Last Saturday’s “Run, Walk and Roll” was amazing; went unbelievably smoothly; and the crowd seems to grow a little each year. That event was followed by many activities this week as a part of Teacher Appreciation Week, and our PTA folks stepped up again with new calendars for everyone, breakfast on Tuesday, lunch on Wednesday and desserts on Thursday. Speaking of desserts, I happened to walk by the Perch about 8:30 yesterday and there was already a line of folks filling their plates to the brim. The desserts were definitely a hit, and we appreciate all the parents who sent something in. We also recognized bus drivers on Monday with doughnuts, and throughout the week gave plants to custodians, nurses and cafeteria workers as thank yours from us for all they do every day.

Today --- as many of you know---was Craft Day, and though the weather was not exactly our friend, it was well attended and classroom folks had all kinds of food and craft items available for sale. This is a big deal each year because it provides the primary source of funding for classroom activities, and teachers can use the money for their classes at their own discretion. Also, today we welcomed back alumni staff members and students, and we had treats for volunteers who have helped us out this year.

With all that has been going on this week at school, you may wonder if there was any time left for instruction, and I can assure you that there was. We had classes learning about DNA, wind turbines, street pianos and appropriate hygiene practices, among other topics; and, classes were out in the community visiting Lake Conestee and Runway Cafe, as well as bowling and shopping. Next week several classes are scheduled to tour Flour Field and hear about the history of baseball, while others are going to Frankie’s Fun Park or picnicking at Falls Park. 

PTA met this week to debrief on the “Run, Walk and Roll” and to start making plans for next year’s fund raisers. Also, we had a visitor here from the State Department of Education observing teachers and students with the alternate assessments. On Thursday, folks were here to work on filming for the district recruitment video being developed, and they spent time in Cathy Bush’s class and in the green house, as well as other classrooms.

Next week, on Friday the 12^th, PTA will be sponsoring a “Lunch and Learn” and Linda Kemp, one of our teachers, will be providing a session on American Sign Language. Reservation forms have been sent home, and we hope many of you will plan to attend. ASL is one more communication tool that can be used by families and teachers to work with our students, so we hope you will take advantage of this opportunity.

Our next big school event will be a visit on Monday, May 15th by Jason Currin from the Greenville Symphony. Mr. Currin will perform for students at 9 am. Then we are looking forward to Community Day on May 26 and Elizabeth Piper and her committee is working hard to line up community people who can come and share information about the jobs they have. We have lots of interesting folks who plan to be here.  Shortly after will be Awards Days and Graduation with Graduation being on June 1. It’s hard to believe we are almost to the end of another school year, and we hope you will join us for some of these special events.

Have a great weekend and stay dry.  See everyone next week.