Wednesday, September 23, 2009

September 14, 2009

It doesn't take long for things to get really busy here at Vaughan. Students and teachers are already well into their routines for this school year. On Monday, September 14, Mrs. Barnes and Mrs. Watson with our Pre-K students hosted “Graham Crackers with Grandparents”. Over half of our Pre-K class had a grandparent come to share a special breakfast with them at school, both in honor of Grandparents Day which was September 13, and to share information with the grandparents on how they can help their grandchildren in their educational journey. Grandparents, thank you for coming out. We know that you do many things to help our youngest students. Thank you for all you do to help both your grandchildren and our school!

We held our annual fund-raising kick-off on Monday afternoon. Thank you in advance to all of our supporters in the Vaughan community as well friends and family members that will support us by ordering products from students. Without your help and support, we could not do many of the things we do at Vaughan School.

This morning our Fifth grade students will be leaving for their annual Sound-to-Sea field trip. Almost fifty students and chaperons will spend three days in an environmental education program at Trinity Center in Salter Path, NC. We look forward to hearing what the students will learn and experience while they are away from us.

Last Friday, September 11, our student body participated in “Fight the Flu Friday”. This day was set aside to learn simple techniques to help our students stay as healthy as possible with viruses and colds running rampant already. Students were taught to cough or sneeze into their elbow instead of their hands where germs can easily be spread. Students were also taught the importance of washing their hands as often as possible. Parents, thank you for encouraging these same habits at home. As a reminder, students who run a fever should not come to school for 24 hours after they no longer have fever, without using fever reducing drugs. If your child has a fever of 100 degrees or more, they will be sent home. Thank you for your help in this effort at keeping our entire student body as healthy as possible. Thanks for all you do to help us continue to make Vaughan Elementary School a school where students are Valued and Empowered with the skills to Succeed in the 21st Century!

Upcoming Events
September 16, 2009 Early Release Day
September 23, 2009 Progress Reports Sent Home
September 23, 2009 Early Release Day
September 25, 2009 Picture Day – Students MUST wear school uniforms.

September 7, 2009

Last week was an exciting and busy week and this week promises to be as well. Last Thursday night we held our annual Accountability Meeting. At 6:00, our teacher's assistants and resource teachers served supper which consisted of hotdogs and trimmings, chips, drink and desert. We estimate we had almost 180 parents and students in attendance. Thank you is extended to the teacher's assistants and resources teachers who served for us. They were: Mrs. Carolyn Richardson, Ms. Latoya Alston, Ms. Aquilla Alston, Ms. Laquisha Taylor, Mrs. Lynn Paschall, Mrs. Cindy Salmon, Mrs. Donna Liles, Mrs. Trina Paynter, and Ms. Brooke Comer. In addition, a special thank you is extended to Ms. Carolyn Laster for making the chili for us, Mrs. Paynter for making slaw for us and most especially to Mr. John Ross for grilling the hot dogs for us. There are many others who helped out behind the scenes with set-up and clean-up and we thank you for your help and efforts!

At 6:30 p.m., our Fifth grade teachers started their meeting to discuss our upcoming Sound-to-Sea field trip. We know the students are looking forward to this exciting time to get hands-on experience with the various habitats found in and around the beach. At 7:00 p.m., Mrs. Mizelle welcomed everyone in the multi-purpose room and presented general information about school rules and policies. Ms. Brooker Comer, our Guidance Counselor, discussed the Attendance Policy, Mrs. Liza Adcock, our school nurse, discussed the Medication Administration Policy and forms that need to be turned in for this, and Mrs. Trina Paynter, our Media Coordinator, discussed Accelerated Reader and our Media Center. We also had Mr. Robert Parker, the county Food and Nutrition Director discuss our school's new Nutrition Tracking Program. Parents were then released to go to grade level meetings being hosted at 7:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. Thank you parents for being committed to learning about your child's school and education. We know it's hard to come out after work and stay focused for several hours when you are already tired.

This week, we all enjoyed Monday as a holiday for Labor Day. Our new Pre-Kindergarten students joined us in staggered rotation with half of them coming on Tuesday, half on Wednesday, and all of them on Thursday. We look forward to watching these new "baby eagles" learn and grow. We know that Mrs. Barnes and Mrs. Watson have lots of fun and learning in store for them!

Next week, our Fifth Grade students will be leaving on Wednesday for their three-day Sound-to-Sea Field trip. We look forward to hearing about all they will learn and experience while they are gone. Parents, just a reminder to keep a check on all the forms that come home. Please look through your child's bookpacks to be sure all have been filled out and returned. At the back of the Student Handbook, there are a couple that need to be filled out and returned as well. Thank you for your help in this! Thanks for all you do to help make Vaughan Elementary School a school were students are: Valued and Empowered with the Skills to succeed in the 21st Century.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Welcome to a New Year!! - September 3, 2009

Welcome back students and parents. Our school-year opening has been outstanding. Students and staff are doing a great job of getting "back in the groove." Parents, thank you for everything you have done and are continuing to do to make our school year a huge success. There are just a few reminders: Please remember the school uniform dress code policy. For our school, top colors are: white, light blue, black or burgundy. Bottoms should be black, navy or khaki, belts must be solid black, brown, white or navy, and shoes must be solid white, black or brown. Light jackets that can be worn in school must be solid in color and can be white, light blue, navy, black, khaki or burgundy. Parents, please be sure your child is in compliance.

Our school would like to welcome a new principal, Renee Mizelle. While she is new to the position, we are all familiar with her as she previously served as our Reading Specialist. We would also like to welcome Deborah Foster to our school. Ms. Foster has many years of experience in education and will be serving as kindergarten teacher here at Vaughan. We are glad to have you both here and in your new positions.

Vaughan will be hosting our annual School-wide Accountability meeting on Thursday night, September 3 beginning at 6 p. m. with a hot dog supper provided for students and parents. The fifth grade meeting about Sound-to-Sea will begin at 6:30 p. m. and then the school wide information session will begin at 7 p. m. in the multi-purpose room. Individual grade level meetings will begin shortly afterward. Information that will be presented will include: Attendance Policies and Regulations, School-Wide Discipline Procedures, Daily Schedules and much more. Please be sure to join us for this very important informational meeting.

We are also excited about some new changes to the look of parts of our school. Last year, the Warren Education Fund awarded a grant entitled "Wild About Books" which allowed our media center to become a cozier, more welcoming space. Last school year a wall mural, rug and large stuffed animals made their may into the media center. A unit of study was completed on award winning illustrators. Then a school-wide contest was held with students entering a drawing of their favorite book. Winners were selected and students re-drew their artwork on canvas squares. Over the summer, these canvas squares were incorporated into valances. These have now been hung in the media center allowing us to have a student art gallery, as well as a polished look to our media center. Mrs. Paynter invites parents, students and anyone who would like to view them to stop by during the Accountability night. A very special thanks is again extended to the Warren Education Fund for making this possible with their mini-grant.

In just over a week, we will welcome our newest "baby eagles" to our campus. Pre-Kindergarten will begin with a staggered-start on September 8 and 9. Welcome baby eagles! We look forward to seeing you on our campus as you embark on your educational journey with us.