Junior Achievement Day at North Vista Elementary solving To invigorate innovation, creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit among our youth The curriculum is aligned with the state standards. Junior Achievement’s distinction is a unique combination of proven, turn-key curricula and volunteer teachers from the business community who bring real-world experiences to the lessons. North Vista Elementary looks forward to partnering with Junior Achievement again during the summer for the Tiger Academy Children’s Defense Fund(R) Freedom Schools Program. On April 16, 2019, Kindergarten, First and Second grade students at North Vista Elementary School participated in Junior Achievement Day. Junior Achievement is a national, nonprofit organization that has been serving communities across the US for 100 years nationally and 50 years in South Carolina. Students at North Vista had the privilege of working with 16 amazing volunteers from the Army Reserves, PNC Bank, and Wells Fargo on community building, entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy. Junior Achievement bridges the business and education communities with hands-on, experiential financial literacy programs. Junior Achievement (JA) empowers young people to own their future economic success. Grade appropriate, materials- rich, JA programs provide students in grades K-12 with lessons focusing on the following overarching goals: To motivate and inspire students regarding the relevance and importance of school To enhance students’ knowledge about business, economics, and personal finance To improve work-readiness skills such as collaboration, communication and problem
After School Clubs at Timrod Elementary School offer after-hours fun for students Timrod is very proud of the uniqueness of our school to offer after school clubs for students during the school year. We are very committed to ensuring student success academically but enjoy being able to offer extracurricular teacher sponsored clubs to our students after school. Teachers volunteer to sponsor clubs and send out an invite to our student population. These after school club provide an opportunity for students and teachers to interact on a friendly level and sometimes compete with each other. Timrod’s Drama Club has existed for a number of years. This club is offered to our second and third grade students. Students practice weekly learning lines to a play and songs that correspond with the performance. At the end of the semester, our students hit the bright lights with a dramatic performance for staff, students and family members. Our last play in December 2018 Elfis and the Sleigh Riders was a hit! Some of our former students move on to showcase their talent at Florence Little Theatre. Jump Rope Club extends an invite to our first and second grade students each year. Teachers sponsor this club to help with gross motor skills for our younger students. This club helps students stay physically active and in shape. Jumping rope also improves coordination and helps students focus on a skill. Students did an outstanding jump rope performance to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” in February for Celebration of Schools. Basketball Club is one of our newest clubs added to our list. Students in grades fifth and sixth gather on the court with our teacher sponsor and a FMU student to learn to fundamentals of the game. This club helped students strengthen their techniques and enjoy the love of the sport. Students celebrate at the end of the club with a cookout and a friendly competitive game. Principal McBride states “students enjoy participating in our after school clubs and are eager to display their talents in front of family and friends.” Timrod hopes to offer additional clubs next year for our students.
Wallace Gregg Elementary School (WGES) is spending this time celebrating wonderful spring events. We started in February with our annual “Muffins for Mom”. We celebrated “moms” on two different days. The first day was for our 5K through 3rd grades and the second day was for our upper elementary students in grades 4th through 6th. We had mothers, grandmothers, and guardians to show up each morning with a smile on their faces. The tables were decorated with flowers and handprint placement mats. The students and the parents enjoyed themselves. This was then followed up with our annual “Ties and Tiaras” Dance, a dance for fathers and daughters. The fathers, not wanting to be outdone, came dressed to impress. We had over one hundred fathers, grandfathers, uncles and big brothers, along with the daughters to show up. The group were provided with appetizers such as meatballs, potato salad, chips, dessert and the option of tea, fruit punch, and water. The fathers and daughters had the opportunity to have their pictures taken by a professional photographer during this event and were given a photo to take home as a reminder of the celebration. It was a fun time had by all who attended. As we begin to wind down to the end of the year, we have more exciting events occurring. We will start with our annual pep rally for “Rock the Test.” This is a pep rally designed to show support for the students in grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 who will take the SC Ready and SC Pass in May. The teachers and their homeroom class of students will come up with a skit about testing to present to the audience. Then the judges will vote to decide the winner competition and present the winning class with a trophy. State wide testing will run from May 14May 23, 2019. WGE will also have several other events in May. We will offer our mothers the opportunity to dance with their sons in a “Mother Son Dance.” The mothers will be afforded with same opportunities as the Ties and Tiara Dance. The Mothers and sons will have the opportunity to eat food, dance and take pictures. Next we will have our “Donuts for Dad.” This is the opportunity for the Dads to come out and eat breakfast with the students and then go the classroom to read a book the students. We will have our annual Family Fling Day, where parents can come out to participate, support and watch our students during their field day. Students will complete in various activities that trying to the winning blue ribbon.
