Mrs. Catoe’s Chronicles

Friday was an excellent day at DME!  We had a wonderful day at school and then topped the week off with our annual Spring Carnival.  Our Carnival is special because of our “Cow Drop.”  I won’t go into the details of describing this event, but if you haven’t ever been to one, mark your calendar for next year’s event.  It will surely be an enlightening experience.  We also had inflatables, confections, games, a silent auction, a yard sale, and various vendors.  Our award-winning Chorus performed some of their songs from their Carowinds Festival.  I had the great opportunity to mingle with parents, students, and grandparents, as well as business partners and community members who came to enjoy in our festivities.  This event is yearly organized by our unbelievably supportive PTA.  This year, our president, Karen Dewey, led the fanfare, and we are appreciative for her leadership.  Past and present members of our PTA and SIC also attended to help in the organizing and planning of the event.  I cannot thank them enough for their great spirit of volunteerism.  I know that the smiles on the childrens’ faces served as ample gratification!  In addition to the aforementioned events, Mr. DeWitt, Mrs. Long, and Mrs. Michelle Clark were voted on by our students to ride the mechanical bull.  Whew….I was off the hook this year! 

One of the points of pride for our school is our outstanding PTA.  Every year, one of the culminating activities which they undertake is our Spring Carnival.  Now, this is not just an ordinary Spring Carnival…..this event is combined with a Cow Drop. Have you ever been to a Cow Drop?  Well, it is literally what it sounds like….people pay a donation to purchase a square of pasture, and if the cow “drops” in your square, you win a prize!  Tonight is the night….From 5-9 tonight, we will be busy selling hot dogs, playing games, riding a mechanical bull, and waiting on the cow.  I guarantee you that a fun time will be had by all.  But this event is more than fun; the proceeds raised from this annual event go to support some priority that the PTA has set, ie. playground equipment, technology, etc.  I can’t tell you or even begin to describe to you how hard these parents work.  Teachers will also have booths and silent auction baskets!  If you get a chance to stop by, we will be “kicking it up” from 5-9!  Thanks again to our extra-special, extra-caring, and extra-creative PTA.  Our school wouldn’t be where we are today without parents and volunteers like you to help see and realize our vision for our students.

P. S.  Also, there will be a BIG garage sale tonight - c’mon over and see if there is something that might interest you!

We have had a rough couple of weeks at school…what I mean is that, our school community has shared in the loss of loved ones and dealt with sicknesses and surgeries by pulling together and taking care of each other. You see, that is one of the most wonderful aspects of working in the professional learning community at Doby’s Mill Elementary School.  We have cried together, written cards of sympathy and get well wishes, cooked meals for one another, and shared hugs and stories of loved ones.  It is in this atmosphere of caring and support that we are able to continue to strive for excellence for our students because we have a support network of colleagues who truly do care about each other.  Whenever one stumbles, another is there to lift and carry the other to solid ground.  All the while…not missing a beat at what we do best….take care of educating our wonderful students. I am sure that this week will offer a new set of challenges.  But, the one thing that I do know is that by pulling together, our faculty and staff will support and care for one another so that ”the beat goes on”! I hope that you have a wonderful week.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of reading at 9:00 a.m. to a group of two-year-olds at St. John’s United Methodist Church Childcare Ministries in recognition of the National Week of the Young Child.  I was honored to be invited to read, and I was happy when I arrived to see other Kershaw County School adminisitrators volunteer their time to be guest readers, too.  The purpose of this annual celebration is to showcase earlly childhood education in our community.  At St. John’s this week, parents will attend a special breakfast, guest readers will entertain the children, a Mad Science show will be presented, a picnic will be held, and children will create “handprint” art.  My youngest son created his artwork, of which I will frame.  It is an adorable handprint which has been magically transformed into a flower.  I look at this handprint and I think that his handprint won’t be this little much longer.  Wow!  How time flies.  In fact, some of these artworks will be displayed at the Kershaw County Library.  Zane’s artwork will soon be featured in my house - on my wall in the kitchen!  

