I've Got 99 Problems, But A %$#@ Isn't One

Did that title get your attention? I hope so!
I am going to steal a line from Jay Z but replace a word- I've got 99 problems but a TEST isn't one.

It is that time of year again when our students are required to take a test to show how much they have learned at Estes. This test doesn't scare me because I believe we have some of the best students, teachers, support staff and parents in the state of Kentucky.  Estes students have been working extremely hard on a growth mindset which means their learning isn't a fixed trait, but learning can be improved with dedication and hard work. I have been at Estes for 4 years and I can honestly say that I have seen students working harder this year than I have in the previous years!
In life there are no quick fixes and I don't believe in band-aid fixes. Our teachers have a not only done a wonderful job teaching growth mindset, but they are also doing a tremendous job of teaching grit. I am so proud of the passion and perseverance our students have been showing. When I first arrived at Estes, I didn't see grit. I saw students who didn't believe they could do the work and they didn't care if they did the work or not. This year I am seeing pride in their work and that is because of their passion and perseverance. Are our students perfect? No, but we don't expect perfect students! We like for our students to fail and learn from their failures. Yes, you did read that last statement correctly. No one is perfect and we don't expect your child to be perfect.
 This test will not determine how far our students have come in the 4 to 5 years they have been at Estes. Our teachers and students have been working on overcoming many obstacles that have been placed in their way since the first day they stepped foot in Estes.
Like I said, "I've got 99 problems but a test isn't one."
Here is a list of real problems that a school like ours has to deal with:

• hunger
• sleep deprivation
• drug and alcohol use in the home
• emotional and behavioral issues 
• loss of a job
• loss of living quarters
• lack of positive role models
• lack of health care
• generational poverty
• students exposed to domestic violence
• exposure to criminal activity

I could go on, but I am not because at Estes we don't like to make excuses-we like to solve problems! Our students are our lives. We live and breathe to help our students overcome the obstacles put in front of them. We know that anytime things can happen to anyone (including us) and we know that the purpose of life is to have a life of purpose. We want our students to overcome all the obstacles that are put before them and we are here to supply the knowledge and skills to allow them to do just that. So excuse me if this test doesn't scare me because I know what our students have overcome and what they are capable of. Our Estes students are capable of great things because they exhibit passion and perseverance.
On May 4th we will be ready for the test, but will the test be ready for us!

You Can't Blow My House Down

Ms. Ellis' class read The Three Little Pigs as well as The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig.
We looked at the different kinds of houses they made and talked about what made a house sturdy so it wouldn't blow over.
Then the class had to make a house that the Big Bad Teacher wouldn't blow down! It was so much fun!!!

Mr. Goodbody

Here are Ms Huskisson's fourth graders working to understand how the human body works to move by building a robot finger. The students learned about joints, muscles, tendons, and bones. Through this lesson they learned how they work together to help protect and work the body parts.

The Harralson Blog

The kids learned the importance of taking care of our Earth this week for Earth Day.  Thanks to Mrs. McCarty's class for taking us to the recycling bins and explaining how to sort our trash into different recycling bins.  Check out the video!
We made an Earth out of shaving cream and paint.  We also reused toilet paper rolls and made bird feeders.
IMPORTANT!!  We are MAP testing this week.  Please make sure your child is well rested and they are ready to show what they have learned all year!  I'm excited to watch them meet their goals!

A Gardening We Will Go

The garden project that Ms. Coomes' third grade class has been working on is coming along!! The kids have been working to get plants sprouted so that our school can have our very own produce grown! The students visited Cecil farms last week and learned from local farmers and are ready to start planting! We can't wait to show you all that we grow and learn about farming!

Harralson Blog

This week we studied about living and nonliving things and learned about the life cycle of a butterfly.  We took the kids on a field trip outside to compare and contrast living and nonliving things with magnifying glasses.  They had so much fun!! 

I also ordered some caterpillars and we will continue to watch them grow in our very own butterfly garden to investigate the life cycle stages. 
We have been reviewing nouns and adjectives.  We cut out pictures of magazines and placed them in the correct categories.  Each group presented their anchor chart to the class.
Remember that we wil be MAP testing the week of April 25th.   Please make sure your child gets plenty of rest before they come to school on the 25th. 
Our next publishing party will be held on Monday, May 9th from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.  We look forward to seeing you there!!  Your child has been writing new books and can’t wait to share them with you!!  There will be an ice cream social directly following.

A Challenging Egg Hunt

Ms Vincent's and Ms Huskisson's classes did a math egg hunt before spring break! The students worked in pairs or independently to solve a variety of math problems we've been working on all year. For each correct problem they got two skittles!! Overall winners and good attitudes got pencils and grippers for their hard work and good attitude!

Spring Fling

Our annual Spring Fling is this Thursday the 21st from 5:30 to 6:30. Tickets will be sold starting at 5:15. We hope to see you there!

The Mighty Zeus

Zeus visited Mrs. McCarty's class and enjoyed snuggle time with several kiddo's during read to self! Then, he kept several students company as they worked on words their way. He even participated in a fire drill and showed off some of his tricks. He gave hugs, kisses, talked for the class, showed how he could sit, stay, and how he has been trained to have a "soft mouth," by grabbing things gently. It was a great visit enjoyed by all!!

Celebrating Authors

The students in Ms. Manqueros class are sharing their conclusions to what may have happened after the Itsy Bitsy Spider reached the top of the water spout.