NEWS AND EVENTS 2007-2008
Reports from the Classroom
(Recent news here, scroll down for prior events.)

Have you seen a Greek Revival vernacular house lately?

The third graders have!!  They endured rainy weather on Monday, May 19, 2008 just to tour the plantation home of Major Robert Gamble, a West Point graduate.   They learned that tabby was the cement mixture he used to build his home. The third graders got a feel for what the furnishings looked like when Major Gamble moved to Ellenton in 1844 and acquired 3,500 acres. His plantation included a sugar mill, the mansion, and quarters for 191 slaves.  The mansion was saved and restored by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in the 1920’s. We’re so grateful for the opportunity to take a step back in time to this beautiful Historic State Park. ~ Diana Roverts

“Guilty!”

                That was the verdict for Mr. and Mrs. Brown (Gabriel and Eden) during the 3rd Grade mock trial on Tuesday, April 1st. All the students were first sworn in while in the jury selection room of the Hillsborough County Courthouse. The lawyers for the State (Kendall and Vlady) and the lawyers for the Defense (Megan and Charlie) did an incredible job in Judge Gaston Fernandez’s courtroom. They presented the animal cruelty case against the Browns. Honorary Judge Rodriguez (Laney) kept order in her courtroom, along with the trusty bailiffs (Grace and Wright). The witnesses provided true insight into the events preceding the Brown’s arrest (thanks to the mailman, Jack R, and police officer Mary Stephen).

                Third graders were able to fully understand the courtroom proceedings after spending the morning in Judge Robert Foster and Judge Walter Heinrich’s actual courtrooms. They saw real cases presented and witnessed prisoners going before the judges. They learned all the weapons a bailiff might use: mace, a baton, handcuffs, and a taser. Wright ended up in hand and ankle cuffs! It was a serious field trip but extremely informative. These third graders have a new appreciation for their legal system and their Constitutional right to a fair trial. ~ Diana Roverts

Calling All Geometric Designers...


The third grade had a month to create an animal or person out of a variety of solid figures. This math assignment involved all the geometric shapes and objects that we’ve been studying in class.  We learned that each rectangular prism has 6 faces, 5 vertices, and 12 edges.  A cube is the same only all the faces are squares.  A cylinder is made of two circles and a rectangle.  You’ll even see a turtle with an octagonal prism! Our parents helped us assemble our creatures. We had the task of writing a biography for our creation.  It included the names of all the solid figures we used, the total number of faces and what they were (squares, rectangles, circles,…), and the total number of edges and vertices. Whew! That was a lot of counting. That wasn’t all!  Then we had to measure all the objects and write those measurements in either customary form (feet and inches) or metric form (centimeters and meters).  It was a lot of work but also a lot of fun.  We finished the whole project by having a breakfast with our parents and introducing them to the newest 3rd grade creations.

What an awesome way to learn geometry! ~ Diana Roverts

Poetry Studies in Third Grade

Don’t you just love a good poem?  The 3rd graders showed off some of their favorite poems during assembly on Friday, January 25th.  They did a super job of faking sickness with the poem “Sick Days” by Kenn Nesbitt , and trying to change the grading system with the poem “Fs Are “Fabulous”” by Ted Scheu .  Hopefully they weren’t serious when they recited the poem “I Want My Teacher Fired!”, as well as “Homework, I Love You” by Kenn Nesbitt.  The most accurate poem was “Homework, Oh Homework” by Jack Prelutsky in which they let Ms. Roverts and Mrs. Fernandez really know what they think about their 3rd grade homework!

Kids and Canines


The 3rd Grade students traveled to Kids and Canines to deliver lots and lots of pet supplies. It was an amazing display of the generosity of all the 3rd grade students and their families during the Christmas holiday. On Thursday, January 24th, the staff and students in the Kids and Canines program gave our third graders a full tour and demonstration of their facility and how they train the assistance dogs.  Each student fell in love with many of the “H” and “J” dogs.  There were puppies and old “pros” who could open refrigerator doors and torn off the light switch. The students applauded as each dog performed some of their talents. It was an incredible experience to be a part of the Kids and Canines program for a day! ~ Diana Roverts

Third Grade Fall Breakfast


Fall has arrived in the 3rd grade! The annual Fall Breakfast with the 3rd grade students and their parents took place on a crisp Friday morning. October 12th. The classroom was overflowing with parents who were eager to share the morning with their child and view all their fall creations. Food was plentiful and so were the conversations and smiles. It was great to have such a positive response to our invitation. This event provided yet another page of photos for the third grade scrapbooks we are developing.  Thanks for the memories! ~ Diana Roverts

Flat Stanley


Second Grade has been having fun with Flat Stanley! Using the lovable character and his travels as a springboard for language arts and geography studies, the students kept track of his location and wrote about his adventures. On Friday October 19th, they performed in assembly using Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" as musical accompaniment to the description of their studies. Stanley has been sighted in some of the major cities of the world, including New York, San Francisco, and London. We should all be so lucky!

Kids and Canines


The Third Grade had their yearly Ice pop sale to benefit the Kids and Canines charity on October 3rd, 2007. The students desperately needed the ice pops to cool down from the unseasonably hot weather.  A total of $165.75 was raised that day, which will help pay for food and supplies for those wonderful assistance dogs. ~ Diana Roverts

Kindergarten goes Italian


Kindergarten is studying the beautiful country of Italy! Classroom discussions have revolved around the Leaning Tower of Pisa, gondolas, the Sistine Chapel, and Michelangelo. Kindergarten is busy too with an outreach for Metropolitan Ministries. They are trying to fill a big barrel with non-perishable grocery items to give to those in need. Also being collected are birthday gifts for children who may not have one otherwise. Giving in Kindergarten is a rewarding learning experience.