background

GROWING LEADERS EVERY DAY!
Our school is proud of the traditions, high expectations, and inviting atmosphere that make it a good place to learn and grow.



Tuesday, August 31, 2010

2010 AUGUST Good Citizen Luncheon

Look at this great bunch of K- 3rd Grade students...the first Good Citizens of the year. We are proud of:
Austin W., Lucas P., Tyler A., Taylor P., Emily T., Anna Belle A., Gracyn S., Jordan B., and Payton M.
Good Citizens for August from grades 4th - 6th include:
Clay T., Cohen D., Shayla C., Jasmine W., and Makenzie L.
(Emily, Taylor, and Austin joined this picture, too!)
Not pictured: Kristen Fields

Monday, August 30, 2010

P.E. Star Student of the Week 8-27-10

Jared C. shows kindness to all students. Jared is a great example of what a true friend is. Jared is always willing to go the extra step to make sure that everyone is getting a fair chance.
Great Job Jared!

Friday, August 27, 2010

PROGRESS REPORTS TODAY! AUG. 27


If your child's report is not satisfactory, consider the following items:
*Is your child frequently tardy?
*Does your child complete homework?
*Does your child and you study for tests?
*Does your child know school is important to you, too?
*Does your child bring the necessary supplies to class?
*Do you visit the school for an occasional lunch date or to speak to the teacher?
*Is your child frequently absent from school, but could have probably attended? 

The problem may not be his/her ability to learn, but obstacles that can be easily removed. 

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Tree Frog Finds Home in First Grade


First Grader Tyler A.'s tree frog has a new home in Mrs. Bittle's class. The class has been studying about the rainforest and this new addition fits right in. Thanks, Mrs. Allen for bringing in the aquarium and frog for all of the students to enjoy. 

p.s. The principal wondered why she was finding crickets in the hallway. Guess they were trying to escape being someone's lunch! 

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Former R. L. Young Students say JUST DON'T START!


Last spring six graders from the city schools participated in a poster competition through the Life Skills class sponsored by First Family Services. The R. L. Young winners of the contest were featured on a billboard on Ft. Lashley Avenue. 
Great message to spread across our city! Congratulations!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Get Your R. L. Young Shirt Today!


Time is running out to purchase a class shirt for the new school year. Students wear these shirts on Forever Young Field Day, Field Trips, programs, and other special days. This year's shirt was designed by Kevin Williamson. 
Last day to order is AUGUST 31st. 


PTO members may also order a PTO shirt for $8. Show your support for R. L. YOUNG.....

                                                           

Monday, August 23, 2010

2010 Accelerated Reader Program KICK OFF!

                                                
AR stands for Amazing Readers this 2010-11 school year. Check out the kick off by faculty, staff, and students. Thanks to all who participated!

8-20-10 Star Student of the Week!

Jordan B. demonstrates great leadership to her classmates.
Jordan always performs as expected.
She is a great student as well as a great leader.
Great Job Jordan!

JOIN PTO Today!


JOIN PTO TODAY!
There is a competition among classrooms at R. L. Young. The first class to have 100% membership in PTO will earn a PARTY! The leading class is Mrs. Thornton's 3rd grade! They only need 6 more students' families to join.  Membership is only $5 per family no matter how many children you have. Membership gives you voting rights on how PTO funds are spent. Thanks to our dedicated PTO officers pictured above: Wendy Struzik, Alicia Holbrook, Amy Grogan, and Michele Wilson. 

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Operation Auditorium Restore Complete!

Helen Keller's quote, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much," comes to mind when I reflect on the Operation Auditorium 1929 Restoration Project. Thanks for pitching in and helping to beautify this glorious space! 


R. L. YOUNG wishes to thank the following for their part in the completion of OPERATION 1929 AUDITORIUM RESTORE!
LOWES EDUCATION GRANTS
Senator Jim Preuitt
State Representative Steve Hurst
Taylor Rhea Dry Cleaners
Ace Hardware
Joe Gable
Carter Hadley
Cason Hadley
Kaleigh Pody
Alayna Pody
Linda Hodnett
Mr. and Mrs. Whitten (Chelsey Batchelor's grandparents)
Pate's Painting of Oxford
Remodelers Outlet
Coach Chris Stephens + participants of the R. L. Young Walkathon
R. L. Young PTO 
Bobbye Trammell
Walgreens
Mrs. Diane Gay
Mr. Willie Jemison
Talladega City Schools Maintenance Department
Mrs. Wanda Cochran
Terrell Enterprises
Faculty and Staff of R. L. Young

Friday, August 20, 2010

Why Can't I Skip My Twenty Minutes of Reading Tonight?


