Second Grade Awards Day

The last full week of school was jam-packed with activities.  The second grade at Ben Davis had their Awards Day on the last Friday of the school year.

All the parents were invited to the cafeteria for the first part of the awards ceremony.  Banks was recognized for Completing the Mile Run in under 9 minutes, TIE [The Internet Explorers] Club Perfect Attendace, Reflections - Photography - Honorable Mention and the Principal's Award [A Honor Roll for the entire year].  We could not have been more proud!

[I did not get any pictures from the group awards because I was on the back row.]

Then we went to Banks' classroom for some additional awards...



Mrs. Hughes game them all candy themed awards.  She would read the award without naming any names.  The children where trying to figure out who the award belong to the entire time she was reading.  It was too cute.

Banks receiving his award...



He got the Dubble Bubble Bubble Gum Award...



One last picture with Mrs. Hughes...




Banks had a fabulous second grade year.  Again, I can not sing praises enough for Mrs. Hughes and the entire Ben Davis experience.  I think he is ready for third [I am not too convinced that I am] and Leon Sheffield.

Banks, you are growing up way too fast!

another baseball season under our belts

We just finished our second season in Minor B Baseball.  It was a weird season between the rain and the tornados.  Lots of rescheduled games.  We barely squeezed them all in.

Banks played 1st Base the entire season...



He did a fabulous job.  He got lots of outs and even caught a foul ball for an out.

He did a great job batting...



And most importantly made several new friends...



Benjamin, Nash, Sam, Ben & Banks

We didn't have the best record in the league.  We only ended up winning 1 game.  It seemed as nothing could go our way the entire season.  It was a season of perseverance.  The kids probably wished they had won more games...but they all had a great time playing ball together.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Several of the parents of 1st year players commented on how Banks took them under his wing.  He was always cheering for them, letting them know they could do it.  It made this mom proud.

We ended the season with a little pizza party after our very last game...



Of course the little sisters weren't going to miss a beat...



Abby, Mary Reese and Jinger.  Not only did all the boys get along...all their little sisters had a ball.

No end-of-the-baseball-season party would be complete without...



...a few baseball cupcakes.

I think this guy was the saddest of them all to see the season end...



I think he would live our there in the concession stand if I would let him.  He looked like he got a bad spray tan by the time we left the park each day.  Even his scalp was orange.  He was too dirty for the bathtub.  The boy loved to play in the red dirt and sand piles beside the field.  As soon as the t-ball games were over...he would head onto their field to run their bases.

Debbie decided he needed a "ballpark Debbie scrub down" one night.

botanical garden field trip

Roller skating one day, the Botanical Gardens the next.  Being a second grader is rough stuff!  Banks and the rest of the second grade spent one of their last school days touring the local botanical gardens.

Their group went on the Catastrophe! tour.  They searched the gardens for signs of catastrophes...



They searched for tadpoles in the pond...



Banks took over the camera for awhile and this is what he captured...







They learned about bamboo...



They discovered the columns from the original Madison County Courthouse in the back field...



They finally got to play on one of the fabulous treehouse...



They got to play on the Not in Kansas Anymore [a Wizard of Oz themed one].  Most of the treehouse were installed last year.  They are nestled in areas all around the gardens.  This year they add a few more and all the old treehouses got water features added to them.  The Wizard of Oz has a misting Witch tree and a misting Monkey rock...



The kids LOVED the water features.  It was a great way to cool off after a hot tour.


They ended the day in the children's garden...



I think they could have stayed there all day.

Some of us moms sent our children home on the school bus.  Then we snuck to the cafe on the grounds for a delightful lunch!

Hopefully we can make it back this summer to explore all the treehouses.

Kindergarten Grad & Awards

It is official.  I have another Kindergarten graduate.

This seems just like yesterday...



Mary Reese's first day of Kindergarten with Ms. Lowery.  She is one amazing teacher!

The entire Kindergarten and PreK classes joined together for a graduation program called Possibilities...



They all dressed up like someone they might like to be when they grow up...



Mary Reese is on the back row under the very last "I" in Possibilities.  She is dressed up like a surgical nurse.

