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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.



Thursday, February 28, 2013

February 2013 Good Citizens

                           Check out the February GOOD CITIZENS. We are proud of you!

K and 1st:  Matthew H., Ean G., Tressleh B., and Carly L.



2nd and 3rd:  Hero M., Ty G., Ansley T. and Astrid W.

4th : Alyssa L. and Gracie S.

5th and 6th: Taylor C., Hannah J., and Julie A. G.

Young Kids Acting Out in School: The Top 3 Issues Parents Worry about Most

Young Kids Acting Out in School: The Top 3 Issues Parents Worry about Most

Great article...Just sharing!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Clips from a Sweet R. L. Young Program

First grade gave a smashing patriotic performance after a brief presentation about how to use INOW Parent Portal. Kudos to kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Nabors and Mrs. Liner for your assistance/instruction and the PTO meeting. 

Enjoy these clips...I sure did!
Listen to the powerful Pledge of Allegiance led by first graders. This is a daily routine at R. L. Young led by students during morning announcements.

DONUT Party #2 coming on Monday, Mar. 4

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS:
Landry Liner
Haylee Wilson
Ally Struzik
Hannah Smith
Luke Wheeler
Izzy Wright
Kelton Seals
Cole Hollis
Isaac Wilson
Blaire McDonald
Brendan Trammell
Samuel Whitten
 
By earning 75 points and having at least 85% in comprehension, these students are being rewarded with a party hosted by the principal.
Congratulations, Isaac, for earning 100 AR points!  We are so proud of you! The students in Mrs. Armstrong's class are singing "Happy 100 Points" to Isaac, celebrating his success in AR.  As you can tell by this video, we love AR and Isaac, too!  We can't wait to see who's next!

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Silly Here, but SERIOUS about Reading!

I can't resist when taking group pictures of classes, to let kids cut loose.  Mrs. Bittle's first graders are having fun above, but they are serious readers. This is week three that they have had the highest comprehension average for the school. This report is done each Friday. Congratulations, Mrs. Bittle and all of your fabulous readers....

Friday, February 22, 2013

INOW Parent Portal Workshop Feb. 26th

For those of you who already use the INOW parent portal I apologize that you have been unable to login since Feb. 21. Please note a letter is coming home today that will give you a login and password to get back into the program. We were preparing the presentation for parents and ran everyone a new login and password.
If you still have problems getting in after receiving the letter, please contact the school (256-315-5888) and someone will help you.

A flyer was sent on Thursday advertising the event.  Here is the information again:


February PTO Meeting

WHERE: R. L. Young Auditorium
 
WHEN: February 26, 2013  at 6:00 p.m.
 
WHAT: A brief presentation of INOW Parent Portal. This presentation will be prior to the 1st grade performance.
 
All grade level parents are invited and encouraged to attend.
 
WHY? Research shows that students who have actively involved parents do better in school.  Our school wants to do our part to help you be informed about academic progress.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Talladega Animal Shelter Drive Almost Over

Let's give the homeless animals of Talladega something to smile about! R. L. Young is collecting items this month for the shelter right in our own backyard. All items listed below are accepted and will be greatly appreciated by the shelter's staff.

  • Cleaning supplies (dishwashing liquid, Pinesol, bleach)
  • Blankets or pet beds
  • Old towels
  • Animal toys or treats
  • cat litter
  • cat food
  • dog food             

Friday, February 15, 2013

Bittle's Readers Do It AGAIN! Congrats...

Guess who took the AR trophy again for the week...Mrs. Bittle's first graders. They spent the first semester getting a handle on reading and now they are READING MANIACS!

Top 5 AR Classes for the week:
1st place  BITTLE
2nd place DAVIDSON
3rd place NELSON
4th place TIE between THORNTON AND FRENCH
5th place ARMSTRONG

Congratulations to all of our readers. The MORE you read the BETTER you read...

READ ON...


Thursday, February 14, 2013

Valentine's Day at R. L. Young

 I love Valentine's Day at R. L. Young. Everyone is happy and excited about all of the love being shown on this special holiday. Of course, a picture is worth a thousand words. Enjoy...
                                           
  
 
 
 
 
 
                                                          
  
  
 
 

    
 
  
  
  
                                     
                                     
                                                           
                                      
 

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

What Happens in the Bus Room?

Every day students arrive before the school bell rings. Some come in cars and others ride on buses. These students were photographed by one of our teachers because they were following morning procedures so well.
 
We ask all students who arrive before the 7:50 bell to bring something to read or study.
Thanks, Haydon, LaQuez, Latasia, and Logan for being good examples.
AND thanks to all of our teachers who leave their homes early to have bus duty each week. You help accommodate parents who use the bus services or bring their children early to school. This procedure helps kids start learning even before the school day begins!

Monday, February 11, 2013

Reading Aloud...Vital for School Success



THIS IS A GREAT ARTICLE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF READING WITH CHILDREN. TAKE A MOMENT AND CHECK IT OUT. Thanks, Joy Bittle for passing it on to me!

