Our Trip to the Downtown Covington Square!

In addition to our trip to Scoops, we took a walk around the Downtown Covington Square. The purpose of this part of the trip was to learn about places in the community as well as community signs.

The boys couldn't resist taking a picture with one of the Halloween props outside of one of the stores on the square.

When we passed by the Village Deli we saw Grandma Charlotte, Tyrisha's very sweet grandmother!

Per Izaiah's request, because he loves music so much, we stopped in and visited one of the stores on the square that sell musical instruments. Come to find out, the owner is Mac McKibben, a wonderful pianist and one of Ms. Stowe's good friends.

Mr. McKibben was so nice and took time to sit down and play a few songs on the piano for us. Of course, we had to dance!!! :-)

To escape the rain, we sat on the old courthouse steps and sang some songs together!! It was a very nice time!

We All Love Ice Cream!

This morning our class went on a trip to Scoops, an icecream/ candy parlor that is located on the Square in downtown Covington. We had an awesome time!

Every student was given the opportunity to pick out a scoop of their favorite ice cream (there were so many to choose from) as well as their favorite type of cone. Then they were taught how to order what they want when asked by the cashier. Eric chose vanilla ice cream in a sprinkle cone.

As you can see, Lucy and Tyrisha LOVED the ice cream cone that they picked out! :-)

Ms. Malcom and Lexi even joined in on some fun!

Ms. Ford's table is beginning to look very full!

Tradarius enjoyed looking at all of the candy displays that were in the store! There was Candy EVERYWHERE!!

We had an excellent and YUMMY time at Scoops! This trip will definately be one that we will always remember!

Bear and Sugar!

Our class has been given a very unique opportunity this year. We have been given the opportunity to work with 2 very special dogs: Bear and Sugar. Both of these dogs are in the process of earning the canine good citizen certification and the reading education assistance dogs (R.E.A.D.) certification. These dogs can be used in many different areas: therapy, reading with students, discipline issues, counseling sessions, and as rewards for the classroom.

We invite Bear and Sugar to work with our class on many occassions during the week.

As you can see, Bear is very spoiled when he visits our classroom. We take him on walks and the whole class wants to help!

Sugar even joins in on calendar time and pays attention very well!

This is an excellent opportunity for our students. The dogs show unconditional love and get much more in return!

Giving Back to the Community!

Once a month our class goes on a CBI (community-based instruction) trip to Merryvelle Assisted Living. The purpose of this monthly trip is to teach the kids that they, too, can give back to the community and help others.

Each month we make a craft for every resident at Merryvelle (approximately 50 of them). We pass out our crafts to the residents and often sing a song for them. It is amazing to see the smiles on the faces of the residents and the feeling of pride in our students because they have made a difference in someone else's life.

Ms. Malcom's grandfather is a resident at Merryvelle Assisted Living. He, along with the other residents, looks forward to our monthly visits and he even sheds a tear or two when we get ready to leave. It is a touching experience for all involved.

While we were there, Granddaddy (as all of the kids call him) shared a couple of stories about his favorite Fall experiences, from when Ms. Malcom and her sister were young. The kids really enjoyed hearing about Ms. Malcom as a child! It seems that they didn't think that Ms. Malcom was ever a child! :-)

Our New Student: Izaiah

We have a new friend in our class. His name is Izaiah and he is in the 4th grade.

Izaiah is adjusting very quickly to our class and has already made a lot of friends. His best friend is Tradarius. Izaiah loves music, especially John Legend. We are so happy to have him in our class and look forward to sharing the rest of the school year with him! Welcome Izaiah!