Mocksville Elementary kindergarten students are beginning to figure out the rules and routines. They are excited about Letterland the school’s phonics program. Math sparks interest because they  are doing hands-on math. Students are exploring math materials, recognizing the 4 basic shapes and beginning to count. Students are encouraged to make friends with everyone. They learned parts of books and Miss Hendrix and Mrs. Walker’s class enjoyed letter learning time; making playdough Aa’s and Bb’s.

Mrs. Martin and Miss Weatherman’s first grade students are reviewing numbers one through 20 and the letters of the alphabet. They read “No David” and “David gets in Trouble.” Students illustrated and wrote about their favorite parts of the story. The class enjoyed reading, “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” and the “Kissing Hand”.  In math they made number towers with connecting cube blocks.

Angelina Etter and LeAnne Williams’ second grade class enjoyed getting to know each other. Students read back-to-school books and reviewed class rules and routines. Students read “The Invisible Boy.” This book talks about a boy who seemed invisible in his classroom until one day a friend notices how well he can draw. This changes the way the boy feels about himself and about how the class treats him in class. Students are learning about character traits and how having positive thoughts can help them have much better days. They are learning to believe in themselves and how to be the best “me” they can be. In math, the class is learning to identify even and odd numbers.

Fourth grade students spent the week doing class and team building activities.

Mrs. Miles fifth grade students welcomed two new students to the class and school. They are making new friends. They now sit on exercise balls instead of hard chairs. Students commented that sitting on these is fun and it keeps their posture in good form. It is easier to remain alert. So far students have worked independently, with face and shoulder partners, in teams, and as a class on thought-stimulating activities. Students studied how to infer meaning about text or a situation, reviewed place value, written about themselves, and pre-tested in math, language arts, and science. They almost finished the first lesson in WordlyWise3000 and shared strategies in their first Number Talks. They will begin to study about Europe and ecosystems. Soon they will be learning about decimal fractions and elements of literature. Students read  their first personal choice book. They completed applications and obtained references for two positions as Student Leaders on the Student Leadership Team coordinated by Mrs. Reavis. Students will also help in the Media Center this year. They started the year with two class leaders, the support of Teacher Assistant Debbie Brown, and Mr. Lyday in LIFT classes.