I am always amazed at the music teacher [Mr. Young] at her school.  He goes all out for these programs and always has the best music complete with fun dance moves.  [To this day, I can't hear The Climb by Miley Cyrus without tearing up remembering Banks' Kindergarten Graduation.]

They march into Upside Down by Jack Johnson...

[You can't see Mary Reese until about half way through this clip.  Did you notice the "rocker" twins at the end?  Hysterical]

My favorite song they sang from their program...Big Big Dreams...



After all the songs, each child was called up to receive their "diploma".



[I bought a DVD of her program so I wouldn't have to worry with the video camera.  I couldn't pull clips off the DVD, so I had to record it while it was playing on the tv.]

After they all graduated, we went back to their rooms for an award ceremony...



Mary Reese got 3rd Place for Reading 315 books this year.

She got a Math Award for being able to count to 100...



And no graduation would be complete without...



a cookie cake!

Mary Reese had a fabulous year.  She is definitely ready for 1st Grade!

my student of the month

A super proud mom moment.

I have known for about two months that Banks had been nominated for Student of the Month at his school.  It has been the hardest secret to keep from him because I was so proud of him.

Finally the award ceremony day arrived.  He was dying to wear a t-shirt and gym shorts that day to school because they were having a roller skating party after one of the first grade plays.  I talked him into khaki shorts and a collared shirt.  He had no clue why I was so adamant that he dress nicely.

I got to the cafeteria a little early and tried to blend into the crowd.  He spotted me and figured it out.  [They give out the Student of the Month Awards before one of the class plays.  Since it wasn't his class play...he figured out he had won an award.]

Each 2nd Grade teacher nominated one student from their class.  Then all the "special area" teachers vote on an overall winner.  The teachers nor the parents know who the overall winner is until the actual ceremony.

Mr. Kross calls out their name and reads the nomination letter from their teacher.  He saves the top 3 for last.  He announces the 2nd Runner-up, then the 1st Runner-up and finally the winner.  [It is kind like the Ms. America pagent.] 

I was thrilled when Banks was announced as the winner for the entire school for the month of April...



The rest of April's Student of the Months for Improvement...



The nomination letter...



It brought tears to my eyes!  I wish every teacher could be half as caring and wonderful as she is.  She has challenged him to bring his reading up to grade level.  She gave him the tools to reach his goal by the end of the year.  Not only did he met his goal, he exceeded it!  He made the benchmark in reading for the end of 3rd Grade.

He was beaming as Mr. Kross was reading the letter.

He is We are so proud of his medal medal...



The icing on the cake...



His friend and classmate, Mary Bradford, won it for March - Leadership.

After they play, the entire 2nd Grade loaded up for an afternoon of roller skating...



[I did bring him those gym shorts and that t-shirt to change into before they left.  And Banks totally got why I wanted him to look nice that morning.]

The cherry on top of it all...



He finally learned how to roller skate beside one of his best friends, Eppes!

pickle shiner

Owen always has an array of bumps and bruises on him at all times.  What can I say...he plays hard!

Saturday at the ballpark was no exception.  Mary Reese and all the "little sisters" were playing a game of Pass the Pickle.  Owen decided to join in on the fun.  A few minutes later he was screaming.  The next day he's shining...





All because of a pickle...

dcms field day

A new week, a new field day.  To me Field Day always means the school year is wrapping up.  Banks always looks forward to a day spent outside playing!

It has been one fabulous year mostly because of this special teacher...



Mrs. Hughes [I can't sing her praises enough]! 

In her classroom they work hard and play hard...field day was no exception.

There were field goals to be kicked...



...and sack races...



...with life-long friends...



...and even teachers...



There was some hula hooping...



...volleyball games...



...and snowcones under a misting tent...



A fun filled day spent with your class to help celebrate the ending of a fun school year!  It makes it even better to have such fans cheering you on...

Leadership Day

The schools in our district have adopted The Seven Habits.  This year each elementary school put on a "Leadership Day." 



Mary Reese's reading group was invited to do an encore performance of their Spring Is Here program.



Saying her lines one last time...



Daffodils in the wind.