North Augusta Elementary

🎄 Join Us for a Night of Christmas Cheer at NAUES Reindeer Games! 🎄

Please join us for an evening filled with Christmas magic and family fun at our annual NAUES Reindeer Games Night on Thursday, December 11, 2025, from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM!

Students, accompanied by their parents, are invited to visit as many festive event stations as time allows. To be entered for a chance to win a special prize, students must visit and participate in at least three pod stations throughout the night.

🎶 NAUES Chorus Performance
Our amazing NAUES Chorus will fill the cafeteria with holiday cheer beginning at 6:30 PM—you won’t want to miss their joyful Christmas songs!

🎁 Santa Shop
The Santa Shop will also be open for holiday shopping. Cash only, please.

☕ Food Truck Fun!
We are thrilled to welcome Lilly Coffee, Tea & Bread Food Truck, offering delicious Vietnamese flavors and boba delights—right here in our neighborhood!
Learn more: https://lilycoffeeteabread.com/food-truck-catering/

We can’t wait to kick off the holiday season with our Dolphin families! 💛💙
See you at Reindeer Games Night!

🌟 DOLPHIN READING STARS ALERT! 🌟 We are so proud to celebrate our amazing readers who have reached exciting new milestones in their reading journeys! 📚✨ 📘 100 Book Club 👏 Findlay Boyd 👏 Elijah Griner 200 Book Club Brecken Ferguson These dedicated Dolphins have put in the time, focus, and heart it takes to grow as readers—and we couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments! Remember, Dolphins… 💛💙 It’s always a GREAT day to read a book—so READ, READ, READ! 💙💛 Keep swimming toward new goals! 🐬📚✨

NAUES Celebrates November/December “You Rock” Teacher & Staff Member of the Month

North Augusta Elementary School is proud to recognize two exceptional members of our Dolphin family as the November/December “You Rock” Teacher and Staff Member of the Month. These individuals exemplify dedication, creativity, compassion, and a deep commitment to the success and well-being of our students.

🌟 You Rock Teacher of the Month: Mrs. Mindy Aiken

Writing Lab Activity Teacher

We are thrilled to honor Mrs. Mindy Aiken as our You Rock Teacher of the Month! Mrs. Aiken serves as our school’s Writing Lab Activity Teacher, and once a week, students eagerly enter her classroom to explore the power of writing under her expert guidance.

Mrs. Aiken brings excitement, creativity, and a deeply student-centered mindset to every lesson she teaches. She designs engaging, purposeful writing experiences that allow students to express themselves while building essential literacy skills. Her projects are hands-on, imaginative, and crafted to help students discover their unique voice as writers.

Beyond the outstanding instruction she provides, Mrs. Aiken is a treasured member of our school community. She is dependable, collaborative, and always willing to lend a helping hand. From stepping in wherever needed to ensuring that major school events—such as Field Day—run smoothly, she works quietly behind the scenes to contribute to the success of the entire school.

Mrs. Aiken’s dedication, professionalism, and unwavering support for students and staff make her an invaluable part of NAUES. She truly ROCKS!

🌟 You Rock Staff Member of the Month: Mrs. Megan Valone

Safety Monitor Aide

We are equally proud to recognize Mrs. Megan Valone as our You Rock Staff Member of the Month. As our Safety Monitor Aide, Mrs. Valone plays a vital role in maintaining a safe, supportive, and responsive environment for all students and staff.

Mrs. Valone is known for her calm, caring presence and her ability to respond swiftly, compassionately, and professionally whenever assistance is needed. Whether she is helping a student through a difficult moment or supporting a teacher or staff member, Mrs. Valone approaches every situation with kindness, patience, and grace.

Her positive demeanor provides reassurance to students who may be experiencing stress or uncertainty, and her reliability ensures that every child knows there is a trusted adult they can turn to. She works diligently to make sure all students feel seen, heard, and safe, which is essential to their well-being and success at school.

Mrs. Valone’s dedication to the NAUES community does not go unnoticed. She is always willing to assist, always ready to support, and always focused on what is best for our students. She is, without question, a You Rock superstar!

🎉 Congratulations to Mrs. Aiken and Mrs. Valone!

North Augusta Elementary School is grateful to have such exceptional professionals shaping and supporting our students each day. Please join us in celebrating our November/December You Rock winners—two incredible individuals who demonstrate what it means to lead, serve, and uplift our Dolphin community. 💛💙

❄️🎨 NAUES Faculty & Staff Paint Party! 🎨❄️

This afternoon, our amazing NAUES faculty and staff kicked off the holiday season in the most joyful way — by gathering after school to celebrate, connect, and channel our creative talents! Together, we painted cheerful Christmas Snowmen, each one as unique and wonderful as the people who created them. ⛄✨

A huge thank you to Dr. Kimberly Fontanez, Aiken County Instructional Program Support Coordinator, for leading our session with encouragement, inspiration, and holiday cheer.

