Haywood Elementary students have the spirit

In the spirit of giving during the holiday season, students in Mary Jones class at Haywood Elementary School decided to do something for those less fortunate. Class members brought non-perishable food items to school so they could make a gift box to be donated to the Mustard Seed, a community agency that helps those in need.

“They really put their hearts into the spirit of giving, and we turned in a very nice box of food,” Mrs. Jones said. “Hopefully this brightened and lifted some family’s spirit during the Christmas season.”

And Cindy Currie’s students were also in a giving mood at Christmas. Her students raised money by making clay Christmas ornaments and selling them to friends and family members. The class used this money to purchase a doll, a truck, and a teddy bear and donated these items to the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse.

“The students now understand that giving to others is even better than receiving,” Mrs. Currie said.

Songs of the season

Haywood Elementary students joined other students in the county celebrating the Christmas season with a musical program on December 16. The school’s gymnasium was packed with family and friends who enjoyed watching the children and hearing the sounds of the season.

Led by the school’s music teacher, Patricia Gaietto, students s “sang” in the holidays with such favorites as “Mary Had a Baby,” “Snowballs,” “Silent Night,” “O Holy Night,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” and of course, “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.” Accompanying the children was teacher Cheri Velotta. Designing the stage decorations was the school’s art teacher, Mary Marcantel.
 

Ride ‘em cowboys and cowgirls

Young students at Haywood Elementary School donned their best Western attire last week to
spend the day as “cowboys and cowgirls” as part of their studies in class. Participating
were students in Janice Parker and Barbara Bond’s classes.
 

It was fun studying about the Wild West and dressing up as cowboys and cowgirls for students in Janice Parker and Barbara Bond’s first grade classes at Haywood Elementary School in January.

They enjoyed reading and writing about life on a “Dude Ranch,” including what they ate and what their jobs were on the ranch. The teachers said their stories were quite imaginative, adding that some wrote about raising sheep and riding mules. Students studied “tall tales” and saw the movie “Pecos Bill.” When the students dressed up for the day in their favorite cowpoke duds, some brought stick horses and wore spurs, and almost all wore the well-known cowboy hat.

“Success Maker” program helps students in computer classes
 

Elaine Brown, Haywood Elementary’s computer teacher, is in the business of helping children be successful in school, and the programs she uses, “Success Maker” by Pearson, helps her do that. The programs are lessons in math and reading, and students study at their own pace.

“The instruction is very individualized,” Mrs. Brown said. And according to Mrs. Brown, there are some very successful students in the class. She has first-grade students reading on a second-grade level, and second-grade students reading on a third grade level. Likewise, in math, some students are performing above the level of their year in school. Mrs. Brown said the program teaches the children, then they are tested, and if they have mistakes, these mistakes are corrected until the students test out correctly.

“Some students come more than others if they need special help,” Mrs. Brown said. Her lessons in the computer class are supplemental to what teachers are teaching in the classroom.
 

Mrs. Wills proud of students’ reading and writing skills

Haywood Elementary Principal Jean Wills is quick to show off her school’s “Brag Boards” that highlight classroom work of students at the school. She said these outstanding works are a product of the school’s Balanced Literacy Program that has encouraged more reading and writing about what they have read. She says this program has brought about real progress for the students because it has raised the reading levels better than the more traditional reading programs. Students work in smaller reading groups at their own level.

“It has been a positive influence in improving reading skills of our students,” she said. “This method takes reading to the next step through their writing skills. They relate text to text,” she added. “They are reading then writing about what they have read.” Basically these first- and second-grade students are doing book reports and they are writing about their own life experiences.

Students earn awards for achievement

 These students at Haywood Elementary School are proud to walk across the stage at their six-weeks end award program where they receive ribbons and recognition for a job well done. Students are recognized for good grades, improvement, and good behavior among other things.