Grandparent's Day 2010

Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children. ~Alex Haley


DLES loves Christmas, and DLES loves grandparents. We celebrated both today in our first of two performances. The audience was full of family members who came from both near and far to enjoy the music the children have been working so hard to prepare. It was a pleasure to see so many grandparents smiling and proudly cheering on their little ones. If you were not able to attend the performance today, make sure you come tomorrow. We'll begin right after our 8:00 morning announcements.

Merry Christmas!
David Lipscomb Elementary School

Well done, Ms. Collins!

Congratulations to Kindergarten Teacher, Becky Collins, who received the Hubert Smothers Award at the TAIS conference held in Chattanooga earlier this week. Only five other teachers in the state received this award. The criteria for the award includes excellent teaching, a love of learning new things, and a passion for sharing with the broader community. Those of us at DLES know that Becky is often asked to share her love of outdoor learning with other schools. She has been instrumental in our work with environmental education for many years. This year, through her efforts, we won the Eastman Good Sports Always Recycle Award which gave us $500 to add to our environmental efforts. Well done, Ms. Collins! You make us proud!

It's Finally Here

It has been a long time coming, but our brand new Pre-First/First Grade playground is officially "open for business!" Following a ribbon-cutting celebration hosted by Mrs. Farmer, Principal, and Dr. Hammond, Headmaster of David Lipscomb Campus School, along with our two PTO Presidents, Stacey King and Lori Nixon, the children raced to be the first to experience the newest addition to the DLES campus. They have patiently waited day after day, on the other side of the fence, watching dirt being moved, equipment being built, and mulch being spread. Although excitement was mounting this morning, over 100 children took a moment to bow their heads in a prayer of thanksgiving for all of those parents, grandparents, and supporters of the school who made this moment possible, and joined in asking for a special blessing of safety for the thousands of children who will enjoy this gift for years to come. Thank you to each and every giving heart who has supported this effort. You have put smiles on so many faces - adults and children alike!

Come one, come all!

We offer tours on a daily basis to accommodate everyone's schedule, but Open House is a wonderful time to visit with faculty and staff, enjoy some refreshments, and get a good feel for who we are from the inside out. Hope to see you here!

Deciduous? Are you serious?

I was down in the kindergarten area last week when a five-year-old answered a question with the word 'deciduous' - yes, you read correctly, deciduous! I had to stop in my tracks and politely interrupt to ask if I heard what I thought I did. The class was beginning their weekly science lab with Ginger Reasonover, Science Lab Coordinator, and starting their study of leaf varieties. It is always incredibly interesting to me how easily youngsters soak up information and retain it. At such a young age, their little brains are so primed with millions of neurological pathways just waiting to fire. In fact, if they're not utilized, they begin to die. Engaging them in intellectual conversation and learning through experiences and play is exactly what they are made to do, and it is fascinating to watch!

By the way, a big congratulations is in order for Mrs. Reasonover who is pictured here helping out Mrs. Felts' kindergarten class. She recently traveled to Knoxville to receive an award presented by Project Learning Tree, a division of the National Forestry Service. Ginger was named 2010 Environmental Educator of the Year.

We're so proud of the work Ginger continues to do to mentor other schools as they work toward Green School designation. She serves on several local and state boards of environmental groups seeking to educate the children of our community and to raise awareness of the citizens of the region.

Thank you, Ginger, for your significant contributions to our environmental efforts here at the elementary school and for representing Lipscomb in the larger community.

Go Into All the World

DLES is very excited about the new additions we have made to our faculty this year. Ms. Britney Harper is one of them and just as excited to be here! I wanted to share with you the creative way in which she's integrating faith and learning into her art classes. She recently talked with me about her theme verse for the year, Mark 16:15, "Go into all the world and preach the good news..." Her desire is to help her students understand that if we are truly to go into "all the world" then we need to know a little something about the world. So, Ms. Harper has decided to teach art from around the world with all classes, Pre-Kindergarten through Fourth Grade. The first stop on the journey is Mexico, Central America, and South America. The photos being shared in the slideshow are Fourth Grade's, Mexican Metal Tooling. The elements of art and principles of design this unit covers are color and pattern, the two prominent characteristics of Latin American Art. We invite you to come and view the pieces decorating our halls. They are truly stunning!