Why Can't I Skip My Twenty Minutes of Reading Tonight?

Let's figure it out -- mathematically!

Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week;

Student B reads only 4 minutes a night...or not at all!
---------------------------------------------
Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.

Student A reads 20 minutes x 5 times a week = 100 minutes a week.

Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes or less.
-----------------------------------------------------------------Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.

Student A reads 400 minutes a month.

Student B reads 80 minutes a month or less.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months in a school year

Student A reads 3600 minutes in a school year.

Student B reads 720 minutes or less in a school year.

Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year.

Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days or less of reading practice.
----------------------------------------------------
By the end of 6th grade if Student A and Student B maintain these same reading habits,

Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days.

Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days or less.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened

considerably and so, undoubtedly, will school performance.
How do you think Student B will feel about him/herself as a student?


Some questions to ponder:


Which student would you expect to read better?

Which student would you expect to know more?

Which student would you expect to write better?

Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?

Which student would you expect to be more successful in school...and in life?

Monday, August 16, 2010

Breaking down AYP for Parents


What is AYP?
It stands for Adequate Yearly Progress and is based on the total student count in grades 3, 4, 5, and 6. The state also counts groups of 40 in the following areas: free/reduced lunch students, black students, white students, hispanic students, and special education students. 


How did R. L. Young do? 
Our school met 13 out of 13 goals. Hurrah!


How did our school do in the area of reading? 
R. L. Young met the state goal with a cushion of 10.42% for all students.


How did Young do in the area of math?
Our students met the state goal, plus had a cushion of 21.56% for all students.


What about attendance, the additional indicator for determining AYP?
Even with the outbreak of swine flu across the state of Alabama, R. L. Young managed to still meet the 95% state goal for the 20 days after Labor Day. GO, TOP DOGS!

What about the number of students scoring two 3's, a 3 and a 4, or 2 fours in math and reading?

 
                  Absolutely Amazing!!! Thanks, students. YOU ARE AWESOME!

Friday, August 13, 2010

A "Bubbly" Start!






































































































































Students in Mrs. Armstrong's 2nd grade class are off to a "Bubbly Start." Being labeled "A Bubbly Bunch" has its advantages! We went outside the afternoon of the first day of school, August 9, 2010, and blew bubbles with a writing theme in mind. After fun with the bubbles, we went back inside and wrote about where we would like to land if we were the bubble. Most of the students wanted to land at Six Flags or the beach! Our centers are up and ready as the pictures portray. We had a University of Alabama student teacher the first day of school and we all loved Miss Green! She came back for a visit bearing a goody basket for the entire class and Mrs. Armstrong! Thank you, Miss Green! We can't wait to see you again!! They are ready to learn and are having fun in the process. R. L. Young truly is a wonderful place to learn and grow!

First Star Student of the Year!





Raymond L. Young truly is the best place to grow and learn. Students are encouraged to always do their best and be examples to others each day. Coach Stephens chooses a Star Student each Friday. This student displays self control, respect to others, and friendship all week in every area of the school, but especially during their PE time.

The First STAR STUDENT chosen for the 2010-2011 school year is Jessie K., a 4th grader at Young. Congratulations, Jessie, thank you for being an example for all R. L. Young students to follow. Coach Stephens

Thursday, August 12, 2010

What Good Readers Say...

***Can you incorporate these statements when you are reading with your child? 


Photo credit: taliesin from morguefile.com


What Good Readers Say...
• I wonder…
• A connection is…
• I realized…
• I think…
• I wish I could…
• The story made me think of…
• If I could change…
• I noticed…
• I liked…
• I predict…
• My favorite part…
• What if…
• My question is…
It will make a difference in their comprehension!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A Nice Surprise from Bemiston Baptist

One item that all teachers need is paper, but not at R.L. Young due to the generosity of Paster Kory Burel and Bemiston Baptist Church. With wagon in hand, he personally delivered each certified staff a 1/2 case of paper to begin the year. Even the office got some! 

On Saturday morning, around 15 people gathered at the school from BB Church and Talladega Creek Baptist Church to pray for the success of our students, parents, faculty, and staff.
With the hard economic times and troubled world we live in, the prayers cast today are very appreciated. May we all strive to meet the needs of our children, physically, mentally, educationally, and socially. Thank you for your continued support!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Thank You, Mr. Jemison

Mr. Jemison was surprised with a delicious pound cake baked by our wonderful secretary/book keeper, Mrs. Hodnett.

