ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Downsville Community Charter School

4787 Hwy 151, Downsville, LA 71234

Phone: 318-982-5318 FAX: 318-982-5737

Cyndee Albritton—Assistant Executive Director/Elementary Principal

albrittonc@unionpsd.org

October/November 2017

Upcoming Events

November 2 3-8 Bullying Presentation

3 LifeShare Blood Drive

5 Daylight Savings Time Ends

7 Election Day

7 PTO Fundraiser Items Arrive

7 PTO Meeting @ 3:15

10 Veteran’s Day Holiday

12 Downtown Downsville Market

14 DCCS Board Meeting

16 Kindergarten Parents for Thanks-

giving Dinner

17 Battle of the Beards Pep Rally

17 Progress Reports Go Home

17 Dismiss for Thanksgiving Break

20-24 Thanksgiving Holiday

27-30 Spirit Week

28 Pre-K - 5 Field Trip to the Ballet

From the Desk of Mrs. Albritton

“At Downsville Elementary We” ……

Are Respectful, Responsible and Ready to learn.

I was overjoyed to see the tremendous school-wide participation with the Fall

Festival on Friday. Thank you to all the classroom teachers, staff members,

community, parents, students, PTO members and officers who contributed their

time and money to the silent auction, festival planning, set up, clean up, and

events of the evening. Everyone seemed to have a great time, especially the stu-

dents. Check out the next page for some photos from the Fall Festival.

Beginning in November, afterschool tutoring will be offered to students in

grades 3-8 who are struggling in math. Registration forms were sent home with

report cards. We hope that as many students as possible will be able to take ad-

vantage of our afterschool tutoring program. Reading instruction will be offered

later in the school year. If your child did not receive a registration form and his/

her grade was below a C on the report card, check with your child’s teacher to

see if he/she qualifies for the program.

Our Christmas Classroom Decorating Contest will take place December 6, 7,

and 8. I would love to see parents, students, and teachers working together to

‘Show Some Holiday Spirit’ throughout the school. Decorating may start the

week before we get out for Thanksgiving break. All decorating should be com-

plete before the contest begins. Votes are 25 cents each or eight votes for $1.00.

The winner will be announced on Dec. 11. The winning classroom will receive

cash money to be used in the classroom. Good luck to everyone.

BRAVO

Fall Book Fair Information:

***The book fair raised $1,000.***

Congratulations to the winners of the

book baskets:

K-3 - Jonah Albritton

4-6 - Elizabeth Koch

The first ever Downtown Downsville Market will be Sunday, November 12 from 1:00-5:00 pm at

Downsville Hall, located beside the school at 9523 Hwy 145. While you are there, be sure to pur-

chase lunch from DCCS. Some of our very own basketball, baseball, and softball players and

cheerleaders will be serving up hotdogs, hamburgers, baked goods, lemonade and tea. PTO will

have some more of their delicious potato twists and soft drinks. We’ll also bring our snow cone

machine because it’s never too cold for some Demon Ice. So come out and show your support for DCCS and get

some Christmas shopping done too. It’s a win-win! We hope to see you there. Vendor Listings Include:

Lynlee’s Jewelry Box/Lynlee Brady; Norwex/Lisa Gaar; Peg’s Southern Décor and More/Peggy Ratliff;

Woodworking & Coca Cola/Kevin Albritton; Premiere Jewelry/Valerie Placke; MaryKay/Ashley Butler & Kim-

berly Aswell; Advocare/Kimberly Aswell; SeneGence/Jessica Brown; Southern Belle’s Sweet Treats/Whitney

Patrick; Lula Roe/Brooke Whitehead; Monat/Jenny Upton; Scentsy/Melissa Pace & Sherri Albritton; Enchant-

ed/Sue Silmon; and More

2017 Fall Festival

& REMINDERS

Don’t forget to set

your clocks back this

Sunday at

2:00 am.

Kindergarten parents

are invited to eat

our Thanksgiving

meal with your child

on Thursday,

November 16.

School will dismiss

for Thanksgiving

break at 2:45 pm on

Friday, Nov. 17 and

will resume at

7:35 am on

Monday, Nov. 27.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Dressing for the Weather

Now that the weather is changing and temperatures

are dropping, dressing your child appropriately for

the weather is important. Students will be sent out-

doors for recess, weather permitting. It is important

for the students to go out in the fresh air and exer-

cise when possible. Feel free to put an extra pair of

pants, socks, undergarments in your child’s back-

pack, incase your child falls and gets wet or muddy.

Lost and Found

Our lost and found box is already overflowing. If

your child cannot find his/her coat, please have him/

her check out the lost and found box located in the

front office. Many items are left out at recess and

brought in at the end of the day. At the end of the

school year, any items remaining will be bagged up

and donated.

School-Wide Free Breakfast & Lunch We offer free breakfast and lunch to all students.

