UWA CAMPUS SCHOOL |
Volume #9 Issue #1
663
UWA
Campus
School
UWA Station 42
Livingston, Alabama
35470
Welcome Back
IN THIS ISSUE
September Calendar Page #2
August Pics Pages #3-5
Students of the Month Pages #6-7
Director’s Corner Page #8
Classroom Blurbs Page #9
Curriculum Connections #10-11
FACULTY AND STAFF
Kim Smith, Director
Andrea Minear, Curriculum Director
Jaysa Smith, K5
Angelia Brownlee and Allie Carson, K4
P3-K4
Alison Powell, P3
Whitney Finch, Graduate Assistant
UWA CAMPUS SCHOOL |
2
September 2015
Monday
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Dance and Gymnastics
Friday
4
Pizza Day
Saturday/Sunday
5/6
College Colors Day
Wear red and
white!!!!
Families Study
UWA vs Stillman at
6p.m.
UWA Family Day
Madison’s Bday
7
8
9
10
Dance and Gymnastics
Labor Day Holiday
*School Closed*
UWA vs Cumberland
University at 6p.m.
Dr. Minear’s Bday
12/13
13- Mrs. Jaysa’s Bday
Higher Ed Partnership
Luncheon 11:45
Pizza Day
Neighborhoods/
Communities Study
14
11
OSR Coach/Monitor Visit
8:00a.m.
15
16
Walla’s bday
17
Dance and Gymnastics
18
Pizza Day
Neighborhoods/
Scholastic Book
Fair Set-up
19/20
UWA at Miles College
Communities Study
Bring Pennies
21
22
23
Book Fair
Scholastic Book Fair
Grandparent’s Day Tea
at 2:00pm.
Hero Day
24
Dance and Gymnastics
Scholastic Book Fair
Scholastic Book Fair
Bring Quarters
Bring Nickels
Bring Dollars
Bring Dimes
Maps/Globes Study
28
29
Rock’s Bday
25
Pizza Day
Individual School
Pictures
30
Scholastic Book
Fair
26/27
UWA at Texas A&M
UWA CAMPUS SCHOOL |
August Pics
3
UWA CAMPUS SCHOOL |
4
UWA CAMPUS SCHOOL |
5
Students of the Month
Ainsley Austin, K-5
Ainsley Austin is five years old. She is the daughter of Bryan and Kelly
Austin of Livingston, Alabama. She is a star because she loves to help
people. She shows others she cares by giving hugs, kisses, and smiles.
Here are 3 super-cool facts about Ainsley: she has a dog (Olivia), two cats
(Hokie and Smoltzie), and a fish (Carl), she can sing all the songs
in Frozen, and she loves the beach. Ainsley’s favorite sport is t-ball and
her favorite colors are purple and pink. So far, her favorite part of
Kindergarten is playing on the playground with Bennett and William. When
she grows up, Ainsley wants to be a Power Ranger!
STUDENTS OF THE
MONTH FOR K-4
RADY D
UMAS
ADY DUMAS
Walla’s Alabdrabalridah: Walla’s birthday is September 15. She will be 5 year old this month! Walla’a lives with
her mom, he dad, and her big brother, Mohammad.
Ammar Alsofyani: Ammar’s birthday is August 15. He is 4 years old. Ammar lives with his mommy and daddy.
Ammar’s favorite color is yellow. He likes to play with toys at his house. He also likes to play with Walla’a. He loves
to eat cheese sandwiches. Ammar wants to be a teacher when he grows up.
Caroline Collins: Caroline’s birthday is December 17. She is 4 ½ years old. Caroline lives with her baby brother,
Sam, her mommy and her daddy. Her favorite color is pink. Her favorite thing to play with is baby dolls. Stori is
one of her favorite people to play with. Caroline loves to eat chicken. When she grows up, she wants to be a UWA
Sparkle Girl.
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ANNE SUTTON
BEARD, P-3/K-4
Anne Sutton Beard is the Student of the Month in the
Combo classroom. Anne Sutton is the daughter of
Robert and Katie Beard of Livingston, Alabama. She has
one sister named Mabry. Anne Sutton is the youngest.
She loves t-ball, hunting, playing Leap Frog, fishing, and
swimming. She loves pink and purple, and her favorite
song is “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”. Anne Sutton
enjoys going to the beach for vacation. Her favorite
thing to do in school is spell words and listen to music.
Anne Sutton’s favorite food is whipped cream with
graham crackers and strawberries.
N
MADISON RYANS,
P-3
Madison Ryans is our Student of the Month. She is the
daughter of Michael & Tasheka Ryans. Madison’s birthday is
September 4th. She will be three years old. Madison’s
favorite candy is “Starburst”. She loves the color “pink”, and
her favorite music is hip hop. She loves to go to the beach
with her family.
UWA CAMPUS SCHOOL |
Volume #9 Issue #1
663
Director’s Corner
Dear Campus School Parents,
I am so excited about this school year. We have so many activities and
events planned and want to welcome you to participate in as many of them
as possible. You are a vital part of our program’s success, and we want you
to be here with us whenever you can.
You will be seeing a lot of new faces at the Campus School. We have
added two new teachers, Mrs. Angie and Ms. Allie. We have also added
several new work study students, job ship students, and our Graduate
Assistant, Mrs. Whitney Finch. Many of our College of Education faculty
members will be visiting us throughout the school year to mentor the
Campus School teachers and give us guidance as we continue to provide a
loving and nurturing environment for your
little ones. We are
excited to have so much help on board.
We have made several changes to the school as you have probably already
noticed. We were awarded a grant from the Office of School Readiness
that allowed us to add a new classroom for our Pre-K students. This grant
allows us to provide scholarships to many of our students and will benefit
the entire school. You may notice that our playground equipment has been
