Battle of the Books

All year long classes have come to the library, where the media specialist has read award winning books to the students...that aren't usually fun fiction books.  Now that the end of the year is here, they ran a contest of sorts where students were quizzed on the books.  The top 5 scoring students for each homeroom were then invited to be on the team for "Battle of the Books."  Kate ended up being #6 in her class, and was placed as the alternate.  Well, in a stroke of good luck, one member on her team decided he didn't want to compete this morning so Kate got to play!

Parents were invited to attend as our students sat at a table with buzzers,

racing to answer tough questions.

The competition was intense and such a close match!

All the third graders were cheering on their teams!

In the end, Mrs. Bean's homeroom, Kate's team!!, won 1st place!!!

Congrats to this awesome group of 3rd Graders

and a huge thanks to Mrs. Curry for making library time so much fun!

GA Milestones

Today marks the end of a very big week 3rd-8th graders in Camden County....it was testing week!

And not only was this Kate's first year of testing, it is also the first year of the new (harder) assessment, the Georgia Milestones (replacing the CRCT), and also the first ever year that testing in our county is 100% done online!  This has not come without controversy and being the first year these scores won't count for promotion/retention, but still these kids have felt the pressure and tested for about 15 hours this week!  And that doesn't include the countless hours of review leading up to this week.  I am not on the side of the fence of those against testing, but I can agree that these kids certainly deserve to celebrate now that they have finished!  I just wish that today also marked the end of school work, but they still have a month to go....

Congrats to Stephen & Kate for a successful completion of your first year with the GA Milestones!

Avery & Gabe didn't have to take the week long milestone assessment,

but we still celebrated the end of their SLO testing (student learning objectives).

Since Grandma & PawPaw are still at the beach,

we headed to Fernandina to continue our celebrations.

Not something you see everyday while at the beach...

Beautiful day to enjoy God's masterpiece...

League of Protectors

 Kate makes us proud all the time and strives to always do her best.

We found out about a local essay contest on conservation, something we haven't studied much, but Kate was excited to enter.  She studied the topic in how it relates to sea turtles and got to work created a story.  She was so proud of herself and in the end, although she didn't win, she was one of the three finalists!  That accomplishment won her the new book by the League of Protectors, a special certificate, and cupcakes for her and her classmates on Earth Day!

Congratulations Kate!!!  We are always so very proud of you!

Kate and her classmates enjoying cupcakes, courtesy of the League of Protectors!

Kate's essay/story on Conservation:

A Day at the Beach

My parents were gifted with a week at their friends' beach house and they invited us to come spend one of the days with them.  The kids were thrilled because they LOVE the ocean....and living as close as we do we really don't spend enough time here.  But, Jon doesn't like the sand and my parents are terrified of the water (rip tides and sharks), so that leaves me taking the kids by myself with everyone thinking that's a horrible idea.  Not to say I won't still do this on occasion, but not as often as I would like to be here.  All that said, we are excited to spend a day here today!

The beach house has a pool...with freezing cold water...that the kids also got to enjoy!

You can almost feel their excitement in this picture!

We built sandcastles, attempted to surf, fed the birds,

and even held a fish from a local fisherman who let us throw it back into the ocean.

Once the kids were fully worn out and a storm was approaching in the distance,

we headed in for dinner and some downtime.

Check out this approaching storm!

As a surprise after dinner, my parents and the kids had an early birthday cake for me.

Oreo ice cream cake....yum!!!

Kate loves to find sharks' teeth and also was really hoping to find some sand dollars.

I told her the best chance would be for us to get us super early at sunrise and go out before the crowds hit the beach.  Kate is NOT a morning person, but her desire to find treasures outweighed her love of sleep.  We got up and on the beach just as the sun was coming up over the horizon.  It was a foggy morning, but so beautiful!

And best of all, Kate's wishes were granted!!!

We also found so many sharks' teeth...big and little ones!

Kate spotted all of these snails hanging on the bushes as we walked back to the beach house to wake the family.  It was a great morning, just me and my girl!  And a huge thanks to Mrs. Lucy for letting my parents stay at the beach house and allowing us to come visit!

Raingutter Regatta

It's race day for the Raingutter Regatta!!  The boat was not nearly as difficult to put together as building a derby car and Gabe had fun decorating his sail.  Now the tough part....adding the wind!  Gabe is not exactly the strongest kid in the pack....but he has alot of heart and that's what matters the most!  He was proud of his boat and excited to see it sail!

We learned that there is definitley an art to proper technique, and well, this year was a learning experience!  Gabe's boat made it to the finish line each round, but he will do so much better next year now that we've learned a few tips about the sail and where/how to bow.  Regardless of how he placed, he had alot of fun!

Watching their friends race down the raingutter....

Gabe received a ribbon for participation and award for "Best Stripes."  :D

We are proud of you Gabe.  You worked hard and did your best!

1st Grade Field Trip

It's time for the 1st Graders to load up on a school bus and head out to Crooked River State Park!

We loaded up on bug spray and wore long pants in hopes (fingers crossed!) we manage to get through the day without attracting any ticks!  I swear this park if infested with them!!

We have been to the state park many times with different groups,

birthdays, or camps, but each time we are back it's a new experience and lots of fun!

The park rangers had four different centers set up, so the classes were divided and sent off in different directions to rotate throughout the day.  The kids learned about insects and the food chain, played games, went on a nature walk, discussed our five senses, and got to see snakes, turtles, and other critters!

Gabe with his "girlfriend" Marie.