The Sylvan Sunday Swoop
Back to School Edition
Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year!
Greetings Sylvan Blue Jay Families!
The countdown is on! We are 1 week away from the first day of school! We are so excited for our Blue Jay students to return to our building. This year, together, we will soar UP to our unlimited potential using all of our wonderful skills, abilities, and strategies that we already have in our learning toolbox!
Campus Clean-Up Day was a huge success. We are so thankful to our staff, community members, New Covenant Fellowship Church, and students from other schools for helping add value to our school. The campus even more beautiful than it already was!
This Tuesday, we have an exciting opportunity happening on campus from 6-7. Our PTA will be having their first meeting of the school year to plan out all of the exciting things for this school year. If you are interested in helping with that, please come out and meet our PTA leaders.
Meet the Teacher for students in grades 1st-5th will be this Thursday from 4:00-6:00. Please feel free to bring in your child's school supplies if you like. Make sure you come out and see your classroom and get to know your child's teachers as we start of this school year strong!
Let's get excited for a phenomenal year of learning, leadership, and collaboration as we soar UP to our Unlimited Potential!
#BlueJaysSoarUP
#SylvanisourHappyNest
Bethany Hamilton, Principal
Hello Sylvan Blue Jay Family! I am so excited and honored to join you for the 2024-2025 school year and I look forward to watching our Blue Jays learn, grow, and soar up to their highest potential this school year.
Scott Moore, Assistant Principal
Hello Sylvan Blue Jays, I am thrilled to be joining the Sylvan community for the 2024-2025 school year. Feel free to reach out to me anytime if I can do anything to support your child or family.
Amber Clark, EC Teacher
Here's a little about me-
I've been in education since 2015 when I started as a substitute teacher. From there, I became a Teacher's Assistant before earning my degree and becoming an Exceptional Children's teacher in January 2020. In my spare time, I love being with family- both outdoors and around the table for food and games. I'm excited about joining the Blue Jay family this school year!
Cynthia Wood, EC Support Substitute
I have been a member if this community for more than 40 years. As a substitute teacher for almost 7 years. A long term substitute beginning my 5th year. Indeed I was a long term kindergarten substitute 2 years ago at Sylvan. Thus will be my 2nd year as a long term EC teacher. I enjoy working individually with my students. I taught 2 2nd graders how to read last year!
I have 5 grandchildren & 2 great grandchildren. I live on a small farm with a large family. Loving life!
Brittany Robeson, 3rd Grade Teacher
Hi, I'm Brittany Robeson! I'm thrilled to be joining the Sylvan Elementary School family as a third-grade teacher. Recently, I earned my bachelor's degree from Liberty University. When I'm not in the classroom, you'll find me traveling and making memories with my family and friends. As a wife and mother of two adventurous sons, there's never a dull moment! I am looking forward to an amazing year filled with growth, learning, and unforgettable moments!
Lisa Burke, AIG Teacher
I am very excited to work as an AIG teacher at Sylvan Elementary School. I am an Alamance County native and attended Grove Park, Turrentine Middle School and Williams High School. In addition to being a regular education teacher in 1-5 classrooms, I have worked with K-5 elementary students in the areas of math/ reading intervention, Read to Achieve, SPLASH and Title I for 40 years . After retiring, I began pursuing my Academically Gifted License at East Carolina University. Prior to returning to the Graham, NC area in 2018, I enjoyed teaching K-5 AIG students and Nurturing students in Wake Forest, NC Writing and receiving STEM / STEAM grants for Sylvan Elementary is an additional professional goal for myself this year. My hobbies include reading great books, having Book Club discussions on Zoom with friends and growing my roses and other flowers. I thoroughly enjoy attending many Stephen Tanger musical events, going to NC State basketball games and attending Duke football and Carolina Hurricane games. I look forward to working with your children and staff at Sylvan Elementary School!
Kristen Headen, Occupational Therapist
My name is Kristen Headen and I will be the occupational therapist at Sylvan this year. I grew up in a small town in northwest Ohio. I went to college at Eastern Michigan University and moved to North Carolina right after graduation. Currently, I live on a small cattle farm with my husband and son. In my free time I enjoy gardening, fly fishing, and reading. I would like to share with you what I do as a school based occupational therapist. Within the school day, your child has many jobs or “occupations” such as listening, writing, reading, copying written information, following the routines of the classroom, engaging with other students, attending to the task, keeping their space organized, etc. Occupational therapy is a related service that addresses underlying skills needed for your child to be successful in their educational occupations. I look forward to being a part of the team at Sylvan this school year.