refurbished. Because of this grant, we were able to pay for our
playground to be in better condition for all of our students. All of the
supplies that were purchased for the classroom are being used by all of
the students at some point each week. We are so excited to be one of
612 OSR schools in the state of Alabama. Our Literacy Center has
replaced our curriculum library room here at the Campus School. We
encourage you to come read with us. Feel free to come any day to read or
act out stories with us in the Literacy Center.
Please look at the calendar for upcoming events. We have a lot planned, so
we don’t want you to miss all of the fun.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful children with us. I can’t imagine a
more rewarding job than being right here with these little ones.
Ms. Kim
MS. KIM SMITH
[email protected]
205.652.3832
UWA CAMPUS SCHOOL |
Classroom Blurbs
MRS. JAYSA K5
Welcome back, everyone! What a great three weeks we
have had! We started our year off with our All About Me unit and are getting to know all about each other, our
families, and our pets. We are having our letter, shape, and color review now and will begin our reading quest soon
after. We have already started learning sight words! We are having fun graphing in math, learning how to be a good
citizen and friend in social studies, and discovered so much through our five senses in science. Coming up we will learn
about neighborhoods, communities, community helpers, and maps. We are looking forward to seeing Ms. Haley and Ms.
Angie again for dance and tumble each week. The Book Fair will be September 18 th-25th and I hear it is Monster
themed this semester! We always enjoy spending time with our Grandparents and Heroes in September…such special
days for our students. We have so many fun and educational happenings always going on in our room so please
subscribe to our blog to keep up with us!
MRS. ANGIE AND MS. ALLIE K-4
We have had an awesome start to our Pre-K school year! We have gotten to know each other and learned to work &
play together. The students helped to make up rules for our classroom so that everyone can be safe and happy. We
learned important classroom routines, too. Boys and girls counted, recited the alphabet letters and sounds, and voted
every day. Students helped their parents make posters picturing themselves with family members. Please visit our
class blog at fantasticprek4.blogspot.com to see many pictures from our first month together!
Next month we will begin a unit on “clothes.” Through this unit, we will explore seasonal changes. We will work on
skills and concepts in small groups. That will allow us to target specific goals based on students’ strengths and needs.
Look for homework activities in September!
MRS.ALISON P3
We have been “toad”ally leaping in since school started on
August 10th. We have made frog handprints and tear paper art frogs. The children have been busy recognizing their
names around the classroom. We have gone on a mystery hunt to find their names in different locations around the
room. During our morning circle time we have been learning our shapes, colors, numbers & ABC’s. We went on a mouse
hunt after reading the book called If You Take a Mouse to School. The children loved finding the chocolate chip
cookies left all around the school where the mouse left a trial for us to find. However, we did not find the mouse!! 
The children have enjoyed learning All about Me, the Five Senses, Friends & Families units. They enjoyed bringing in
their family pictures for show & tell and their favorite stuffed animal. WOW! It is hard to believe that September
is here and that football season is kicking off. GO UWA TIGERS!!! During the month of September we will continue
learning about All about Me, Friends & Families, and Neighborhoods & Communities. Things to look forward to in
September are the following: Carol Merrill Dance & Gymnastics begins on the 2 nd, Labor Day HOLIDAY on the 7th,
Book Fair at the Campus School starts on the 18 th, Grandparent’s Day Program on the 21st @ 10AM, Hero Day on the
22nd, Individual Student Pictures on the 29th. So, hold on because it will be a busy September at the Campus School.
GO TIGERS!!!
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UWA CAMPUS SCHOOL |
Dear Wonderful Campus School Parents,
Welcome to a new year of Learning through Child’s Play at the UWA Campus School. Thank you for entrusting your precious
children to us. We are looking forward to an outstanding year.
It is most important that we prepare young children in developmentally appropriate language and literacy. According to early
childhood experts, an exemplary teacher is very important to each child’s education, but more than that, the degree of parent
involvement in a child’s learning is the number one predictor of a child’s success in school. Therefore, we are asking for you help.
(Do not worry; you do not have to be a teacher – just a good parent.)
Our best suggestion: Read, Talk and Listen to your child. They have much more to say than sometimes we give them credit for! 
I am attaching some information entitled Everyday Steps in Reading and Writing. There you will find numerous tips on how to
engage your child in language and literacy.
Among the ways to help your little one, you can:

