The Trojan Times

Green Sea Floyds Elementary is committed to the service of all students. We aspire to empower students to achieve greatness by providing meaningful learning experiences and fostering a family atmosphere that supports the physical, social, and emotional well-being of all students.

On International Literacy Day, Green Sea Floyds Elementary and Green Sea Floyds High School joined forces to promote literacy and build strong reading habits among students. Through a special “House Reading Buddies” event, students from both schools paired up to share stories, strengthen their reading skills, and foster a lifelong love of books.

This initiative exemplifies Green Sea Floyds' commitment to service and community, aligning with our vision to support every student’s growth—academically and personally.

We are proud of our students and staff for embracing this meaningful opportunity. To continue and expand these kinds of literacy-based programs, we are seeking volunteers who are passionate about reading and making a difference.

📚 Interested in volunteering?
Notify Ms. Gerald of your interest by emailing rgerald@horrycountyschools.net.

Please visit https://app.sterlingvolunteers.com/en/Candidates/Account/Register to complete a background check.

Together, we can inspire the next generation of readers!

We’re excited to announce that our school is participating in Rise with Reading, a districtwide literacy challenge that aims to inspire and celebrate reading among all 48,000 K–12 students in our community.

Spearheaded by Superintendent Jones, this initiative encourages every student to read 1,000 pages each quarter—a goal that supports daily reading habits, strengthens literacy skills, and helps build a joyful, shared culture of learning.

At our school, we’re logging pages using Beanstack, a fun and easy-to-use platform that tracks student reading. Thanks to Mrs. Brown, all students have been trained during their library time on how to use the program. If you need a refresher, a tutorial video is linked below.

📚 Parents, we need your help!
Every time you read with your child at home—whether it’s a bedtime story, a few pages of a chapter book, or even a comic—log it in Beanstack. Every page counts toward the 1,000-page goal! We believe every student can rise to the challenge—and we can’t wait to cheer them on.

The Rise with Reading program aims to achieve the following goals:

• Each student reads 1,000 pages per quarter (4,000 pages/year).

• Recognition of top readers, classes, and schools each quarter.
• Students earn digital badges along the way to celebrate page milestones.
• Literacy Launcher: 100 pages
• Page Climber: 250 pages
• Chapter Champion: 500 pages
• Page Pro: 750 pages
• Reading Riser: 1,000 pages (Quarter goal)
• Summit Reader: 4,000 pages (Yearly goal)

Participating in the Rise with Reading challenge offers numerous benefits for students:

• Increased Reading Fluency: Reading more pages improves reading speed and comprehension.

• Expanded Vocabulary: Exposure to a wider range of texts leads to a richer vocabulary.
• Enhanced Comprehension Skills: Reading a variety of materials improves understanding and critical thinking.
• Motivation and Engagement: The challenge provides a sense of accomplishment and encourage students to enjoy reading.
• Stronger Reading Skills: Reading regularly helps students develop a foundation for future academic success.

What is a Lexile?

A Lexile is a standardized measure used to assess a student's reading ability and the difficulty level of a text. Lexile scores are expressed as numbers followed by an “L” (e.g., 650L, 950L), and they help match students with books that are at an appropriate reading level—challenging enough to promote growth, but not so difficult that they become discouraged.

Why Are Lexile Bands Important?

To help support reading development, we use Lexile bands by grade level. These bands give parents and teachers a general idea of the reading level students are expected to be at during each grade. By knowing your child’s Lexile measure, you can better understand their reading strengths and areas for growth.

Lexile bands will be included on your child’s interim report, giving you a clear picture of their current reading ability. Use the chart below to determine your child's grade level proficiency bands. This information can be a powerful tool to:

• Select “just right” books that match your child’s reading level and interests.

• Encourage consistent reading practice at home.

• Monitor progress over time.

How Can Parents Use This?

When helping your child choose books, look for ones that fall within 50L below to 100L above their reported Lexile score. This range is considered a comfortable challenge and will help your child build skills and confidence.

In addition to Lexile scores, consider your child’s interests and maturity level—reading should be enjoyable as well as educational!

If you need help finding books within your child’s Lexile range, feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher.

• Thursday, September 18 - Quarter 1 Interims Available

• September 29 - October 3 - Book Fair Week

• September 30 - October 2 - Biscuits and Books with Parents
• CD, Kindergarten, & 1st Grade - Tuesday, September 30
• 2nd - 3rd Grade - Wednesday, October 1
• 4th - 5th Grade - Thursday, October 2
• Tuesday, October 2 - Custodian Appreciation Day
• Friday, October 3 - House Picnic Day - Wear your House colors.

• October 6 - 10 - Fire Prevention Week
• October 6 - 8 - Grade 2 CogAT Testing
• Monday, October 6 - Instructional Coach Appreciation Day
• October 9 - 10 - Grade 2 IOWA Testing
• October 13 - 17 - School Lunch Week
• Monday, October 13 - School Closed
• Tuesday, October 14 - School Closed
• October 15 - 17 - Spirit Week
• Wednesday, October 15 - Dress Your Best Day
• Thursday, October 16 - Team or Jersey Day
• Friday, October 17 - Trojan Day - Wear your school colors. Homecoming at GSFH
• Wednesday, October 15 - Fall Pictures
• Thursday, October 16 - Parent Teacher Conferences and School Media Center Open from 3:00 - 6:30 (Teachers will send information soon)
• October 20 - 24 - National Character Counts Week
• Wednesday, October 22 - 1st Quarter Ends
• Friday, October 24 - Pink Out Day
• Friday, October 24 - Trunk or Treat - 5:30 - 7:30

Welcome back to a brand-new school year! We’ve had a great start in PE, and the students are already off to an active and exciting beginning. During the first few weeks, our classes have been focusing on learning and practicing the rules of PE to make sure everyone is safe and ready to have fun.

We’ve also been working on team-building activities to help students practice cooperation, communication, and sportsmanship. It has been wonderful to see so many students encouraging one another and learning the importance of working together.

As we move forward, we are looking forward to a year filled with games, activities, and lots of movement! Our goal is to help every student build healthy habits, develop skills, and most importantly—have fun while staying active.

Here’s to a fantastic year in PE!

• Simply download the free app, choose our school, and scan your receipt.
• Every Box Top = 10¢ back for classrooms, field trips, supplies, and more.

It’s an easy way to invest in Greatness, Service, Family — while doing your regular shopping!

Use referral code JVOW6ELJ and make the points more!

Let’s come together as a community — because when you scan, our students win!

The School Improvement Council (SIC) is an advisory committee to a school’s principal and faculty. The SIC plays a key role in the education of our children, bringing together parents and educators to work collectively to improve local schools. If you are interested in serving, you are asked to share information about yourself and why you would like to serve. Please complete this form by Monday, September 15.

Names will be compiled and voting will be held at a later date.