The Adventures of Blue Flame

A dastardly plot is afoot in the quiet town of Rabbleville. It seems as though The Jokester is in town and using natural gas unwisely. And he wants everyone to do this same! Mayor Babble is frantic and there’s only one thing left to do! It’s time to call Rabbleville’s resident secret superhero! The Blue Flame!  This past Monday, all students at American Renaissance Elementary were treated to an outstanding performance of The Adventures of Blue Flame with the National Children's Theatre actors, David and Ryan.  The purpose of this presentation was to stress the importance of natural gas as an energy source that we must work to conserve.  As The Blue Flame said, "Natural Gas, Make It Last!"  Students learned how natural gas is produced in nature, how we use it in our everyday lives, what measures we can take to conserve it, and what to do if there is a gas leak nearby.  This production was sponsored by PSNC Energy.

He's Here!!

We're tickled to announce the arrival of our new grandson, Connor Douglas, named for my husband, Doug:)  He weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. He was so sweet to make his grand entrance on a teacher work day/weekend so that his Mommom and Pop could spend time with him and big brother, Landon.  While Connor and his Mommie were in the hospital, Landon kept us entertained with Thomas the Train, his many Nemo friends, and, of course, his favorite CARS characters.  Never a dull moment with our little Landon!  We are so blessed to have these two little boys in our lives!

Let's Go to the County Fair!

Where do the firemen sleep?

Our kindergartners recently made a trip to the fire department and learned all about a fireman's life - where they eat, sleep, and wait for the call.  After the trip Ms. Spence explains to her class the meaning of the Maltese cross as a symbol for all firefighters.  Students at American Renaissance Elementary have the good fortune of visiting many local agencies during the school year since they are just a short walk away.  We so appreciate the cooperative efforts of our neighbors - the fire department, the post office, the Sweet Shop, the Chamber of Commerce, and so many more - in expanding and enhancing our educational program each and every day.

A Sample of Smiles

Biomes Anyone?

What's the best way to learn about BIOMES?  Why making a game, of course!  Mrs. Smith's fifth graders spent hours and hours creating these master pieces to try and trip up their classmates.  From all appearances, everyone was a winner!

My Grands

I have to brag a little and give you a glimpse of how my new grandbabies are doing!  My daughter Kristen (on the right) is the mother of our grandson Landon and obviously, his little brother will be arriving any day now.  Karen's little boy will be here in February!  Landon is really looking forward to having some team mates to play soccer and basketball.  My husband and I are so excited and can't wait to take our three rambunctious grandboys fishing and hiking in the mountains!

Science Scenery

Come and take a look at all the fabulous science projects that our fourth and fifth graders have created during their study of animal adaptations and ecosystems.  Here are a couple of  sneak previews:

The Nurse is IN

Mrs. Cook is keeping busy taking temperatures, checking for red throats, and listening to those annoying coughs. Our students have been doing a great job remembering to cover mouths and wash hands regularly.  So far we have been able to dodge the flu "bullet" since our absentee rates have been fairly normal for this time of year.  Thanks to Mrs. Cook for keeping us up to speed on flu education and taking care of all our aggravating symptoms.

Say CHEESE

Today is Picture Day and it's pouring rain!!  It seems as though this has been the weather for the last 3-4 years on Picture Day at American Renaissance Elementary!  This morning in car line all the hair styles were gorgeous and our students' favorite outfits looked so nice and neat...we hope that their school pictures show all the special time and effort spent in preparation at home this morning!  The good news is that we elected to keep the photographer on site.  The children were able to keep their special hairstyles in place and dry since we didn't have to walk across the street to the church! 

The Techno Sisters

Mrs. Gay and Mrs. Shipman are our local "techno wizards" this year as the designers of our brand new digital newsletter, The Bookworm. Once a month they collaborate, cut and paste, and create this outstanding addition to our home-school communication.  I love sitting in my office listening to their problem-solving, their giggles when they find a cute picture or piece of clip art, and their total concentration and determination to get it right. Many thanks to Mrs. Gay and Mrs. Shipman for taking on this special project!

Enriching Lives

One of our fourth grade enrichment classes recently partnered with a kindergarten class to make bagged lunches for our neighbors at Fifth Street Ministries.  They worked together to make and wrap ham and cheese sandwiches as well as other nutritious lunch items.  Then they actually delivered the lunches and were treated to a tour of this brand new facility.  We are so proud of our students and teachers who constantly search for ways to give back to our local community.  Our children learn what community service means through hands-on activities just like this one on a regular basis at ARS! 

NEOs are Nifty!

On Friday, September 25th, our entire staff attended a Webinar (a workshop actually conducted through the internet!) to learn more about our NEO word processors.  We discovered that there are many more ways we can use these "mini computers" in our daily work.  Up until now we have used the NEO's just for Accelerated Reader, but we discovered last week that we can use them for word processing, as a thesaurus, and we can even "beam" files from one NEO to another! Our teachers will be teaching students all these new possibilities in the near future!

Why Come to School?

Most students at American  Renaissance Elementary recently viewed President Obama's speech on the importance of getting a good education.  From Kindergartners to Fifth Graders the message came through loud and clear - stay in school!  After the speech, teachers led discussions that reviewed the main ideas in the speech.  Students shared their thoughts with confidence and understanding.  This speech helped them focus on the importance of getting a good night's sleep, eating healthy foods, studying hard, and challenging themselves.  They also discussed achievable goals such as getting a college education or attending a special school to study their career choices.  Our students provided so many thoughtful reflections but one student shared an extra special thought:  "We all need to encourage each other."  In my view, without this critical piece in the "school success puzzle,"  we would accomplish little.  Why do we come to school?  We come to learn, to learn how to learn, and we come to be affirmed in the possibilities of our individual strengths and gifts.

ARES Artistry

Over the past month our students have been busy creating master pieces in art and core classes.  Some created Class Quilts to represent unity and team work.  Mrs. McCachren's classes created Mandala's to "capture the moment," recycle sculptures to raise our awareness of the many items we can use over and over again, and more recently, wire art.  Ms. Munday's K-1 students studied the line designs of Joseph Stella using special markers and water.  Mr. Powers students looked at various careers in the field of art such as:  carpenters, car designers, photographers, carpet designers, and portrait artists, and then they drew designs and careers of their choice.  At the moment they are recreating Van Gogh's "Starry Night."    ARES students are busy practicing their talents in so many ways every day!