Day 176: 3 to go

Day 176: Started our last 3 days of the school year today. Great to have former students come back and reach out and share with current students. We are looking forward to one of the best days of the year tomorrow: Field Day!

Amazing shrimp and grits made by Mrs. Young

Day 175: The highest profession in the universe!

Day 175: Today was the final Friday of the school year as we only have 3 days left in the school year. Friday's are such great days in school at the end of the year. To see the friendships that have developed amongst the students and the great examples and traditions that are being built in the grade levels is outstanding. Great seeing upper grade levels going into lower grade levels to talk about the expectations and great teachers they will have next school year. Being able to work with students is the greatest profession in the universe. Looking forward to the next 3 days as we celebrate the successes and achievements of our students. Some pics from today are below.

Day 174: Powering Down the iPad and Powering Past the projection!

Day 174: As we started our end of year checkout and inventory we began by having our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders power down their iPads for the summer. We took a candid shot of their reaction. Below is 5th graders celebrating with Ms. Schultz. Her science scores were off the charts! Her students scored a remarkable 1300 points above the projection!

Day 173: June is Celebrate Students Month!

Day 173: Today we finished our last EOG test. Next few days we will have make-ups and redo's. Today also marked the beginning of a new month; June! June is the month we celebrate the successes of our students past and present as they will finish elementary, middle, and high school. These all are outstanding achievements. Don't let the afterglow of test results get you into the doldrums of not meeting goals and getting the marks you wanted. Instead enter into the joy of your students as they finish a very important landmark in their educational journey! I was reminded to laugh, smile, and love when I visited Ms. Ramistella's class this morning. Phrases are below.

Day 172: 3rd Day of Testing

Day 172: After a 3 day weekend, we had our NCFE for Social Studies. It is always a great sign when the tests are done and to see the relief on the students and teachers faces. After testing I always find it to be one of the most enjoyable times of year because high stakes testing is done and the pressures are removed from the teacher and student. We can then enter into putting the final touches on the school year. Looking forward to another great week at HDES at we close out May today and enter into the last few days. We have science tomorrow and 3rd grade retakes on Thursday. Pics below.

Day 170: Day 2 of Math Testing

Day 170 was our end of grade math test. Our students have worked so hard! These tests are very intense and exhausting. Our staff and students have worked so hard and have put forth a great effort! We are so proud of them!

Day 169: Day 1 of EOG testing

Day 169: We started our 1st round of End of Grade State Testing today. The 1st test is reading. The more we move forward in education with blended learning, individual rotations, station rotations, collaboration with students the further backwards we seem to move with state mandated end of year assessments. Students sit in rows(factory model style) and take a reading test for up to 4 hours straight. Students read up to 6 passages and then answer almost 60 multiple choice questions in one setting. My question after so many years of doing this is the same every year; is this the best practice to assess students on reading proficiency and assess teachers on effectiveness? Outside that we had another great day at HDES! End of year activities are always so exciting and rewarding! Pics below: