Oct 26th-30th, 2026
East End Elementary Empower. Encourage. Excel.
We Have a BIG Week Ahead
We have an exciting and important week coming up at East End Elementary! Next week, our Yellowjackets will be working hard as we begin ATLAS Interim 1 Testing, while also celebrating Red Ribbon Week!
ATLAS Interim 1 Testing
Our students have been working so hard, and now it's time for them to SHOW WHAT THEY KNOW! These assessments help us celebrate student growth, identify strengths, and determine how we can continue supporting each child's learning. We are working on that PETTING ZOO again for the end of the year!!
Our biggest message to students is simple: GIVE YOUR BEST EFFORT! We want our Yellowjackets to take their time, listen carefully, think through their answers, and believe in themselves!
Families, you can help by making sure your child:
Gets a good night's sleep.
Arrives at school on time.
Eats a healthy breakfast.
Hears encouraging words about doing their personal best!
❤️ Red Ribbon Week
We will also celebrate Red Ribbon Week as we encourage our students to make healthy choices, take care of themselves, and build positive habits! This is a wonderful opportunity to reinforce the importance of making good decisions and being the BEST version of ourselves.
We are looking forward to a week filled with learning, encouragement, and FUN!
Thank you, families, for continuing to partner with us. Let's make it a GREAT week, EEE!
You are important. You are loved. YOU BELONG HERE!!
Tamara Strawn, Ed.S.
Important Dates
October
26-30th-Red Ribbon Week
26-Nov.6th-ATLAS Interim 1 Testing
November
5th-Kindergarten Family Night (Sign-up here)
11th-Veterans Day Parade
12th-Picture Retakes
20th-Author Visit (See Information Below)
Friday Night Football Game Themes:
October 30th- Halloween Theme & Senior Night vs Sylvan Hills
Create the cover to our Yearbook!
Please Watch For Our Car Line Procedures
Items To Remember:
Want to eat lunch with your child? We have a limited number of seats, so you are required to call the office to reserve a specific date and spot, 501.888.4262.
Please try and send all lunch and snacks with your student in the morning rather than bring to the office for us to deliver.
You MUST have your student car tag in order to pick up your child. (Handbook-pg.68)
You can purchase ONE additional car tag in the office for $1.00.
Parents must stay in their vehicle in the carline. We have staff to assist students. When stopped, students should open their car door and have all items ready to get out in the morning. If you have a child safety lock on your door, please ask for help opening the door.
When staff start to close the morning gate at 8am, we will not re-open it. You must check your student in the front office after 8am.
For the morning carline, students should be ready to get out of the vehicle at every orange cone.
For the afternoon carline, we encourage you to work on your child buckling themselves. If they cannot, please pull up to the front parking lot after they get into your vehicle to buckle them. This helps our carline work more efficiently.
If at all possible, please have your student's car seat on the passenger side. It is safer for staff and students if all students enter and exit the vehicle from the passenger side.
HEART of a YellowJacket
- Students at EEE show the HEART of the YellowJacket
- Honest, Effort, Accountable, Respect, Teamwork
- Students can earn Jacket Bucks & spend them at our Jacket Buck Store
- Behavior Bash after each 9 weeks. Criteria to go: No MAJOR Behavior Referrals and 80% on class behavior log for that 9 weeks.
- POSITIVE Office Referrals=Phone call home, celebrated on grade-level "Caught Being Kind "Wall, celebrated at CKH Monthly Meeting.
October Word Of The Month
Cafeteria Information
Peanut Free School
East End Elementary is a peanut-free school. Please be mindful when packing lunches, snacks, and treats for your child.
Some prepackaged meals, including certain Lunchables, may contain candy or snack items such as Butterfinger, CRUNCH bars, or Nutty Buddy bars that may contain peanuts or peanut ingredients. Items containing Nutella should also not be sent to school.
Please check ingredient labels carefully before sending food items with your child. Thank you for helping us keep our students safe!
Counselors Corner
October Calming Strategy: Squeeze and Release!
Tighten Up, Let It Go!
Each month, students will continue learning simple calming strategies that help them manage stress, frustration, worry, and big emotions.
During the month of October, students will learn and practice Squeeze and Release, a simple muscle relaxation technique that helps children recognize when their bodies feel tense and learn how to relax.
Students will imagine they are holding two lemons and practice:
🍋 1. Squeeze Your Lemons: Pretend you have a lemon in each hand. Squeeze your fists tightly for 3 seconds.
✋ 2. Let It Go: Open your hands and let your fingers relax.
💪 3. Tighten Your Muscles: Gently squeeze your arms and shoulders for 3 seconds.
🌈 4. Release and Relax: Let your arms hang loosely and drop your shoulders.
❤️ 5. Notice Your Calm: Take a slow breath and notice how your body feels when your muscles relax.
