AES Celebrates Grandparents Day!

Third grade AES students celebrated Grandparents' Day at our annual GRAND Open House Tuesday night.  The evening started with the 3rd grade winners of the Grandparents' Day Essay contest.  Each of the students did an excellent job saluting their grandparents.  All the 3rd graders sang a song to honor these heroes.

Students and their families enjoyed a pizza supper, book fair, and time in their classroom with their teacher.  I was able to snap a few photos of a few GATE kids with their families.  Enjoy!

Elaina helped her mom and JoAnna's mom with refreshements.

Torn Paper Self-Portraits

The hallway outside my room looks great decorated with torn paper self-portraits created by GATE 3rd graders!  I love the way each child's personality comes out in each portrait!  Students selected colors of paper as well as paint for handprints for these works of art.  Torn paper works great because there is NO PERFECT way to tear paper....so no pressure to be "perfect" with this form of art!

I love these portraits! They make me happy!  After they have been displayed for all to see at AES, we will send them home for you all to keep and enjoy!

The following is a short slideshow of pictures of the students creating these masterpieces!  Enjoy!

First Day of G.A.T.E ... Success!

Class has begun!  I have loved seeing my old GATE family and meeting my new GATE friends the past two days! I have been anxiously awaiting class to begin...and what a great start!  As usual, we took the First Day of GATE photos.  I have four great groups!

Click on the short slideshow below to see some funny photos and candid shots during class on the first day.  Be sure to check often to see pictures of the latest activities in GATE.

Rubik's Cube Whiz!

Brady Quarles is "Master" of the Rubik's Cube!  Not only did Brady solve ONE cube...he solved 12 Rubiks Cubes!  He solved one in 2 minutes 57 seconds!  Wow! That is impressive!  Way to go, Brady!

Welcome back to G.A.T.E. 2013-2014!

Our essential concept/theme for this school year will be "Celebrating our Differences!"  Through research using the IIM (Independent Investigation Method), art endeavors, and technology adventures, GATE students will have the opportunity to learn about cultures and traditions from around the world.  Students will also have the chance to learn about their own personal learning styles and personalities.  Through these explorations, we hope to CELEBRATE OUR DIFFERENCES and APPRECIATE others!

AES is fortunate to have our Chinese teacher, Mrs. Lakur Yu, back on our campus for this year.  Mrs. Yu has many interesting stories to tell about growing up in China.  I look forward to her visiting our GATE classes to share about the culture, the language, and - of course, ORIGAMI!   One of our 3rd grade moms has offered to share with the students about her experiences living in Japan.  I know we will learn a great deal from her!  Also, we hope to learn from our friends who have family in Mexico about traditions and customs there.  This year will be enlightening for all of us as we find similarities with others and CELEBRATE the differences.

As usual we will continue different art activities as well as learn many new applications on our MacBooks.  I am excited to see my 4th graders who became part of my GATE family last year and I look forward to getting to know my new 3rd graders next week!

Welcome back to GATE!

Daniel Drums Up a Beat in GATE!

3rd Grade Group 2 had  a special treat last week!  Daniel tried out for the AES Talent Show last week. His dad brought his entire drum set and since our classroom is so close to the front of the school, he used our room for his audition!  His classmates and I were amazed at his talent!  Enjoy these pictures and hopefully the video clip will be added soon!  Remember your old GATE teacher, Daniel, when you are a famous musician one day!

AES competes in state tech competition!

Albertville Elementary School GATE students winning 1st or 2nd place at Jacksonville State University's regional technology competition were eligible to advance to the state competition at Auburn University at Montgomery.  Ten AES GATE students and their families traveled to Montgomery to compete on April 27, 2013.  The students presented their projects with such "class"...just like business professionals.  I was so proud to see them handle themselves so well with the judges and watch as they explained all the details of their tech projects.  Congratulations to ALL these students for a job well done!

Our state winners were...

Jonathan and Natasha - 2nd place for their newsletter about African Cats

Brooklyn - 2nd place for her video production "How to Zentangle"

Drake - 1st place for his original website about Greek Gods and Goddesses

Please enjoy a few of the "fun photos" of our trip!

We love technology!