WMS Sixth grade AVID students recently read and signed their AVID contracts, making a personal commitment to strive to meet their independently determined goals.  Afterwards, students made graduation caps that said, "I commit to AVID because..."  These sixth graders are keeping their eyes on the prize as they work toward their academic and personal goals. Submitted by Kristen Rhodes.

On August 21, 2017 a solar eclipse was visible in many parts of the United States. The last total solar eclipse to sweep across the entire United States happened in 1918. WDE second grade students celebrated this historic day by learning about this rare event.  Mrs. Kristin Peak’s Kindergarten at WDE class enjoyed learning about the solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. Students made solar eclipse hats! First grade students in Mrs. Sconiers's class at WDE enjoyed learning about the Solar Eclipse and new "space words" on August 21. Using the Clear Touch board in their classroom, the girls and the boys had a friendly competition to solve a Solar Eclipse word search (pictured). The students worked hard to find each of the new words, and they liked competing against their classmates. Submitted by Jessica Dawkins.

Mrs. Solomon used the solar eclipse and seized the opportunity to bring the real world into her 6th Grade Language Arts class at ECMS! Her lesson creatively linked history, science and language arts and made use of multiple sources to keep the students actively involved in learning! Through modeling how a solar eclipse occurs, showing a video explaining how Newton and Einstein used eclipses to prove their theories, reading an article about how Christopher Columbus used a total lunar eclipse to save him from disaster and watching a live video feed of the solar eclipse, Mrs. Solomon’s students experienced a true educational treat on the historic day of the total solar eclipse!!!

Submitted by Candy Bodie

The St. Joe Community Foundation recently made a donation for the purchase of 1,050 Peripole Halo Recorders to supply each student participating in the Sinfonia Gulf Coast Carnegie LinkUp program with their own recorder to utilize during music class, and the concert performance.  These recorders will include a Halo Hanger to suspend around the neck, a vinyl zippered case to house the recorder, and a self-adhesive “thumb spot”. 

LinkUp pairs orchestras across the country with schools in their local communities by inviting them to learn about orchestral repertoire through a year-long hands-on music curriculum.  This year’s curriculum is titled “The Orchestra SWINGS.”  District music teachers will begin working with their third, fourth and fifth grade students utilizing the curriculum materials that are provided free-of-charge by the Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.  Students are currently participating in active music making in the classroom, and will begin performing the repertoire on recorders and voice.  The culmination of the yearlong program is a live performance in which students have the opportunity to play recorders or sing along with the Sinfonia Gulf Coast Orchestra.   

Submitted by Keitha Bledsoe