Arts Extravaganza!
Micah, Carson and Audrey had a great time at the annual art night at their school. They had an art walk where everyone's art was displayed, featured the chorus, band and orchestra and small group music sessions. Micah and Carson did an awesome job jamming with their class and music teacher as you can see here.
High School Band Spring Concert
On May 17th, Tess performed in her Spring Concert - her second with the French Horn. They played from Les Miserables as well as Prelude & Pursuit and Blue Ridge Saga. In addition, she was part of the Brass Ensemble who played a fun rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody!
All-District Band Tryouts
Science Olympiad Scrimmage
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Cait was so excited to follow in her big sister's footsteps, joining Science Olympiad. She competed in the first contest of the year in Bottle Rockets, Bridges and Picture This! She took 3rd place in each. Wow! Not bad for her first contest!!
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5th Grade Promotion Ceremony
It was a tear-jerker of a day watching the 5th graders being promoted to 6th, leaving the nest of Elementary School forever. Cait absolutely loved her time at McKee and as you can see was sad to go. Here she is with Mrs. Mosteller, her well-loved teacher, as well as Ms. Newsome, the Principal, and Mr. Lundgren, the Vice Principal, who declared Cait his new favorite! She was so adored at McKee and is a little anxious about moving into a bigger pond next year. Alas, the extra 30 minutes sleep in the morning is helping her see that Middle School won't be ALL bad! =)
Following the promotion ceremony, the kids participated in the annual clap-out in which the 5th graders walk the halls of the entire school one last time with all the parents lining the halls, clapping them out. So, so cool to see them all!
After all the tears, hugs and goodbyes, we took Caiti to brunch at Jonathan's, which is becoming a tradition. We fed the ducks and geese and reminisced on a truly awesome year!
Following the promotion ceremony, the kids participated in the annual clap-out in which the 5th graders walk the halls of the entire school one last time with all the parents lining the halls, clapping them out. So, so cool to see them all!
After all the tears, hugs and goodbyes, we took Caiti to brunch at Jonathan's, which is becoming a tradition. We fed the ducks and geese and reminisced on a truly awesome year!
Wow - the Middle School made Science Olympiad NATIONALS!
Tess participated in the Bridge competition, creating a bridge from bass wood that held 13.5 kilos. Very cool! You'll see here opening and awards/closing ceremonies (the school took 23 overall), the team's meeting room, and kids loving their science-focused trip to Florida. These professional scientist judges were so excited to talk to kids about science as you can see. And they got to meet other kids from all over the country at the swap meeting, bringing home exchange items for Minnesota, Maine, Alaska and New Mexico. All in all - a once in a lifetime opportunity. (...unless we do it all again next year... =)
The National Junior Honor Society Induction Ceremony!
Class Trip to Williamsburg
A most distinguished visitor: Ambassador Fujisaki
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"It was a great first day of spring in for the Waddell Language Academy Japanese Program! On Thursday, March 20th,
the elementary school was very excited to welcome the former Ambassador
of Japan to the United States, Mr. Ichiro Fujisaki, for a quick visit
with the Japanese Program students..." For the rest of the story: http://bit.ly/1iX3IUa
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Lake Norman Zoo Lights!
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We found a new Christmas tradition! It's called the Lake Norman Zoo Lights! They had hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lights with music playing as we drove up to the zoo. Once we arrived, we got hot cocoas (yummmm...) and went to the petting zoo where we saw kangaroos, sheep, a
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zebra, camels, porcupine, and baby goats that had been born just a couple days ago. We fed the animals, pet a few, and enjoyed them all!
Inside the barn, we sat for a picture with a baby tiger who mewed for its bottle and Tess held a baby kangaroo! She could NOT have been happier! |
Celebrity Read In Day on the News
Our school was featured on WCCB Charlotte TV during the Rising program this morning, celebrating its Celebrity Read-In Day. So cool! It was also pajama day. Hmmm who is that waving wildly in the purple robe?
You can also watch it at: http://www.wccbcharlotte.com/story/wilson-enjoys-read-in-day-at-mckee-road-elementary-school-20140114
You can also watch it at: http://www.wccbcharlotte.com/story/wilson-enjoys-read-in-day-at-mckee-road-elementary-school-20140114
International Festival!
Good thing we had a school assignment to attend the International Festival at UNCC because we had a great time. Not only did we run into a bunch of friends from school, but we got to sample food from around the world, see Japanese dancers, have our names written in Arabic, and see a lot of art, clothing and hear music from many different cultures.
