you want to get better at this year? (sports, reading, being kind to friends, etc.). What are some things you can do to reach your goal? What can I do to help you reach your goal?
Just a few reasons goal setting is so important:
It gives us a focus.
It helps us plan and strategize.
It increases accountability.
It helps us see progress, or a lack of progress, over time.
It makes us look deeper into what is most important.
It’s a life-long skill that we want children to acquire and take ownership of.
Katie Curry (Math Coach) & Julie Dibee (Literacy Coach)
Whooo Loves to read? Your ESE OWLS DO!
Every year when I reflect on the previous year, I am so appreciative that I get to spend the majority of my days with your children! Watching them learn, discover, and play continues to reinforce why my favorite activity is teaching. Parents, I am here for YOU and your children- please do not hesitate to reach out if you are wanting a book suggestion for your children or if there is ANYTHING I can do to make their reading journey even more enjoyable.
We will be having a Students vs. Staff reading challenge January 23-27 2023, to see who reads more after school! Remind your children to record the number of minutes they read each day that week! In addition, the 27th of January will kick off the All Bentonville Reads fun! Be on the lookout for this year's book to come home on the 27th. There will be 1 copy/family.
Finally, one way to support our library and honor your amazing children is by purchasing a Celebration book! Consider purchasing one today!
Read, Learn, and Explore!
Mrs. Watson, ESE Librarian
"Gym Shorts"
It's 2023! We are going to start off the school year by getting our heart's beating fast by doing a few fitness activities. Your little owls will learn/challenge themselves to do pushups, sit-ups, and squats correctly. We will challenge them to show listening and teamwork skills with our parachute activities. Excited to see our family back together in this new year!
Coach Kerkhover and Coach LaRocco
ART Studio:
Welcome to 2023! Always nice to start off a new year with excited art students! The cold month of January will see our owls off to a great start in 2023. We will begin doing some Mosaic art and Collage art and introducing some painting to all the classes. I always believe the start of a new year is a great time to rededicate ourselves to being the best learners we can be. I look forward to seeing all our young artists in 2023 and seeing what amazing artwork we can create.
Mr. Van Slyke
Music Notes:
Welcome back, Owls!
Thank you to all 4th graders who auditioned for the 4th-grade musical! Mrs. Watson and I had a very hard time choosing from so many talented students. At this time, all roles have been filled. Students who were invited to accept a role have been notified and will be bringing home scripts soon! Please remember that ALL 4th-grade students will be a part of this musical. We will be spending the next six weeks rehearsing the chorus music during music class. Students who are learning additional parts will need to rehearse outside of regular music classes as well. All songs may be accessed in the 4th-grade music google classroom. Students may join the class using code: xlbayyy
We look forward to seeing you all at the musical on Tuesday, February 21st, at 6:00 p.m.
Keep filling the world with music.
Mrs. Simpson
Global Connections:
Happy New Year, ESE Families! I can’t wait to hear about all the wonderful things your families did over winter break! This month we will finish up our lesson on Canada and begin the North American Engineer Challenge. Each grade level will be given a task that they will work on with their table group. As they work through the engineering process, they will use a GROWTH mindset. In order to have a GROWTH mindset, we need to listen to others' ideas, be open to trying something new, and if something doesn’t work as we wanted it to the first time, then we keep trying! The next continent we are moving on to is ANTARCTICA! Brrrrr!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Connor
Digital Literacy:
Welcome back, Owls! I am excited for our 3rd and 4th graders that will take on the challenge of typing without looking at the keys. Students are encouraged to practice at home by covering their hands with a dish towel while typing. This will help prepare them for our upcoming typing challenge that K-2nd will also participate in!
Grades 2nd-4th will be learning to use Google Docs and Google Slides, while K-1st will learn about Word Processing and Business Applications.
Ms. Castro
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE:
Happy New Year, Families! I hope everyone had a wonderful break!
Research shows that parents and caretakers sharing books with children has a positive impact on their wider educational attainment. We hope to promote family engagement through literacy, so last month, our ESL students received a book from Mrs. Tomblin and the ESL department. Happy Reading!
Starting this month, ESL students will have the opportunity to check out various fun educational games to help enrich their learning. These are optional and by no means required, but a fun way to work with your kids on writing, reading, and math. I am excited to share them with the kids!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Tomblin
ESE Yearbook!
Yearbooks are on sale! Click this link to purchase and use our school code: 1015671061902803
Remember, all parents can create their own custom page at no extra cost! Custom pages are due by March 28, 2023.
Transportation Changes:
If you need to make a change in transportation, please notify the office BEFORE 2:00 p.m. As stated in our district handbook, changes in transportation home or early pick-up from school may not occur within 30 minutes of building dismissal time, unless it is an unavoidable emergency.
Whooo's Soaring at ESE?
To access the Google form click on the following link: https://forms.gle/FNdobVKuUbBv2sx1A
SCHOOL BREAKFAST AND LUNCH MENUS:
School breakfast and lunch are no longer provided for students for free. If you have not deposited funds into your child's account or applied for support for the cost of the meals, please log in to the Family Portal and do that. You will need your student's ID to log in.
If you would like to see what our cafeteria will be serving for breakfast and lunch for this month, simply click on the following link: https://www.bentonvillek12.org/page/food-and-nutrition