A Challenging Snow

The deep snow that fell this past weekend has presented a number of unusual challenges as crews work to make schools ready for the return of students.

To read the story, go to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

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A Parade of Counties at Morgan Elementary

By Lisa England

Media Coordinator

Morgan Elementary School

Everyone Loves a Parade!

Fourth-graders across our state concentrate on learning more about North Carolina as a part of their curriculum. The recent North Carolina County Float Parade at Morgan Elementary is the culmination of weeks of letter-writing, research, and creativity for the fourth-graders and their families.

This is a collaborative effort between Lisa England, Morgan’s media coordinator, and the fourth-grade team: Angie Keaton, Ashleigh Maine, Erica McIntosh, Angela Sams, Glenda Vaughn and Joanie Williams.

This annual event provides a multi-faceted project that covers everything from learning to write and mail a business letter to their individual chambers of commerce, researching their county in media classes, computer lab, and in their classrooms, and using the materials the students receive from their county to create a shoe box float that promotes and advertises their assigned county.

All 100 counties are represented in this endeavor. The students, teachers, and everyone who visits the parade throughout the week learn some pretty unusual and interesting things about our state.

This activity is something that students look forward to as they move into fourth grade. Promoted as a family project, everyone is encouraged to jump in at home and work on the float together. 

Any materials may be used to create a float that applauds what makes their county great, what type of industry might be important to the economy of the county, famous people, and maybe a few little-known, outrageous facts, like Caldwell County’s “20 Miles of Furniture” that brings thousands to visit each year, Polk County’s The Gorge: The Steepest and Fastest Zipline Canopy Tour in the U.S., or the fact that John Coltrane, the most famous jazz saxophonist in the world, and Andre the Giant were both born in Richmond County! Some families even take the time to visit the county before they begin to create the float.

Some floats have battery-operated light features and recorded music and sound recordings. Each year the level of creativity increases and it is easy to imagine how the effort the students put into this project will help them in the future.

The floats are judged for ribbons and special recognitions that are awarded for each class. In addition to the first, second and third place ribbons, the awards handed out this year included several honorable mention awards, art awards, media information awards, and creativity awards. 

Lisa England, media coordinator, and the fourth-grade teachers try to remain unbiased and turn the judging over to other staff members who are given the criteria for the project.

Photos of each float that won an award and its creator are sent to the counties they represent. Many county offices have asked about purchasing the floats in the past to have on display. So far, the floats have remained with the families. 

The winning floats will be on display in the media center for the next week. Come by for a visit!

North Hills Elementary Opens Parent Resource Center

On Nov. 20, North Hills Elementary had a ribbon cutting for a new parent resource center in the school’s media center.

Here is what Assistant Principal Shemika McClendon wrote about it:

By Shemika McClendon
Assistant Principal
North Hills Elementary School

Did you know that parent involvement is actually a better predictor of academic success than standardized test scores?

North Hills Elementary School kicked off their celebration of Parent Engagement Month with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the addition of the parent station tucked in a cozy corner in our media center.

This addition was created as a reservoir of resources for our parents who need Internet access, assistance with resume writing or any other areas that will help them stimulate their child to be the most successful student possible. There is an accumulation of pamphlets for parents to choose from assist in these areas of support.

We closed our ceremony with a survey from our parents to share their ideas of how to keep our parent engagement at its peak and strengthen these vital relationships.

Our customized corner welcome parents any time during our regular school day to continue to embrace these everlasting partnerships.

Stop by, take a seat, and let North Hills Elementary take you on an expedition to success!

Hanes Seventh-Graders Participate in Statewide Computer Science Expo

On Thursday, four seventh-graders headed to Raleigh to show people from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, the self-driving vehicle, they designed and programmed.

To read the story, go to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

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Basketball Players Serve as Mentors

The varsity basketball players at Reagan and Mount Tabor high schools are serving as mentors for boys at Jefferson Elementary School.

To read the story, go to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

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