"When big feelings make our bodies feel tight, we can SQUEEZE and RELEASE! We can let go of that tension and get our bodies ready to learn!"
When students practice these skills regularly, not just when they are upset, they become more aware of their emotions and more confident in managing their reactions.
Remember: Tighten up, let it go, and get ready to grow!
ATLAS INFORMATION
Kindergarten
1st Grade
Diagraph Knowledge
Digraph CH
Two letters, one sound! The letters c and h work together to make /ch/.
CH is usually an unvoiced sound, meaning your voice is OFF.
CH can be found at the beginning or end of words.
Beginning CH: chip, chop, chin, chat
Ending CH: much, rich, lunch, beach
Parent Tip: Have your child say chip slowly and listen for the /ch/ sound. Remind them that two letters work together to make one sound!
The nk sound
First Grade Phonics Focus: The /nk/ Sound!This week, our first graders are learning about the /nk/ sound, as heard at the end of words like pink, sink, bank, and think!
The letters nk work together to represent TWO sounds: /ng/ followed by /k/. When we say these sounds together, they blend smoothly!
Here's an important tip for practicing at home!
When making the /nk/ sound, the back of your tongue lifts and touches the soft part of the roof of your mouth. First, air flows through your nose as you make the /ng/ sound. Then, you release the air to make a quick, crisp /k/ sound.
We want students to hear and produce both sounds clearly without adding an extra sound at the end.
Be careful not to add a schwa sound (an extra "uh") after the /k/ sound.
For example:
✅ pink — Say /p/ /i/ /ng/ /k/ and stop.
❌ pink-uh — Don't add an extra "uh" sound!
✅ sink — Finish with a quick, crisp /k/ sound.
❌ sink-kuh — Don't add an extra vowel sound after /k/!
Try this at home: Have your child say pink slowly. Encourage them to feel the back of their tongue lift for /ng/ and then release for /k/. Practice with other words like tank, wink, drink, and thank.
You can also have your child listen for the difference between sing and sink. Ask, "What extra sound do you hear at the end of sink?"
Remember, the letters nk represent TWO sounds, /ng/ + /k/, and we don't add an extra "uh" at the end!
2nd Grade
Ending Patterns
This week, our second graders are learning to recognize and read words with special spelling patterns: -le, -ild, -old, -ind, -olt, and -ost!
Recognizing these patterns helps students decode longer words, improve fluency, and become more confident readers!
-LE – A Common Final Syllable!
Often appears at the end of a word as a consonant + le pattern.
The final syllable usually sounds like /əl/ (a quick "ul" sound).
Examples: table, little, apple, candle, purple.
-ILD – Look for the Long I!
The letter i often makes its long /ī/ sound in this pattern.
Examples: wild, child, mild.
-OLD – Look for the Long O!
The letter o usually makes its long /ō/ sound.
Examples: cold, gold, told, hold, fold.
-IND – Look for the Long I!
The letter i usually makes its long /ī/ sound.
Examples: find, kind, mind, blind, behind.
-OLT – Look for the Long O!
The letter o usually makes its long /ō/ sound.
Examples: bolt, colt, jolt, molt.
-OST – Look for the Long O!
The letter o often makes its long /ō/ sound in this pattern.
Examples: most, post, host, ghost.
💡 Parent Tip
Remind your child that some spelling patterns help us recognize long vowel sounds, even when there is no silent e at the end of the word!
Easy rule to remember:
In the patterns -ild, -old, -ind, -olt, and -ost, the vowel often says its name!
Try this at home: Have your child circle or underline the spelling pattern in a word, say the vowel sound, and then read the whole word.
For example:
c + old = cold
k + ind = kind
b + olt = bolt
For words ending in consonant + le, help your child identify the final syllable, as in ta-ble or can-dle.
Remember: Spot the pattern, say the sound, and read the word!
ROYO
We encourage all students to continue using the ROYO program at home to help strengthen and maintain their reading skills! Students can log in through their Google account just like they do at school.
If you need your child’s login information, please contact the office at 501-888-4264 or email:
Coach Strawn – tamarastrawn@sheridanschools.org
Joy Sharp – joysharp@sheridanschools.org
Keep reading and keep growing!
What is ROYO?
What Is ROYO?
ROYO (Read On Your Own) is an AI-powered literacy platform for elementary and middle school students. ROYO generates personalized decodable books aligned to Science of Reading principles, phonics scope and sequence, sight words, individual teacher classroom instruction, and each student’s reading ability, language needs, and interests.
Contact Us
Please feel free to contact East End Elementary administration for any reason. We are here to partner with you to ensure safety and success for your child. You may call the office at 501.888.4264 or by the emails listed below. Thank you for choosing to share your child with EEE!
Tamara Strawn, Principal
tamarastrawn@sheridanschools.org
Alan Braden, Assistant Principal
alanbraden@sheridanschools.org
Christy Whitley
