Students proud of achievements

It was a great day for students and their achievements at Haywood Elementary’s first six-weeks awards presentation. The students participated by entertaining and cheering for each other, led by none other than their own mascot, Pouncer. They received awards for achievement in all subject areas and for good behavior.
 

Dr. Cooter returns to Haywood Elementary

After speaking at the school’s open house, Dr. Kathleen Cooter returned to spend several days at Haywood Elementary this year working with teachers on how to improve students’ reading skills.

Dr. Cooter is an associate professor of special education at the University of Memphis, and she serves as outreach coordinator for the New Teacher Center. The center is a project that works in conjunction with Memphis City Schools to enhance teacher retention in urban schools. She also serves as principal investigator for the Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) serving the needs of toddlers and families in West Tennessee.

She served for more than 20 years as a teacher and administrator both in private and public schools serving children with learning needs. As a teacher, Dr. Cooter worked primarily with special education students in preschool, elementary, middle, and high school settings. She has held numerous administrative positions serving as a elementary principal, an intermediate school principal, a central office special education director, and a middle school assistant principal. For the past eight years, she has served as the lead professor in a popular course, known as “Principals’ Fellowship,” developed for practicing school leaders in Texas and Tennessee. This program has been credited with turning around low performing schools’ reading and writing scores.

“We are so glad she could come to work with our teachers,” Haywood Elementary Principal Jean Wills said. “Her workshops really help our teachers.”
 

MaGruff and officers visit Haywood Elementary

Tennessee Highway Patrolman Mark Williams, Brownsville Police officer Kim Williams and MaGruff the crime dog visited with the Williams’ daughter Robbie and Mrs. Barbara
Bond's first grade class recently to speak to the students about a career with law enforcement.
 

Reptiles aplenty at Haywood Elementary


Bob Tarter of the Natural History Education Company came to visit Haywood Elementary faculty and students October 13 and left a lasting impression on everyone with his presentation on reptiles. The children had a wonderful time meeting a pygmy frog from Africa; Gumby, monitor lizard from Australia; Bob, a non-poisonous, counterfeit Coral snake from Southwestern United states; an alligator snapping turtle from Tennessee; and Monty, a Bermise python. Tarter poses here, mouth open, with one of this reptilian friends.
 

Haywood Elementary students learn about careers

Haywood Elementary first- and second-grade students had the opportunity to see people from many walks of life in action at their annual Career Day on October 4. Local businesses, government officials, industries, banks, and service organizations had representatives there with displays set up on the school lawn to share what they do with the kids. Some of the kids also wore costumes or uniforms of the careers they might choose. The favorite questions for them – “What do you want to do when you grow up?”

 

Parents and Grandparents visit Haywood Elementary

Haywood Elementary Principal Jean Wills and her staff have been pleased with the participation of parents and grandparents during Parent/Teacher conferences and on Grandparents’ day in September. “We had more than 250 grandparents or parents visit the school on those two days,” she said.