Oct 19th-23rd, 2026

What a wonderful way to wrap up our first quarter! We have officially made it through the first 9 weeks of school, and we could not be more proud of the growth, learning, and memories our YellowJackets have made along the way. As we head into the second 9 weeks, we are excited to keep building on that momentum and continue growing together!

We had such a fun time celebrating 45 Points of Growth and our MEGABLAST Day! Our students have worked hard, grown so much, and earned every bit of the celebration. Thank you to our families for supporting our school and helping make these special moments possible.

A reminder that school will be closed Monday and Tuesday, giving everyone a little extra time to rest and recharge. We look forward to welcoming our YellowJackets back on Wednesday and jumping right into Quarter 2!

We have an exciting few weeks ahead, including Red Ribbon Week and our ATLAS Interim 1 assessments. We will continue encouraging our students to do their very best, persevere through challenges, and remember that growth is a journey. These assessments give us valuable information about what our students know and where we can continue to grow and support them.

As we begin this new quarter, let's continue to remind our each other that every child deserves a chance; a chance to learn, to grow, to make mistakes, to try again, and to shine.

Thank you for being such an important part of our EEE family. We are so proud of our YellowJackets and can't wait to see all that Quarter 2 has in store!

You are important. You are loved. YOU BELONG HERE!!

Tamara Strawn, Ed.S.

October

19-20th-NO SCHOOL

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

• 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.

• 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.

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!

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!

First Grade Phonics Focus: The /ng/ Sound!

This week, our first graders are learning about the /ng/ sound, as heard at the end of words like ring, sing, king, and long!

The letters ng work together to make ONE sound!

Here's an important tip for practicing at home!

When making the /ng/ sound, the back of your tongue lifts and touches the soft part of the roof of your mouth. Your tongue should stay lifted in the back as you finish the sound. We do not want the tongue to drop and release an extra sound at the end.

Be careful not to add a schwa sound (an extra "uh") or a separate /g/ sound.

For example:

• ✅ ring — Hold the /ng/ sound and stop.

• ❌ ring-guh — Don't add an extra sound!

Try this at home: Have your child say sing and stretch the ending sound: "siiiing." Encourage them to keep the back of their tongue lifted and let the sound hum through their nose.

Remember, /ng/ is ONE sound, not /n/ + /g/ + "uh"!

Digraphs TCH and DGE 📚

TCH – Three letters, one sound!

• The letters tch work together to make the /ch/ sound.

• Usually found at the end of a word after a short vowel.

• Examples: catch, match, pitch, fetch, hutch.

DGE – Three letters, one sound!

• The letters dge work together to make the /j/ sound.

• Usually found at the end of a word after a short vowel.

• Examples: badge, edge, bridge, dodge, fudge.

Parent Tip 💡

Remind your child that three letters work together to make ONE sound!

Easy rule to remember:

After a short vowel, we often use tch for /ch/ and dge for /j/.

Have your child underline the three letters and say the sound before reading the whole word!

ROYO – Read On Your Own

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?

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.

Mr. Jake is our East End Math Instructional Coach. You have probably seen him in our car line. We are so glad to have him as part of our team!!

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

christywhitley@sheridanschools.org