Title I / School News
Famon Whitfield III, Principal
Educationally
Shannon Berry, Assistant
Principal Yours,
December 19, 2014
926 Perry Avenue
Dillon, SC 29536
843-774-1227
Calendar of Events
January
January
January
January
January
January
January
January
January
January
5
8
12
13
19
21
21
27
29Good
30
Students Return
Writing Benchmark
MAP Testing Begins
90th Day
MLK Holiday – No School
Report Cards
Lunch Buddies
After School Clubs
Rectangles
Social Studiesand
Benchmark
Science Benchmark
From the Principal’s Desk…
Dear Gordon Elementary Families,
As this year comes to a close, I want to
say thank you for your enormous support and
encouragement. I feel so fortunate to be part of a
community that works together to provide
enrichment and support to all of our children. You
are an integral part of the TEAM (Together
Everyone Does Achieve More)! I am looking
forward to our continued partnership in making
Gordon Elementary School a place where all
children are successful. Thanks to all of the parents
that came out and had lunch during our Fifth Grade
Parent Day. If you could not make it at that time, we
invite you to schedule a date with your child’s
teacher to come when you are able to make it. From
the Faculty and Staff of Gordon Elementary School,
we would like to wish you a wonderful holiday
season filled with lots of happiness, love and good
health.
Thanks for your support and attendance, it is
greatly appreciated. As always feel free to call or
come by the school to talk with your child’s teacher
or myself. We are grateful to have good students and
great families here at GES.
Educationally yours,
Famon V. Whitfield, III
P.A.W.S. Awards
Congratulations to our Positive Attitudes and
Working Students (P.A.W.S.) Award winners for
December! These students were chosen by their
teachers based on good grades and/or good behavior.
Students received a certificate and pencil, along with
recognition over the announcements and in The Dillon
Herald. One student will be chosen from each class
every month.
4th Grade
Nicholas Rogers, Jalen Wright, Myah McNeil, Destiny
McLellan, Amarione Boatwright, Quvontae Smith,
Ny’Kera Pittman, Jeremiah Burden, Vanessa Perez,
Waziri Ngendakumana, and Victoria Fowler
5th Grade
Chloe Dove, Leslie Villagomez, Logan Miller, Jamie
Soles, Makayla Watts, Butoyi Marcelina, Dralin Ford,
Ty’Zikk Fields, Imirah Walters, and Adrianna Damian
L. Page – Lanisha Gamble
M. Smith – Ana Gasca
4th Grade Solar System
Projects
…C. Bucy, 4th Grade Teacher
The fourth grade has been busy working on a
science project during the month of December! Our
fourth graders have been learning about the celestial
bodies of our solar system. Students were to choose
one of the celestial bodies (Sun, Moon, Earth, Venus,
Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter, or Saturn)
for their project.
Their project consisted of a one page paper
(written or typed) on their selected topic from
researched facts, a model or poster of the celestial
body they chose, and an oral presentation in front of
their classmates of their project. The due date for
the project was December 12, 2014, and counted as
two test grades.
The requirements for the project were sent home
with the students and were also available on the
school website under the “Programs” link. This was a
fun way to get students excited about celestial
bodies, show their creativity, and show what they had
learned in Science during the 2nd Nine Weeks!
Betas! Rockin’ the
country
…G. Graham, Resource Teacher
Come January 15-16, 2015, our very own Gordon
Betas will be “Rockin’ the Country” at the statewide
Beta Club Convention in Myrtle Beach, SC! Our
Betas have been working hard in preparing for the
competitions they will compete and perform in.
Wish us luck!!!
But first, we have to have our New Member
Induction and Pinning Ceremony, which will take
place December 18, 2014, at 5:30 PM in the Gordon
Elementary Cafeteria. Congratulation to all of our
new members! They are: Cecelia Ball, Dai’Jah
Breeden, David Camp, Chloe Dove, Ka’Ziah Evans,
Nigel George, Doreen Harerimana, Jala Lewis,
Sinaayah Mathis, Jermaree McDaniel, Logan Miller,
Francine Niyonyishu, Ja’Nia Owens, Makenly
Powers, Jada Reaves, Daniel Shepherd, Williams
Simmons, Mo’Nazia Sowells, Leslie Villagomez,
Caroline Williams, and Mason Tompkins.
