Mrs. Searle's Growing Bunch

Snow Days

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Tue, 4 Feb 2014 11:40:00 -0500

Looks like some of our classmates had a blast with their days off! Now it is back to work we go!

The Cub Scout Tasting Festival

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Wed, 18 May 2011 11:08:00 -0400

One of the cub scouts in my class wrote this. Thank you E.M. for helping keep us informed about what you guys are doing!

The Tasting Festival is where you can ask your dad to sign up and cook his favorite dish. Then when they’re done, everybody will taste them to see which one is the best. The winner is allowed to brag that he won and the winner also gets a big chef hat that says 2011 Best Chef.

There is also another fun thing called the silent auction. In it you get to see a prize you like and write how much you would give for it. Whoever bids the most money for each prize wins that prize. There will be cool prizes.

The Tasting Festival will be at the beginning of next year, Saturday, August 27^th (at 3:00). Everyone is welcome to come and see if their dad can win the Tasting Festival. Make sure your dad signs up soon.

The money raised will help the Cub Scouts, but we want the whole school to come!

Good luck… but my dad is going to win!

Please Contact Vince Young to sign up. Vbrettyoung@gmail.com

Measurement Madness!

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Wed, 11 May 2011 10:04:00 -0400

Second grade students learned just how much fun measurements could be when they made cookies last Friday. It was blast talking about our conversion, and seeing the yummy cookie dough come together from a bunch of different amounts of ingredients to COOKIES! Look at home much fun we had!

Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Sun, 8 May 2011 01:00:00 -0400

I hope that all the sweet mommies have a lovely day! Thank you for all that you do to impact your child's life.

National Day of Prayer Service

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Thu, 5 May 2011 09:44:00 -0400

Today we had a sweet time to pray about our world, country, leaders, families, students, and sweet school. Below is the a prayer that was written by Joni Eareckson Tada for today:

Almighty God, you are our Mighty Fortress, our refuge and the God in whom we place our trust. As our nation faces great distress and uncertainty, we ask your Holy Spirit to fall afresh upon your people — convict us of sin and inflame within us a passion to pray for our land and its people. Grant the leaders of our country an awareness of their desperate need of wisdom and salvation in You until sin becomes a reproach to all and righteousness exalts this nation.
Protect and defend us against our enemies and may the cause of Christ always prevail in our schools, courts, homes, and churches. Lord God, send a spirit of revival and may it begin in our own hearts.
Remember America, we pray. Remember the foundations on which this country was built. Remember the prayers of our nation’s fathers and mothers, and do not forget us in our time of need.
In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Prayer Service for Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Wed, 4 May 2011 10:32:00 -0400

This morning we had a prayer service for a group of students and faculty that are going to Haiti early tomorrow morning. They will be visiting Reformation Hope in Haiti. They specifically asked for us to pray for safety, that they can show the love of Christ to the children, that all the luggage with supplies will get there safely, that their message of the Gospel will be clear and understandable, and that the faculty going can be an encouragement to the students to be bold in preaching the Word. Continue to pray for them until their return late Monday evening.

A Night at the Aquarium

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Mon, 2 May 2011 13:58:00 -0400

Last week second grade had the opportunity to spend the night at the Georgia Aquarium. It was packed full of activities, knowledge and FUN! We were able to see creatures in a habitat that was created to be as close to their natural habitat as they could make it. We went behind the scenes to see how they created salt water, how they filtered the water to keep it clean, and even how the water was heated and cooled. It was overall an excellent time of learning and fun. I think we got a little bit of sleep along the way too!

Thank you!

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Mon, 2 May 2011 08:51:00 -0400

Mr. Carnes,

We wanted to thank you for coming to play for our Easter Chapel. We were so blessed to see you use such a special gift that the Lord blessed you with to honor Him. Thank you so much and please come back soon!

We Love You!

Mrs. Searle's 2nd Grade

Rembrandt-A Self Portrait

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:24:00 -0400

This month for picture parent we had many new opportunities to learn about Rembrandt. We dressed up with the help of Mrs. Wayt, and Mrs. Meadows took our self-portraits. After the pictures were developed we were able to sit down and draw our self portrait. Thank you Mrs. Meadows and Mrs. Wayt for making this a memorable experience. Look at how well they each did!

