BEACH-BOUND

Our 5th graders had an amazing time on their annual overnight field trip to Camp Jekyll. Students enjoyed the 3-day, 2-night learning experience with nature as their classroom! Some of their highlights included seining in the Atlantic and catching a wide variety of creatures (including a baby shark!), exploring the freshwater slough on the island (complete with a few alligator sightings!), and donning their rubber boots to join the unique creatures who make their homes in Jekyll's unique marsh habitat. There was also lots of shark-dissecting, reptile-holding, marshmallow-roasting, bunk bed-making, cabin-cleaning, volleyball-playing, and, of course, memory-making! Thank you to our 5th grade team for their hard organizing this great opportunity and to our parents and community members for the financial support to make the trip possible. 

GUILTY...OF FIELD TRIP FUN!

167 GSES third graders recently visited the Jackson County Courthouse...thankfully, it was just for a field trip! Having studied all about the branches of government in social studies this year, students were excited to get an up-close view of what they really look like in action! Captain Smith held a Q&A session about the responsibilities and duties of a police officer. He also gave a tour of the holding cell outside the courtroom. Assistant District Attorney James Chafin discussed civics and the election process. Finally, students met with Assistant District Attorney Andy Crawford to take part in a mock trial covering the case of the stolen pen from a classroom. After opening statements, eye-witness testimony, and closing remarks, a jury of 12 third grade citizens deliberated and gave a verdict. The Honorable Third Grade Judge determined an appropriate sentence after each guilty verdict. Thank you to ADA Crawford for helping arrange this experience for our students (and to the Jackson County Courthouse security team for their hard work keeping a watchful eye on this large group). Our students loved this fun learning experience!

SCIENCE STARS

Ms. Hendley and Mrs. Silcott's students have been learning about the scientific method and how they can use it to solve problems in their everyday lives. Students were excited to host their own class science fair. Students practiced writing questions, making hypotheses, explaining procedures, collecting observations, formulating procedures, and communicating their results to an audience. They enjoyed having lots of visitors come to hear about their learning process and share the results of their experiments. Their investigations included how to make objects move in water without touching them, how the amount of water in a bottle affects its ability to roll down a ramp, how to build a strong and stable cantilever bridge, and how levels of water in glasses can create different sounds. We are so proud of these superstar scientists and their hard work!