First Day of School
Wake Forest: Home of the Demon Deacons
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After visiting Old Town Salem, (and bending some spoons at the tin smith's shop), we headed to Wake Forest. What a beautiful campus! We saw the Chemistry and Physics departments, dorms and library. And talked about which University we'd like to go to after high school. They were certainly 'wowed' by Wake Forest.
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Old Town Salem
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Over Memorial Day weekend, we visited Old Town Salem. They have done a simply amazing job keeping the town to its original buildings and as close to history as possible.
From Wikipedia: The origin of the town of Salem dates to January 1753, when Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg, on behalf of the Moravian Church, selected a settlement site in the three forks of Muddy Creek. He called this area "die Wachau" named after the ancestral estate of Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf. |
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On November 17, 1753, the first settlers arrived at what would later become the town of Bethabara. This town, despite its rapid growth, was not designed to be the primary settlement on the tract. Some residents expanded to a nearby settlement called Bethania in 1759. Finally, lots were drawn to select among suitable sites for the location of
a new town.The town established on the chosen site was given the name of Salem (from the Hebrew Shalom for "peace") chosen for it by the Moravians' late patron, Count Zinzendorf. On January 6, 1766, the first tree was felled for the building of Salem. Salem was a typical Moravian settlement congregation with the public buildings of the congregation grouped around a central square, today Salem Square. These included the church, a Brethren's House and a Sisters' House for the unmarried members of the Congregation, which owned all the property in town. For many years only members of the Moravian Church were permitted to live in the settlement. This practice had ended by the American Civil War. Many of the original buildings in the settlement have been restored or rebuilt and are
now part of Old Salem Museums & Gardens.
a new town.The town established on the chosen site was given the name of Salem (from the Hebrew Shalom for "peace") chosen for it by the Moravians' late patron, Count Zinzendorf. On January 6, 1766, the first tree was felled for the building of Salem. Salem was a typical Moravian settlement congregation with the public buildings of the congregation grouped around a central square, today Salem Square. These included the church, a Brethren's House and a Sisters' House for the unmarried members of the Congregation, which owned all the property in town. For many years only members of the Moravian Church were permitted to live in the settlement. This practice had ended by the American Civil War. Many of the original buildings in the settlement have been restored or rebuilt and are
now part of Old Salem Museums & Gardens.
The Boys' First Cub Scout Camp Out
In Myrtle Beach was so much fun! They got to see the Ripley's Aquarium, which was full of sharks, mermaids, eels and all sorts of rare fish! This was followed up by gaming at the MagiQuest arena until all hours of the night, when they got to camp out underneath the stars of the MagiQuest Castle!
Our First Pinewood Derby
NBC TV
We all tagged along as the Cub Scouts got a tour of the local NBC TV station. We got to meet the news anchor, see where the beat editors work, and try our hand at the green screen. A really cool look behind the scenes!
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The Nature Museum is Simply AWESOME!
On Election Day, we explored the Nature Museum. From a butterfly pavillion to outoor hands-on exhibits, it was a blast as we learned about plants, animals, and their habitats.
We Discovered Discovery Place!
Grandma Betty & Uncle Jeremy suggested we visit the Discovery Place with them while they were here. It had been on our list of things we really wanted to do, so we were super excited at the chance to go. You could spend days and days exploring and spending time with all the neat stuff they have here -- everything from a water works room to aquarium, exhibits about physics, chemistry and more. We had so much fun and can't wait to go back.
Bon Odori Festival
The 28th Annual Bon Odori event was packed with people and fun! We heard Taiko drumming, saw some amazing dancing, and enjoyed all the sights and sounds at the Wells Fargo atrium today. The EE Waddell booth was a-buzz with lots of kiddos trying to catch fish!
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Summer Reading Program Rocks!We signed up yesterday for the summer reading program at our local library -- which as you can see from the pictures to the right is a really neat place! In a small park-like setting, the library sits next to Town Hall, an old train and the town museum, with a little park in the middle. Cool.
Inside, there is a large selection of children's books as well as music, videos, computers and programs galore. (Can you say Mad Science or Cupcake Decorating anyone?) |
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Exploding Volcanoes
Tessa had a school assignment to build -- and explode -- a volcano. She was so excited! They had to research and build a volcano from scratch. She chose a composite volcano which she built out of a water bottle and clay. She tested her "lava mix" of baking soda, dish soap, water and vinegar several times before science class, where each student showcased their volcano exploding. Tessa added a little dry ice as well for the smoky, ashy effect that many volcanoes have. Here are the pictures of Tess and her class out on the soccer field testing their volcano experiments. Neat!
Super Samples
Really great school work, art work and other scholastic achievements!
