I hope that all your families enjoyed the Christmas break! It is good to be back in school and helping our students reach their full potential. It is very important for our students to start making progress toward the end-of-year academic goals.

Kindergarten
    In kindergarten, students should already know all their letters and sounds. They should also know most of their sight words. If they do not know these skills they should continue to work on them. In math, kindergarten students should begin to know their addition and subtraction facts to the number five. They should also start to understand that the teen number facts consist of a 10 and some more. Parents should also begin to see students solving word problems.

First grade
    The first-grade students should be on a Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) level 8-12. In math, they should know their subtraction and addition facts up to 10. They should be able to solve all types of math word problems using multiple strategies. The understanding of base 10 becomes increasingly important as students begin to solve problems using two-digit numbers.

Second grade
    The second-grade students should be reading on a DRA level of 20 or higher. They should know their addition and subtraction facts up to 20, be able solve math word problems of all types using various strategies, and have a deep understanding of base 10 to 1,000.   They have also been working on how to write a procedural (how-to) paragraph. These are just a very few of the skills that students should have finished or should continue to work on this coming semester.

New attendance law
    The new attendance law will be in effect this semester. Students are only allowed eight days a semester and absences will no longer be considered excused or unexcused. The school will send a letter to parents when students have been absent four days. 
    Parents will need to contact the principal if they feel like they will need more days due to an unforeseen event. This petition must be filled before the student reaches eight days of absences. If the school sends home a child that is sick, the school will document the absence and it will not count against the eight days. If you have any questions concerning the new attendance law, you may contact the office at 501-888-4264.
    I would like to also remind parents to please work on getting your child to school on time. We are still having a number of tardies each day. Please plan ahead and arrive to school on time.

Appreciation of donation
    East End Elementary would like to thank Conrad McKown and Don Mangum from the Fraternal Order of Eagles # 60 for their donation of 10 $40 gift cards to Payless Shoes. These cards will be used to buy shoes for those students who may need them. We appreciate their kind donation to our students.

Martin Luther King Day
    Our students will be out of school on Monday, January 16, 2011, to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The teachers will be in staff development training during the day. Teachers are required to receive training in Arkansas history, working with parents, and technology. These are some of the topics that teachers will receive training in on this day.

Coats in lost/found
    Coats in the lost and found continue to increase each day. Please come by the school and check for a missing a coat. We have about 40 coats that need to find a home. Please put your child’s name on their coat before allowing them to wear it to school. This will allow us to find the owner of the coat when it is left on the playground or in an activity class. We appreciate all your help.

Thank you
    I would like to thank all the parents and community members for their continued support of our school. We still have a lot of work to accomplish before the end of the school year. Our staff will continue to work very hard to meet the needs of all of students.
    Happy new year!