Thank You

I would like to take the time and say thank you to all of the parents who are getting their children to school every day and on time. Our school day officially begins at 8:05. The 8:05 time means our students should be in the classroom and listening to instruction from our teachers. In the past we have had children entering the building at 8:05 and missing the first 10 minutes of the day because they went to get a sack breakfast and then had to go to their locker and put their backpack up. These same children would do this every day of the year and the minutes quickly started to add up. 50 minutes a week, 200 minutes a month and 1,800 minutes a year. 1,800 minutes a year equals 30 hours and those 30 hours equals 5 school days. Some children were getting to school at 8:15 and then having to get breakfast and put up their backpacks up. That means they are missing the first 25 minutes of school. 125 minutes a week, 625 minutes a month, 2,500 minutes a month and 22,500 minutes a school year. This equals 375 hours which translates to almost 16 days of school that they are missing.
This year we are stressing a sense of urgency with our students and staff. We would like our parents to  join us in our sense of urgency. Thank you again to the parents who are getting our students to school on time. We want to change the world, but we can't change the world if we don't have everyone at school and on time.

Fourth grade is learning about force and "work" in Science. We talked about potential and kinetic energy and how to calculate how much work is being done by an object! Ms. Coomes' class created ramps and looked to see how the distance up a ramp affected the speed of an object. The kids had to synergize to get their experiment done! At the end of the week, the kids used their knowledge to design roller coasters using foam insulation and marbles. It was a great week and the kids WORKED hard to engineer some amazing coasters!

2nd Grade Book Detectives

2nd graders are learning how to be detectives within books and are learning new strategies to be stronger readers. These readers are sharing with their friends how they think the author wants their books to be read based on the blurb and the clues on the front and back cover. Students are using these clues to uncover how much fun reading can be! Some books want to be read in a scary voice, a happy voice, a news reporter voice or a silly voice. The possibilities are endless! The way you choose to read the book can totally change the book. Try it!!

Harralson Blog

This week we used shaving cream for all sorts of things!  We created clouds out of it and learned why it rains.  The students used droppers to recreate what it looks like when it rains outside.  They also built letters in shaving cream. 

We are learning to use helpful words and not hurtful words.  Ask your child about the toothpaste picture and see if they can explain what we talked about.  I’d be curious to hear what they say.

A reminder that we will not have school next Monday, September 5th.

ELA is beginning our 2 week study about colors. Today we experimented  by mixing primary colors to make different colors. We are going to read about colors, look for colors, and wear certain colors for our "Color Days".

Estes Shirts

Be like Buddy and show your school pride by owning an Estes Bulldog T-Shirt! You can order a t-shirt until the September 2nd deadline.

Organization Tips for Home

Are you and your child running around looking for school work every morning? Are you running late because something has been misplaced? Do you have arguments with your child in the morning about his or her lack of organization?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, I am here to offer you help. If you don't have these problems skip to the next blog post.
Below you will find some to tips to make your mornings more enjoyable and less stressful for you and your child.

Wardrobe:
Have your child place their shoes in the same place when they come home from school. At my house we throw them in the closet by the front door. This will save your child from running around the house looking for his or her shoes each morning.
Your child's clothes could be laid out the night before instead of trying to find something right before school starts. While you are trying to get ready for work you won't have children running in on you while you are showering or dressing looking for his or her clothes.

Backpack and Folders:
Have a special place for backpacks in the house. At my house backpacks go against the door leading to the garage. We do this because we always leave through the garage and the kids will see their backpacks while they leave the house.
Folders-I can't stress enough about how important it is for a parent to check their child's folder each night. As we know children like to say they don't have any homework, but come the morning they ask you to sign their agenda or folder saying that they did homework. Worse than that they will hold up the car rider line and beg you to sign their folder. Also, teachers leave notes in the folder for you to see and the notes can't be seen if the folder isn't checked. Trust me I have learned these lessons from personal experience.

