AE Weekly Newsletter

Annville Elementary will be starting a TV Studio. The goal of the TV Studio is to run morning announcements at 8:50AM every day and special news segments for the school. This will be open to all 3rd and 4th graders. Members will meet Tuesday mornings at 8am in Mrs. Rudy’s Room 110. Students will be assigned specific morning broadcast days (number of days a month will depend on the number of students that sign up). Students will use this time to plan their morning broadcasts and special segments. The first meeting will be on Tuesday, October 15th. Students interested need to return the permission slip by FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11th. Please reach out to Mrs. Rudy at arudershousen@acschools.org with any questions!

Next week, we will start Title I reading supports for students who have gaps in their foundational reading skills. We have a number of assessments that were provided to all students at the beginning of the year that helped us to pinpoint their strengths and needs. These assessments also helped us to identify students who would be eligible to work with our reading specialists, receive these supports and close any skill gaps that may exists. If your child could benefit from working with our reading specialists to address their reading needs, letters were sent home last week to explain these sessions. Additionally, we will have a parent night on Tuesday, 10/8 at 6:00 in the Annville Elementary Cafeteria to help explain our Title I Programming. Parents and Guardians who have a child that has been identified to receive Title I Supports are encouraged to attend. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Leisey (lleisey@acschools.org) or Mrs. Hoover (rhoover@acschools.org).

Since beginning at AE last year, our team has been working to reflect on the structures and systems in place, align them to best practices, and ensure that our work matches the district's mission and vision. One of the systems that we've had much discussion about is our purpose for providing grades, as well as the process for calculating what's included and how students receive recognition.

We started this process by looking at why we grade and what we grade. As previously shared, we use grades to provide feedback to students and families regarding progress and growth in each subject area. Grades also provide data to each teacher, showing mastery of concepts, which then helps to drive instruction for future lessons. We’ve worked hard this year to ensure that our current grading system provides a comprehensive picture of how students are achieving in school, including all aspects of their work in class on grade level content not just assessments. We are confident that this work and the shifts made will provide all stakeholders with better insight into how their child is progressing in each subject area.

Lastly, as a school, we’ve started to look at how we recognize students each marking period. As a team, we know that there are benefits and drawbacks to the honor roll system for elementary-aged students. While for some students honor roll serves as motivation to succeed, it can be detrimental for others causing stress, anxiety, and other concerns. We are considering changing how we recognize students to focus on effort, work ethic, and learning/mastery rather than an average grade. We know this would be a shift in thinking for students and families and would like your input as we consider how to move forward. Please take a moment to complete the survey that is linked below to provide feedback to our team.

Survey linked here!

At Friday night football games, the sight of elementary students running around unsupervised can be both delightful and worrisome. While their laughter contributes to the festive atmosphere, their boundless energy often leads to chaos. As they weave through cheering fans and race around the stadium, safety becomes a significant concern—tripping hazards and distracted adults pose real dangers. Moreover, the absence of supervision raises issues such as conflicts among kids and the risk of children getting lost in the crowd. While their enthusiasm is contagious, it’s crucial to strike a balance between safety and fun for everyone involved. We kindly ask families attending our home football games to help supervise their children. We’ve noticed behaviors like running under the bleachers, throwing candy at spectators, and racing up and down the bleacher ramps, and we appreciate your assistance in addressing these issues. Thank you for helping us ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all!

STEM in the Community Night will be held on November 12th from 6:00-8:00! If you have a business that you would like to participate that evening with a hands on lesson or activity for families, please reach out to Dr. Kathy Blouch at stem4acsd@gmail.com.

• 10/8 - Title I Open House
• 10/11 - Spirit Day - Wear your "Be A-Champion" shirt!
• 10/14 - No School for Students
• 10/30 - End of First Marking Period
• 11/12 - STEM in the Community Event

Don't forget to check out the Community Bulletin Page on the District Website for the many events happening in our A-C Community linked here!

Parents of 6th Graders: Parent Volunteers will be needed for Junior Achievement BizTown in April in York. Each year our 6th grade students enjoy a day of entrepreneurship as they learned how to run their own businesses to support their town. We plan to provide this same experience for students this year and need your help! To make this day a success, we will need 22-30 parent volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, please let Mrs. Slabach know via email at aslabach@acschools.org. Once we have additional information, we will be sure to provide it to those interested in being a part of the day!

We are looking for substitutes for all positions to join our team! If you are interested in becoming a substitute in the district, please check out flier below!

Looking for Elementary Littles: Join Big Brothers Big Sisters! Our mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignites the power and promise of youth. We meet every other Thursday from 1:40-2:20 PM at Annville Elementary School. If you're interested in having your child participate, please reach out to AE School Counselor, Mrs. Bachman at ebachman@acschools.org and she will provide information to apply!

Third and Fourth Grade Students have been learning about being Champions of Kindness in their Dutchmen Way courses. When they complete an act of kindness, they are able to post in on this bulletin board outside of the office. Keep up the kindness!

Students (and adults) had a BLAST during Dutchmen Day this week. They enjoyed music, games, food, friends, and fun! Huge thanks to the Elementary PTO for providing this day for our school!

Our students continue to show that they are respectful, responsible and ready to learn! It's amazing to see how many Red Tickets are earned each day. Keep following the Dutchmen Way, Champions!

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