R. L. Young is blessed to have many talented employees at the school. One of these folks is Mr. Jemison. His job involving manual labor is tiring and difficult, but he rolled up his sleeves and assisted with numerous projects over the summer. If you attended the MEET AND GREET, you may have visited the updated auditorium. The curtains have been removed, dry cleaned, and rehung with a tall ladder. The floor was sanded and polyurethane was applied. All of the chair tips had to be covered with felt to protect the new floor. 


The shiny floors in the main hallway are a product of his hard work. All carpets in the school were shampooed and tiles varnished. Several rooms (5) received new carpet. Mr. Jemison was in charge of clearing the rooms and then returning all desks, tables, filing cabinets, etc. to the classrooms. He even numbered the filing cabinets to return them just the way the teachers had them. Teachers appreciate this careful handling of their "second homes."


The lunchroom got a face lift with the removal of some wall hangings, patching and touching up the walls, and work on the floor. The tables were rearranged to have a better traffic flow during lunch. Items were added to the HARDWORK Cafe to make it even better!


As principal, I appreciate these projects getting done while children are away. Every decision made at the school is done with our students in mind. It is easier to improve the school when you have good help. Thanks, Mr. J!

Sunday, August 8, 2010

The ABC's of Parenting

The Thomases-Luke, Stan, Pattie, and Haley
     Parenting is a tough job, but so rewarding. I found this list
and thought of our parents at R. L. Young.

The ABCs for Parents

Ask your child about the school day.

Begin your child's day with a nourishing breakfast.

Congratulate you child for doing well.

Discuss homework with your child.

Encourage your child to read.

Find a quiet place for your child to study.

Give your child responsibility.

Hug your child to build self worth.

Include your child in making simple family decisions.

Join a library with your child.

Keep your child on a schedule that includes exercise and sleep.

Limit TV viewing by selecting programs with your child.

Make the time you spend with your child special.

Notice and discuss changes in your child's behavior.

Offer to help your child organize school papers.

Provide your child with good role models.

Question the activities your child shares with friends.

Respect your child's right to have opinions different from yours.

Share an interest or a hobby with your child.

Take time to listen to your child.

Urge your child to say "NO!" to unwanted touching.

Visit places of interest with your child.

Work with your child to set up rules of behavior.

Xerox and save records or articles that benefit your child.

Yield results by encouraging your child to do better.

Zoom through these ABCs again and again!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Scenes from the 2010 MEET AND GREET


Guests to R. L. Young were greeted with a beautiful wreath created by Hope Brasher Allen.
PTO Officers were available to assist parents with school t-shirt sales and PTO membership.
Pictured above: Wendy Struzik, Alicia Holbrook, Amy Grogan, and Michele Wilson. 
Friends reunited and checked out the updated HARDWORK CAFE'.


CNP Manager, Sheryl Gaither and worker Joyce Gurley were on hand to help parents with lunch needs. 
Lunch prices for students are pictured above.
New this year are PTO shirts designed to recognize this hard working group! 
T-shirts featuring the new logo design are available for purchase until August 31st. Get yours soon!

All families who join PTO will be represented on our RL Young Tree in the lunchroom. Being a member give you voting rights and identifies those who take an interest in the progress of the school.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Rockin' Into Responsibility


Check out the handy work of our own Mrs. Wilson, fourth grade teacher at R. L. Young. Great podcast for the beginning of school!

3 Days Until the Meet and Greet


3 DAYS until the Meet and Greet

3:30- 4:00 Mandatory Title One Meeting with Parents (auditorium)
BEFORE OR AFTER the mandatory Title One Meeting, parents are invited to participate in the various MEET and GREET sessions.

Kindergarten 
5:00-6:00  Meet first in library


First
3:00-3:30  Meet with parents in library


Second 
4:30-5:00  Parents go to classrooms, then to library


3rd Grade
3:00-3:30  Meet in individual classrooms


4th Grade 
4:30-5:00  Meet in lunchroom first, then to classrooms


Upper Grade Academy (grades 5 and 6)
4:00-4:30  meet with parents (in auditorium)

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Puzzle # 3 Revealed

R. L. Young's library has a brand new cozy windowseat just perfect for curling up with a book. Thanks Mr. Jackson, employee of Talladega City Schools. It looks fabulous.