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Students at LMS stay engaged with a fun variety of hands-on projects mixed in throughout their daily curriculum, related arts, and afterschool clubs to extend their learning. As the students cross the halfway point of the school year, let’s look at a quick sampling of what they’ve been up to as well as some of the recognition they have achieved.
The second-graders took on a special project for the community right before winter break by hand-painting ornaments for the Lookout Mountain Police Department. Mrs. Cox said that the kids had “lots of fun with the glitter and paint and got super creative,” and were happy to thank the officers for all they do with notes and cookies. They got to turn their crafting skills all the way up to full power as they created musical instruments out of materials like carboard tubes, empty plastic food bins, and old scraps of yarn in science lab, learning about how sound is made through vibration. They also got to see how dropping different objects into water creates wave patterns, and speaking of objects in water, they chose to name their classroom fish after their classmate’s mother, Hannah!
Along with the second grade, fifth-graders got to enjoy a fun field trip to the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Ga. They had a great time exploring fossils, gems, electricity, and sports science. In fact, the fifth-graders have enjoyed lots of fun with their learning this year, becoming “mad scientists” (lab coats, goggles, and all) to dissect literary characters for ELA, building egg-drop contraptions for Mrs. Avans to release from the roof of the cafeteria, creating board games using engineering skills in science lab, enjoying their fifth grade gum privileges during homeroom, and eating outside at their reserved lunch tables. They have mastered the vital math and reading skills that will carry them to the middle schools of their choice next year, and they have passed along the best of their LMS knowledge to a future generation of LMS leaders, their kindergarten buddies.
And these kindergarteners have done beautifully with their first semester of elementary school! They have learned the ropes and routines of their school day, made successful progression in their reading skills (both in the classroom and in literacy lab), and they have enjoyed getting to spend time interacting with their fifth grade buddies, including regular picnic lunches when the weather permits. Mrs. Avans has presented the kindergarteners with engaging experiments in science lab, asking them to question what they think will sink or float before testing their predictions, and starting their understanding of computing language with gingerbread coding puzzles.
First-graders had a fun field trip last semester, too, as they donned their warmest PJs to head to the IMAX to see the Polar Express. In the classroom, they have begun to apply their addition and subtraction skills to more complex word problems, they are telling time, and they are reading more challenging texts. In science lab, they have been studying light and learning about the sun, moon, and stars. They learned how opaque objects cast shadows, and they used paper cut-outs of insects, birds, and other animals to create and perform hilarious shadow puppet shows for their classmates. Their later studies were especially “sweet,” as they focused on the phases of the moon, using Oreo cookies with various amounts of filling to represent the different stages of the pattern including new, crescent, and full moons. The first-graders have also enjoyed spending time with their third grade buddies, who have set a wonderful example for their young partners.
Third-graders showed exceptional pride in their school this semester. Earning the title “Titans of Trash” by their teacher Mrs. Hughes, groups of students took it upon themselves to clean up around the playground, LMS field, and basketball courts. They further showed their excellent collaboration skills (along with effective communication) by playing “Minute to Win It” in science lab, laughing and learning as they catapulted pom poms into bins, scooped cotton balls by holding spoons in their mouths, and stacked towers of marshmallows or paper cups. They also spent time in lab making structures to show fields of magnetism and dissecting plants to learn about their inner structures and how the xylem moves water up and phloem moves food and water down.
A grade above them, the fourth graders were busy with dissections of their own, this time with owl pellets, carefully taking apart and identifying all the tiny elements inside. They also got their hands dirty in their study of fossils, creating clay and glue molds of fossil casts and labeling each specific element of their particular structure. Back in the classroom, they perfected their multiplication skills with timed drills, earning prizes as they mastered each number set, and they enjoyed reading and writing about animal defenses as well as expressing themselves through poetry. The fourth- and fifth-graders in the LMS Robotics Team have had an extremely successful season so far. Kent Wingfield, James Cake, Hugh Gerwin, Teagan Neely, James Hickey, Austin Yates, and Deyann Dalwadi (supported by Mrs. Avans and Mrs. Hughes) won the first place championship award for all-around achievements in the five categories qualifying them for regionals, where they will compete in February!
And, speaking of successes, earlier this year, LMS was honored to once again be named a Level 5 Reward School in Tennessee. This grading is based on the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System to measure student achievement and growth. Level Five is the highest category, indicating that LMS students are exceeding growth expectations. More recently, LMS received another stellar score, this time on the new Tennessee Department of Education’s school grading system. This newly implemented assessment looks at a school’s student achievement, growth, and readiness. Based on this data, each school receives a letter grade A through F, with the goal of giving communities a “snapshot” of how their child’s school is performing. Lookout Mountain School was proud to receive an A letter grade, an achievement only 17.4 percent of Tennessee schools received statewide.