Addison Teachey, PE Teacher
Mr. Teachey is excited to join Sylvan Elementary this school year while also serving Highland Elementary. In his previous ten years of experience he has taught at both Highland Elementary and Newlin Elementary.
Michelle Royster, Pre-K Teacher
Michelle Royster is coming to Sylvan to join our team as a Pre-K teacher for the 2024-2025 school year! Ms. Royster has had 8 years of experience working within ABSS. Ms. Royster began her journey with ABSS as a volunteer and bus driver in 2015 and since then went on to become a teacher assistant for multiple years, and now for the past two years as a Pre-K teacher! Ms. Royster shares a passion for creating a nurturing and supportive learning environment for students to thrive. She is thrilled to be a Blue Jay!
Jessica McVey, Instructional Assistant
I am very excited to officially be a bluejay. I have been with ABSS since 2023 coming from southern middle school and previously a substitute at Sylvan. I enjoy in my free time teaching horseback riding and showing horses with my family. I can’t wait to see you all soon!
Michelle Reel, Instructional Assistant
After years of being a Blue Jay parent, I'm excited to be a part of Sylvan Elementary as an Instructional Assistant. I look forward to being a part of such a kind and caring staff.
Kate Gunther, Art Teacher
I am excited to be teaching art at Sylvan/Pleasant Grove after 2 years of teaching art at Turrentine Middle School. I am a Long Island Native and for 20 years prior to teaching I was a hairstylist and business owner. I graduated summa cum laude from North Carolina Central University in 2017 with a degree in Studio Art. I have also studied natural cosmetic formulation and I create my own hair, skincare, and apothecary products in my home lab. I enjoy painting, sculpting, ceramics, diy home improvement, caring for feral cats, and I live on coffee.
K-2 Reading Proficiency Goal
One of our school improvement goals this year is to increase our reading proficiency (fluency, comprehension, decoding, etc). Early intervention in the younger grades is critical to ensure we are able to support our students as we grow each year. Below are our specific goals for our youngest learning in grades (K-2).
By June 2025, 80% of students in grades K will be at grade level proficiency as measured by mClass. At the end of the 23-24 school year, we had 77% of our Kindergarten students on grade level.
By June 2025, 70% of students in grades 1st will be at grade level proficiency as measured by mClass. At the end of the 23-24 school year, we had 67% of our 1st grade students on grade level.
By June 2025, 65% of students in grades 2nd will be at grade level proficiency as measured by mClass. At the end of the 23-24 school year, we had 62% of our 2nd grade students on grade level.
We know with our amazing students and staff, we can surpass our goals in the 24-25 school year, but we need your help at home. Here is how you can help our youngest learners grow their reading proficiency at home.
Attendance Goal
Another school improvement goal this year will be to increase our average daily attendance to 94% or higher. While we know life can be hectic, we want to emphasize the importance of students being on time, being present, and ready to learn.
Students who are chronically absent--meaning they miss at least 15 days of school in a year--are at serious risk of falling behind in school. Missing a day of school here and there may not seem like much but absences add up!
When a student misses 2 days a month:
- they will miss 20 days a year.
- they will miss 30 hours or more of math over the school year.
- they will miss 60 hours or more of reading and writing over the school year.
- they will miss over 1 year of school by graduation.
When a student misses 4 days a month:
- they will miss 40 days a year.
- they will miss 60 hours or more of math over the school year.
- they will miss 120 hours of more of reading & writing over the school year.
- they will miss over 2 years of school by graduation.
Lateness=Lost Learning
Students who are late or tardy are also greatly affected too. Every minute counts!
- 5 minutes late each day = 3 days lost!
- 10 minutes late each day = 6.5 days lost!
- 15 minutes late each day = 10 days lost!
- 20 minutes late each day = 13 days lost!
- 30 minutes late each day = 19 days lost!
We want our families to know that we are here for you as partners in your child's education and we are here to support their success. We feel strongly that their success starts with their attendance. This school year we will be implementing the attendance flowchart below to notify and work with families when we are concerned about attendance. We are here to help, so please do not hesitate to reach out!