Supplies for Home:
There are times when your child will need supplies to complete homework. Find a junk drawer and load it with crayons, pencils, markers, tape, paper and a ruler. If you have those supplies your child will be able to finish almost any homework that is given to them.

I hope these tips will leave you smiling in the morning instead of stressed and screaming at your child.

Creativity at its Finest

Zach was inspired by a YouTube video about Caine's Arcade and wanted to use his creative talents to inspire others like Caine did. He went home and used scraps around his house to engineer this "Mystery Shack" This replica was SPOT ON and Zach showed his engineering and creativity skills off when designing his masterpiece! This project allowed Zach to practice Habit number 7 Sharpen The Saw!

I have attached the video so that you and your child can see what can be done with cardboard and an imagination.

Reading with Intensity

Mrs. Klausing class has been learning how to become readers who read intensely in fourth grade. We read intensely in order to grow ideas about what we are reading. The steps you need to take to read intensely are; Find a book you WANT to read, Read as if you are IN the book, Figure out confusing parts, Note important things to talk about later, Do the work the book is requesting, Find the flow of the book, and Make movies in your mind while reading. I am so impressed with how these kids have jumped right in and are starting to change their reading habits in order to grow ideas as they are reading. This in turn will allow them to become more purposeful readers and stronger writers, too. Great job fourth grade!

Our Youngest Writers

ELA started writing this week. We worked on following directions, holding our pencils correctly, and learned what details are. It looks like our future is very bright at Estes!

The Harralson Blog

Thank you so much for all your help in transitioning your kids to school this week.  They did great!

This year in our class, we made a promise jar and made promises to each other while we were building our class mission statement.  We used the book “I Wish You More” by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. Check out our bead ceremony that was inspired by my training over the summer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Se8fQRGOqc

Just a reminder that if you are in our class, please sign up for our Bloomz app. 

Welcome to Estes

Welcome to the Estes Blog.  I truly believe we have one of the best schools in the world. I know we have the hardest working staff on the planet and they are ready to help the students at Estes be successful not only in school but also in life. 
The purpose of this blog is to showcase all of the exciting and amazing things our students (your children) are doing at Estes.The blog will include photos, stories and video clips of our students working towards their goals. The blog will also include ideas on how to help your child be successful at school and give you ideas of on how to help with homework. From time to time I will include different research on educational trends that are happening around the world. The blog will usually be update on Monday nights or Tuesday mornings. Have a great week.

Harralson Blog

Can I just say that I was super impressed by my class this week?!?!  After three days, your children were rotating centers and eager to learn!  Thank you to those families that participated in our Jumpstart program this summer.  I can definitely tell that the program gave our students that extra jump right into kindergarten! 

Dash, our class robot, joined us on Friday to help us follow directions quickly!  We are super excited to have Dash and Dot in the classroom!  We will be using these robots to learn how to code and build within our Science curriculum. 

If your child is in our class, please remember to sign up for the Bloomz app.  This is a great communication tool.  I will be posting pictures that you won’t want to miss, along with class and event reminders! 

I’m looking forward to our first full week together!

I Know You

2nd Grade News

2nd graders will be MAP testing August 24 and 25. Please make sure to get plenty of sleep, arrive on time and eat a good breakfast!
We will also be sending home the individual sight words your child needs to practice as well as a daily reading log. YOU are your child's first teacher, and the more we work together, the greater progress we will all see!
If your child does not know their lunch number, please practice it with them.
Often, the temperature is cool in our classrooms, so please send a jacket with your child if they have expressed concerns about being chilly throughout the day.
Welcome to 2nd grade! Prepare to be amazed!!

Learning About Other Cultures

Ms. Vincent's class had a chance to see items from El Salvador this past week! Adaya has visited El Salvador twice on mission trips and it is her dream to move there to help the children! She brought in a seashell, a handmade cloth wallet, and a table runner that the family she helped made for her! We are grateful that Adaya brought these items in to share and can't wait to hear more about her worldly adventures!