CARNIVAL

The carnival last Friday night was a blast! There were so many wonderful activities for the students to participate in and a fabulous silent auction for the adults. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but had heard so many wonderful things about the carnival. Boy, were they right! It was fabulous! I loved watching the flurry of activity as students moved the hamster balls up and down the track,

rode the mechanical bull, climbed the rock wall,

avoided the joust arm (some did not), completed the obstacle course,

 
and played with the super cute animals.

 

There was also some really delicious food. Look at the size of this pizza!

Overall, it was just a fantastic time! Even with the confetti eggs smashed into the top of my head! :-)

 




One of the other awesome parts of the carnival was the silent auction. We had so many great donations for restaurants and activities and some beautiful pieces of artwork to bid on. Click below to see all of the student artwork that was auctioned off: (https://youtu.be/lkjNuOszb3U)

Thank you so much to the dozens and dozens of volunteers that helped to organize such a wonderful event for our families!

Field trips and STAAR

This past week, our 4th and 5th graders took their first round of STAAR testing. I am so proud of how hard they worked to show what they know!

While they were testing, the other grade levels did some exploring at various venues around Austin. Kindergarten went to Crowe's Nest Farms where they learned how to take care of the various animals that can live on a farm. Ms. Roberts was able to hold one of the baby pigs, who apparently squealed the whole time! Ms. Siller and Ms. Kanak also got to hold the pig. I  heard the kids had a blast!

   

  

 


   

First grade students enjoyed watching a theatrical adaptation of James and the Giant Peach at the Zachary Scott theater.  Due to the yucky weather on Wednesday, they were unable to go to the park as planned. I think they still had a good time despite the weather!


Second grade went to see Alice in Wonderland. The field trip was interactive. The students and teachers thought it was really cool. In keeping with the fantasy theme, Ms. Bentley's class did some engineering based on the Three Little Pigs. They built houses out of various materials and then the wolf (a blow dryer) tried to blow them down. How fun!

           

  

And third grade visited the beautiful Wildflower Center. They had a great time exploring the outdoors and learning about nature.
  
  

Already this week, we had Austin author, Chris Barton, come to visit our PK, K and 1st grade classes. He shared his latest book, Mighty Truck, as well as his writing process. He suggested the best way to begin writing is to think about things we love, things we know, and things we want to learn. He also told them to never be afraid to rewrite and/or change ideas as you write. Hopefully he has inspired some of our young authors to get writing!

We also had our annual Kindergarten Round up this week and had a GREAT turnout.   Prospective and future Kindergarteners and their parents came to tour the school and see what life is like as a Kindergartener. They even got to take a ride on a school bus! What fun! Thank you so much to Monica Smith for organizing the event and to all of the volunteers who helped give tours or take information/forms from parents. We couldn't do it without you!

 

We are gearing up and getting very excited for our carnival this Friday. We hope to see you there!