Hello, Baylie!

This week's Star of the Week is Baylie! Baylie is in the third grade this year.

Baylie likes to do many things. In her spare time Baylie says that the thing she likes to do most right now is to ride her four wheeler and to ride her new bicycle. Baylie got her bicycle recently as an early birthday present. Baylie states, "It is REALLY big! I have already fallen off of it 2 or 3 times!"

I am glad that Baylie loves her new bike but I hope she is very careful when riding it and that she always wears her helmet to protect her if she falls again!

When asked what her happiest memory is, Baylie said that would be going to Myrtle Beach when she was little. She enjoyed doing many things on that trip but the thing she remembers enjoying the most was playing in all of the sand.

I asked Baylie what she would like to be better at and she responded that she would like to be better at playing volleyball. When I asked why, Baylie told me that her dad plays volleyball and she would like to be a good player like him. She also said that she would like to play on a volleyball team when she goes to middle school.

Thank you, Baylie, for letting us all get to know a little bit more about you. We are all very lucky to have you as a classmate and a friend!

Cougar Run Time!!!

This is a short week so, instead of spotlighting one of my fabulous students, I am going to talk about Cougar Run. Most of you who are reading this are well aware that Cougar Run is our school's major fundraiser for the year. Many years ago (before I began teaching here and I have been here for almost 18 years) our school's principal, faculty, and parents decided that instead of asking students to sell items to help fund school activities, a yearly "fun run" would be held to raise money. Students run or walk along a designated track while friends and family pledge money per lap or a just donate a certain amount.

This concept has spread to most of the elementary schools in our district but I don't think anyone does it quite like the Cougar Run! This week students have shown their "Cougar Spirit" by wearing orange and blue on Tuesday, having a "flip-flop" day on Wednesday, and wearing anything tie-dyed on Thursday. Thursday was also our parade of cars. Families decorated cars to show their Cougar Pride as students were dropped off for school. I have attached a few of the over 75 pictures I took this morning of cars as they came through the car line. What a great time we all had seeing how creative our families are! Go Cougars!

This Week's Star!

This week's Star of the Week is...

Kennedy A.


Kennedy is a fourth grader this year! She has drawn a picture of one of the things she likes to do in her spare time! Can you guess what it is? If you guessed that Kennedy likes to ride her bike, you guessed correctly. In fact, Kennedy likes to ride her bike up and down the big hill in her driveway. She also likes to swim in her pool in her backyard. Both of those things sound like fun to me!

Kennedy also wanted to let everyone know that her Nana's Special Peach Salad is her favorite food. Her Nana puts peaches in jello and adds cool whip. Doesn't that sound yummy?

The third thing that Kennedy shared is what she does when she is worried about something. She says that she calls her Nana because her Nana makes her happy and helps Kennedy work through anything that is bothering her.

Another Friend from The Learning Zone!

This week's Star of the Week is .........

Jake W.!

Jake is in the third grade this year and loves being outdoors! Three things that he wanted to share about himself are:

In my spare time I really like to go fishing at the pond near my Mimi's house. I always catch BIG bass and catfish there. Sometimes I catch bluegill but I usually toss those back. One time I saw a water moccasin at the lake. I know I have to be extra careful when I go fish!

Because I like hunting so much, my happiest memory is when I shot my first turkey last year. I even brought pictures to school to show Mrs. V. and my other teachers!

The last thing I wanted to share is that when I get worried, I pray. This is something I wanted to let you know because it helps me!

Thank You, Mr. and Mrs. B.!

This week the kids made a Thank-You Note for a very nice couple who helped purchase some of the supplies for the pencil boxes in the Learning Zone! As you can see in the photos, each child placed a thumb print on the card. Then they chose what activity they wanted their "thumb person" to be doing. The kids got a real kick out of seeing what their classmates chose! I hope that Mr. and Mrs. B. can feel the love that was sent with this card! Thank you again for your generosity, Derek and Diana!

Week 2!

Hello! My name is Francesca C. and I am in the third grade this year.

The three things that I told Mrs. V. that I would like to share about me are:

1. I like to play with my little sister, Jocelyn, every night. Sometimes I even help out by feeding her!

2. I like my PSP. I have several games but my favorite game to play is called Thrillville. Thrillville is a game where you can build things, including roller coasters!

3. In my spare time I like to relax by watching T.V. or by watching a video.

Here's ........ Joanna!

Hi, my name is Joanna F. I am in Mrs. Stanton's homeroom this year. Here is some information that I would like for you to know about me. My happiest memory is about when I got my puppy, Panfe. Another fact about me that you might want to know is that I really like to play games outside. The third fact I want to share is that my favorite sport is soccer. I like soccer because I like to run and kick the ball!

Our First "Star of the Week"!

Introducing........

Joanna F., our first "Star of the Week"! Check back later this week to learn more about this very special classmate!

First Week!

Hello, Everyone!

Well - we have finished our first week and things are going well. It has been wonderful seeing all of our children again. It is amazing to see how much everyone has grown! I think our schedules are pretty much in place, so hopefully we will have a smooth full week coming up.

This week we will have our first Student of the Week. I will be choosing a name on Monday so check back later this coming week to see which child will be the first to post on our blog! Only children who have written permission to be included on our blog will be able to post. I hope you will enjoy seeing entries written by various students throughout the year.

Just a reminder -

1. Students who have spelling in the Learning Zone get their new words every Friday. Please study these words every night - including Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Spelling tests are on Thursdays.

2. All students should be bringing home graded papers in their Communicators every Monday. Please ask your child to see his or her work from the previous week. Parents are asked to sign and return to class any paper that has a grade of 79 or below.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Welcome Mrs. R.

Today Mrs. R. will tell you more about herself. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful addition to our class!

Hello everyone,
My name is Mrs. R. I will have the pleasure of being the teacher's assistant working with Mrs. V. this year. My family and I have lived in Cookeville for the past two years. My husband, Perryn, is an ordained minister. Perryn is currently serving at the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church. We have two children. Our son Jonathan is 8 years old and our daughter Lauren is 4 years old. Our family has been blessed to be a part of the this community. I am looking forward to working with you. I know we will learn a great deal from each other this upcoming year.

Welcome to The Learning Zoner!

Hello, everyone!

This is the first post on our class's new blog. I got the idea to start this blog from a long time friend in Chattanooga, Mrs. Kathy Campbell, who has been blogging with her class.

The reason I have started this blog is that I really want to involve families more in classroom activities and I want to give students more access to technology.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer and is excited about starting a new year!