The Importance of Reading Aloud to Children

By Tracy Buckler
According to Mem Fox, author of Reading Magic, "If parents understood the huge educational benefit and intense happiness brought about by reading aloud to their children, and if every parent—and every adult caring for a child—read aloud a minimum of three stories a day to the children in their lives, we could probably wipe out illiteracy within one generation." This is a pretty bold statement, but one that many Early Childhood professionals firmly believe in. Reading to a child can and should begin as soon after birth as possible, as it will help with brain development, speech skills, as well as simply bonding with the child, which will help in other developmental areas as well.
It may seem to some that infants will not benefit from being read aloud to, but many experts on the subject disagree. Most people don’t realize that when a child is born, only twenty-five percent of the brain in developed, and the rest develops within the first year of life. This is an extremely crucial time in a child’s life where reading aloud and simply talking to the child will help tremendously with brain development along with their speaking skills. "The sense of dislocation and confusion that occurs when kids and parents don’t connect disturbs children long after childhood is over," (Reading Magic pg. 21).
In his book The Read-Aloud Handbook, Jim Trelease gives several examples to emphasis the belief that there is a literacy problem in the United States. One such example follows:
"Every workday afternoon a courier shows up at the door of the fifth largest insurance company in America, New York Life. There his is handed a satchel of insurance claims, which he drives to JFK Airport. The satchel is then loaded aboard an Aer Lingus jet and flown to Dublin, Ireland, where American insurance claims will be processed by another people in another county. Why? Because New York Life cannot find enough young people in the metropolitan area, between the ages of twenty and thirty, who know how to read, write, and think clearly and critically enough to process insurance claims. Ireland has them."
There is a simple solution to this problem, read aloud to your children every day, even when they are old enough to read to themselves. "The more you read, the better you get at it; the better you get at it, the more you like it; and the more you like it, the more you do it." (The Read Aloud Handbook, pg. 4). Reading aloud should be fun, exciting and pleasurable for both the person reading and the child being read to, if it’s not, the child will not want to be read to and consequently not like to read later in life.
There are several do’s and don’ts one could follow when reading aloud to children. The most important thing to do is to begin reading to infants, as soon as they are born!! Use rhyming book, such as Mother Goose rhymes and songs to help with language development. "Rhymers will be readers." (Reading Magic, pg. 85) There are many more do’s about reading to children than don’ts, as it’s simply most important to just read!
A few don’ts to follow when reading to your children include, don’t read books you don’t enjoy yourself. Have fun reading and make it a special time for both of you. Use books that are age appropriate for the child and make sure you have read the book prior to reading it aloud to be sure of it’s contents. Using books that the child doesn’t understand can turn them off of books for good.
Most parents being working with their children by teaching them their letters first, then they move onto words and then the stories. According to Mem Fox this is exactly opposite of they way it should be done. If a parent reads aloud to their child early and often then the letters and words will naturally come into the child’s world.
One very important aspect of reading aloud to children is to discuss what’s being read to them. This helps the child to not only learn to read the words on the page, but to understand what they are reading, or being read to. A child can learn the words and read them from a book, but if they don’t understand what they are reading, then they are not reading.
According to Mem Fox there are three secrets of reading: being able to make the print mean something; understanding the language; and our knowledge. The more a person knows about life, the easier it will be to learn to read. One thing to keep in mind when working with older children; if the child is having trouble pronouncing a word, don’t have them try to sound it out, just tell them what it is and move on with the story. If the child worries too much about what certain words are they will forget about what they are reading, that in turn means they really are not reading, if they are not comprehending the story.
Also, if an older child is having trouble reading a particular book, it may be that it’s just too difficult for them. Suggesting nicely that maybe you could read some of it aloud to them might be a good idea. If the child is struggling with reading a book that is a bit out of their reading level, it very well might turn them off of reading forever. That is not what we want to happen!
Some simple things that parents can do to ensure their children become readers are to first and foremost, read to them. Second have books readily available around the house and take them to the library as often as possible. Make reading fun and make sure it’s done often. "Whatever happens in the world of school, continuing to read aloud to our children at home should solve most reading problems and will always be a lifeline to their happiness, their literacy, and their future." (Reading Magic, pg. 152)Works Cited
Fox, Mem. Reading Magic. New York, San Diego, London: Harcourt, Inc., 2001.
Trelease, Jim. The Read-Aloud Handbook, Fourth Edition. New York: Penguin Groups, 1995.
Sullivan, Ed.D., Joanna. The Children’s Literature Lover’s Book of Lists. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004.
Butler, Shelley. Helping Young Listeners Become Successful Readers: Babies & Toddlers. 2003, Earlychildhood.com. 12 February 2005 .
Koralek, Derry. Reading Aloud With Children of All Ages. Reading is Fundamental, Inc. Reprinted with permission from www.rif.org. 12 February 2005.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Father/Daughter Dance 2013 at R L Young


Thanks to everyone who sent food, allowed their child to participate, served refreshments, assisted with clean up, 
or decorated for the occasion. Mrs. Peters spearheaded the decorating and did a beautiful job. Kudos to Young teachers who assisted with the dance...Mrs. French, Mrs. Armstrong, and Mrs. Lamberth. Mr. Jemison and Mrs. Diane were so helpful preparing for the special night!

p.s. Thanks to all who shared pictures on Facebook. I was able to snag a few to share in this video. 

AR Trophy Winner Line Up!

January 25
Mrs. Brook's First Graders

February 1
Mrs. Harris' Fifth Graders


February 8
Mrs. Bittle's First Graders

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

How Teachers Use the Accelerated Reader Program

1. To motivate: If a child is a struggling reader, AR provides an opportunity to gain confidence and to learn to enjoy reading. It is easy for a child to find a book at his/her reading level so reading becomes enjoyable rather than frustrating. If your child is an excellent reader, AR will help him or her choose the right level of books for challenge and enjoyment.

2. To encourage: Practice is the key to reading success. Teachers using AR motivate students to get more reading practice. Successful students want to read more and more!

3. To provide individual help: The AR computer program creates reports that help the teacher guide your child's progress. The teacher will know if your child is having difficulty and can offer immediate support.