Talk and Listen

Read aloud together

Explore the sounds of language through rhymes

Provide various alphabet activities – books and songs

Support reading– let them read every day. You will see progress over time.

Provide many, varied books

Support writing – provide dry erase supplies, paper, markers, pencils, etc – keep it handy.

Explain how books and print work

Begin a home library
To find out more, read the complete handout and share it with your friends and family!
:-) Dr. Minear
Everyday Steps to Reading and Writing
http://www.rightchoiceforkids.org/node/115
Did you know that children begin their path to reading as babies when they hear and respond to the sound of a human
voice? Literacy, the ability to comprehend and communicate through reading and writing, begins with understanding
the sounds in language. Listening, talking, reading, and writing are all parts of early literacy learning—and they’re all
connected.
It’s important for young children to hear and understand spoken language, become aware of the different language
sounds, and start learning about print—letters and words. Preschoolers need writing to help them learn about reading
and reading to help them learn about writing, but they need to talk and listen before learning about both!
Young children learn about literacy through everyday things at home. It’s especially important for families to
encourage a love of reading and to demonstrate the power of writing to communicate ideas. When you guide your
child’s hands and eyes to words on a page, she learns that marks have meaning. When you listen as she “reads” her
scribbles, you give meaning to her own marks.
How else can you encourage your child to love reading, writing, and oral language so much that she begs for a bedtime
story? The following strategies are a great start.
Ways to encourage literacy
In any home, there are countless ways to encourage a child’s love of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Here are
simple ideas for highlighting literacy in your everyday routine.
1. Talk and listen
Engage your child in meaningful, thought-provoking conversation. While you listen and respond to what he has to say,
• Introduce new words, perhaps colander or automobile
• Expand on what he says, offering more description and using more mature language (Your child: “It runned out.” You:
“Your marker ran out of ink!”)
• Challenge him to imagine, remember, and think about things he sees and hears around him
• Ask him to tell you about the best thing that happened that day
2.Read aloud together
Perhaps the most important thing you can do to help your child build reading and writing skills is to read aloud with
her. To make the most of this time together,
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Read aloud with her at least once every day
Read favorites again and again
Talk with her about the story before, during, and after reading
Ask her teacher what kinds of books and authors she likes best at school
Ask a librarian to suggest some diverse and age-appropriate children’s books, poetry collections, and songs
Share a variety of literature (stories, poems, and informational books) over time
Suggest activities that go with the books you read (“In this book, Yoko brought sushi to school for lunch. Would you
like to make a special food for lunch?”)
3.Explore the sounds of language
Children love to play with sounds and words. Invite them to play with sounds and words and to think about spoken
language itself. Make up games. Using stories, poems, and songs, or your own imagination, play with the following:
• rhymes—Words that end with the same sound (“See you later, alligator.” “Hey, what other words sound like splat?”
[mat, flat,])
• alliteration—Words that begin with the same sound (“The red car raced to the restaurant.”)
• sound matching—Matching specific sounds (“Listen to the word duck. Duck starts with the /d/ sound. What other
words start with the same sound as duck?”)
• sound/letter connections―Exploring letters found in meaningful words such as children’s names (“Look, Jennifer and
Jamal’s names both start with J.”)
