Science Week!

This next week we are going to be usurping the children’s library time for SCIENCE! <insert maniacal evil scientist laughter here> It is one of my favorite times of year and I have come up with some awesome plans for the kids to learn science along with me.

This year we are learning computing. We will act like robots, learn simple programming, study circuits (using squishy circuits and magnetic circuits), and program robots. Having 4 different stations I could definitely use your help! No experience is necessary most of these experiments are hands-on learning and won’t take more than playing alongside the kids.

If you have time this next week please feel free to sign up here. I know the 4th graders are in need of help as well.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c054ca9a82dabfe3-parent/19119807

Thanks in advance!

Be sure to contact the school if you haven’t already!

School is letting out at 1pm. Be safe out there!

http://flashalert.net/news.html?id=119

Canned Food Kindness!

It is the holiday season! It is just days away from my very favorite holiday! Thanksgiving! The food, friends and/or family, parties, and music, you can't go wrong! Another great part of the season is the giving. Those you have had much are able to share with those who have less.  In doing so hopefully start a circle of kindness and looking out for each other. This is why we should take pride in our community. We give and look after each other as if we are all family.

Our canned food drive is coming up soon (December 1st-18th). Please bring in any shelf-stable foods you are able to share and we will pass on what you do to our local food bank. Thank you again in advance for any support you can give!

Ready, Set, Kindergarten!

I know, it seems early to be talking next year's Kindergarten, but honestly we are already in November making our way through the holiday season.  We have some great news! Yamhill-Carlton School District has gotten an amazing grant that offers a great start for our up and coming Kindergarteners! 

We will now be offering FREE READY! for Kindergarten™ classes to families/caregivers of 3 or 4 year olds in our district. These will be provided at no cost at Yamhill-Carlton Elementary School in Carlton, OR.

This will greatly benefit the future students because it helps not only the students ready to learn in school but also gives the parents tools to help the children at home.  All the while it is presented to the children as play and fun!  Please make sure to pass this along to those who it would apply! Thank you in advance!

When:    Wednesday, December 9^th

Where:   Yamhill Carlton Elementary School

Who:      Parents and Child Caregivers

What:     FREE Dinner for the Family at 5:15pm

               Classes for parents at 6:00pm

                     6:00-6:30 Orientation

                     6:30-7:30 Age-Level Classes

(Childcare will be provided so parents can attend classes.)

Goal:      To teach you how to “play with a purpose” at home.

Bonus! Door prizes for additional toys and games for your child. Each family that attends dinner will receive a ticket for the door prize raffle.

Walkathon is a Success!!!

Thank you parents and staff for all of your hard work and dedication! We are currently planning the reveal ceremony for walkathon prizes and awards. If you are able come, it will be taking place on Friday, November 13th starting at 1:30 pm. As for any event at the school please make sure you are approved by the office with a background check. We are so proud of the kids and you should be too! Please be sure to give them a superhero high five!

YCES Parent/Teacher Conferences

P.S. Don’t forget!

This is mostly a reminder for myself. I have been so extraordinarily busy in the last few months that the conferences snuck up on me! Yup, they are here again, but don’t worry, it is not too late to sign up! Conferences are next week though November 9th and 10th. Contact the ladies in the office to set up your conference appointment. Call them at 503-852-7161!

October Fun and Education!

Important Dates at YCES

October 20             YCAP Food Drive @ YCES
November 3            Picture Retakes
November 9-10       Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 9-11       No School - Conferences & Veterans Day
November 25-27    No School - Thanksgiving Break

In the meantime… Try out some of these fun Halloween experiments!

http://www.playdoughtoplato.com/kids-science-flying-tea-bag-ghosts/#_a5y_p=2433163

http://kitchenpantryscientist.com/alien-monster-eggs/

http://kitchenpantryscientist.com/frankenworms/

If you have any fun ideas for Halloween fun please share them below! We love all of your ideas!

No School for our Superheroes?

Encourage your superheroes in getting their pledges for the walkathon on Tuesday (10/6). The laps are starting in only 6 more days!

If you noticed we don't have school next Friday! What now?

There are some great options fairly locally! Check them out!

No School Friday Movie - hosted by the McMinnville Library
Outdoors Fridays - hosted by the A.C. Gilbert House
Portland Regional Gem and Mineral Show - Washington County Fairgrounds
Big Fall Harvest Festival - hosted by French Prairie Farm (all activities will be running)
No School Days - Trackers Earth

Lunch Menu for September 21-25, 2015

Changes will be coming to the lunch menu as of October 1st, 2015 

To be compliant with Nation School Lunch Regulations,  Yamhill Carlton School District will be raising lunch prices by $0.05. 

Grades K-4 will now be $2.55

Grades 5-12 will now be $2.80

This will be effective October 1, 2015

USDA and Yamhill Carlton School District are equal opportunity providers and employers.

Open House

Have you heard of our annual Open House? It is fast approaching! On Thursday, September 24th, starting at 5:30, there will be a barbecue and open classrooms (they will open @ 6pm) to give you information about what your child is learning about this year. There is always great information given by staff and plenty of volunteer opportunities, like holiday parties and classroom reading!

Look for the PTO table we will be there to answer any of your questions, set you up to donate (credit cards are now accepted), and to sign you up for the day of walkathon volunteer positions.

We are looking forward to your Superkids helping fund the next great addition to our school. Have any great ideas? Be sure to come to our PTO Board Meeting on Thursday October 1st at 6pm. We love to have all of your precious feedback!

We’re all Superheroes now!

