3rd Six Weeks TOP DOGS

WHAT IS A TOP DOG?

NO tardies

NO check outs

No absences

CONGRATULATIONS TO STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS FOR MAKING ATTENDANCE A PRIORITY!

Why is this so important?

Students who have good attendance have access to more instruction, perform better on tests, have high self esteem, and have a good attitude about school.

We want your child at school every day unless

they are running a fever or throwing up.

January Inservice-Lots of Fun!

Ever wonder what teachers do on Inservice Days? They are looking for ways to make learning fun.

During the January Inservice day, these R. L. Young teachers enjoyed learning about how to have a Readers Theater in their classroom. Readers Theater is a fun way to learn new content, practice reading, and actively participate in the learning process.

The teachers had a a lot of fun learning this teaching technique, but students will enjoy this even more!

Cathy Thornton created this post!

Interested in Cheering for Zora Ellis?

2009-2010
Zora Ellis Cheerleader Tryout Clinic:

February 23-26 3:30-5:30

Zora Ellis Gym

------------------------------------------------
Zora Ellis Gym Tryouts:

February 27, 2009 5:30

Zora Ellis Gym

Call Gloria Thomas for more information
(cell) 315-1366 or

(home) 761-1517

AR Party # 3!

There has been plenty of partying at R. L. Young because our students are READING like crazy! The principal has held party # 3 with the students pictured above. (Chelsey B., Khason L., Malik W., Amber K., Jay P., Tayler S., Shayla C., Tommy W., Jackson B., Cohen D., and Wesley B)

Students must earn 75 points AND have an average of 80% correct on their tests.

You can see it's a lot of fun to have a little pizza and celebrate their reading success. Thanks to Dominoes Pizza and Manager Mr. Kearns for supplying the pizzas.

I wonder who my next party people will be...

First Grade learning how to EXPRESS themsleves!

First Grade had a great time with Mrs. Jana Hadley as they learned how to express themselves through art. Mrs. Hadley read the book I Ain't Gonna Paint No More to the class and let them express themselves as the child did in the story. They learned that colors represent different feelings when using art. Thank you so much Mrs. Hadley!

Raymond L. Young Teacher Wins at District Level!

Mrs. Carrie Nabors, a kindergarten teacher at Young, is the Talladega City School District winner in the Jacksonville State University Teacher Hall of Fame Program. This is quite a high honor and Mrs. Nabors is an excellent choice.

Congratulations!

Technology Survey for R. L. Young Parents

Raymond L. Young wants to know about technology in the homes of our students. Please take time to complete a quick 5 question survey. The information will help us connect better with our parents. Please be sure to scroll to the bottom and click DONE. Thanks!

Click Here to take survey

2009 Spelling Bee Winners

Recently, fourth, fifth and sixth graders participated in a spelling bee. Competition was intense as the spellers began to dwindle to the last two students. The winner was a 5th grader, Brittany H., and the alternate was Kaitlyn S., a 6th grader. Both girls will attend the Talladega County Spelling Bee in February, where Brittany will compete against the winners of the other schools in the county and city system.
This post was created by Betty Lane Shirley.

Mrs. Lamberth's PJ DAY

On December 19th my class wore our pj's to school and watched The Polar Express.
We enjoyed a delicious treat of chocolate milk and cookies.
We had so much fun.
This article submitted by Roxanne Lamberth

R.L. Young... A Good Place to Learn and Grow!

This is a great picture of Walker on the new rug at R.L. Young's front door. It has the logo we use on our shirts.
R.L. Young is a good place to learn and grow!

AR Dashboard and Outlook Training

Raymond L. Young was most fortunate to have Dr. Frank Buck, Curriculum Director and Special Education Coordinator present a mini workshop on Using the AR DASHBOARD and OUTLOOK program at a recent faculty meeting .

Learning about the AR DASHBOARD as a data resource will be helpful because two of the main academic focuses at Young are comprehension and fluency. The Accelerated Reader Program has become a huge component of our efforts to strengthen all readers. Using the AR Dashboard to track performance individually and as a group will allow us to know if our efforts are working.

As busy educators, we are all grasping for ways we can work smarter, not harder. The OUTLOOK email program allows its users to not only have email, but a calendar, task list, contacts, and sticky notes. All of these components help organize the many responsibilities educators have. Dr. Buck presented this new information in a fun and easy-to-absorb fashion.

Thanks, Dr. Buck for sharing your knowledge with

R. L. Young.

Calling in an Expert

R. L. Young's sixth graders are gearing up for the Science Fair to be held this month. As part of their preparation, last year's big winner, Carter Hadley was invited to share his knowledge and experience with the group.

Carter brought in many ribbons and trophies, project board, and display items to give students a variety of visuals of his science fair experience. His presentation was very "kid friendly" and a big hit with the students, especially since Carter is a former R. L. Young graduate.

Thanks, Carter for the great presentation!

Talladega Fire Department to the Rescue!

Raymond L. Young makes it a daily practice to fly the United States and the State flag in front of the school. But this past week the Ambassadors found it impossible to fulfill their flag flying chore due to the cord separating. One call to the Talladega Fire Department and we were back in business that very day.

Thanks Talladega Fire Department for your speedy service to the school. We appreciate the assistance.

Each Search earns $$$ for Young!

What if Raymond L. Young earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.

Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Raymond L Young Elementary School as the charity you want to support. Very important--Do not put a period after the "L" initial. And, be sure to spread the word!

***Thanks to PTO President, Alicia Holbrook for bringing this resource to our attention. The school has already earned $27 dollars! A special link has been added to the Young Blog to help you remember this financial resource.

HONOR ROLL ASSEMBLY THIS WEEK!

Raymond L. Young will be honoring our students on Thursday, January 15 beginning at 9:00 am. for K-2nd and 9:45 am. for 3rd-6th in the auditorium.

We hope you can join us for this recognition ceremony.

Family Involvement for January

Research shows that students who have involved parents achieve more academically. At R. L. Young, we are proud and appreciative of the involvement of our parents. For example, in kindergarten the students are studying about the United States.

In order for students to grasp the concepts of "states," they were assigned an at-home project. The project consisted of each child creating a "Traveling Snowperson". Students were asked to select a favorite state and gather facts such as the state's flower, tree, or bird. They created a visual so that others could also learn about the particular state. Cute idea and fun for parent and child. I look back over my children's elementary years and it is these types of activities that bring back sweet memories. Maybe the tv did not get turned on, but we spent quality time together.

Enjoy a sampling of the Traveling Snowpeople and stop by to see the rest!

"Snow"...Where Are You From?

The pictures above tell a story about our fifty United States. Our kindergarten classes completed a research project which began as finding out about a state and culminated it in the shape of a snowman. The snowman created by each kindergartener had to represent that state.

These students did a wonderful job. If you happen to be at R. L. Young, please take a few minutes to enjoy this display. From the looks of these snow people, you would never know it doesn't snow in Alabama!

Happy New Year to you all!

SIX FLAGS TICKET TO RIDE

January is a cold, dreary month...but it doesn't have to be when you curl up with a good book. While you are reading, consider this opportunity...Earning a Six Flags Ticket!

Each student at R. L. Young has the opportunity to earn a free ticket to SIX FLAGS over Georgia by reading for 6 hours. The book titles and minutes have to be logged (sheet should be coming your way this week). Parents need to initial that the books have been read.

Reading + Logging the time read = A fun-filled day at SIX FLAGS!

The log sheet is due to the classroom teacher by FEBRUARY 19th.

Happy Reading!

No Early Dismissal TODAY!

Please be advised that Talladega City Schools are not dismissing early today (January 6).

WELCOME BACK!

Schedule for January 5 Professional Development

Here is the schedule for the January 5th professional development day as it relates to the elementary schools. The schedule for elementary school teachers is as follows:

8:15-11:15

Grades Pre-K through 2
R. L. Young Auditorium
Mary Foshee from the Children's Dance Foundation will return. The topic will be movement activities which general education teachers can do with students. With a Pre-K through 2 audience, Mary will focus on activities particularly appropriate for that grade level. Wear comfortable clothes. This will definitely be an audience participation activity!

Grades 3 through 6
C. L. Salter Lunchroom
Pat Yates will be our guest. The inservice will focus on Reader's Theatre.
11:15-12:30 Lunch on your own

12:30-3:00
Grade-Level Inservice--Pre-K through 6 teachers will go to the same school as August 5th and October 6th

Pre-K & Kindergarten- Raymond L. Young
1st Grade- Graham
2nd Grade- C. L. Salter
3rd & 4th Grade- Houston
5th & 6th Grade- Hal Henderson

Marley and Me

Many times it is hard to find a good "family" movie to take the kids to, but I recently found one that touched my heart, "Marley and Me." Good clean plot, scenes that pull at the heart strings, and a mile long moral to the story.

Please note that with any great movie, you are going to feel a range of emotion, especially with the ending. But this is life at its best. The message of this film is clear...we can learn a lot from animals and how they treat us.

My family and I have been most fortunate to have experience with the Marley types...

Haley and Buttercup (became a part of our family in 1992)

Luke and Chipper (6 years old)

Sure, animals are loads of trouble, expensive, and time consuming. But they teach us so much about how the world should be and what is most important.

Enjoy the show!

Building Family/School Partnerships that Work

The Evidence is in....when schools and families work together to support learning, everyone benefits.

• Students do better in school and in life.


• Parents become empowered.


• Teacher morale improves.


• Schools get better. Communities grow stronger.

Make 2009 a year of involvement for your family.

What can you do?

• Attend PTO meetings, parent conferences, and student programs


• Have lunch with your child


• Volunteer in the school


• Ensure that your child completes homework and class projects


• Praise efforts of your child when graded work is shared


• Contact teachers when concerns arise


• Donate to the school through fundraising efforts or by helping with needs of the classroom teacher


• Tell someone about the great things happening at R. L. Young

Archery Program...a Hit at YOUNG!

I choose to bring the National Archery in the Schools Program to R.L. Young for several reasons:

1. To bring a new activity to the students that is fun and exciting.
2. To show students how archery teaches you discipline and as well as concentration.
3. To bring math into the P.E. program and show students how to properly score their shots.

I think this program gives students more options of things to do outside of school to help keep our children active. Because of the interest of the student body, many of our parents have inquired about the equipment that is being used in class and how it can be purchased. Our PTO was very generous in helping to supply the needed items not covered under the archery grant.

In February, 15 R. L. Young students will travel to an Archery competition. Students in 4th- 6th grade are working hard to be considered for a spot.

This is a great program and the students absolutely love it.
This post was created by Coach Stephens!