| Important Dates | |
February 1, 2016
Board Meeting @ 6:30 p.m.
March 25, 2016
Schools Closed - Good Friday
March 28 - April 1, 2016
Schools Closed - Spring Break
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| Congratulations Innovation Academy |
Innovation Academy has been selected as an Apple Distinguished Program for 2015 - 2017, a two-year designation. Congratulations on being recognized as an exemplary learning environment for innovation, leadership, and educational excellence!
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| Innovation Academy Enrolling New Students | |
Innovation Academy is the region's STEM school. It is opened to ALL middle school students throughout the REGION. There is NO COST to attend Innovation Academy. We are seeking students who are excited to learn, curious, and enjoy working with others.
Your child has the opportunity to spend the day with us!
Shadowing students will need to be dropped off at the school at 8:15 and picked up at 3:00. Your child will receive an excuse for the absence and a good look at what makes IA different. If your child would like to visit for a day, give us a call 354.1500 and choose a day from the calendar below.
Enrollment is OPEN NOW until MAY 1st.
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| Emmett Elementary Kindergarten News | |
Back in October, Mrs. Hoffman created a project on Donors Choose to get alternate seating options available in her classroom. Donors choose is a website where teachers can create needs based projects to gain tools and materials that people all around the country can support. Their mission statement reads:"We make it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education." Thanks to a handful of donors, Mrs. Hoffman's project became fully funded on Janurary 5th. She and her students are excited to receive their three Hokki stools, two bouncy bands, and two wedge seats and to see how they impact the learning in the classroom!
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Emmett Elementary Takes a Look Back at 2015
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Second grade students in Mrs.Bailey's homeroom class got into the Christmas spirit early by making their "Reindeer Handprint" ornaments!! They had a great time and couldn't wait to hang them on the classroom tree!!
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Children in third grade have made Christmas cards and letters to people at nursing homes. They decorated their creations with color including crayons, glitter, and other holiday items. Cards with holiday messages were written to encourage them to have a wonderful holiday. They were given to those adults that are unable to spend the holidays with family due to sickness and other complications.
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Our Tree Huggers Recycle/garden club adopted
An Emmett angel at Christmas. The students collected and wrapped gifts for our angel. The students learned that giving is more important than getting.
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| "The Powwow" at Emmett Elementary |
Emmett Elementary students are taught the art of conversation during a competition called "The Powwow". Among the techniques they use are a proper greeting, eye contact, appropriate body language and how to reciprocate a conversation. Our goal is to not only help students grow academically, but to also learn important lessons in manners and respect. Congratulations to each of the below students for winning their house powwow competition. (pictured left to right) back row: Kendra Miller, Khloe Worley, Konner Mercer, Jordan Miller front row: Bryson Burnett, Logan Nidiffer, Allie Helbert, Racheal Walker
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| Ketron Performing Arts Club - Dance Team! | |
Ketron Elementary School has partnered with Dani Prevette Messamore, owner/director of Tri-Cities Talent to provide a dance program for 98 of Ketron's K-5th grade students. Dani's national award winning staff provides weekly classes in Ballet, Hip-Hop dance and Tumbling after school each week. In an effort to include as many children as possible, Ms. Dani has given all dancers a fee discount; with several receiving scholarships making the opportunity affordable for all families.
The benefits of dance and tumbling are far reaching. The classes increase flexibility, range of motion, physical strength and stamina; improves muscle tone, corrects poor posture, increases balance and coordination; sparks creativity and appreciation for the arts; enhances self-esteem, confidence, positive attitude and self-expression; advances communication and social skills; teaches teamwork; and develops a sense of trust and cooperation. Students that participate in dance and tumbling tend to perform better in the classroom. Teachers report positive changes in focus, discipline and practice in academic subjects.
The students made their first public debut in the Kingsport Christmas Parade where 250 dancers, parents and teachers proudly displayed their official team t-shirts. Kindergarteners rode on a float donated and designed by team parents. In December, the KPAC Dance Team, KPAC Drama Team and Ketron Spirit team walked together in the annual Bloomingdale Christmas Parade.
Finally, the KPAC Dance team presented their newly acquired skills to family and friends in their production of "Celebration with the Grinch". Tumbling teacher, Marcus Messamore, as Mr. Grinch and Ballet teacher Kendra Sybert, as CindyLou Who led their students in two successful performances. Despite only receiving 12 weeks of training, Dance Team members awed the audience with their tumbling skills: beautifully executing aerial cartwheels, backhand springs, back tucks, toe touches, back walkovers, splits and cartwheels. Dressed in crazy Who-Ville costumes ballet dancers gracefully displayed ballet positions, Arabesques, Passe', Chaines and more. In addition, Hip-hop dancers surprised the crowd with C-jumps, Toe-touches, coffee grinders, and "the worm". Dancers were surrounded by whimsical Christmas trees, brightly painted homes and the Who-Ville Town sign the set was created entirely by parent volunteers.