Good Friday Service

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:55:00 -0400

This Friday is Good Friday and there is no school. What a sweet way to start your Easter weekend than with a Good Friday service. If your church is not having one or you need a church to attend this Friday, I would love for you to join my family at our church. The service will be this Friday, April 22, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

Mount Vernon Baptist Church
850 Mt Vernon Highway
Sandy Springs, Ga 30327

We are also having our Easter service at 10:30 on Sunday. Hope to see you there as well.

The Celebration of a Wonderful Life

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Wed, 6 Apr 2011 05:00:00 -0400

Today, we would have been celebrating my Grandmommy's 87th birthday. My students keep asking for me to bring in some pictures. So here are a few of the lady that impacted my life in more ways than just one. Here is to the best friend a little girl could have ever asked for...

Hard to believe, but that little blondie is me!

Most of the cousins with Grandmommy, Aunt Belle, and my Mommy.

Happy 84th birthday.

My sisters and me with Grandmommy.

My side of the family at our wedding last August.

My last picture with my Grandmommy.

Here are a few memories of my sweet Grandmommy:

Grandmommy always had a sound reason why we should or shouldn’t do something, and it never failed that her joyful twist would be added at the end. For example when I was learning to drive, she was brave enough to let me drive her car and be in it. She told me that I needed to get in the lane I needed be in and stay there. Even if that meant that it would take longer because of traffic to get there. She would tell me that patience is a virtue and then she would chuckle… “On top of that you would be less likely to get in a wreck.”

For Grandmommy tears were easy to fix, just hop in her lap and with in moments they were all dried up, which of course was soon to be followed by a bowl of vanilla ice-cream with Hershey’s chocolate syrup and a cherry. Of which we always ate the cherry first then we would mash up the ice-cream to make our own version of chocolate ice-cream that was actually more like a milkshake once we were done.

Grandmommy taught me how to fix things. Which usually consisted of me watching her fix it. Until later when she needed my help and I would show her how to fix things and she would watch to make sure I was doing it right.

Grandmommy taught me the importance of family. That you are never too busy to help someone in your family; and if you are too busy, well you better just make time to help them anyway. There are so many life lessons that we have been able to learn from Grandmommy. It was just who she was. Her love and devotion to family was unbelievable. As we grew up and learned more about Christ it was evident to each of us as her grandchildren that was just who she was, a follower of Christ. Her life was a quiet steady example of faith in Him.

I will always have fond memories of us in the kitchen. Grandmommy helped me learn how to make many things from fried okra to cookies. She let me come over and destroy her kitchen to learn how to make my first birthday cake from scratch, for my mom. We also spent lots of time together playing with everything in her china cabinet. I remember how we would take out everything in the china cabinet and recreate her last minute dinner parties. She would always say, "Keep in mind that your Granddaddy would call me when he was headed home and that guest were arriving with him." She always had s steady grace about her that never let you know anything might have been rushed or unplanned.

Grandmommy’s opinion was always very important to me, and I asked her what she thought of Cameron. She told me that he was a very nice young man, and that if for some reason we were to no longer be seeing each other…she would adopt him and I would be stuck with him anyway. That was her way of telling me that she approved, and later welcomed Cameron into the family. Of course, the rest is history now.

Spelling, Language, and Food?

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 14:40:00 -0400

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to put our skills to the test! I have been waiting to use something I found at the grocery store. In the snack isle there was something I couldn't resist as a teacher!

So without any hesitation we turned this into a practical, yet yummy time to practice somethings we have learned. Some started right away to look for clues on how to make certain sentences using contractions, synonyms, antonymns, and homonymns

Here are a few of our yummy creations:

Fractions are FUN!

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 11:23:00 -0400

We have started our chapter on factions and we had a little fun "making a pizza." Look and see how we started with a whole and how many pieces we ended up with...

First we had the whole pizza with toppings on all of it.

Second we "cut" our pizza in half. We discovered that the fraction of pizza that had toppings was...

---

However, that was only enough pizza for two people! So we had to divide those pieces in half to see how many we would have then.

Now we have 4 equal pieces, but what fraction of the pizza still has toppings? The students very quickly figured out...

2 1

--- = ---

4 2

We had enough pizza for four people and figured out that half of those 4 would have topping and the other half would have just cheese. We knew this because we learned that two-fourths is the same as one-half. However that was still not enough pizza for the whole class, so back to "cutting" our pizza we went.....