I thank the local child care providers in our community for being true early intervention specialists and for partnering with our schools to provide unique learning experiences for our young children.  In fact, I personally feel that EVERY day is a “Celebration of the Young Child” at St. John’s.  It doesn’t take an annual weekly celebration to highlight their compassion and care for children.  The child care workers and director at this local child care ministry perform these tasks day in and day out.  As a working mother, I thank them for that!

Yesterday, when I got home from school (being locked up - that will be my next blog), my 4 year old son found a caterpillar inching its way across the driveway.  He hurriedly ran to get his bug box and captured it for observation.  He carried that bug box around for the rest of the evening.  But, I did make him leave it in the garage overnight.  Caterpillar sightings for me call the arrival of Spring for me.  As I watched him with wonder and excitement over his new “pet,” I thought about my students (notably my Kindergartners and Second Graders) who are studying butterflies right now.  Each day when I check their classrooms, I am amazed at how much their caterpillars have grown.  Some of them are fatter than others - talk about a lesson in survival of the fittest.  But, each student has his or her own creature which will eventually erupt from a cocoon into a beautiful butterfly.  Now, that is - for me - the first rite of Spring - not just for natural purposes, but with regards to long range plans, unit plans, lesson planning, science kit rotations, etc.  - when you make it to the Butterfly unit….it’s almost time for school to be out for the summer.  I will keep you posted on the butterfly release!  It will be a memory that the students, teachers, and I will cherish forever!

I had a wonderful opportunity on Friday to accompany our fourth graders to Myrtle Beach for thier end of the year field study.  I truly enjoyed our visit to the Dixie Stampede, as the children witnessed and learned concepts of the Civil War (and ate a lot of food with their hands).  Moreso, I was so proud of their behavior and character.  There were several other schools present at the show - our students far outshined them in their excellent manners and behavior.  They listened well to their chaperones and followed the directions given to them by their teachers. They were true ambassadors for our school and community.  I also thank the chaperones who took time from their busy schedules to accompany us on our trip. It was a long, but enjoyable day. Finally, kudos to the fourth grade teachers (Cook, Peake, Clark, and Ashley).  They planned, presented and highlighted material, and made this trip a true learning experience. 
As a teacher, field trips are not always the most enjoyable part of one’s job.  This type of event entails a great deal of planning.  Also, when you take 100 students off campus, they are consumed with the safety and security of the children in addition to making sure that learning takes place.  Whew!  These four teachers truly went above the call of duty to make this day a true learning experience for the students and chaperones.

In closing, in between events, we had time to take the students to the beach for a beach walk.  Many of you may not believe this, but many of our students have never put their toes in the warm sand of the Atlantic coast line.  I walked to the shoreline with a group of students and caught my eyes watering as I realized that this may be one of the ONLY times they experience the waves crashing, the sand in their toes, and the warm sun on their face in their childhood.  I was glad to share this experience with them.  What a powerful memory it was!

I met with  my team leaders this afternoon.  We had a great deal to discuss and celebrate.  Much of what we discussed dealt with planning for the rest of the school year and setting a foundation for next year.  I am in a unique predicament right now as the interim principal at my school.  However, discussion about next year must begin now.  Therefore, because of the superb teacher leaders in our school, I held these discussions and garnered their feedback on items of interest - notably room changes, scheduling requests, data analysis, and standardized testing.  We held these discussions in an open and honest forum, listening and appreciating one another’s opinions.  Much of our agenda was centered on this type of end of the year and beginning of the school year planning.  From our discussion, these teacher leaders will meet with their respective grade level teams to share the information and continue and strengthen these plans.  These meetings never cease to amaze me.  Oftentimes, educators seek and pay “consultants” to do these types of planning sessions. Today as I sat around the table listening to the “popcorn talk” go back and forth between teachers, I caught myself smiling.  Wow!  These are the real “consultants” in our field.  I am pleased with the foundation they are setting for the remaining 42 days of school and know that their expectations for the future of this school, and for our wonderful students, can and will reap positive results!