Zydedra Mouzon with Rush Academy administrators Rush Academy has three students who finished graduation requirements in the month of April. Zydedra Mouzon and Kenni MaloneWomack will be graduating from Wilson High School. De'Andre Archie will be graduating from South Florence High School. De'Andre Archie with Rush Academy administrators
Horticulture at the Florence Career Center is a busy place involving a hands on approach to learning. Our classes consist of topics such as: Annuals vs. Perennials Plant choices and care Plant hardy zones Plant selection Plant physiology Plant morphology Plant propagation Landscape/design Plant trends Greenhouse design and structures Plant/tree/weeds/ seeds/insects identification Horticulture affects everyone. The skills learned in Horticulture at the Florence Career Center will be life changing and prepare you for a wide variety of career opportunities. Plants available during the horticulture sale include: Annuals Marigold Zinnia Aloe Spider plant Coleus Philodendron Begonia Wandering Jew Apostle Sweet potato vine Geranium Portulaca Vinca Impatiens Salvia Petunias Ajuga Mexican Petunia Cosmos Beauty Bush Orn. Grass Trees Catalpa (Catawba tree) Pomegranate Popcorn Tree Perennials Hibiscus Yarrow Herbs Parsley Basil Oregano Chives Cilantro Catnip Dill Vegetables Peppers Beans Tomatoes Squash Carrots Okra Swiss Chard Lettuce Assorted Hanging Baskets
Community Connections in 3D at Royall Elementary The humming sound of 3D printers often fills the air at Royall Elementary School as students of all ages imagine, design, and build original creations on a daily basis. This year, some of the things created by our students have included bubble wands, miniature models of South Carolina, drink coasters, and paintbrush holders for the school art room. Conversations with students reveal that they enjoy the process of bringing things to life in 3D and see the power that 3D printing has to improve their education. A second grade student, Jordan Huntley-Myers stated, “3D printing is fun because you can make anything you can imagine. And, it helps you with math because measuring the size of things that you print is really important.” Students also understand that 3D printing could play a role in their future career paths. Third grader Maggie Barlow shared, “I think it is important to know about 3D printing because one day you might be a doctor and need to know how to print prosthetic body parts for people who need them.” This year, 3D printing at Royall has definitely had a community connection as students have worked on 3D printing projects in conjunction with the Florence Area Humane Society and General Electric. Fourth grade students designed and printed leash holders for dogs and animal-themed magnets as a fundraiser. Their efforts raised over $200 for the Florence Humane Society and increased student awareness about 3D printing as a way to improve life for people and animals. Marci Gatewood, the facilitator of Royall’s Innovation Center said, “This project was really important to me because I want our students to see 3D printers as more than just cool toys. 3D printing has the potential to make our world a better place, and students don’t have to wait until they are adults to be a part of that effort.” John Shuman, an engineer at General Electric, shared his knowledge about 3D printing with sixth grade students at Royall during the after-school Bright Minds Club. Under Mr. Shurman’s leadership, students had the opportunity to delve deeper into the design process by designing rubber-band cars with the use of the Tinkercad program. This was a collaborative project that required the students to apply advanced mathematical calculations and conduct extensive redesigning in order to achieve success. Students who participated in this experience not only felt inspired by the chance to spend time with a real engineer, but also gained a better understanding of the connection between 3D printing and manufacturing. Royall Elementary School Principal Julie Smith is enthusiastic about the school’s efforts in 3D printing. “Exposing our students to 3D printing at the elementary level allows them to solve real-world design challenges in a way that is innovative and fun. It fosters the creativity, problem solving, and collaboration skills that we strive to promote each day at Royall. ”
Wilson High School Health Science Program Helps Prepare Students For Career In Medical Field Wilson High School has a variety of academic courses to prepare students for a career in the medical field. Two of the curriculums most requested courses are Health Science and Sports Medicine. Students in Sports Medicine learn from both medical doctors and certified athletic trainers procedures to treat sports related injuries or conditions. Students in the class observe surgeries performed by doctors, and also serve as athletic trainer assistants for sports teams at Wilson. Health Science also prepares students for the medical field, but primarily prepares them to become Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA). During their last semester in the course, students do clinical rotations at a local nursing home. Upon completion of the program, students take the state CNA exam and can begin a career in the medical field immediately after graduating high school.
