During the COVID-19 school closure and remote learning period, students at St. James enjoyed working on creative lessons in science, social studies, and language arts. In science, kindergarteners watched a movie about solids, liquids, and gases, then made Popsicles and wrote about what they learned. For another experiment, they watched a video about tornado safety, talked about a family safety plan with their parents, made a tornado in a bottle, and drew pictures of tornadoes. They also learned about lightning and storm safety, then went to a dark room to make sparks as they crunched on Life Saver Wintergreens, graciously supplied by their teacher, Sara Reece.
Third graders read a story about the Zoo, then went online, chose a zoo, and took a virtual tour. The children then chose an activity to show something they learned on their tour. Dakota B. learned about servals, which are wild cats native to Africa. She made serval ears for herself and her little sister, then they posed for a picture.
Carter M. was inspired to discover the animal life in his backyard. Carter found a little chipmunk walking slowly as if it wasn’t feeling well. Carter’s mom picked it up while Carter and his brother, Evan, went into the house to get a bowl of water and a bowl of birdseed. Carter held the chipmunk and showed it the seeds and water. The chipmunk went straight to the water and started drinking. Then, the boys took a few seeds from the bowl and the chipmunk ate them right away. The chipmunk was just hungry and thirsty. Once it was full it scampered away full of energy!
The third graders also worked on a poetry unit. Their teacher, Cathy Boggs, asked them to read a poem they liked or write their own. With the help of their parents, the children sent audio or video files so Miss Boggs could listen and enjoy hearing their voices.
For Teacher Appreciation Week, sixth-grader Landry S. used sidewalk chalk to decorate the driveway and sidewalks with artwork and kind words showing her appreciation to the teachers. Everyone coming in for SWAP Day enjoyed seeing her colorful display. Best of all, the teachers were thrilled!