Lipscomb's Own in USA Today

Our Learning Enhancement Program (LEP) has served numerous children across our PK-12 campuses for over 18 years. An on-site tutoring service, LEP has offered resources to students who need some extra academic help to those who have tested gifted and require extra challenge. Marlene Butler, our elementary LEP coordinator, is a huge advocate for understanding different learning styles and, as you will read in this USA Today Article (click bold print), imaginative and outdoor play. As a Performer Level Status Green School, DLES encourages daily outdoor activities, both in fun and learning, throughout all of its grades, utilizing its state-of-the-art outdoor classroom and wide-open green spaces. We are proud of the work we are doing in this area, and we are extremely proud of Marlene's "voice" in the included article. Thousands of responses are sent to USA Today everyday, and one of ours was chosen to be heard - now that is something worth talking about!

We're Off to a Great Start!

Tomorrow will officially be one full week of school completed, and we're off to a great start! Having our families and children back in the building just feels good. Please remember that tomorrow evening is Meet the Teacher Night. We begin at 6:00PM and will finish up at 7:30PM. It's a perfect time to learn about the year your child's teacher has planned for him or her, ask questions, and get to know other families with whom you'll be sharing life for the next several months. You'll also have the opportunity to look at outerwear provided by our Booster Club and find out more about other ways to become involved and support the school. You don't want to miss it - hope to see you there!

It's Time!

Registration - Wednesday, August 11th, 7:30-10:30 AM
First Half-Day - Thursday, August 12th, 8:00-10:30 AM (PK/K), 8:00-10:45 AM (Pre-1), 8:00-11:00 AM (1-4 grades)
First Full Day - Friday, August 13th

Early drop-off begins this week, 7:00 AM. Extended Day begins next week, Monday, August 16th.

New Family Ice Cream Social

Families are invited to our annual New Family Ice Cream Social to be held this Sunday, August 8th, from 2-4 PM, come-and-go. All will enjoy a family treasure hunt, and of course, ice cream (Blue Bell, to be exact)! Dress is casual and all events will be held indoors at the elementary school campus due to the projected high temperatures. We just can't wait to get to know you better. See you then!

Two Weeks and Counting

As of today, we are merely two weeks away from our official first day of school! Where the time goes, I do not know... a sure sign I am getting older.

We are terribly excited about a few new faces you will be seeing in our halls this year. After 39 years of service, Ms. Nancy Lochridge retired. She will be dearly missed. Filling her art position is Britney Harper. She comes to us from Georgia with her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia.

Kathleen Moss, a most kind and gentle pre-kindergarten teacher and servant of this school for a very long time, has also retired. That position has been filled by Emily Hammond. Emily earned her Elementary Education degree from Lipscomb University, and her M., Ed. in Reading from MTSU. She taught in Metro Nashville schools as well as the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ pre-kindergarten program.

To round out the list, we are thrilled to welcome a new third grade instructor, Sarah Williamson. Sarah received her BA in Communications from Abilene University as well as her M, Ed. from Pepperdine University with a certification in ESL. She taught several years in California before re-locating with her family to Nashville where she has most recently been a pre-kindergarten teacher at Otter Creek Church of Christ.

As you can see, we have made three very fine additions to our faculty. They are eager to meet you and look forward to serving DLES children this year.

Enjoy your last few days of the summer break. We'll see you on Registration Day, August 11th!

Shine,
JDG

Summertime... and the livin' is easy!

DLES Summer Camp is in full swing! There are still spaces available in our day (7:30-5:30) and enrichment camps. It is open to anyone, so call 966-6309 to find out more!

"T" is for TOP-NOTCH!

It is a pretty unique experience to be able to acquire a Pre-Kindergarten through Master's degree-level education all in one institution, but with Lipscomb, it's possible! We could maybe even alter the age-old adage, "Everything I ever learned, I learned in PRE-Kindergarten." In these recent times, it's becoming a foundational year for so many students.

