The Creekside Compass

August 15- PTO Membership and T-Shirt Orders Due

August 17- Future Tiger T-Shirt Orders Due

August 22- Summer Reading and Math Celebration

August 24- CES Night at AHS Football Game

August 27- Curriculum Night for Second Grade (5:15-6:15) and Third Grade (6:30-7:30)

August 31- Fall Picture Day

September 3- Labor Day Holiday (No School)

It was a great start to the first school year at Creekside Elementary. We welcomed 503 students and have 25 second and third grade teachers. To spotlight our school mascot, the first day started off with a bang with a visit with a live hawk from the Raptor Center. Students are able to link their behavior with the word, hawks to help foster a positive, safe, and caring school environment. Creekside staff introduced the following acronym on the first day of school.

H- Have respect

A- Act responsibly

W – Work hard

K- Keep a positive attitude

S – Stay safe

We partnered with the ACS Safe Schools Coordinator and conducted our first fire drill on the second day of school, and it was a success. We will practice a lock down drill and secure your area drill in the days to come.

We will kick off our beginning assessments this week. All students will take STAR and our third grade will participate in Performance Series. STAR is a universal screening tool that is used to determine a child’s present level of performance and monitor progress throughout the year. Performance Series is a State assessment that will be administered three times this year. The first administration will provide a baseline that will be used to measure growth in the areas of reading and math. Both assessments will be used to assist teachers in providing appropriate and individualized instruction to all students.

Please make every effort to attend Curriculum Night on August 27th. We will begin with a short PTO meeting in the multipurpose room where we will introduce our art, music, venture, computer, and media teachers. Then, parents will be dismissed to their child’s homeroom where you will get a glimpse into the academic year.

I look forward to a great first year at Creekside!

Katie Daniel

Principal, Creekside Elementary School

Remember to send in lunch money or deposit money online using www.myschoolbucks.com. The August menu can be found on our website under "Services" and then "Child Nutrition Program."

We are excited to provide an opportunity for our students to eat in a lunch room setting. This allows the students to interact with peers in a different setting while building friendships and displaying desirable mealtime behaviors. There will be times due to weather and other events when students will eat in their classrooms.

Due to several allergies in our school, we will have a "Peanut Butter Table." Should students bring a lunch from home that contains nuts, these students will have the opportunity to invite a friend to join them at this table. We will ensure that these students wash their hands and the table will be cleaned thoroughly. This will allow students to continue bringing nut items for lunch, as well as continue our efforts to keep all of our students safe.

Join us on the field Friday night, August 24 at the first Auburn High School football game. We will join Richland and Yarbrough to show support for our players.

On sale now! Future Tiger t-shirt order forms are being sent home. Shirts are $25, which includes game admission to each AHS home football game. A portion of these proceeds also come back to CES! Please return these forms and money by August 17 in time for delivery on August 23. Go Tigers!

The summer reading and math celebration will take place Wednesday, August 22. Students who completed these logs are in for a fun treat! New reading logs should have come home in your child's take home folder. Please encourage nightly reading at home! Our goal for the year is 3,000 minutes!

We continue to closely monitor our arrival and dismissal procedures. At this point, we have been able to unload all car riders prior to the 7:40 bell. Please note that students will begin receiving tardies should they arrive after 7:40.

If necessary, early check out should take place prior to 2:00 p.m. to limit car pool congestion. Vehicles should not be lined up for dismissal prior to 2:10. Vehicles lining up in front of the school prior to this time inhibits the ability of first responders and emergency vehicles to access the school in the event of an emergency. Vehicles will be held at the cones until dismissal at 2:30.

Concerns can be sent to Chris Hardman at ACS Central Office at 887-1903. Thank you for partnering with us to keep Creekside students as safe as possible.