Montessori classrooms are a place for exploration and personal growth Montessori is one of the fastest growing education programs in the world. South Carolina has more public Montessori schools that any state in the US. There are over 8,000 Montessori schools in the US and 20,000 worldwide. Many provinces in China have adopted Montessori as the curriculum of choice. Thousands of parents pay for their child to attend a private Montessori school and .many famous people are graduates of Montessori programs. These celebrities include Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Founders of Google), Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Jimmy Wales (Founder of Wikipedia), Kathrine Graham. Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Prince William and Prince Harry, Jeff Bezos (Founder of Amazon) and Taylor Swift. So, what makes Montessori programs so unique: • The Montessori Method considers the most important years to be educated are ages 0 – 6 years old. • In the Montessori classroom, children of different ages are educated together similar to a home setting. • The child’s day is spent doing self-chosen work. • Grades are not given to the students as each child advances as work is mastered. • Montessori is successful with a variety of students – gifted, learning disabled or special needs. The Montessori program utilizes a unique set of learning materials. In order to offer Montessori programs, teachers must go through a special training program that is accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education. Teachers must spend over 600 additional hours of course work and practice teaching to receive a Montessori Diploma. The majority of teachers in Florence One Schools have attended the Palmetto Montessori Institute, which is accredited. After this rigorous preparation, teachers are ready to set up their own classrooms and begin teaching young children. The Montessori Preschool classroom is unique. The teacher must carefully arrange the perfect environment that includes home living materials, sensory materials, mathematic materials, language materials and cultural learning materials. Teachers spend many hours preparing the classroom so that children can learn to choose their own learning materials, practice them and return them to the shelf in perfect order. Teachers strive to make sure that students develop mental order, the ability to concentrate, coordinated body movements and personal independence. As new students work in the classroom at the first of the school year, it appears like a group of ants climbing around the anthill. The teacher and assistant teachers move about the classroom briskly assisting children as they make mistakes and often appear not to know where to go next. By October, the tone of the class changes dramatically. The children who once appeared disorganized are “changed”. They choose work carefully; gracefully handle the materials and return them to the shelf when they are finished. The average observer can hardly believe their eyes when the young children go about in an organized fashion in a Montessori classroom.
Savannah Grove holds STEAM Career Day Savannah Grove Elementary School celebrated its 2nd annual STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Career Day led by Dr. Haley Taylor on April 18, 2019. Classes were given an opportunity to spend an entire day learning about different careers by listening to the over 50 presenters who participated in this event. The goal was to provide our students with a strong knowledge base and understanding of how STEAM can reach a multitude of careers. These volunteers shared their career and showed our students how STEAM is incorporated into their position. Through an interactive approach to the presentation of careers, the students were given a deeper understanding of a job and how fun and interesting it can be. STEAM Career Day included an area for students to investigate various machinery in a hands-on approach (i.e. firetrucks, ambulances, military vehicles, police cars, agricultural machinery, bucket trucks). This allowed students to connect classroom learning with real life application. Also, presenters shared mobile labs, videos, and various forms of media to give our students a visual representation of their career. The school was grateful to get a visit from South Carolina’s State Trooper Commander Lt. Chris Williamson as well. The school transformed its classrooms, cafeteria, gym, playgrounds, outdoor classrooms and other school designated areas into a STEAM wonderland where presenters could immerse students into their presentations. Savannah Grove Elementary partnered with local businesses in order to make this event a huge success. Principal David Copeland Jr. attests that this is on the list of SGE’s most exciting events of the year. The hard work of the SGE staff and volunteers makes this event memorable. This event provides opportunities for parents and businesses to build relationships with the school to help ensure our students are supported, successful and informed. Students who are exposed to a variety of careers at an early age see their world of opportunity expand. The belief they can do anything they want regardless of any circumstance begins to set in and open their eyes to the possibilities of this world. Principal Copeland shared “students are having fun and most importantly, they are learning at the same time”. Savannah Grove hopes to continue this event each year.
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