4. Offer alphabet activities
Over time, playing with items like the following can help your child recognize the letters of the alphabet:
• ABC books
• magnetic letters
• alphabet blocks and puzzles
• alphabet charts
5. Support budding readers and writers as they test their new skills
Your child needs time and space to explore books and print on his own or with friends. You can
• Create a cozy book nook somewhere in your home and stock it with lots of good books
• Reread favorite books, especially ones that invite your child to chime in (predictable books)
• Fill your home with meaningful print, such as a daily schedule, helper charts, labels to identify things, and reminders
(“Pump the soap one time”)
• Encourage print in play (for example, provide or help your child create menus for a pretend restaurant)
6. Offer books throughout your home and even outdoors
Be sure to provide a wide variety of styles and topics:
• information books, like Byron Barton’s Airport, which introduce new vocabulary and concepts
• books, songs, and poems with strong rhymes, such as Raffi’s Down by the Bay
• stories with strong narrative plots, such as Mercer Mayer’s There’s an Alligator under My Bed
• books in your home language and in English
• books that reflect your culture and life experiences
• classics and new literature
• books with beautiful, inspiring illustrations
7. Support budding writers with lots of materials
Children need easy access to materials so they can build their early writing skills through scribble writing, groupings
of random letters, and their own unique spelling of words. Offer your child
• a writing basket stocked with pens, pencils, markers, paper, envelopes, and book-making materials
• demonstrations of writing (for example, write down your child’s description of her drawing)
• opportunities for meaningful writing (labels or explanations for artwork, block constructions, and other creations)
• writing materials to use in play (for example, pencils and notepads to write prescriptions, take orders, or make
grocery lists)
8. Explain how books and print work
While introducing and reading books or other texts, help your child learn how print works:
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UWA CAMPUS SCHOOL |
• Point to words as you read them
• Note the differences between pictures and print
• Show how books in English are read from left to right, top to bottom
• Talk about the different parts of books, like the cover and the title page
• Encourage him to join in with repeated lines when reading his favorite stories
9. Build a home book collection
When children have books at home they are more likely to read for fun and to learn new things. You don’t have to
spend a lot of money to develop a home library for your child. For example,
• Yard sales are terrific places to find very inexpensive children’s books—sometimes for as little as 25 cents each
• Secondhand stores offer children’s books, often organized in a special section
• Relatives and friends often ask what to get a child as a birthday or holiday gift, so suggest a book. They might also
be eager to pass on books their children have outgrown
• Libraries are places to borrow books, but many also sell used books; on your next visit, ask a librarian if the library
has used children’s books for sale or will have in the future
• Used-book stores usually have a section for children’s books
• Online sellers offer used or new copies of children’s books (Go to a site such as Amazon.com or Half.com and search
for a book title. You will be linked to sellers who typically charge much less than the cover price. Also try
Craigslist and local Listservs where families list books and other things their children have outgrown.)
• Early childhood programs and elementary schools often have book fairs to sell used or new books; call your local
school and ask if a sale is planned
This article is adapted from K.A. Roskos, J.F. Christie, and D.J. Richgels, “The Essentials of Early Literacy
Instruction,” Young Children 58 (March 2003): 52–60.
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