Mark your calendars! Richland, Creekside, and Yarbrough will join together this year for our annual fundraiser. The "Race to the Red Carpet Fundraiser & 5K" will take place Sunday, November 4, 2018. Business sponsorship forms will come home with students this week. The deadline to submit business sponsorships will be Friday, August 31. Please email Laura Rogers at rogers36830@att.net should you have any questions.

We are looking forward to a fit, healthy, and fun year in Creekside Physical Education. We are practicing our locomotor (pathways and traveling) skills for the month of August, and we will be moving forward to our “Crossfit Kids” unit in September. Also starting in September will be our “Wellness Hawks Homework Challenge.” Students can participate in extra physical activity and complete a “Fitness Log” similar to a “Reading Log.” On the last Friday of the month, they can return the log to me and receive a prize from the Prize Box. Parents and families are invited to participate in these challenges as well.

We are outside each day for P.E, and I encourage you to please send water bottles to school with your student. For your student’s safety, I also encourage them to wear appropriate shoes (closed heel and closed toe) to P.E. If your student wears other types of shoes to school, please send an appropriate pair in their bookbag for P.E. Thank you for your support of the P.E. program at Creekside! I am looking forward to a year filled with fun fitness activities with your children!

Please contact me if questions arise at cacotter@auburnschools.org, or by calling (334) 887-0070.

Each student at Creekside will have a digital portfolio for their artwork.

Mrs. Kuhn will take photos of art projects as they are completed and post them into student digital portfolios. This is a great way to track student growth in art. Artwork will be sent home at the end of the school year. The digital portfolio will allow you see what we are creating in art. Students will receive an Artsonia slip with their login information for parents to view the artwork. Once you’ve granted permission on the Artsonia website, you will receive an email when new artwork is posted. You may add additional family members to your child’s portfolio if you wish. Artsonia permission slips with login information will be sent home with students the first week of September.

Greetings from Counseling!

My name is Jenny Timm and I am your child’s school counselor. The school year is off to a busy start and counseling is no different. We are learning about what a counselor does in our classroom guidance lessons, and getting to know one another. I will be meeting with each 2nd grade class weekly this year, and 3rd grade classes every other week. Here is a list of some of the services I offer as a part of my mission to educate, inspire, and empower your child academically, socially, and emotionally.

• Individual student counseling
• Large and small group counseling
• Parent/Teacher or individual parent conferences
• Classroom Guidance Lessons
• Information on community resources for families

Feel free to contact me at jrtimm@auburnschools.org if you have any specific concerns about your child that you would like me to be aware of.

Creekside students have the privilege of using MacBook Airs in the computer lab this year! During the month of August, students will learn basic procedures of signing in, utilizing the touchpad, and keyboarding skills. Students will also take the STAR Reading and Math Assessments during their computer classes this month.

This month in the library, students have been learning how to choose a “just right book” with the five-finger rule. Turn to any page in the book and begin reading. Hold up one finger for each word missed. 0-1 fingers: too easy – like bunny slippers. Comfy and cozy, but we shouldn’t read all the time. 2-3 fingers: Just right – like a pair of tennis shoes. Comfortable enough to stick with for a while. 4-5 fingers: Too hard – like high heels or new dress shoes. Challenging and can be worth it if you LOVE the book, but it won’t always be comfortable. Book checkout will also begin this month. Please see the CES library webpage for our checkout policy.

Our theme this month is “Sing & Say. Dance & Play. I can soar in a musical way.”

Is your child interested in sharing his or her musical talent? The Creekside Choir Crew will begin after Labor Day on Tuesday afternoons. This will be open to third grade students. Dues will be $15 per student to cover the costs of a choir t-shirt and music purchases. More information to come soon.

As we build our school community this year, we would love to know if you have a talent, resource, or career that you are willing to share with our school at some point throughout the year. Please email your child's teacher or Ashley Wood at arwood@auburnschools.org to discuss this further.

Email: arwood@auburnschools.org
Website: https://www.auburnschools.org/Domain/1891
Location: 1800 Richland Road, Auburn, AL, USA
Phone: (334)887-0070