Way to Go 5th Grade Writers!

Yesterday we received our 5th Grade writing scores. Our teachers and students at every grade level have worked really hard this year to improve their writing. Our 3rd-5th Grades have taken mock writing tests that were scored by ALL the teachers and staff at the school, and each grade level has taken 5 writing samples that they have been scored with a genre-specific rubrics. Our 5th Graders had "5 Wonderful Weeks of Writing" where they produced a writing sample each week that was scored on the state writing rubric. The ENTIRE school has really worked hard to become better writers.
Well the scores for our 5th Graders have come back, and the hard work and dedication has paid off!!! 88% of our 5th Graders met or exceeded standards on the 5th Grade Georgia Writing Assessment. That is up from 83% last year and up from 75% the year before that. Our standard score is also up from 210 the year before to 220 this year! Those scores put us above the county (76%), RESA (77%) , and state (73%) average. I am very proud of our 5th Graders, the teachers, and our instructional Facilitator (Leigh Sears) and Assistant Principal (Dr. Jordan) who made sure this happened.
Way to GO KENNEDY WRITERS!!!!

Have a wonderful Spring Break

I wish everyone a wonderful Spring Break. Please take this time to enjoy yourselves and your family. You all deserve a break. As a parent, I am always looking for affordable fun ideas to do with my family. I have included some below to help you enjoy your Spring Break if you are still looking for something to do.

1. Go to a mall exposition. The home remodeling show, holiday choir, or classic car exhibit can be educational as well as entertaining. During the holidays, malls often are decorated in festive fashion, making the experience more enjoyable and meaningful. You also may run into someone you know, which the kids will find exciting. Conclude your trip with an ice cream cone or cookie , and everyone will consider the outing a success.

2. Take a hike. Find a park that you haven't visited before, and select a trail at a level that is suitable for all family members. Bring a camera and snap photos of scenic views or the kids' scampering over fallen logs or tumbling streams. Pack raisins, candy bars, or pretzels with water bottles for a tasty outdoor treat. You may even want to grill hotdogs over a barbecue pit or cook graham crackers and marshmallow over an open fire afterward.

3. Visit the playground. Put on some comfortable clothes and head for the swings and slide, if they'll support adult weight. If not, give your kids a push on the swing or help little ones down the slide or to clamber on the monkey bars. Everyone will be all smiles after an hour or two of the adults reliving their childhoods as the kids enjoy theirs. You may even want to bring a small, hand-held tape recorder to capture each family members comments, yells, and laughter.

4. Rack out under the stars. On a nice evening when stars fill the sky, take a blanket or lawn chairs outside and get comfortable. Look for well-known and new constellations. Remind everyone to keep their eyes open for shooting stars. Scent the clear night air as you savor the quiet and identify night sounds of owls, frogs, and other nearby creatures. This might be a good time for ghost stories or childhood tales that the kids can pass along to their offspring someday.

5. Give someone a hand. While your first thought may be that volunteering is not exactly fun, the opposite can be true. Think of an early scene in Louisa May Alcott's classic story, Little Women. The sisters and their mother find great joy in helping a poor family who is struggling with scarlet fever. Parents and children who work together are likely to bond in a spirit of camaraderie and good will.
Whatever you decide to do for family entertainment, make it creative. You may discover new horizons that will draw your loved ones further a field in search of new adventures together. And you will give your kids priceless memories that will last the rest of their lives.
Ideas came from : http://www.essortment.com/career/cheapfamilyfun_sfzn.htm

Can you Help us out?

We need parent help in giving us some information so that we can effectively plan parent engagement activities for next school year. Please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WL328PL and take the survey to help us plan. The survey will be open from April 12th - April 30th.

CRCT Celebration

I stated that we had a great week of testing last week. Here is a little taste of what our celebration picnic looked like. It was a lot of fun, and I really appreciate all the parents who came out!

CRCT Has Been Slam DUNKED!

Friday was the last day of CRCT testing for Kennedy. We still have about 3or 4 make-up tests to give on Monday, but for the most part we are finished. It was a really good week! We only had 5 students tardy and only a few absences all week, so thank you to the parents for making sure your child was well prepared and on time to school each day. When I spoke with the students, most of them felt very confident that they did well each day. I even had one student in first grade tell me that I should make the test harder!!! I am very proud of my students and teachers for how hard they worked to get ready and take the test. Now we just have to box them up and wait for the scores to come back to us!! I also need to thank Leigh Sears and Dr. Gale Jordan for their organization of the testing week. The entire week ran smoothly and we only had a hitch or two all week. That is amazing considering over 450 students in 47 groups took the test. Way to go Leigh and Gale!

Congratulations Kelli!

One of KES's Kindergarten students was recognized on Tuesday night at the Barrow County School Board meeting. Kelli in Mrs. Neal's class was recognized as the County Winner for the Young Georgia Authors competition. Her writing is on display at the PDC in Winder. Great job Kelli; we are very proud of you!

The picture is of all the county winners by grade level. Way to go Barrow County Writers!

Testing is Going Great!

We have now finished 2 days of testing, and we are getting ready to complete the big Math section. Everything has gone very smoothly. I thank the parents for getting their children here on time; I thank the teachers and proctors for administering the tests without a hitch; I thank the students for giving their best effort and believing that they will OVERACHIEVE. A special thanks goes to Leigh Sears and Dr. Jordan for their organization and running of the entire testing process. I know (from being a former testing coordinator) how stressful it can be to make sure that all 500 students get the test given to them the correct way. Their is a lot of scheduling and planning that goes into it to make it work. And make it work they have!!! The entire process has gone so smooth. As long as I stay out of the way; everything about testing is going great!!!

You Gotta Let Them Go!

I have just finished walking the halls for the 4th time this morning checking on the students as they are taking the CRCT. It is such a weird feeling to do this because there is NOTHING I can do to help. I trust that the teachers have done all they possibly could do to get them ready. I know that each student has worked their hardest to be prepared for this week. I am also positive that the parents have done their part (WE DID NOT HAVE ONE LATE STUDENT TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) to make sure their child does their best. It is now just time for them to shine and celebrate all they have learned. I just have to sit back and let them go and trust that it will all be awesome!!!

Last Day of Spirit Week

Today was the last day of our Spirit Week for the CRCT. We had 2 special guests, Dr. Wanda Creel (Barrow County's new Superintendent) and Gutsy the Flying Fox. Gutsy told us about his 3-point play for success on the CRCT. 1) The need to Read 2) Math Counts 3) Slam Dunk the CRCT. It was very cool because that was our Theme this Year: Slam Dunk the CRCT.

We started the day off with a video that got students ready for our BLACK OUT PEP Rally. It was really cool to see all the teachers and students in their black. My next blog entry will have some more pictures and some video of the pep rally. Enjoy