Archer Elementary School

As we prepare to enter into our last day of Music in Our Schools Week, we are proud to turn our spotlight on our magnificent music teacher, Mrs. Sahmel! She brings so much joy to our school with the power of music. Students, families, and teachers all look forward to musical performances throughout the year at our school! She also takes a select group of students to participate in All County Chorus. Thank you for all that you do, Mrs. Sahmel! #EaglePride #MusicInOurSchoolsWeek

A student representing Archer Elementary School recently received a perfect score in the second of three meets in this year’s WordMasters Challenge™—a national vocabulary competition involving nearly 125,000 students annually.

Competing in the difficult Blue Division of the WordMasters Challenge™, fourth grader Atlas Hart earned a perfect score of 20 on the challenge. Nationally, only 41 fourth graders achieved this result.

The fourth grade students from Archer Elementary School were coached in preparation for the WordMasters Challenge™ by Dr. Betsy Filippi.

The WordMasters Challenge™ is an exercise in critical thinking that first encourages students to become familiar with a set of interesting new words (considerably harder than grade level), and then challenges them to use those words to complete analogies expressing various kinds of logical relationships. Working to solve the analogies helps students learn to think both analytically and metaphorically. Although most vocabulary enrichment and analogy-solving programs are designed for use by high school students, WordMasters Challenge™ materials have been specifically created for younger students in grades three through eight. They are particularly well suited for children who are motivated by the challenge of learning new words and enjoy the logical puzzles posed by analogies.

The WordMasters Challenge™ program is administered by a company based in New Jersey which is dedicated to inspiring high achievement in American schools. Further information is available at the company’s website: http://www.wordmasterschallenge.com.

#EaglePride #WordMastersChallenge

🕵️‍♂️ CSI: Science Lab Investigation Update! 🔬

Our student investigators were hard at work cracking the case in our CSI Science Lab! After carefully examining the evidence from the scene, teams of students analyzed clues and presented their findings like real forensic scientists.

Students investigated:
🔎 Fingerprints to identify possible suspects
🧬 Hair samples to compare and look for matches
👣 Footprints to determine who may have been at the scene
🧵 Textiles and fibers to see what materials were left behind
⚪ White powder analysis to test and identify mystery substances
🎨 Chromatography to separate ink and discover hidden clues
🎤 Suspect interviews where students used evidence to ask important questions

After analyzing their evidence, each team presented their conclusions and shared who they believe is responsible for the incident and why the science supports their claim!

We are so proud of how our students used critical thinking, teamwork, and the scientific process to solve this mystery. Take a look at the photos to see our young detectives presenting their evidence! 🧪🧠

#STEMinAction #YoungScientists #CSILab #LearningThroughInvestigation

As we continue to celebrate Read Across America week, our spotlight shines down on our media specialist, Mrs. Thompson! She is always busy finding ways to inspire our students to read! Reading Sunshine State Young Readers books can earn you a co-hosting spot on the morning announcements and earning 100 AR points will unlock a field trip at the end of the year! Finding and checking out a Super Reader Prize Club book from the shelves will get you a trip to the prize box, too! We are so lucky to have Mrs. Thompson here with us!!

Friday, February 6th, is Crossing Guard Appreciation Day.
Please send Ms. Lynda ALL the warm thoughts and waves 👋
She is one of the greatest kindness ambassadors of Archer Elementary School!
#EaglePride #CrossingGuardAppreciationDay

🚨🔍 CSI: Science Lab Edition! 🔍🚨

Uh-oh… something mysterious has happened in our science lab! Luckily, our best investigators are on the case!

Our students are stepping into the role of CSI scientists, tackling a make-believe crime using real science skills. Armed with curiosity and critical thinking, they’ll be observing clues, asking questions, making predictions, testing ideas, and drawing conclusions — just like real scientists do!

No real crime here — just big brains, curious minds, and lots of scientific discovery! 🧪✨

Stay tuned as our junior detectives crack the case one clue at a time. 🧪🧠✨

As we celebrate National School Counseling Week, we are honored to shine a spotlight on a very special school counselor, Dr. Leibach! She has implemented several programs at Archer since joining the team, including the popular Danny's Dilemmas Series for teaching character traits. She teaches lessons in every classroom throughout the year and works with students both individually and in groups. We are so grateful to have her here at Archer Elementary!!
#EaglePride #NationalSchoolCounselingWeek

This week has been filled with fun events! Last night, students filled the library to read with family and earn AR points by taking quizzes. Amistad and Reveur earned house points for having the most members at the event!! #EaglePride #CelebrateLiteracyWeek #Amistad #Reveur

Join us tonight, January 28th, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm in the library for AR Night! Families can read together and students can take AR tests.

Such a great PBIS event at Archer Elementary School! Our students continued our Law Enforcement Appreciation Day by giving a Hand for Heroes. Thanks to Deputy Erik Nystrom for letting us decorate your patrol car, and to the many people who helped make this event possible. The kids LOVED it!
#NationalLawEnforcementAppreciationDay #HandsForHeroes #pbisrewards #AlachuaCountySheriffsOffice

We are excited to shine a spotlight this week on Archer's Teacher of the Year, Ms. Brackett! She is an amazing member of our school and we were overjoyed last night to have her represent us at the Teacher of the Year Award Ceremony.

Graduation rates for the seven ACPS high schools rose in 2025, from 92.7% to 93.9%. All seven schools posted rates above 90%.

In honor of National Law Enforcement Day, our first faculty/staff member that we would like to put a spotlight on is Deputy Nystrom. We are so thankful to have him here with us at Archer Elementary!

DEADLINE to apply for an academic/career tech magnet program is this coming Monday, January 12 at 4 p.m. Don't miss this opportunity for your child! alachuaschools.net/magnets

Join Mrs. Hyde along with Special Guest Dr. Leibach to talk about resilience on January 14, 2026 at 8am in the Parent Resource Room for a Coffee and Chat! As always, there will be an assortment of coffee and treats to eat!

Thank you Kinetix Physical Therapy for making our holiday boxes even merrier this year. We couldn’t do it without you!

This week is Holiday Spirit Week! Check the calendar below to see the theme for each day!

This book fair is so amazing, EVERYONE wants to go and check it out!! Don't miss your chance, as it ends Friday, December 12th at noon! Parents can shop before school from 7:15-7:45!!