Students in grades Pre-K - 3 are taken to breakfast

by their teachers every morning. Students in grades

4 and up should go immediately to the cafeteria

upon arrival at school each morning. It is not

mandatory that students eat at school, but breakfast

is an important meal for students, especially during

testing.

Emergency Contact Information Please remember to keep the office informed of any

changes in your contact information as soon as pos-

sible. It is important for us to be able to contact you

in the event of an emergency.

For Updates!!!

Keep an eye on our website, app, and Facebook

(Downsville Community Charter School) for im-

portant dates and news from our school. For ques-

tions, contact Tony Cain/Executive Director or

Cyndee Albritton/Asst. Executive Director.

Bus Lineup Reminder

100-Stacey Bennett 103-Kim Miller

101-Johnette Bearden 104-Tamala Steward

102-Linda Bennett 105-Extra Bus

Mission Statement:

The Mission of Downsville Community Charter

School is to prepare all students

to achieve academic success and become pro-

ductive citizens.

The Alma Moter

By the stillness of the woodland

Raise the chorus; speed it onward;

Stands a school so fair;

We shall e’er be true.

Downsville Charter, Alma Mater,

Hail to thee, our Alma Mater,

Your worth’s beyond compare.

Your spirit will guide us through.

Be Flu Smart…… This time of year, it’s important to brush up on the symptoms of Influenza and what you can do to safeguard yourselves and your families. Influenza is a viral infection that can make you feel very sick. It is generally spread from infected droplets in coughs or sneezes. Symptoms generally come on suddenly and include: fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, head-aches, and fatigue. Some people may also experience vomiting and diarrhea. This is more common in children than adults. The best treatment for the flu is prevention. Unless contra-indicated, individuals should receive a flu vaccination each year during the fall. Generally, flu season peaks from March to Novem-ber. It’s also important to wash your hands regularly, eat healthy foods, get plenty of rest, and avoid exposure to those that may be sick. There are antiviral medications that may shorten the duration of the flu and lessen the severity of the symptoms. If you have flu- like symptoms, you should contact your health care professional to discuss your options. Go to www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/index.htm to find out more information.

October’s Outstanding Elementary Student

It is my pleasure to announce October’s Student of the

Month in Elementary—Miss Harper Long. Harper is a kinder-

gartener who enjoys doing things in her spare time with her

parents. She enjoys planting flowers and vegetables with her

daddy, and shopping at JCPenneys and eating Chinese food

with her mom. She also enjoys library events and church ac-

tivities. Her hobbies are playing tennis, hula hooping, riding

her bicycle, playing catch, and cooking. She cooked her first

egg and cheese omelet at the age of four. Harper loves school

and hopes to one day become a veterinarian, specializing in

puppy dogs. She has numerous pets by the names of Lilly, Lu-

cy, Trixie, Socks, and Blackie. She has a brother, K.C., and a

sister, Sophia. Her parents are David and Leilani Long. Har-

per was nominated by her kindergarten teacher. She is pic-

tured to the right with middle and high school outstanding stu-

dents, Seth Navarro and Allie Canterberry. Congratulations,

Harper!

Thank you to all families, students, and staff who continue to bring in the

Box Tops & Labels for Education.

An Introduction to our Kindergarten Teachers & Students

THE ELEMENTARY SPOTLIGHT IS ON: KINDERGARTEN

Pictured Miss Smith & Mrs. McFarland

Miss Zarnette Smith is in

her fifth year of teaching.

She decided at the age of

eleven that she wanted to

become a teacher. Zarnette

is creative, artsy, colorful,

and enjoys making up fun

games on the spot. She

wanted to share her person-

ality with kids to help them

learn more and find ways to

make learning exciting. “I

wanted to be a teacher that

made a difference in chil-

dren’s lives. I wanted to

motivate and encourage

students that they could do

anything they put their

minds to. I wanted to be-

come a memorable teacher

that students would always

remember.”

Mrs. Lindsey McFarland has been married to

JD McFarland for eight years. The couple live in

Downsville and have two children. Claire is six

years old and is in 1st grade at DCCS. Tryon is

three years old and will start pre-k next year.

This is Lindsey’s tenth year of teaching kinder-

garten. Before she came to DCCS, she was at

Farmerville Elementary for four years. Lindsey

loves teaching right here in her community. She

has a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counsel-

ing. She use to go into the classrooms and coun-

sel children. Being in the different schools and

working with children is what made her decide to

go back to school to get her Alternative Certifica-

tion in Early Childhood. In Lindsey’s words, “I

love teaching children. Seeing the growth they

make from day one to the end of May is AMAZ-

ING! It shows me that they are learning from

me, but I also learn from them EVERYDAY too.

Seeing their precious smiles every morning puts a

SMILE on my face. I love my job and my stu-

dents!!!”

Miss Smith’s Class

Just Hanging Out on a

Rainy Day Recess!

Mrs. McFarland’s Class

Enjoying Some Creative Learning!