Our first and second grade students are using Earobics, a program which includes computer programming for phonics support. The children are using netbooks in their classrooms to practice phonics. The netbooks are smaller computers that are wireless. Earobics is an evidence-based phonics program that allows children to work at their own level, and practice phonics in a way that is fun!
McMillan is a Positive Behavior Support School. Our STAR acronym stands for:
Stay Safe
Take Resonsibility
Always Do Your Best
Respect Everyone
We teach behavior expectations at the beginning of the school year, and review them as necessary. Children receive green STAR slips when they are recognized for following our STAR procedures. They take the top part of the STAR slip home to share with parents, and the bottom of each STAR slip is put into the STAR basket in our office for weekly drawings. McMillan students are STARs!
On Thursday, Decmber 3rd McMillan was bursting at the seams with families enjoying Cookies and Cocoa with Santa! Children visited Santa and many photos were taken. Families ate pizza, and bought raffle tickets for many wonderful raffle prizes which were donated by area businesses. Vocal Fusion, one of the Reeths-Puffer High School musical groups, sang Christmas Carols to the delight of all. Children had a wonderful time creating Christmas ornaments to give for gifts.
One of our school improvement goals is to improve the quantity and quality of student writing. All teachers have been trained in the Lucy Calkin’s Writer’s Workshop during the past two years. This year a writing consultant, Mrs. Mary Bolt, is visiting our classrooms to teach a Writer’s Workshop lesson to the children. The grade level teachers observe the lesson, then meet afterwards with Mrs. Bolt to discuss the lesson highlights. The children and the teachers benefit from the modeled lessons.
Student representatives from McMillan’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades are organizing a canned foods drive which will be held the first 2 weeks of December. All donations received will be given to the Salvation Army to be used in area food pantries. Especially needed are soap, shampoos, deodorants, toothpaste, etc. Students will advertise the drive, graph the donations, and report the results to the student body.
Greetings! Welcome to my blog. I am Ann White, the Principal of McMillan Elementary School. Please visit often to learn about special happenings at McMillan, find links to cool websites, and find out about school improvement efforts at McMillan.