We are also incredibly grateful to Mr. Badillo, Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Ulmer, and all those who worked behind the scenes to plan and prepare this fantastic event. Your time, energy, and love for our school community made today special for everyone who attended. 💛💙

What a wonderful way to welcome the season — creativity, laughter, teamwork, and a whole lot of Dolphin spirit! 🎄✨

#NAUESDolphins #HolidayFun #TeacherLife #CreativeCommunity #OnceADolphinAlwaysADolphin

🎄🧦 Holiday Sock Day Fun! 🧦🎄

Today our amazing students filled our halls with holiday sock cheer here are some Fifth Graders who stepped into the holiday spirit—one festive sock at a time! From jolly jingles to bright and bold patterns, these students showed off their very best holiday socks and brought cheer to our halls all day long.

And the fun doesn’t stop here! Check out our upcoming Holiday Spirit Days:

⭐ This Week’s Spirit Days

✨ Thursday: Dress Like a Christmas Tree 🎄
✨ Friday: Mad About Plaid! Wear your favorite flannel ❤️💚

⭐ Next Week’s Spirit Days

🟥🟩⬛ Monday, Dec. 8: Wear Red, Green & Black for Kwanzaa
🎉 Tuesday, Dec. 9: Tacky Tuesday – Wear your tacky holiday sweater!
⭐ Wednesday, Dec. 10: Tree Topper Day – Wear a Santa hat, antlers, or your favorite festive headpiece
🦌 Thursday, Dec. 11: Pod Squad Style – Dress like your pod’s theme for a night of Reindeer Games!
💚 Friday, Dec. 12: Grinch Day – Wear GREEN!

We can’t wait to see all the creativity, joy, and holiday magic continue throughout the month! 💛💙✨

#HolidaySockDay #FestiveFeet #NAUESDolphins #HolidaySpiritWeek #OnceADolphinAlwaysADolphin

🦌🎄 Day 2 of NAUES Holiday Spirit Week! 🎄🦌

Today was Reindeer Day, and we had an entire herd of festive students and teachers spreading Christmas cheer all around the school! The halls were full of jingling antlers, bright red noses, and joyful Dolphin spirit. 💛💙

Want to join the fun? Here’s what’s coming up next:

🧦 Wednesday: Holiday Socks
🎄 Thursday: Dress Like a Christmas Tree
📚 Friday: Mad About Plaid — Wear your favorite flannel!

We can’t wait to see all the creativity, joy, and holiday magic continue throughout the week! ✨

✨🎄 North Augusta Elementary Chorus Spreads Holiday Cheer! 🎄✨

Tonight, our amazing North Augusta Elementary Chorus, under the talented direction of Mr. Steven Palmer, filled the air with holiday magic at the North Augusta Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in front of beautiful Lookaway Hall.

Our Dolphins shined bright as they shared festive songs, joyful smiles, and the true spirit of the season with our community. Their voices helped make this cherished tradition even more special!

A huge thank you to Mr. Palmer for his dedication and for inspiring our young performers—and to our wonderful students for representing NAUES with pride, confidence, and holiday cheer. 💛💙

What a beautiful way to kick off the season! ✨🎶

🌟 Happy National Special Education Day! 🌟
December 2

Today, North Augusta Elementary School proudly celebrates our incredible Special Education Teachers and Special Education Aides—a team of dedicated, compassionate, and highly skilled professionals who make a tremendous difference in the lives of our students every single day.

These extraordinary educators go above and beyond to ensure that every child feels valued, supported, and empowered to reach their fullest potential. They work tirelessly—providing individualized instruction, building strong relationships, advocating for student needs, and collaborating closely with teachers, families, and administration.

Their patience, creativity, perseverance, and unwavering belief in every student truly embody what it means to lead with heart. 💛💙

To our Special Education Team:
Thank you for your dedication, your expertise, and the love you pour into your work.
You help create a school community where every dolphin can shine, and we are deeply grateful for all that you do.

