Update

EAST students participated in a mentor day at Ahlf Junior High School. High school EAST students came over and discussed EAST conference, then they visited with students about their projects. This was a great way to network between the two programs. Pictured are Avery Evans (SHS) with Katie Howell and Charley Anne Jackson (AJHS).

3rd Grade QUEST students from all campuses share their ocean projects and activities from the 1st Quarter. In Wit & Wisdom, they study ocean explorers and why they explore the sea. Students designed & built shark traps, researched ocean explorers, completed escape rooms, and created picture books about discovering a new ocean creature! Keeping up with a Hawaiian mission in real time, Nautilus Live, has been a highlight of the quarter.

Mrs. Lawson’s 4th grade students became community history hunters as they participated in a hop on/hop off history tour of Searcy. The information learned will be used to help the students create projects to make their very own History of Searcy Museum. Thank you to Mayor Mat Faulkner for allowing the students to participate in a mock city Council meeting, to Amy Burton (Main Street Searcy) and Shelly Churchwell for their presentations to the students, and to the Watson Center at HU for hosting them for lunch.

6th Grade Next Level Students have been working on a Historical Headliner project. They researched a famous person, found images (or created them) to represent their life and their accomplishments. Their unit is called "Storytelling through Art."

Sidney Deener celebrated having "good character" during Red Ribbon Week by dressing as their favorite book characters! Lots of good character was shown!

Sidney Deener held it annual PTO sponsored Fall Festival. Wonderful weather and a great turnout of families made the special event a hit!

McRae ended Red Ribbon Week with a very special celebration- Bee Day! We recently received our ESSA School Index. The ESSA School Index is made up of multiple indicators.

• Achievement is a measure of what the students at a school know and are able to do in ELA and Mathematics. Weighted Achievement counts for 35% of the ESSA School Index.

• Value-Added Growth is a measure of a student's progress in ELA and Mathematics over time. Value-Added Growth counts for 50% of the ESSA School Index for Elementary School.

• School Quality and Student Success indicator focuses on student Engagement (which is attendance-all student absences both excused and unexcused along with tardies are taken into account), Reading at Grade Level, and Science Achievement. The School Quality and Student Success indicator counts for 15% of the ESSA School Index.

McRae Elementary School is thrilled to announce that our school received a "B" rating! Our staff and students worked so incredibly hard so we celebrated their achievement!

McRae Elementary students celebrated International Dot Day by creating a collaborative painting where every student in school added a dot.

Westside kicked off their literacy initiative in early September with a carnival focused on children's literature title Charlotte's Web. The event included games, face painting, a dunk booth, and petting zoo with Wilbur the Pig from the book. The entire campus began reading the book in late September and Searcy staff members assisted with the chapter readings. Each week, students were asked questions about the book and the first class to submit the correct answer earned the opportunity to keep "Charlotte" the spider for the following days of the week! Students enjoyed the interactive schedule as the whole campus was able to participate together. What a fantastic way to make reading fun and improve literacy skills!

Congratulations to the 9th grade football team who went undefeated this season and were named Conference CHAMPIONS!!! Coaches are James White, David Brooker, Drew Lawrence, and Landon Stafford.