Here is the First and Second Grade School Supply list for the 2019-2020 School year.

Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum

Today we visited the Eisenhower Museum. We got to tour his boyhood home and play games that Ike would have play as a child. Thanks to the Eisenhower foundation for supporting this program and allowing our kids to learn about Abilene's favorite president.

Thanks to Abilene Rent-All

Thank you to Abilene Rent-All (Mark and Deb Picking) for sending out Midwest Snow cones to Rural Center. It was a great way to end the school year. The kids (and the teachers) loved them. Thanks for your continued support of Rural Center.

Senator Hardy visits Rural Center

Kansas Senator Hardy visited with our students today. He talked about the importance of education and told all the kids why they should stay in school. He read stories and ate lunch with them.

Tanganika Zoo:

For the last month and a half, the kids have been working on their animal research projects. They had to pick an animal, fill out all their graphic organizers using books, Epic!, or Google search engine. Once they had all their organizers done, they started on their rough drafts. Next they moved onto their final draft that included a table of contents, illustrations and a glossary. Once they had their report wrote, they turned their presentation into a Padlet project on their IPads.

They got to share their presentations with their friends. Going to Tanganika was the last surprise of the project. The kids got to pet animals and hang out in the pens with some of them. The kids loved it and the hour and a half to get their was not that bad either!

Thanks for supporting the love of learning and helping your child look up things about their animal at home! On to our next project :)

Jump Rope for Heart is on March 4 this year!

This fundraiser is near and dear to my heart because my Katie is a heart patient baby. Katie has a narrowing in the arch of her heart and her arteries do not take a direct route to her heart. They go behind her heart instead of in front like most people. Money raised for this fundraiser help fund research for kids and heart patients all over the world!

The Importance of Technology

We use technology daily in our classroom. Just like with my own children I do not like just putting them in front of the Ipad and letting them go. I create daily Smart board files that are interactive so the kids can touch and manipulate items on the board. To review for tests, I frequently use Kahoot! to practice. The kids get to use their Ipads and read questions and it becomes like a game show atmosphere. Points are awarded and timers are used. The kids love it and don't realize they are practicing their learning skills.