Please join us in celebrating and honoring these amazing educators today! 🐬💛💙

🎄❤️ Holiday Spirit Week is off to a SWEET start! ❤️🎄

Today, our students kicked off the holiday season by dressing like candy canes! The halls of NAUES were filled with red, white, and plenty of Christmas cheer as our Dolphins showed off their holiday spirit. 🍬🐬

🎅 Tuesday: Dress like a Reindeer
🧦 Wednesday: Wear your Holiday Socks
🎄 Thursday: Dress like a Christmas Tree
📚 Friday: We’re Mad About Plaid! Wear your favorite flannel

We can’t wait to see all of the creativity, joy, and holiday magic continue throughout the month! 💛💙

📚✨ Our Library Is Getting a Glow-Up! ✨🐬

Little by little, our NAUES Library is transforming into an even more inviting, updated, and unified space for our Dolphins! Over the Thanksgiving break, some amazing teamwork helped bring our vision to life:

🎨 Mr. Badillo painted a beautiful new accent wall that instantly brightened the entire space.
🖼️ Our front desk received a stunning upgrade with a custom vinyl wrap featuring NAUES and our Dolphin logo proudly displayed on both ends—bringing our school’s theme and mascot together in a bold, cohesive way.
🔧 And let’s give a special shout-out to “some guy named Steve” (aka Steve Morin!) who repaired and prepped the front desk so the wrap could be applied perfectly AND rerouted all the wiring like a pro!

A huge THANK YOU to Mr. Badillo, Bryan and the team at Communigraphics in North Augusta, and Steve for helping our library feel brand new. Our students deserve a beautiful space, and we’re so grateful for everyone making it happen.

📚💛💙 Once a Dolphin, always a Dolphin—our library is truly shining!

Mrs. Moore’s 3rd Grade GT class has taken their first steps into algebraic linear equations!

Using manipulatives, they explored how variables work, created balanced equations, and worked together to solve and explain their thinking.

Hands-on learning = deeper understanding! We are so proud of their hard work and curiosity!

Welcome back, Dolphins! 🐬💙
We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break and are recharged for an exciting month ahead! 📚✨
We can’t wait to see you bright and early in the morning as we dive into December together! ❄️🎄
#OnceADolphinAlwaysADolphin

🎄✨ NAUES Christmas Spirit Days Are Coming! ✨🎄

We are ringing in the holiday season all December long at North Augusta Elementary! 💛💙🐬
Our Christmas Spirit Days are a fun way to bring joy, celebrate together, and make magical memories with our students.

Participation is optional—join in as much or as little as you’d like! Every smile, sprinkle of cheer, and dash of holiday color helps make the season bright. 🌟

Below are our daily themes for December:

📅 NAUES December Spirit Days

December 1 – Candy Cane Lane
❤️🤍 Wear Red & White

December 2 – Dashing Through the Snow
🦌 Wear Reindeer Attire

December 3 – Kick Up Your Feet!
🧦 Wear Holiday Socks

December 4 – O Christmas Tree!
🎄 Dress like a Christmas Tree

December 5 – Mad About Plaid
🌲 Wear your favorite Flannel

December 8 – Kwanzaa Colors Day
❤️💚🖤 Wear Red, Green & Black

December 9 – Tacky Tuesday
🎁 Wear your Tacky Sweater

December 10 – Tree Topper Day
🎅 Wear a Santa Hat or Antlers

December 11 – Pod Squad Style
🦌 Dress like your Pod Theme for our Night of Reindeer Games

December 12 – Grinch Day
💚 Wear Green

December 15 – Hanukkah Day
💙🤍 Wear Blue & White

December 16 – Elf Day
🧝 Dress like an Elf

December 17 – Holiday Glow Day
✨ Wear Sparkles, Shine, and Glitter

December 18 – Polar Express Day
🚂 Wear PJs

December 19 – Deck the Halls! (½ Day — Dismissal at 11:00 AM)
🎅🎄 Wear ALL your Christmas Attire

Let’s make December merry, bright, and full of Dolphin pride! 💛💙🐬✨

We are grateful for the opportunity to serve Aiken County families and wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Please note that there will be no school for students, teachers, and most staff the week of November 24–28.

Additionally, all schools and offices will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday from Wednesday, November 26 through Friday, November 28. We look forward to welcoming everyone back when we reopen on Monday, December 1.

🌟🍎 Happy National Substitute Teacher Day! 🍎🌟

North Augusta Elementary School would like to send a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to all of our incredible substitute teachers! 💛💙

You step in with short notice, bring positivity into every classroom, keep learning moving forward, and support our students and staff in countless ways. Your flexibility, patience, and dedication make a tremendous difference—more than you know!