We can’t wait to see what all LMS students will achieve for the rest of this year. Already, students are beginning preparation for the upcoming LMS Spelling Bee, and they have started new projects in their art classes and science labs and checked out new books that have sparked their interest in the library. Clearly, their mix of fun and learning is a winning combination that students enjoy each day, and the LMS community is so proud of all their hard work!
by Meredith Brown
The second-graders took on a special project for the community right before winter break by hand-painting ornaments for the Lookout Mountain Police Department. Mrs. Cox said that the kids had “lots of fun with the glitter and paint and got super creative,” and were happy to thank the officers for all they do with notes and cookies. They got to turn their crafting skills all the way up to full power as they created musical instruments out of materials like carboard tubes, empty plastic food bins, and old scraps of yarn in science lab, learning about how sound is made through vibration. They also got to see how dropping different objects into water creates wave patterns, and speaking of objects in water, they chose to name their classroom fish after their classmate’s mother, Hannah!
Along with the second grade, fifth-graders got to enjoy a fun field trip to the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Ga. They had a great time exploring fossils, gems, electricity, and sports science. In fact, the fifth-graders have enjoyed lots of fun with their learning this year, becoming “mad scientists” (lab coats, goggles, and all) to dissect literary characters for ELA, building egg-drop contraptions for Mrs. Avans to release from the roof of the cafeteria, creating board games using engineering skills in science lab, enjoying their fifth grade gum privileges during homeroom, and eating outside at their reserved lunch tables. They have mastered the vital math and reading skills that will carry them to the middle schools of their choice next year, and they have passed along the best of their LMS knowledge to a future generation of LMS leaders, their kindergarten buddies.
And these kindergarteners have done beautifully with their first semester of elementary school! They have learned the ropes and routines of their school day, made successful progression in their reading skills (both in the classroom and in literacy lab), and they have enjoyed getting to spend time interacting with their fifth grade buddies, including regular picnic lunches when the weather permits. Mrs. Avans has presented the kindergarteners with engaging experiments in science lab, asking them to question what they think will sink or float before testing their predictions, and starting their understanding of computing language with gingerbread coding puzzles.
First-graders had a fun field trip last semester, too, as they donned their warmest PJs to head to the IMAX to see the Polar Express. In the classroom, they have begun to apply their addition and subtraction skills to more complex word problems, they are telling time, and they are reading more challenging texts. In science lab, they have been studying light and learning about the sun, moon, and stars. They learned how opaque objects cast shadows, and they used paper cut-outs of insects, birds, and other animals to create and perform hilarious shadow puppet shows for their classmates. Their later studies were especially “sweet,” as they focused on the phases of the moon, using Oreo cookies with various amounts of filling to represent the different stages of the pattern including new, crescent, and full moons. The first-graders have also enjoyed spending time with their third grade buddies, who have set a wonderful example for their young partners.
Third-graders showed exceptional pride in their school this semester. Earning the title “Titans of Trash” by their teacher Mrs. Hughes, groups of students took it upon themselves to clean up around the playground, LMS field, and basketball courts. They further showed their excellent collaboration skills (along with effective communication) by playing “Minute to Win It” in science lab, laughing and learning as they catapulted pom poms into bins, scooped cotton balls by holding spoons in their mouths, and stacked towers of marshmallows or paper cups. They also spent time in lab making structures to show fields of magnetism and dissecting plants to learn about their inner structures and how the xylem moves water up and phloem moves food and water down.
A grade above them, the fourth graders were busy with dissections of their own, this time with owl pellets, carefully taking apart and identifying all the tiny elements inside. They also got their hands dirty in their study of fossils, creating clay and glue molds of fossil casts and labeling each specific element of their particular structure. Back in the classroom, they perfected their multiplication skills with timed drills, earning prizes as they mastered each number set, and they enjoyed reading and writing about animal defenses as well as expressing themselves through poetry. The fourth- and fifth-graders in the LMS Robotics Team have had an extremely successful season so far. Kent Wingfield, James Cake, Hugh Gerwin, Teagan Neely, James Hickey, Austin Yates, and Deyann Dalwadi (supported by Mrs. Avans and Mrs. Hughes) won the first place championship award for all-around achievements in the five categories qualifying them for regionals, where they will compete in February!
And, speaking of successes, earlier this year, LMS was honored to once again be named a Level 5 Reward School in Tennessee. This grading is based on the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System to measure student achievement and growth. Level Five is the highest category, indicating that LMS students are exceeding growth expectations. More recently, LMS received another stellar score, this time on the new Tennessee Department of Education’s school grading system. This newly implemented assessment looks at a school’s student achievement, growth, and readiness. Based on this data, each school receives a letter grade A through F, with the goal of giving communities a “snapshot” of how their child’s school is performing. Lookout Mountain School was proud to receive an A letter grade, an achievement only 17.4 percent of Tennessee schools received statewide.
We can’t wait to see what all LMS students will achieve for the rest of this year. Already, students are beginning preparation for the upcoming LMS Spelling Bee, and they have started new projects in their art classes and science labs and checked out new books that have sparked their interest in the library. Clearly, their mix of fun and learning is a winning combination that students enjoy each day, and the LMS community is so proud of all their hard work!
by Meredith Brown
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