Our pre-kindergartners are blessed to have a truly enriching year, experiencing all of the excitement and academic opportunities of older students balanced with an appropriate amount of structured play and rest time... not to mention an abundance of nurture. They engage in hands-on science experiments, check out books from our library, play Orff instruments in Music, learn Spanish, attend PE two times each week, and study Van Gogh and Monet in Art. In the classroom they have daily activities that support a curriculum helping each student meet academic goals. With full-time, certified, experienced teachers, the DLES Pre-Kindergarten program is top-notch! If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more, contact us today. Spots for the 2010-2011 are filling fast!

(Zachariah is pictured putting the final touches on the Quilt Cake for "Q" day. Learning you can eat... how fun is that?)

The Breakfast of Champions

"I hear—I forget, I see—I learn, I do—I understand." ~ Gennady V. Oster

I was touring a family a couple of weeks ago when I made my way to the "T" - where the 3rd grade hall ends in 4th grade's territory. Lined along both sides were cereal boxes, creatively decorated and named, adorned with facts galore about numerous - and notorious - individuals. I'll let our featured 4th graders, Anna Grace and Sutton, explain more in their videos below. Needless to say, the visiting family was terribly impressed and appreciated the way our teachers help our students learn. A practice of research and writing skills, history, art, literacy, and more all rolled up into a creative and hands-on project... and I bet the kids had a ball!

Reaching for the Stars

We were honored yesterday with a visit from Captain Barry Wilmore, pilot of NASA Space Shuttle, Atlantis. He spent all morning and afternoon treating our students to a look at space from his perspective as well as taking many questions from his multiple audiences. Out of the thousands of requests NASA receives from schools across the country to send representatives to speak with their students, we were certainly ecstatic he chose to spend time with ours. Considering all of the work our third grades do for their annual Space Day year after year, and the Monarchs in Space venture our kindergarteners undertook this school year, this was a well-deserved honor for our faculty, staff, and children.

We invite you to visit our school very soon so that you can find our students' "out-of-this-world" work as displayed in the halls and foyer. From third grade creative writing pieces to kindergarten graphings of their Monarch control group versus the experimental group on Space Shuttle Atlantis, our students never fail to reach for the stars. Come share in our excitement of loving to learn!

*To find local news coverage of yesterday's events, just cut and paste the links below.*
http://www.wsmv.com/video/22775814/index.html
http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=12103939
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=12102377

Shine bright,
JDG

A Lost Art

In the world of email and texting, good writing is quickly becoming a lost art. But, not so in Ms. Wanda Lynn's second grade class. Her students are fortunate enough to have her share her passion for writing and children's literature with them on a daily basis. In fact, our entire faculty and staff was treated to a wonderfully insightful in-service session led by Ms. Lynn, sharing with all of us components of good writing and how to encourage our students to be successful authors at any age.

Her ideas and approach used in the classroom are terribly creative and effective. The shoe pictured here is a perfect example. During in-service, we were asked to give a "voice" to the shoe placed on our group's table. Participants could have the shoe "say" anything it wanted. This one was a bit sassy commenting it was "a little jealous of the boot that had walked in the clean, white snow," but "ready at a moment's notice for a night on the town!" It was so much fun to hear the creative ideas our teacher's offered and watch a seemingly inanimate object come alive on paper!

Ms. Lynn holds Writing Workshop each week after school for second grade students who are interested in participating. In her words, Writing Workshop is explained:

"A series of mini lessons that teach what makes good writing, Writing Workshop reviews the six traits... ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions, as well as presentation. Then these traits are the focus during the stages of the writing process - prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. In Writing Workshop children are exposed to good writing again and again; children learn to recognize what strong writing sounds like. Good picture books and chapter books are used for children to recognize detailed descriptions and fluent sentences. I feel strongly that children need daily opportunities to write so that they become invested in the writing process."

One point Ms. Lynn made during in-service that truly resonated is how important it is to understand the connection between thinking and speaking creatively, so when it's time to write in such a way, it comes more easily. So, in Ms. Lynn's classroom you will not hear children asking simply, "Can I get a drink of water?" but rather, "May I get a cool, refreshing drink of water from the bubbler in the hallway?" We laugh, but it really does make a difference. Come by and read some of her seven and eight year olds' writing pieces... quite impressive.