Yippee we now have eight pieces of pizza and the fraction of pieces that have toppings are...

4 1

--- = ---

8 2

Out of our eight pieces of pizza, 4 people can have topping and 4 people can have cheese. The students figured out faster than I could ask that still meant that one-half of the people would have topping on their pizza and one-half would only have cheese. So, four-eighths is equal to one-half! However, you guessed it, we still don't have enough for the WHOLE class!!! One last time we went to "cutting" our pizza, and.....

We have 16 pieces of pizza! There are 8 that have toppings and 8 that have only cheese. That meant that half of the students could have toppings and half could have only cheese. So our fraction of pieces that have toppings is:

8 1

--- = ---

16 2

Finally, we have enough pieces of pizza for everyone in our class. We had one more problem to figure out. We ended up with two extra pieces of pizza, because we only needed 14 for our whole class! The students decided to share with Miss Mackie and Miss Boyd!

Don't forget to start talking with your child about where else they might see fractions in their daily lives.

The Atlanta Opera Comes to Visit Heiskell

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Fri, 1 Apr 2011 14:21:00 -0400

Today we had the opportunity to have the Atlanta Opera come and perform. The brought "The Pirates of Penzance" by Gilbert and Sullivan. It was loads of fun to watch and listen too. There were a few of our students that were able to participate as well!

One of These Things Does Not Match the Other

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Fri, 1 Apr 2011 14:08:00 -0400

Today we had a little fun of our own.....Mrs. Searle was also visited by a plastic snake and apple. ;)

"To Meet Mr. Lincoln"

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:46:00 -0500

Multiplication Tables and Box Tops?

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Tue, 8 Feb 2011 07:48:00 -0500

Yesterday we used our box tops to help us learn our 10 table for multiplication. It was a lot of fun to see the children begin to grasp the concept of multiplication in a very tangible way. They all were able to see that each box top was worth 10 cents. We grouped our box tops into groups of ten and then were able to multiple by ten to see how much money we had raised. The children figured out with their multiplication knowledge that 10 x 10 = 100. So every group of ten was worth 100 cents. From studying money this chapter, they reminded me that 100 cents is equal to $1.00.

It was a lot of fun for us to see how quickly those little box tops could add up. When we were finished with our groups of ten we discovered that we have 55 groups of ten and 9 left over. So we did a quick little multiplication problem and that we had brought in 559 box tops! The children knew that meant we had raised $55.90. Way to go class. Let's see if we can't make that number grow for the rest of the year.

Last Minute Request-Winter Clothing Drive

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Thu, 3 Feb 2011 11:09:00 -0500

This coming Saturday afternoon, the clothing that has been collected at the Heiskell school for the residents of Edgewood Ct. apartments will be delivered. The Edgewood community is a subsidized housing complex in east Atlanta, off of Moreland Avenue where the Wayt Family participates in a "Good News Club" for kids on Saturdays. This group of residents is looking forward to receiving clothing, hot chocolate and cookies from our volunteers. We also use this opportunity to spread seeds of the Gospel to residents and gain their trust. We pray that it will be a wonderful sunny day.

This is a last minute request for any winter clothing (coats, hats, mittens) and of course all gently used children's clothing. It's not too late to take a quick search around your house for any clothing and shoes that your children have outgrown. Please bring to the Heiskell gym (contact Coach Burnette) before the end of the day Friday, Feb. 4.

Sow Diligent

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 15:37:00 -0500

My church, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, is have a parenting conference in February. I thought it would be a great opportunity for the parents at Heiskell. It is not just for parents with small children or just older children. It is for anyone who is a parent. My Husband and I aren't even parents yet, and we are going to be attending. Below is the information from the church website.

Sow Diligent: A Conference on Gospel-Centered Parenting is a two day parenting conference on Friday and Saturday, February 11-12. Our desire is to see parents equipped to be so diligent at sowing diligently the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the hearts of their children. If you are single or married with or without children, you are invited to attend.

Dr. Deepak Reju is an Associate Pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. His responsibilities include the oversight and shepherding of biblical counseling and family ministries. He holds a Bachelors degree from George Washington University, an M.Div. and Ph.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Reju and his wife, Sarah have three children, Zachariah, Lydia, and Eden.

