3RD GRADE GATES FIELD TRIP: AG MUSEUM

The 3rd grade GATES classes have been learning about pioneering and got to take a trip to the Ag Museum (where there is also an old timey downtown replica complete with shops and actors). I'm friends with a few of the moms that attended as chaperones, so I received photos throughout the day. Clearly Cora had a great time outside of school with her friends!

(Julia, Olivia, Cora, Cara Beth, Presley, Anna Paiten, MacKenzie, and Grace)

GATES PIONEERS

The third grade GATES students are learning about Pioneers, so they're doing fun projects like making their own ink and writing with feather quills. Ms, Westcott also sent me a cute picture of Cora all dressed up (my old yellow Pioneer Day outfit, which I've kept since I was in third grade, fits her better than this one). Later (next month) the classes will go on a Pioneer Day field trip.

GATES MOSAICS

The 3rd Grade GATES students got to take a field trip to a mosaic crafting center last week and James brought home his finished creation today!

GATES ACTIVITIES AND THE BOND

James has been working on a presentation for GATES on the state of his choice (he chose New York, Uncle Jamie!) and recently they had the 6th graders help them learn to use Google Slides:

Then they had a representative from MDOT come out to talk about littering, and they all took the oath not to litter!

And this is just a cool aerial view of the school (built in 1939!) and the MS River Bridge in the background (top right):

Those 3 trailers in the middle will be gone by 2020, replaced with 4 new classrooms as part of the renovations and upgrades slated for Bowmar under the 2018 Bond that passed yesterday! We'll also be getting all new flooring - since our tiles have asbestos, 4 new bathrooms - since there are currently only 2 for the entire school, redesigned parking areas - which are currently a wreck of potholes and too small to hold even half the cars needed, updated electrical, and so much more. We're very excited for the upcoming changes throughout our school district!

GATES ESCAPE

James' 3rd Grade GATES class took a field trip to an Escape Room and had lunch afterward at a playground today, and he had the best time! He said they "almost" made it out of the room in time, but they all had fun even though they didn't win. (And yes, Cora was very jealous that the 2nd Grade GATES classes didn't get to go - we might have to make a family trip sometime!)

COMING TO A MAILBOX NEAR YOU

The kids are doing a project for their GATES classes where they created Flat Characters (similar to the Flat Stanley stories) called Flat Alesea (she's a vampire) and Flat Knight (he's a knight, obviously). They were instructed to pose them in various places over Labor Day weekend to show what the kids did for their holiday, and will soon be making a trip via mail from Bowmar Elementary to 5 different mailboxes across the country (heads-up to the grandparents, Eli and Addy, Uncle Jamie, Manu, Willow, and Auntie Robyn). Once you receive your Flat Character in the mail, he or she will need to go on an adventure, then write back to tell about it.

Caving and tree climbing, and getting photo-bombed by a barred rock in the coop.

 Daddy thought it would be fun to create a volcano out of the giant mound of dirt that still lingers (and is constantly played with) in our yard:

 Then it was back inside to rest for a while with books and video games.

 The kids are loving GATES this year (and we're loving the open communication about what goes on in that class for once!)

GATES BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Oh James, I'm not sure what to record about your first play... You were absolutely adorable, and some of your friends did so well with their parts, but the rest of it... 

So many kids either didn't know their lines or got terrible stage fright, and it didn't help that there were 4 different kids who played Beauty and 4 different kids who played Papa and 3 different kids who played Beast and 2 different kids for each of the castle servants... It was just hard to follow and there were many interruptions. But you stole the show in our eyes!

We grabbed Cora out of class and got ready for the show to begin!

Henri the Painter and Marcel the Mime set the scenes

Papa #2 (our friend Lauren) in the woods with the wolves (our friend James M. was Fang, second wolf from the right)

Here's Lauren again with our friend Alex, who played Flash #1

Marcel gives Henri a rose

 Beauty #3 (our friend Alexis) with the wolves

The play ended with Henri the Painter closing the scene while all the kids paired up. James danced with our friend Kennedy (who was Millie the Milliner) and flashed us the cutest grin when he saw the camera aimed at them!

 The finale was supposed to have James walking to center stage solo, blowing a kiss to the audience, and bowing, but because the play was so flustered (as was the GATES teacher), the ending was skipped (despite poor James trying to get her attention and me even speaking up on his behalf). Luckily, James wasn't too upset (he told me when I rushed backstage looking for him that he just did his moves behind the curtain).

 The students (and their siblings) were rewarded with popsicles, so they were all pleased. Plus they got to leave school about an hour early.

 I vote that if they attempt a play again next year, they either practice more (and run through the whole thing in front of the other students before bringing the parents in) or choose something shorter and easier. Hopefully all the kids learned something and it was a good experience for them!