Shine bright,
JDG

A Most Impressive Day

There are two modes of knowledge: through argument and through experience. Argument brings conclusions and compels us to concede them, but it does not cause certainty nor remove doubts that the mind may rest in truth, unless this is provided by experience.
- Roger Bacon, 1268

I often consider how different school looks today as opposed to when I was in elementary school, or even my parents and grandparents. I remember a whole lot of sitting and listening, and desperately trying to retain the information. It's what we knew to do at the time, and yet experience and research has continued to mold educational practices into so much more of a hands-on, experiential approach.

DLES took this to new heights, literally, as it celebrated its annual Space Day. With the help of so many dedicated parents, our third grade hall was transformed from floor to ceiling to represent our solar system, offering every student, pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, multiple opportunities to journey through space as they travelled the black-light-glowing corridor on a daily basis. But what received "awesomes" or "wows" from the students, and utter amazement from visiting adults, was an extremely effective teaching experience as members of our faculty and third grade teachers designed an academically challenging and exciting unit for their students.

SPACE DAY, 2010

~ Integrating all subjects into the space unit, all objects in the solar system were covered, as well as the study of Earth's rotation and revolution, along with the history of space travel.

~ With every concept taught, our belief in God being the divine creator was reaffirmed.

~ Kicking off the final day with the Space Day Pledge, our Pledge of Allegience, and the singing of the Star Spangled Banner, students participated in "stations" throughout the day. This year included a visitor from the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center providing a one-hour workshop for her listeners, a mission control station utilizing our wireless laptops, a rocket station demonstrating the science behind the 2-liter rocket design and ending in our third grade students' individual launches, as well as a visit to the Star Lab - a portable, and inflatable, indoor planetarium. We were also pleased to have a special guest from Vanderbilt University, a specialist in studying the effects of space on astronauts, who shared a powerpoint presentation of those astronauts in space.

~ The unit concluded with a visit to the Adventure Science Museum Planetarium.

What began years ago as a couple of afternoons of science experiments has turned into a multi-week event. DLES students are so fortunate to not only learn, but experience their learning first-hand. Looking forward to Space Day 2011!

Turn on Your Heartlight

I vividly remember being at a birthday party when I was seven years old and hearing Neil Diamond on the radio singing, "Turn on Your Heartlight." It was at the peak of ET's popularity... you remember the movie don't you? Well, I loved the song as much as the movie and since our kickoff for Hearts for Haiti, I have not been able to get the chorus - especially the first couple of lines - out of my head. The hearts are already lining our walls. I have no doubt they will all connect and then some. Remember 25 cents buys your child a heart to be hung in the hall with all proceeds going to relief efforts through Healing Hands, Int. We will be collecting from now until February 11th. For more specifics, see Ms. Farmer's letter posted earlier this week. Thank you for helping us shine a little hopeful light on the people of Haiti!

Turn on your heartlight
Let it shine wherever you go
Let it make a happy glow
For all the world to see

Can't Keep Us Down!

No amount of snow, slush, or cold winds could have kept DLES students down yesterday! It was a big one, kicking off our first day back with a bang! Second graders held their annual Trade Day. They used play money to encourage sharpening math skills and were asked to set up shop complete with advertisement and a logo on the front of their store.

There was everything from decorative erasers to baked goods, massages, and manicures. Lots of parents and other classes visited, browsed, and bought. Watch a couple of successful owners share the story behind their success:

Serve and Be Served!

Kids Valentine

Father's Breakfast 2010

They started filing in around 6:30 AM and made a line a mile long by the time 7:30 rolled around. Father's Breakfast took place for two days last week and was a HUGE success. Plenty of biscuits, gravy, sausage and eggs to go around... not to mention lots and lots of love shown between dads and their children - talk about "food for the soul."

Admissions Testing Day

For those of you interested in applying for the 2010-2011 school year, we are holding our Admissions Testing Day on Saturday, February 6, at 9:00 AM. This is open to all students who have submitted applications. Please contact me for a tour or to answer any questions you might have.

