You ARE SPECIAL!

Mrs. Holly asked this to the students and the adults in her room- "You are special, why?" Next, every kid, and adult had to name something special about themselves. If some kids struggled with coming up with a reason their buddies would come up with something special that they saw in their friend. It was an empowering lesson for everyone. Thank you Mrs. Holly for sharing this experience with the blog especially around this time of year when some people have feelings of depression. We all need to remember that we are special and that someone loves us and counts on us.

Thanksgiving Memories

This past Sunday I went to my parents house to celebrate Thanksgiving. Yes, it wasn't actually on Thanksgiving but being married and having two siblings that are married it is hard for us to celebrate on Thanksgiving. The actual day isn't important to me because I enjoy my time with my parents and celebrating Thanksgiving. Walking into my parents house and smelling the turkey and all fixings brought back a flood of happy memories. I can remember waking up on Thursday's and the aroma of turkey and dressing filling my house. I can remember the first Thanksgiving that I got to pull on the wishbone and the feeling that gave me. I can remember my grandparents coming over and all the stories that they told me about my parents and what they were like when they were kids. I can remember going out and playing football before the feast and then the nap that soon followed the feast.
Thanksgiving can be a magical time for everyone and especially children. Make this Thanksgiving a special one for them with the traditions that your family has.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Hammering Down Some Knowledge in ELA

Our ELA kiddos learned about simple machines last week and experimented with using real tools. They strengthened hand eye cordination, fine motor skills, and scientific inquiry skills. And it was fun!!! They know that a hammer is an example of a lever, how cool!

Twisted Fun

Ms. Long's after school sight word club plays sight word Twister with KWC students. The club meets every week after school.

Leadership Owensboro

A group of members from Leadership Owensboro came to Estes because they had heard about all the great things happening here. The members took a tour of our school, listened to our student leadership team and participated in a question and answer session with members of our school faculty. We are so proud of our school and students and love to showcase them to the rest of the world!

iGrant Winners

Mrs. Jewell and Mrs. Harralson both received iGrants from our Owensboro Board of Education. These ladies wrote grants that combined equal $36,000. Mrs. Harralson wrote a grant for desks with pedals. With these bicycle pedal desks, students can pedal while they participate in regular classroom activities to increase rigor and

physical activity. Due to the pedals being essentially noiseless,

they do not interfere with classroom instruction or activities. The pedals are completely

portable, and can be moved from classroom to classroom. Mrs. Jewell wrote a grant for STEM materials. This materials will allow students to understand and recreate the world around them. Students need more physical, hands-on materials that will allow them to develop innovative ideas and solve problems in an environment where they can explore, plan, create,experiment and improve upon not only their ideas, but the ideas of others as well.

Monsters in the PRC

Fourth grade is currently studying the genre of drama, so it is the perfect time to practice their reader's theater skills! Mrs. Jewell's class practiced the play 'The Monster in the Cave' throughout the week and performed it in the PRC on Friday. The students were able to work on their accuracy, fluency and expression skills while also working on literary elements. They are looking forward to their next performance!

Harralson's Class

We love making predictions and experimenting to see if our predictions were correct.  Today, the students made predictions to see what container could hold the most and the least amount of liquid.  We charted our predictions and checked to see if we were correct.  Ellie made the correct prediction!  They did a great job synergizing!

Thank you to all the parents that attended the Thanksgiving meal!  I enjoyed eating with the students and the cooks did a great job with the meal! 

I will be sending a fun packet home over the Thanksgiving break.  Please return back to me on Monday.  Remember to practice sight words and have your child read to you as often as possible. We are THANKFUL for you!  Have a great Thanksgiving break!

Practicing to be Leaders

Students practicing handshakes, eye contact, interview skills, etc for leadership day at Estes!

Layson's Leaders

Ms. Layson's leaders have been working hard in her room. They made turkeys, built structures and enjoyed being rewarded with mustaches!

Leader in Me Day

Tomorrow is a big day at Estes. There will be 100 guests inside our school taking a look at all the great things happening at Estes. Yes, you did read 100 guests. Estes is a truly remarkable school full of outstanding teachers, support staff and students. Tomorrow the focus will be totally on our student leaders. We will have student leaders showcasing some of the things that makes Estes special. We will have a special assembly for our guests that will be lead by our student lighthouse team. The assembly will feature a performance from our Bulldog Dancers and a catchy tune sung by Mrs. Jewell's class. A special thank you to our adult lighthouse members for pulling this together!

The Hot Chocolate Challenge

Mr. Sorce is leading a group of third and fourth grade Estes students in a hot chocolate challenge against other schools. What is the hot chocolate challenge? Click on the link below and find out!
Hot Chocolate Challenge

Playing With Your Food?

Our friend Ms. Melissa from the extension office came and taught our ELA students about food groups and healthy eating. They made little gobblers. Who says you can't play with your food :)

Career Day Pics

 Mrs. Wahler and Ms. Layson submitted a few pics of career day. These students look like they are ready to take on the world!

Harvest Hoedown

We hope everyone had a blast at the Harvest Hoedown. By the looks of these pics I would say everyone did have a  good time!

Update from Mrs. Harrallson

I introduced the students to a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) activity this week.  They experimented to see who could build the tallest tower using spagetti noodles and marshmallows.  I could not believe how competitive they were with their friends!  We also weighed items using scales to compare and contrast the weight of items. 

The students have been setting goals for their data binders and working on reaching 50 to 100 sight words.  The students are doing great with setting goals and meeting those goals!  Thank you for working with your child 5-10 minutes a day reviewing their sight words.  For practice, we took chalk outside on Wednesday to write our sight words on the sidewalk.  It was so fun! 

We will be MAP testing next Thursday and Friday, November 19th & 20th.  Please make sure your child gets to bed early and has breakfast.  Thanks for all you do! 

I have posted pictures under the Math tab and What's Up Wednesday tab.  I hope you enjoyed the pictures I sent home of your child's future career!