Janet Taylor Visits Graham

After conducting technology workshops this year, instructor Janet Taylor visited Susie Pressley's fifth graders in Graham's computer lab. Mrs. Pressley has been sharing the knowledge she learned from these workshops with her students. The students have been busy creating their own power point presentations under Ms. Pressley's direction. This class has even been providing instruction to other classes in the school. This experience is a wonderful example of technology in action!Way to go Mrs. Pressley's class!!!!

Generosity At Young

Students, faculty, and staff at Raymond L. Young are reaching deep into their pockets to give to two worthy causes...Saint Jude Hospital and Relay for Life (American Cancer Society).

To support St. Jude Hospital, students are completing a Mathathon workbook and collecting funds from sponsors. The American Cancer Society effort involves collecting coins for a cure. To support our efforts contact any faculty member or student at the school.

Sports and Sportsmanship

Children's sports should be fun, fulfilling, and teach good sportmanship. Sometimes, however, competitive and assertive adults can undermine these goals and ruin the child's experience. This "Report to Parents" from the National Association of Elementary School Principals has some tips on how parents can help.

Calendar Change for 2008-2009

The Board of Education voted to amend the 2008-2009 calendar to make December 19 and May 28 full days rather than early dismissal. This decision was the result of a directive from State Superintendent Joe Morton.

You can view the calendar for next school year by clicking the link on the right.

Input Invited on Mathematics, Health Education, and Physical Education Curricula

From the Alabama State Department of Education:

The Mathematics, Health Education, and Physical Education State Courses of Study Committees are requesting written input from interested educators and members of the public regarding the revision of the mathematics, health education, and physical education curricula for public schools in Alabama. The deadline for sending comments is April 29.

Comments may be sent by mail, fax, or e-mail to:

Sarah Mason
Alabama State Department of Education
3345 Gordon Persons Building
P.O. Box 302101
Montgomery, AL 36130-2101

Fax: (334)242-0482
E-mail: smason@alsde.edu

Having served on a Course of Study Committee, I can attest that public comments are taken very seriously. Each one is read to the committee, a decision made about whether to accept or reject the recommendation, and a rationale written for the acceptance or rejection.

At this point, concerned citizens may wish to examine the current Course of Study documents and make comments as to what should be added to or taken from the current one. Those documents can be accessed by going here, clicking on "Publications" on the left of the screen, and choosing the appropriate Course of Study from the list.

In October, a draft of the proposed Course of Study for each of those subjects will be available for public inspection. Public comments will again be accepted.

Writing EXPLOSION at R. L. Young

WATCH OUT...Mrs. Beard, the computer assistant has created a WRITING EXPLOSION at Raymond L. Young! As you wander down to the computer lab, it is impossible to miss the wonderfully written essays on various topics by our older students. An additional display features riddles by younger writers. These riddles have stumped even the adults throughout the school.

Mrs. Beard, who oversees the Successmaker Program, was recently awarded the B.O.B. Award (Bend Over Backward) for going beyond her normal duties to motivate and inspire R. L. Young writers.

Here is a sample riddle written by Mrs. Nabor's Kindergarteners:

DID YOU GUESS MRS. HODNETT, the school secretary/bookkeeper? That's right!

Sam Thomas, a fifth grader at Young won 1st place in the Essay Contest. View his wonderful writing below:

Going Going Gone
Baseball, a sport I love. If you don't love baseball as much as I do, you need to have second thoughts. Baseball is the most exciting sport of all. There are all sorts of noises, smells and sights.It all starts off with the low mumble of the umpire saying, 'Strike the ball"! You can also hear the hollering of coaches fussing about the calls made by the umpire, which can get pretty loud sometimes. There's the crackling of the bat when the ball hits the bat head on. That's what you can hear at a ball game.

Here's my personal favorite thing at a baseball game, the smell! It smells like nothing you've smelled before. The fresh scent of freshly popped popcorn, with melted yummy butter. You also can't miss the smell of hotdogs and hamburgers fresh off the grill. That's why it's my favorite thing.

Last but not least the sights. The best is if a player hits a homerun they wave their hands with a jubilant smile on their face. I wish I could do that. Best of all is when players shake hands at the end of the game which shows good sportsmanship.So if you haven't been to a game go! You will enjoy it! Trust me I know. So get going, going gone!

Breakfast and a Book Club

BREAKFAST AND A BOOK Club members gather daily at Raymond L. Young. These members include students who arrive before school begins. Often in this busy world, children have very little time to relax and enjoy a magazine, book, or even a newspaper.

But with the B & B Club, our students have an opportunity to enjoy free reading time and munch on breakfast treats served by our cafeteria.Mark Twain once said, "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."

It's great that R.L. Young is helping parents who must bring their children early and supplying our students with extra time to enjoy a good "read."

Tips on Raising Healthy Students

Healthy kids--that's what every family wants. This Report to Parents from the National Association of Elementary School Principals gives some tips of how.

Early Dismissal

Attention!

All Talladega City Schools will be dismissing at 1:30 pm. TODAY due to a threat of severe weather.

Bus student pickup will run as follows:

1:15 p.m. Elementary

1:45 pm. THS

2:00 pm. Zora Ellis

Thanks for checking the blog for this information!

Mayor York Visits Graham's 3rd Grade

Mayor Brian York visited with Mrs. Davis', Mrs. Armbrester's, and Mrs. Lawson's third grade classes. Mayor York explained his duties as mayor and the students were able to ask him questions. The third graders are learning about local government in social studies this year.

Music in Our Schools Month

In honor of Music in Our Schools month which occurs each March, Raymond L. Young's third and fourth graders completed an "at home" assignment. The task involved designing and creating their own instrument, researching information, and playing their creation for the class. Students were graded on creativity, originality, and following the directions of the assignment.

From the picture below, you can see the many talents of R. L. Young students!

The purpose of MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children and to remind citizens that school is where all children should have access to music.

Students at Young are fortunate to have regular education teachers who make great efforts to incorporate music into their everyday lessons!

So Many Activities, Too Little Time

It's good to keep children involved in different activities, but how do parents know how much is too much? This Report to Parents from the National Association of Elementary School Principals gives some guidance on the subject.