Walkathon Kickoff was today! The kids learned that they too will be superheroes for this walkathon. For all the students that can bring in $10 dollars they will go home on walkathon day with superhero capes and awesome water bottles! And again, like last year, a total of $50 in donations gives them a ticket for the prize raffles!

YCES has only one fundraiser a year and this money goes towards the budget for the Yamhill Carlton Parent Teacher Organization (YCPTO). YCPTO supports our students and school in many ways through your generous contributions. Some of the money goes toward annual expenses including field trips and assemblies, teachers purchases, library books, the Spring Carnival, and the Mad Science Fair. Our monies are also used for larger purchases like the new water fountain/filling station, for classroom technology (iPads), playground equipment and upkeep, and more!

We look forward to what our superheroes can do for our school. Thanks in advance for your support!! Check out the walkathon tab above for an easy way to donate!

Nana nana nana nana… Batman!

If you’ve turned in your background checks please feel free to come kick off the walkathon tomorrow at 2pm. We have some awesome plans in the kid's future!

Homework got you down?

We’ve all been there. We look at our child’s homework and cannot figure it out. We want to be that help to them but all of a sudden we feel that there is no way that we can be that person for them. What to do?

Step 1: Breath! All of you!

A method of relaxation breathing can be found on www.stress.org:

Teddy Bear Breathing- Lie on your back, place one hand on your chest and place your favorite teddy bear on your belly button. Close your eyes and relax your whole body. Breath in slowly through your nose. Your teddy bear should slowly rise, but your chest should not. When you have taken a full deep breath, hold it, count to three then slowly breathe out. Repeat a few times, until your feel relaxed.

Step 2: Get a snack!

Often the hardest time to think is when we are at our “hangriest”. I know that if my mind is working hard it needs a nutritious, brain pumping treat! Try a great snack of greek yogurt with Muesli! I have it on great authority (my sons) that there is a great place to find this delicious snack right in town!

Step 3: Cheer them on!

You are not responsible for making sure the homework is done correctly but rather giving the kids the confidence to try it on their own and ask questions (and “I don’t know… Let’s find out” is perfectly acceptable.). Cheer them on! Give them high-fives! Don’t assume that they have to be right all the time. They need to be wrong to know what is right.

Step 4: Give yourself a pat on the back!

You did it! Now if you are still asking questions and needing help our teachers can always answer these and will be more than willing to assist you. Or feel free to check out our homework help tab. We will be adding more sites and solutions as the year moves along to help guide you to the answers your child needs.

School Pictures!

We have reached that time of year again! That time of year to forget all about picture day! Hopefully you have it more together than I ever do - but if not here’s the skinny:

We are having pictures taken Thursday, September 17th, 2015.

On Lifetouch’s website I found these great tips (maybe there is hope for me yet!):

Use these tips to help your child get ready for a great-looking school portrait that you’ll treasure forever.

• Help your child pick out clothes and colors that look good on them. After all, your child is the star of the photo—not their shirt, so avoid slogans, logos, and big patterns. Small jewelry and accessories are fine but nothing too big or distracting.
  Make sure to check your flyer to see sample poses for your Picture Day. Some poses may show pants or skirts, so plan the complete outfit.
• Glasses are okay! Lifetouch photographers know all the tricks to reduce glare.
• Any hairstyle works for Picture Day. Schedule haircuts a few weeks ahead of time to allow hair to grow back a little, or you can go for a fresh-cut look.
• Keep kids relaxed and ready to be themselves. Smiles can look fake if they’re practiced ahead of time. Remember, smiles are like french fries—they’re better when they’re fresh.
• Don’t worry about “perfect”! That hair that always sticks up or a missing tooth shows your child just as they are right now—and you’ll enjoy looking back on that for years to come. On Picture Day, teachers and volunteers will help straighten collars and check posture. And, if you like, we have retouching options for scrapes and blemishes.

Make sure to order your school pictures.  There is a promotion for a free shareable image on the envelopes in the take home folders. Our school's Picture Day ID is FO745439Q0

Lunch Menu for Sept 15-19

Welcome Back!

So glad we could see you all back! It was so good to see you. Did you happen to make it down the hall today? If so, did you see this?

A great welcome to our new water bottle filler! Filtered water is now easily available for the students to fill their water bottles. Feel free to send a refillable water bottle to school for your child!

Also we have great checkers available outside for the kids to play with outside on the asphalt. I know my kids were excited about them.
We had a great day and now on to the morrow!

First Days of School

Do you have a favorite "Back to School" tradition? I see some with their cameras taking awesome photos.  I hear of special breakfasts (pancakes with ears?). I see myself running like a mad hen trying to find that shoe, you know the one that belongs on my son's left foot, it always seems to be missing? Anyways... 

We, the YCPTO, have a new tradition! We love to be there to welcome you all back. We pull out the coffee maker, grab some tasty treats, and man our post in the gym to help you through the transition. This year we will be there Sept 8-10, 7:30a - 10:00a to answer any questions you may have, or to just chat with you about how adorable your child's matching shoes are (you are a lucky one aren't you)! 

School's back tomorrow September 8th! See you all there!

Menu for the First Week of School

Are you ready?!

Can you believe it? This the last weekend before school?! The last 4 days! I am so excited for the kids to go and meet their new teachers, reunite with friends, and restart the routine of the school year. So are you ready? For those last minute purchases school supply lists are available here and free/reduced school lunch forms can be found here!

First day of school is September 8th, 2015!

Teacher Lunch

A big THANKS to all of you who so kindly helped with the teacher luncheon today! All the food looked and smelled so delicious!

Look forward to all of the other ways to help out this year. Check your emails for information from Tessa (tessazasta@ymail.com) our new volunteer coordinator!