Summer Reading for High Achieving Readers

Perhaps some of you parents, and even maybe some avid student readers, are familiar with the website Goodreads.  If you are not, and you love to read, you should definitely pay it a visit and join (it's free!).  It provides extensive and honest book reviews written by others who love to read.  You can keep track of the books you have read, rate them, make a list of books you are hoping to read, check out what your friends are reading, and much, much more!

Recently, Goodreads created a large list of Favorite Books for Gifted Young Readers.  The books on the list (which has 100 books on it!) are all books for advanced readers, ages 4-12, that do not contain the mature themes that higher level books often have.  Basically, they are books that are appropriate for advanced readers who are not of advanced age!  Below is a link to the list.  There are dozens of fabulous titles on it...some old, some new.  You can even vote for your favorites, write a review, or just browse through the list to get some ideas for your summer reading!  Take a look!

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/47468.Gifted_Young_Readers

Learning Fair!

With the Learning Fair coming soon (June 10, 2014) I am excited to announce that K.E.S. has about 40 students participating this year!  There is representation from all of the grades, and the topics are fun, interesting, and unique!  Did you ever want to know more about Guatemala?  How about learning how lava lamps work?  Maybe you are curious about Black Holes?  Come to the Learning Fair and learn about all of those things, plus dozens of other topics!

As a reminder, the Learning Fair runs from 6-7 pm.  If you are a participant, you can arrive as early as 5:30 to set up.  Be prepared to talk about your project and answer any questions people might have!   If you plan on attending, bring along a friend, neighbor, grandparent, or anyone else who might be interested in doing some new learning this spring!

It's Learning Fair Time!

The Learning Fair is back at Killingworth Elementary School.  Even though I was not here last year, I know what a HUGE success it was!  I ran the Learning Fair over at H.E.S. last spring and I know that it was an incredible experience for all those involved.  The event provides a wonderful opportunity for ALL students at K.E.S. to do what they do really well....LEARN! 

Think of something you know nothing about but would love to have more information on.  Or, choose something you know a little bit about, but want to know more.  The possibilities are endless!  You have brought home some great information and ideas about what can be accomplished, so go for it! 

If you are going to participate, please make sure to return your form to me NO LATER than Friday, May 23rd.  I am looking forward to seeing the amazing learning that will be taking place at K.E.S. this June!

The Artcycle Show was a BIG Hit!

The 1st Annual K.E.S. Artcycle Show was a huge success, with over 30 students participating and representing all grades, K-4.  It was truly amazing and inspiring to see what the children came up with for their projects.  Such a wide variety of materials were used....bottles, cans, paper, cardboard, wood, Popsicle sticks....even part of an old chalkboard!  The students were very proud of their work and had the opportunity to show it off to their classmates, the entire school, and visitors who dropped in during the show to see what it was all about.  The projects have been on display in the front of the school and in the glass display case by the library.  Come check them out for yourself if you haven't already done so.  I am already looking forward to next year's show!

Below are some pictures from the show....enjoy! I hope to add more in the near future.

Artcycle Show TOMORROW at KES!

I am so excited to see the show in it's completion....I know the students are so proud of their work.  Something important to remember on this Earth Day is how far we have come as a whole country in terms of recycling and being resourceful with our goods.  Keep it up!  Look back here for some great pictures of some of the Artcycle projects!

Artcycle Update!

With the Artcycle Show just over a week away, I want to remind everyone that tomorrow, April 11th is the deadline for signing up to participate.  So far we have over 20 students participating!  It is such a fun project and an amazing event....don't be left out of the fun!

Also, on the original paperwork I mentioned that artwork can be dropped off anytime between April 17th and the 22nd.  Well, that is not exactly true....April 17th and 18th are vacation days!  Please bring your finished project in to school on the 21st or 22nd.

PARENTS, FAMILIES, and FRIENDS.....remember the show will be held from 9:30-10:30 in the Cafeteria.  Please stop by and admire the terrific projects.  See you then!

The 1st Annual K.E.S. Artcycle Show is Coming!!!!

Mark your calendars and send in your forms (information is being sent home in your child's backpack today)!  The 1st Annual K.E.S. Artcycle Show will be on April 22, 2014 from 9:30-10:30 in the All Purpose Room. 

Artcycle Show?  What is an Artcycle Show?

The Artcycle Show is an art show, with a twist! Students in all grades are invited to create a piece of artwork using ONLY recyclable materials.  Their art can be big or small, fancy or simple, abstract or concrete....they sky is the limit!  I have run an Artcycle show at H.E.S. in years past and it was a huge success and very popular with all students, grades K-4!

Look for the informational flyer and form in your child's backpack.  All of the details are there.  Forms need to be returned to me by April 11th.  We hope to get a lot of participation for the first ever show at K.E.S. and we hope that parents, grandparents, and friends are able to come by on the 22nd to check out the fabulous projects.  Projects will be displayed in the front hallway of the school for a few weeks after the show.

Check out some projects from years past:

If you have any questions, feel free to comment on this post, or email me at williams66@rsd17.org.
Have fun with this!

Bedtime Math is Coming to R.J. Julia's THIS SATURDAY!

Laura Overdeck, the author of Bedtime Math (a book, blog, and app that I have promoted heavily this year at K.E.S.) has come out with Bedtime Math 2 which will be featured this Saturday, March 29th at 3:00 pm at R.J. Julia's in Madison.  After a short reading of some of the math problems in the new book, children will build their own geometric creations with glowsticks and Styrofoam balls.  These will be fun to build, look amazing when in a darkened room, and promote making math a fun part of kids' everyday lives!  The event is FREE, but you need to reserve seats.  You can do so at the following link:

http://www.rjjulia.com/event/laura-overdeck-bedtime-math-2-time-its-personal

If you are not familiar with Bedtime Math, you need to be!  The mission of the book, blog, and app is nicely summed up with the following quote from the author:

"We want kids to feel about math the way they feel about dessert after dinner."

To reach the "Bedtime Math" blog (which will also lead you to the app) click on the following link:

www.bedtimemath.org

A new, fun, real life math problem is posted regularly, and they are appropriate for all levels of mathematical ability to solve.  Check it out and come to R.J. Julia's on Saturday!

Spring is Here....and so is the LEAP Blog....finally!

Hello everyone!  After technical difficulties that were preventing me from posting here were resolved, I am happy to announce that I will be updating the LEAP blog regularly for the remainder of the school year!  I have a lot to catch everyone up on, but before I do so, please take a few minutes to read about this blog and what you will find on it.  The LEAP blog is for EVERY student and EVERY family at KES.  Remember, you can subscribe to the blog and receive emails each time I post.  Just submit your email below to do so!

The LEAP Blog will include the following:
1.  Information about LEAP activities occurring in the classroom
2.  Useful and fun links
3.  Brain teasers, logic questions, etc
4.  Information about upcoming events (Artcycle Show, Learning Fair)
5.  Pictures!

And much more.  Please check back often, or become a subscriber.  Feel free to leave any comments as well.

Thanks!
Mrs. Williams