We appreciate you today and every day. Thank you for being an essential part of our NAUES family and for helping our school shine! 🐬✨

#NationalSubstituteTeacherDay #NAUESFamily #ThankYouSubs #DolphinPride

🍎🧡 A Heartfelt Thank You! 🧡🍎
Today our Activity Teachers were truly blessed by the “Glowing” Older Group from Big Stevens Creek Baptist Church, who surprised us with beautiful Thanksgiving fruit gift bags. 🍊🍎🍐
Their kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity brought big smiles to our staff and reminded us how fortunate we are to have such loving community partners supporting our school.
Thank you for shining your light on NAUES and making our day a little brighter! We are grateful for you—today and always. 💛💙🐬
#Thankful #CommunityPartners #NAUESFamily #GratitudeInAction

🌟 First Grade Leader Loot Winners & You Rock Winner! 🌟
Congratulations to our amazing First Grade Leader Loot Winners this week! These students have been showing leadership, kindness, and responsibility in everything they do. We are so proud of the way they shine each day! 💛💙
A very special shout-out goes to our You Rock Winner… Kason! 🎉🎸
Kason is truly a bright light in first grade! He is always looking out for those around him, offering a helping hand whenever someone needs it, and showing compassion toward his classmates. He works hard, tries his very best each day, and leads with kindness in both his words and actions.
Way to go, Kason! Keep being the amazing leader you are — you ROCK! 🤩🐬✨
#DolphinLeaders #LeaderLoot #YouRockAward #OnceADolphinAlwaysADolphin

💧🎉 H2O-Yeah! Math Celebration in Ms. McGurk’s Class! 🎉💧

Ms. McGurk’s math students have been working incredibly hard—and today their teamwork paid off in a big way! To earn their H2O-Yeah Party, students had to work independently and support one another to score 100% on their i-Ready My Path lessons.

And guess what? They did it! 💯🙌
Once the class hit that perfect score, it was time to celebrate—and celebrate they did!

A huge congratulations to all of these dedicated learners. Your effort, perseverance, and teamwork show that when Dolphins work together, they achieve MORE! 💛💙🐬

Way to go, mathematicians! Keep shining!

**Introducing December’s Leader in Me Habit:

Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood**

As we move into December, NAUES will focus on Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. This habit teaches students to listen attentively to others’ thoughts and feelings before speaking. It reminds us that great leaders are also great listeners.

Why This Habit Matters

When students practice active and respectful listening, they:

Build stronger relationships

Reduce misunderstandings

Become better problem-solvers

Show empathy and compassion

Communicate more clearly and confidently

Listening first opens the door for healthier conversations and deeper understanding.

Tips for Parents and Teachers to Support Habit 5

At Home:

Encourage children to make eye contact and listen without interrupting.

Use sentence starters like, “Tell me what you’re thinking…” or “How did that make you feel?”

Model reflective listening by repeating what your child shares before responding.

At School:

Guide students through partner conversations where each child listens first.

Praise moments when students show patience and empathy.

Use stories and classroom discussions to highlight characters who listen respectfully.

North Augusta Elementary remains committed to empowering students with the skills and habits that help them grow into confident, compassionate leaders.
Once a Dolphin, Always a Dolphin! 🐬💛💙

NAUES November Habit Hero Breakfast Celebrates “Think Win-Win” Leaders

North Augusta Elementary School proudly celebrated our November Habit Hero Breakfast, honoring one outstanding student from every classroom who consistently demonstrates the Leader in Me Habit: Think Win-Win. Families, teachers, and students gathered together to recognize these young leaders for their positive attitudes, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.

What Does “Think Win-Win” Mean?

Think Win-Win is Habit 4 in the Leader in Me framework. It teaches students that life is not about competing to be better than others—it’s about finding solutions where everyone can succeed. Students who live this habit approach situations with kindness, fairness, and confidence. They look for ways to collaborate, compromise, and create outcomes that support all people involved.

Why is “Think Win-Win” Important?

Learning to “Think Win-Win” helps students:

Build stronger friendships

Solve conflicts peacefully

Develop empathy and respect

Communicate their needs in healthy ways

Understand that teamwork leads to greater success

These skills lay the foundation for social-emotional well-being, academic success, and lifelong leadership.

How Parents Can Strengthen This Habit at Home

Parents and caregivers play a key role in helping children develop a win-win mindset. Here are some simple ways to reinforce this skill:

Model cooperative behavior: Show your child how you compromise and work toward solutions that benefit your family.

Use “win-win” language: When disagreements arise, ask, “How can we solve this so everyone feels good about the outcome?”

Praise fairness and kindness: Recognize moments when your child shares, collaborates, or includes others.

Practice problem-solving: Talk through challenges and brainstorm multiple solutions together.

Congratulations again to our November Habit Heroes! We are so proud of these students for showing leadership through respect, collaboration, and a positive spirit.