December 16, 2011 – Article written and published by the Press-Register on December 16, 2011.
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South Baldwin school columns for Dec. 16
Published: Friday, December 16, 2011, 11:20 AM
By KAYLEE NELSON, TAYLOR THRASHER, ELAINE MOORE and SHELBY ANDERSON
Gulf Shores Elementary School
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the library at GSES. Thanks to a very special parent volunteer, we have all sorts of reindeer in our library now.
Kindergarten took a field trip to Wales West. This was a wonderful experience. We have been studying holiday traditions for the holidays. A special thank you to all our parents who volunteer for us each week, we really do appreciate you so much.
First grade has been very busy with AMSTI math. We have all learned how to collect data so a representation can be made of the collected data. The students took a survey from questions like: Would you paint the school blue or red? Would you rather eat a hotdog or a hamburger? Would you rather explore the ocean or outer space? Ask your first grader if they had fun collecting data from each other.
Second graders enjoyed Anansi folk tales this week in reading. Even though Anansi is SO shrewd and sneaky, he sometimes is the one who is tricked. We’re also learning all about place value in AMSTI math. We can decompose numbers like crazy.
Ms. Cribbs’ class is learning about different Christmas traditions from around the world. We will compare and contrast the traditions of two different countries using a Venn diagram. We are also activating our previous knowledge of Christmas symbols by creating a list of things we see only at Christmas time. We will use a KWL chart to write what we Know about, what we Wonder about, and what we Learned about the symbols. Finally, we will let of creative juices flow by making ornaments.
Ms. Laroque’s fourth grade is finishing up their AMSTI unit on Sound. They have enjoyed trying to guess what an object was just by the sound. They also completed Internet research about sound. They shared some very interesting facts. AMSTI math is going great. We find using a number line to “jump” to find the answers in addition and subtraction almost fun. We made individual 1,000 books and a class 10,000 chart. We were surprised at how many numbers there were in 1,000 and 10,000 when you saw them all lined up on a chart.
In fifth grade, the students are working towards meeting their Accelerated Reader goals for the second quarter. The students who meet their goals will go to lunch at Lambert’s Cafe in Foley.
We had another great turnout for our Spirit Night at Chick fil A. Thanks so much to the restaurant for being so generous to sponsor this fundraiser each month.
The Gulf Shores Fire Department came to visit Mrs. Anderson’s kindergarten class last week. The students learned all about what firefighters do and got to explore their equipment and fire truck. Thank you for coming.
Mrs. Luanne Peterson’s first grade class recently took a field trip to Five Rivers. We enjoyed seeing the different animals that are part of the delta. We especially liked the lessons on reptiles and mammals which went along with our recent science lessons at school. Thanks, Five Rivers, for such an informative and fantastic day.
All of the second grade classes at GSES have been learning about Christmas traditions around the world. Our five teachers travel from classroom to classroom to teach the country they’ve chosen. Our students have learned about customs and traditions in Mexico, Italy, Israel, China and Holland. The students are also so excited about today with a very special breakfast at school in their P.J.s.
Third graders are busy learning their multiplication facts. Those mastering all of the multiplication facts will be rewarded with an ice cream sundae party. All the third grade teachers and students would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday. See you back in 2012.
Fourth grade is so proud of our grade level co-worker, Mrs. Nicole Godbold, for winning Teacher of the Year. She is a wonderful and very deserving of this prestigious award.
The fifth grades at GSES finished their Variables Science AMSTI kit this week. They found the capacity of their lifeboats, and tested the buoyancy of their lifeboats. The fifth graders also LOVE the iPads they get to use to help them complete web research projects.
The sixth grade students have been using the iPads to create projects.
The following students were winners in the Thanksgiving card contest sponsored by Kaiser Realty: First place was Sally Caroline Davis in Mrs. Robinson’s fifth grade, second place was Luci Hall in Mrs. Wallace’s fourth grade, third place was Payton Ross in Ms. Laroque’s fourth grade; and Honorable Mention went to Laney Barnes in Mrs. Hart’s second grade. Many thanks to our art teacher, Mrs. Jones who worked hard helping all of the students enter the contest.