The Ketron Performing Arts Dance Team is currently preparing for their spring performance of "Cinderella".
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| Ketron Elementary News |
Social Studies Brought to Life
Shauna Painter, a fifth grade ELA & Social Studies teacher, is finding exciting, engaging, and hands-on activities to bring the social studies curriculum alive to her students. They played a game, Head Bands, to learn historical figures. Students had to give clues so their partner could guess who they were. She's also transforming her classroom into a battlefield for her WWII unit. They are learning the MAIN reasons for the war and emerging themselves into the culture the soldiers faced.
Science Liason Announced Brian Clouse, STEM teacher at Ketron, has been announced as the Science Liason of Sullivan County. Mr. Clouse will be working with Eastman on the JFK SciencElite program, as well as working on STEM projects.
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| Ketron Elementary Teachers Receive Funding Through DonorsChoose.org |
The internet based DonorsChoose.org's mission is to make it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need. Public school teachers from across America create classroom project requests. Corporations and private citizens give any amount to the project that inspires them. To ensure integrity, DonorsChoose vet all requests, purchase each item and ships the materials directly to verified schools. Four of Ketron Elementary's teachers received funding of over $1200 to purchase learning materials for their students.
Angie Sybert's Project $322
By funding my project, donors will improve the ability of my students to focus, to learn, and to be successful.
Keeping students attention on assigned work can be difficult for any teacher. Doing so when that child has ADHD or other learning disabilities can be even more challenging. Some students have a constant need for movement, such as fidgeting, making it difficult for them to engage in learning. Using the four Wobble Chairs will benefit my students by increasing their strength and muscle tone which will also promote motor control needed to use a pencil, scissors, and other classroom tools. Allowing students to move and adjust themselves in a non-disruptive way will burn off excess energy and make them more attentive in class. In addition, as a child moves on a Wobble Chair, the heart pumps a bit faster and blood vessels open up which increases blood flow. Better blood flow means more oxygen gets to the brain. With more oxygen, brain function increases, allowing for improved focus and better knowledge retention.
Wobble chairs will allow my wiggly students to participate in all classroom activities while simultaneously moving with little distraction to students seated around them.
Shayna Painter's Project $311
Some of my students are intimidated by chapter books.
The Storyworks magazines from Scholastic have high interest articles and stories in them. My students can take these materials home with them and share stories with younger siblings. The stories also have a Common Core guide for me as the teacher. It will be an awesome addition to our Reading Class!
The Storyworks magazines will allow them to read and share stories, but not overwhelm them. I will utilize the teacher's guide and initiate lively classroom discussions about what they read in the magazines. The great thing about the magazine is that my students can take them home to share with their families.
McKenzie Davis' Project $309
This project will give my students an advantage over their peers by providing daily practice with mathematical reasoning and practice.
In order to reach every student and provide challenging activities, I plan to use these resources in a Math Workshop. Students will meet with me every day, and they will travel to different stations within that time. I plan on making these resources available to students to encourage mathematical reasoning, and allow students the opportunities to express their thinking through writing in a non-threatening environment. Students will be able to collaborate and problem-solve as a team, receiving real-world experiences. The Problem Solving Cards and the Explain Your Reasoning Math Prompts will allow students to incorporate writing within math and during their stations. The Problem Solving Centers will provide students with the opportunity to justify their strategy and critique arguments by their peers. All three items will enhance students' writing and mathematical reasoning.
As students have to prepare for an end-of-the-year assessment that has radically changed and has become increasingly difficult, I feel this project will help students develop a deeper understanding of mathematical practices and reasoning, but it will also prepare them for an assessment where students have to express their thinking & understanding through words.
Rachel Odell's Project $269
Many of my students do not have the opportunity to create, paint, or draw.
By having a new art center, my students will be able to develop not only imagination skills, but also communication skills and emotional development. Many of my students, for whatever reason, might not be able to verbally express how he/she is feeling, but can through art. Also, by having a new art center, my students will be able to develop a sense of ownership. They will be able to own their artwork. By having this ownership, confidence levels will begin to rise.
By having a new art center, my students will be able to do just that. In addition to be creative, they will be able to take ownership in their work. They will work on communication skills by sharing their work with others. These skills that we often take for granted will be beneficial for my young minds.
 
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