Shine bright,
JDG

Hearts for Haiti

Our PK-12 Lipscomb Family will be combining our efforts to respond to the need in Haiti over the next few weeks. We are collaborating in order to increase our impact. This effort will be called "Hearts for Haiti." The French Club at DLHS has taken the lead in the project, with each of the three schools responding in different age-appropriate ways. From Feb. 1st until Feb. 11th, we will be taking collections to be donated to Healing Hands International for Haiti Relief.

Here at the elementary school, our students will bring in coins (we would also take bills) to add to the collection jar in each classroom. A small paper heart will be hung in the hallway to represent each quarter given in the classroom. We are hoping to connect each grade level’s hearts to form a long chain in several sections of the building. We will be totaling our donations through Feb. 11th and adding them to the middle and high school’s donations.

If you want to send a check instead of cash, you need to make it payable to Healing Hands International with “Haiti Relief” written on the “for” line. As announced last week, until March 1st, donations can be made to Haiti Relief and reported as charitable donations in 2009 or 2010.

Thank you in advance for the money you will send. Whatever the amount, we know God can achieve big results with any gift. It is through this kind of service that young children learn to be responsible adults who truly treat others as they would like to be treated. We hope you will talk with your child about sharing with others; here at school, we will be seeking ways to make this experience not only a service project, but also a teachable moment.

From the heart,

Sharon Farmer
Elementary Principal
David Lipscomb Campus School

Tennessee Wildlife

A couple of weeks ago, our first graders began their unit on animals. Doug Markum, the gentleman in the picture, is from the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) and brought Tennessee animal pelts, teeth, bones, and more to show as he talked about wildlife in our fine state.
Following his visit, the students selected a Tennessee animal to research. They modeled their chosen animals out of clay and built a 3-D habitat to house each of them. I'll try to get pictures of the finished products - pretty impressive, I must say!

70 Ways to Make it Snow

As some of you might have seen, our entire third grade made a human snowflake last week in anticipation for the incoming snow. This picture was featured two different times on Channel 4, much to our delight! In addition to creating the design out on our playground for this great snapshot, the students also compiled a book of writings entitled, 70 Ways to Make it Snow, a compilation of each child's personal snow ritual. For those of us who enjoyed the beautiful white stuff Thursday, Friday and Saturday - wouldn't we agree - it worked!

Shine bright,
JDG

We're B-a-a-a-a-a-a-c-k...

It seems like yesterday we were gearing up for the holidays, anticipating the magic of the season, doing Christmas performances for beloved grandparents on Grandparent's Day - WHICH, by the way, was WONDERFUL! I will post a slideshow soon of the festivities... so much fun! Time, as always, has flown and we're into the new year as if we'd never left the last one. Yesterday I was intrigued by what might be happening on the first day back and wasn't disappointed. We really have the most wonderful students and teachers in the whole, wide world. You do know that, don't you? We invite you to come and see for yourself, if you haven't already. In the meantime, the following is what I discovered and heard about the first school day of 2010. It was a keeper!

**Singing Chapel began with 30 songs of praise in 30 minutes - 20 + 10... Get it? Happy 2010! The kids LOVED it!

**Ms. Collins' Kindergarten enjoyed telling all about their Christmas break adventures and celebrating the recent snow flurries. According to one student, they FINALLY got to mark "snow" on their weather report.

**Ms. Seay's and Ms. Sansom's pre-first group started their unit on the Arctic and Antarctic. They're studying the Eskimo way of life and God's creatures that live in these harsh climates (plus the beautiful Northern Lights). The children are even making Eskimo children to put out in the hallway. You gotta see them!

**Second and third grade classes had very meaningful conversations about resolutions, what it means to have good intentions and follow through. Third graders came to the conclusion that seeing those intentions to the end is not only for the good of moms, dads, and teachers, but they themselves will feel the pride of meeting their personal goals. Curious about their resolutions? Second graders offered such ideas as "work on better handwriting," "be a better friend," and "do homework without being told!” Third grade shared the desire to "get more math objectives," "read more," and "not get in trouble as much!" You gotta love the honesty of children!

Needless to say, it's so easy to come back to such a place where God is front and center and learning is all about. Our DLES family wishes you a super duper New Year! We can't wait to see what God has planned!

Shine Bright,
JDG