2014-15 Beta Club Officers:
President: David Ryan Camp
Vice-President: Jala Lewis
Secretary: Ja'Nia Owens
Treasurer: Mo'Nazia Sowells
**A special shout-out to Mrs. Sandy Webster, Beta Club
Sponsor!
Fun at Ripley’s Aquarium
…G. Frierson, 5th Grade Teacher
Since one of the fifth grade science standards is to
compare the different types of ecosystems, the fifth
grade students traveled to Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle
Beach, SC, on Friday, December 12, 2014. This
allowed them to experience a unique investigation of
the aquatic ecosystem!
Fifth Grade recently learned about the characteristics
of the ocean’s water. At the Aquarium, they were
exposed to a variety of creatures which make their
homes in an aquatic (water) environment. They
observed many organisms living where sunlight can
warm the water making food abundant. Some
examples of organisms that live such warm, shallow
ocean water were jellyfish, seaweed, fish, crabs, and
those anchored to the ocean floor like corals.
They also had the opportunity to observe whales,
turtles, and sharks swimming to the surface to find food
while some fish, octopus, and tubeworms stayed closer
to the bottom of the ocean floor for feeding.
This field trip was not only a learning experience,
but also a reward for students who displayed good
character and made good choices in and out of the 5th
Grade classrooms at Gordon Elementary School!
Winter Skills in PE
…M. Rogers, PE Teacher
Cold weather is finally upon us, and we
have been enjoying our indoor games in P.E.
During our time inside, students have played
Basketball Relays, Volleyball, a strategy game
called “Swamp”, and Battleball. When the
weather warms up outside, students have
been able to play kickball and softball.
After the Winter Break, the PE Coaches will
be implementing the Nike Sparq training and
testing. This test will gauge a student’s upper
and lower body power and athleticism. After
the initial test, students will be training for
several weeks during PE class to improve
their measurements and will then be given a
retest.
Remember: Exercise is always more fun
when you do it with friends or family, and
make sure you drink plenty of water!
Adventures in 4th
Grade
…P. McRae, 4th Grade Teacher
Title I News…
We want to thank all the parents for a great beginning to
the 2014-2015 school year at GES. Parent involvement is vital
to the success of our students and the school. We wish you a
wonderful and safe holiday!
If you would like to see our expenditures for the 2014-2015
school year, our Title I Schoolwide Project is available for
review Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM until 2:30 PM at
926 Perry Avenue (phone: 774-1227) in our school’s main
office, media center, or Title I office. You may also view
Gordon Elementary’s Title I Project and other Title I
documents on the Gordon Elementary page at
www.dillon.k12.sc.us.
th
Our 4 grade students enjoyed a
pumpkin patch of fun during their
adventurous journey to McArthur Farms in
Bennettsville, SC on November 20th. Our
students learned about the parts and
functions of the corn stalk. Afterwards, they
muttered through the corn maze depending
upon Spookley to help find the escape route
to freedom. They also toured the entire farm
during the famous hay ride using an antique
tractor. The most popular attractions were the
giant slide, the bounce hill, the corn box, the
rides, swings and all the other playground
adventures. What a uniquely fun filled
journey!
Tis’ the season to be funny, hilarious
and sometimes serious when writing
Christmas poems! Our students are having a
blast creating lines of stanzas, rhymes, and
rhyme schemas of Christmas poetry
adventures with family and friends. They
have been working in groups and
individually to produce some great work.
We have a wonderful group of fourth
grade students who love challenging
adventures, and our teachers and
administrators work tirelessly to provide
them.
GES Motto
One Team-One Mission!
January Character Trait
Politeness
GT and the
Stock Market
…S. Webster, GT Teacher
Final Results Announced!!
The Stock Market Game ended on December 5,
2014, and the Gordon and Lake View Elementary GT
students ruled the state!!
Mrs. Webster entered the 4th and 5th grade
students from Gordon and Lake View in the
statewide game which began on October 10, 2014.
