From Me to You

December 20, 2017

Dear Darnell Family,

        Auditions for the Darnell Superstar Choir and the Darnell Honor Choir will take place January 10th and 11th. Please see this packet for more information. 

        Talent Show auditions are approaching fast. These auditions will take place after school by appointment during the week of January 22nd. The Talent Show will take place on March 8th at 5:30 PM with assemblies for the school the following day. The audition request form will be sent home with students starting January 8th. 

         Congratulations to our Reflections Contest winners! They make us proud to be Superstars! These students will receive a trophy, certificate, and a special treat. In addition, their projects will be taken to the state PTA office to compete at the state level for further recognition. We would like to honor 
  • Jasmine D. - 1st place Intermediate Literature
  • Mia M. - 2nd place Intermediate Literature
  • Anela A. - 3rd place Intermediate Literature
  • Vari R. - 1st place Intermediate Visual Arts 
  • Enjolie O. - 2nd place Intermediate Visual Arts 
  • Preston C. - 3rd grade Intermediate Visual Arts 
  • Vari R. - 1st place Intermediate Photography
  • Maliyah G. - 2nd place Intermediate Photography

          It's "grading season" and here at and Darnell many families are either very happy or very unhappy about the scores that they are seeing in Progress Reports. As we approach our first Report Card in just over a month, I want to make as much sense out of chaos as I can with regards to Music Grades. Please visit by Grading Page and Curriculum Page for answers to questions about grades and what we do in Music to earn those grades. I've also prepared a handout about all the information you need to understand what that E, S, or N really means. 

          We are in dire need of supplies to complete our Sound Science Unit, Bucket Drumming Kits, and Kid Stix Kits. Please take a list at my Supply List below this letter and see if you can help out!

Sound Science Unit Needs:
  • dry rice or beans
  • plastic holiday eggs
  • canisters, containers, film containers, pill bottles with labels removed, etc.
  • tooth pics
  • paper towel rolls
Bucket Drum Kits:
  • 36 -- ​5 gallon buckets ​

​          We have many new families to Darnell. With this comes a great amount of positive energy but also many questions. I encourage you to visit each page of my website for detailed information. Please feel free to contact me with further questions. 

Ms. Van Eaton
Proud Music Teacher of Darnell ES since 2005
​

Recorders

Students in grades 4 and 5 will continue with their learning and playing of the soprano recorder throughout the year. Students in grade 3 begin recorder in February or March of the school year. The learning and playing of the recorder is a school district requirement. While the school will provide a fully-sterilized instrument for each student to use for the entirety of the school year, students cannot take this recorder home with them to practice. I strongly encourage parents and students to purchase their own recorder to use at home.  

Purchase of the right recorder will help the student to play better, sound better, and feel better about their playing. In addition, the ability to practice at home will raise their level of understanding and help them perform better on recorder tests. Please see the recorder sale flier for more information on how to obtain a recorder for your child.
Recorder Kits cost $6.00
Recorder Books (with CD) cost $8.00

We sell these items as a fundraiser to maintain and repair our classroom xylophones and other instruments.

Supplies

I know that shopping for school supplies can be costly. However, the Music Room is always in need of 
  • small items to add to our treasure box (These items can be anything non-hazardous such as pencils, erasers, small toys, or anything related.)
  • copy paper (any color, 20 lb. weight)
  • empty plastic holiday eggs and bags of dry rice/dry beans (for our Sound Science unit)​
  • drumsticks, small tambourines, and empty coffee cans/6 lb fruit cans/gallon paint cans (for our Kid Stix kits)
  • 5-gallon buckets, any color (for our Bucket Drumming kits)
  • Please visit my Amazon Classroom Wish List
Ms. Van Eaton can be reached at Darnell Elementary during normal business hours.
Email          (702) 799-6630 Ext. 3023