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El Dorado schools plan special American Education Week events

Posted on November 10, 2016

Published by: El Dorado News-Times

Editor:  Janice McIntyre

EL DORADO — Schools in the El Dorado School District have planned several special events to commemorate American Education Week, Nov. 14-18. The National Education Association’s 95th annual American Education Week, “presents all Americans with an opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring every child receives a quality education,” according to the NEA website. This year’s tagline is “Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility.”

The following is a list by school of events planned in El Dorado to commemorate American Education Week:

HUGH GOODWIN ELEMENTARY

• The fifth annual Veterans Day Parade will be held at the school at 10 a.m. on Friday.

• An “Early College Awareness Unit” for students in grades kindergarten through fourth grade will include sharing photos of colleges around the country; obtaining maps of different colleges/universities and plot distances from El Dorado to the colleges;researching and reading articles about colleges; setting up a “Wall of Fame,” and posting teachers’ colleges on the Hugh Goodwin wall and other age-appropriate activities per grade level.

• All classrooms will invite parents/visitors to speak about their education and how it has helped them become successful in our community.

• Students will celebrate college day on Nov. 16.

• Hugh Goodwin Family Literacy Night will be Nov. 17 – “Picture Perfect Science.”

RETTA BROWN ELEMENTARY

• On Monday, retired teachers will read to students.

• On Tuesday, a Retta Brown feast will be held and a school-wide Thanksgiving Dinner will be held at El Dorado High School in the Commons area at 5:30 p.m. A special guest will talk about the importance of furthering education after high school.

• On Wednesday, community leaders will come and speak with students about the importance of continuing and furthering their education. They will also share their educational experiences and how their education helped them reach their current level of success.

• On Thursday, Sylvia Thompson, director of The El Dorado Promise, a $50 million scholarship gift from Murphy Oil to graduates of El Dorado High School, will talk to students about how The Promise will help further their education. Teachers will share their college experiences with students. Also on Thursday, kindergarten and first grade students will have a Thanksgiving meal with their parents at the school. Each parent that attends will receive resources they can use at home to help their child be successful at school.

• On Friday, the Retta Brown Elementary American Education Week celebration will conclude with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff drum line will perform for students. They will also speak with students about what motivated them to continue their education after high school and they will perform a short pep rally for the students.

YOCUM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Yocum will have their annual Arkansas Traveler program at the Municipal Auditorium at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 17 for students in grades kindergarten through fourth-grade. The week will end with an event to participate in the International Games Day. This will be a “club” type day where each teacher will plan a game for students to play. This goes along with Yocum’s theme this year of G.A.M.E.S. (Goals And Motivation Equal Success).

Also, each grade level has planned activities as follows:

• Kindergarten – A Career Parade will be held at 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 15. Parents are invited to attend where students will parade onto the stage and tell what they want to be when they grow up.

• First graders will dress up like a character from a book.

• Second graders will dress up like a character from a book. Guest speakers (soldier, fireman and others) will speak to students.

• Third graders will hear a college professor discuss the importance of education.

• Fourth graders will participate in a field trip to the South Arkansas Regional Airport to hear a pilot, a mechanic and the flight department manager speak. Also, students will see and talk to the employees who fuel the planes, operate the TUG device and aircraft maintenance staff.

NORTHWEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Northwest students will thank the teachers and support staff by writing and distributing or mailing thank you notes. There will also be various guest speakers each day to show a variety of careers and discuss the importance of education. Kindergarten and first graders will present a career fashion show, second graders will research and write about careers of interest, third graders will dress as a teacher and present career information to the class and fourth grade families will be invited to breakfast while stressing the significance of a good education to the students.

WASHINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL

Washington Middle School Students will participate in “Exploring STEM Careers Week.” All students will participate in online missions that will teach about biomedicine, marine science, energy production, finance, agriculture, construction, electronics, lightweight metals manufacturing, and more. They will use Learning Blade to complete mission challenges to grow interest and sharpen STEM skills. Students will be involved in exciting missions like exploring technology used for robotics design, will conduct virtual heart surgeries, set up businesses, rescue injured dolphins and upgrade a cities energy sources. WMS students will be very involved in developing skills to enhance career opportunities for the 21st century.

BARTON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

• Students in art classes will design and paint posters supporting education which will be displayed in the cafeteria and in hallways.

• Students will write a paragraph about how they believe education can change their lives. Four will be chosen to be read over the intercom and one will be chosen to be read by the student on the weekly newscast broadcast over the school’s television system. The five students will receive “Bistro Bucks,” which will entitle them to a snack at the Barton Bistro.

• Baby pictures of teachers and staff will be shown over the school’s television system and students will guess the teacher.

• The Cultivating Culinary Tools will provide lunch to the staff.

• Staff and students will wear college shirts.

• Teachers and staff will place signs outside their doors listing their degrees and where they received them.

• Advanced media students will interview teachers about where they went to college for the weekly newscast.

• Educational quotes will be read and discussed during Selective Instruction each day.

• The weekly newscast will feature a “Where are they now?” segment recognizing former Barton students and what they are doing now.

• Two teachers – one seventh grade and one eighth grade – will be chosen by the students and treated to lunch by the principal.

• Barton’s retired teachers will be invited to lunch.

• Barton’s retired teachers and community partners will be invited to lead character education lessons in classrooms.

EL DORADO HIGH SCHOOL

• On Monday – EHS Student Council members will provide lunch for teachers, math teachers and students will be recognized, freshmen parents will be invited to eat lunch with their student.

• On Tuesday – EHS parents will provide lunch for teachers, science teachers and students will be recognized and sophomore parents will be invited to eat lunch with their student.

• On Wednesday – EHS Principal Alva Reibe will provide Spudnuts to all teachers before school, social studies teachers and students will be recognized and junior parents will be invited to eat lunch with their student.

• On Thursday – EHS principal will provide desserts to all teachers during lunch, English teachers and students will be recognized and senior parents will be invited to eat lunch with their student.

• On Friday – All teachers will wear super hero T-shirts, gumbo will be provided to the teachers by the administrators and CTE, fine arts and physical education/health teachers and students will be recognized.