The student teams invested $100,000 of makebelieve cash into the REAL stock market. The
winner of the game is determined by the team
portfolio with the highest equity at the end of the
10 week competition. Forty-five (45) elementary
teams competed in the fall game.
The final results of the elementary division of the
SC Stock Market Game were:
attended. We appreciate the tremendous
support shown to our 5th Graders, because they
were so excited to have guests for lunch!
Welcome table greeted the 5th Grade parents.
1st Place: Stock Rockers – 4th grade from Gordon
2nd Place: Money Lovers – 4th grade from Lake View
3rd Place: Stock Legends – 5th grade from Gordon
This is a very big accomplishment for these
students! These 3 teams will travel to Columbia, SC,
in May for an awards banquet.
The Stock Rockers also finished third out of 473
elementary, middle and high school teams!
Gordon
Elementary Hosts
5th Grade Parents
for Lunch
On December 10, Gordon Elementary
invited parents of our 5th Graders to come
have lunch. Our Food Services staff
prepared a delicious holiday meal featuring
turkey and dressing with all the trimmings.
Approximately 93 parents/relatives
BEST WISHES FOR YOUR
WINTER BREAK
…T. Huggins, 5 Grade Teacher
th
Students in Mrs. Huggins’ class want to wish
everyone a safe and happy winter break. We also want
to encourage you to renew your 5th graders’ excitement
for school by including some school supplies on your
Christmas list this year. Christmas is a great time to
replenish your child’s supply of pencils and paper as we
get ready for the second half of the school year. This is
also a great time to surprise your favorite student with
some new notebooks or binders and then stuff their
stockings with fun pencil sharpeners and erasers!
Since cold and flu season is often synonymous
with winter weather, don’t forget your child’s
classroom and send your star student back to school
with a box of tissue. With the winter weather comes
lots of sniffles and by January, many classrooms would
appreciate your help to replenish their supply of
Kleenex and hand sanitizer.
Finally, when the excitement of the winter break
has faded, you may want to encourage your child to
visit one or more of the following free websites to have
some fun and keep skills sharp during the break:
http://www.wegivebooks.org/
http://www.starfall.com
http://www.coolmath.com
http://www.multiplication.com/
http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/
http://www.learner.org/interactives/historymap/inde
x.html
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities.html
http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/kidsite/activiti
es/
http://www.wonderville.ca/
Don’t forget the mobile apps! While the cost
of buying them can add up, the mobile apps listed
below are not only educational — they're FREE to
download on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or
Android mobile device.
5 Dice: Order of Operations Game: Are you the
best shot? Can you solve problems involving
multiple steps and multiple operations? A fun
interactive game to help upper elementary school
students master and understand how the order of
operations in math work. (Devices: iPhone, iPad,
and iPod touch)
National Geographic Kids: Learn about the world
and its inhabitants. (Devices: iPad, iPod Touch,
iPhone, NOOK, and Android)
Marble Math Lite: Marble mazes make for fun
math practice. (Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)
Scribblenauts Remix: Vocabulary-building word
puzzle game shines on iOS. (Devices: iPhone, iPod
Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire)
Sushi Monster: A favorite for learning math facts.
It allows students to find the factors of a number. If
they choose the two correct numbers, the monster
eats the sushi. If not, the monster gets
frustrated. Can work with addition or multiplication,
as progress the facts get more challenging. (Devices:
iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, Android, Google play)
Spelling City: Your child can play hangmouse,
missing letter, alphabetize, or they can take a test. If
you wish to visit the spelling city website, you can
load your child’s own spelling lists for them to
practice. (Devices: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch,
Android, Google play)
USC / Clemson
Canned Food Drive
Final Results
** USC: 456 Cans
Clemson: 280 Cans
Total Collected: 736 Cans for
Harvest Hope Food Bank
Student Council Officers presented canned goods to the Harvest Hope
Food Bank. Thanks GES students!!
GES MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Gordon Elementary School is to develop
students who will be responsible citizens by providing a safe
and secure environment where the students, staff, family and
community work together.
Dillon School District Four is an equal opportunity
employer and does not discriminate on the basis of
age, race, sex, color, disability, religion, national
origin, marital status, immigrant status or
English-speaking status.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act