When:
Friday, February 11 (6:30 - 9:00 pm)
Saturday, February 12 (9:30 am - 2:00 pm)

Where:
Mount Vernon Baptist Church
Fellowship Hall
850 Mt. Vernon Hwy NW
Atlanta, GA 30327

Who:
Anyone who has children. (Young or Old)

Cost:
$10.00 for singles (includes dinner on Friday and breakfast and lunch on Saturday)
$20.00 for couples (includes dinner on Friday and breakfast and lunch on Saturday)
$30.00 for families (includes dinner on Friday and breakfast and lunch on Saturday for entire family. Childcare is also provided for children ages infant - 5th grade.)

To Register:
Register for Sow Diligent Conference

Questions:
404-255-3133
info@mvbchurch.org

Or talk with me! I would be happy to help!

New Character Trait--Truthfulness

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Thu, 6 Jan 2011 12:26:00 -0500

What a great way to start of the new year, with a reminder of the importance of being truthful. Today in our Bible time we discussed the meaning behind truthfulness. The students told me that truthfulness is always describing things as they really are, and that the opposite of it is lying.

We looked at how Satan has a way of making bad things look good. This is how he plants little lies into our heads to take our focus off what the Lord needs us to be doing. Satan uses anything from cartoons to some kinds of books. It is important for us to protect our minds and not let Satan have influence over us, because he will lie to get his way. We need to stop and think about if what we are doing, watching, or reading is glorifying to the Lord.

We also talked about telling the truth to honor the Lord in everything that we are doing. Sometimes that means that we might get in trouble. However, in the end it is always easier to tell the truth then to continue to have to live a lie. Eventually your lies will catch up with you, and then there will be an even bigger mess to handle. Most of all when you tell the truth you can live worry free life and concentrate more on what the Lord needs you to do.

Let's all hold each other accountable to being truthful in every circumstance we come across. Even when it might mean we will be in trouble.

New Year's Resolution Into Lifetime Goals

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Mon, 3 Jan 2011 10:26:00 -0500

What a joy and a blessing it was to see all those sweet smiling faces today! I have missed them all so much, and even though it wasn't but a few weeks, it really feels as though I haven't seen them since last year. ;)

With the new year everyone seems to make a new year's resolution. Some of the many popular resolutions include: get a better education, get a better job, lose weight, exercise more, manage debt, manage stress, save money, volunteer more, and reduce, reuse & recycle. While those are great goals, I encourage you to make a resolution that will bring a life changing element to your child.

Let us start a resolution that can start a revolution. How about instead of a resolution that doesn't always last, creating life long habits. These are all things that you might already do, sometimes make time for, or maybe you use to do them. Whatever the case, remind your children the importance behind their family. Start eating dinner as a family on a regular basis. Set time aside to read the Bible together, daily. I promise it will impact not only your child's life but your own. Be the steadfast example to your children of what it really means to be a child of God. Go to church on Sundays. Let them see you worship the Lord in and out of church.

I know we all love to watch T.V. sometimes just a short while, and other times for a long while. Let's face it, sometimes that takes valuable time away from our family. Time is always something that we can't get enough of and once it is gone you can't get it back. I know that my husband and I just got married, but we even set aside these goals for ourselves. We don't even have children yet and we just keep on going. If we don't start allowing ourselves to slow down and truly let God take control we will be crazy by the time we have children of our own. I know all these things pertain to each of our lives, including mine. Take it slow start with one things at a time. Cameron and I have decided for our first step, we need to be more faithful to studying God's Word together. With that we decided that we are going to reading through and study the whole Bible in a year! Crazy I know. However, every time that I read scripture, even the same verse, I learn something new. The Lord has amazing ways to teach us. Let's start the new year off with a bang that echos lifetime change for all of us.

Plane Figures

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:18:00 -0500

We have been studying geometry in Math this month. Check out some of the fun figures your students have made using plane figures!

Teacher Chair Race

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:07:00 -0500

The first place prize goes to second grade! We won...so funny!

All We want for Chirstmas is....

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:51:00 -0500

Can you guess what they might need? Thought it was mighty cute!

Music for the King

noreply@blogger.com (MrsSearlesGrowingClass) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:47:00 -0500

Last week in chapel we had some very special visitors to come share with us. Mr. David Carnes and Dr. Kristine Harris of Mount Vernon Baptist Church came to do a very special music chapel for us at Christmastime. You missed a wonderful chapel. It was such a blessing to have two very talented people come and lead us in worship. Especially when they are playing for the glory of the Lord!