California Elementary School

Kindergarten Centers

2012-02-03T07:57:00.000-08:00

Students in Mrs. Ferrell's kindergarten class enjoyed centers today after reviewing the letter L. Student knew the why and the how of the centers and were eager to explain them to me.

Writing sight words and learning our colors with our A+ student!

Letter puzzles

Making Ladybugs after reading The Lazy Ladybug

Writing stories and using the sight word wall to spell correctly.

Using playdough to cut out shapes and identify the beginning sounds

Using magnetic letters to make words that have the "l" sound in them.

Penguin Posters

2012-02-02T10:40:00.000-08:00

Students in Mrs. Higgins' second grade class has been studying about penguins. They put their knowledge together in these power posters. I am in love with the art and the facts the students chose to present.

Well done, Mrs. Higgins' students! You are very good nonfiction writers.

MRTA and KRCG Excellent Educator Award

2012-01-26T17:27:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated our January Spirit Assembly and one other thing....

Saying the Pledge of Allegiance at the assembly

Jackie Howard was named the February Excellent Educator!

KRCG and MRTA combine efforts to choose a mid Missouri educator as the Excellent Educator of the month. The award goes to a teacher who goes above and beyond the call of duty. Mrs. Howard fits this description to a T. In her thank you speech to the students and staff Mrs. Howard said that all the teachers at California Elementary could have been chosen. What a wonderful way to recognize the efforts of our school. Thank YOU, Mrs. Howard!

MLK, Jr. Essay Writing

2012-01-20T04:56:00.000-08:00

Second graders in Mrs. Higgins' class are writing essays on Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the students came up to read his work to me.

After the essay was read, and the student and I conversed about his writing, the student said that all the information came from him reading and listening about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. He said this writing wasn't his best work, but that he was proud of it all the same!

I can say for sure that this principal was very proud to see such a well crafted writing produced by a second grader. Way to go!

If I was Principal...

2012-01-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

Students from Mrs. Billings' class wrote stories called If I was principal.... The students enjoyed this writing assignment very much! I asked for them to come and read them to me and Aiden came to the office and read his story to me.
Enjoy!

Great American Fundraiser

2012-01-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

Students brought home packets and flyers from our annual Great American Fundraiser. This year the students will be collecting frogs.

The code on the flyer is wrong, however. If you are choosing to order online, you need to use this code:

633610

Please check under the tab called Fundraisers for more specific information about the fundraiser. Thank you so much!

Baxter Rewards Good Behavior

2012-01-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

Second grade students earned some time outside with Baxter today for earning the most points at lunch. These students played tag with Baxter for about 15 minutes on a beautiful January day!

Baxter Rewards Good Behavior

2012-01-06T11:19:00.001-08:00

Second grade students earned some time outside with Baxter today for earning the most points at lunch. These students

Welcome back, students!

2012-01-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

As I visited every classroom today, I saw that all of our students were focused and on track, ready to learn. It was so fun to see how little the students regressed (thank you parents!) and how eager they were to learn something new!

Here's what's hanging in Mrs. Billings' second grade!

The Second Semester Begins!

2012-01-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

School will resume tomorrow, January 4, 2012. The doors will open at 7 a.m. We are excited to see our students again. Please remember to dress according to the weather.

Second Grade Christmas Poems

2011-12-21T11:42:00.000-08:00

The second graders have been preparing for their Christmas Poetry Readings and today was the day to present! The students have practiced memorizing poems to share with family, friends and staff. Memorizing poems helps students prepared for memorizing basic facts in math. The rhythm of the poems helps students connect the parts of their brain to where math facts are formed.

Mrs. Billings' class

Memorizing poems helps students in reading. Students learn the rhythm of reading through the practice of reading poems which in turn helps with the student's fluency. Fluency is what helps the reader make sense of what is being read. Comprehension, understanding what one has read, is the goal of reading!

Mrs. Rowles' class

As usual, we had a wonderful turnout of parents, grandparents and friends. We love seeing our families at school. We hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Reader's Theater in 5th Grade

2011-11-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

Enjoy this set of photos of our 5th graders doing Readers Theater!

Happy Thanksgiving Students, Staff, Teachers and Families!

2011-11-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

From all of use at California Elementary School, have a great Thanksgiving! School will resume on Monday, November 28. Doors open at 7 a.m.

Famous Missourians Walk of Fame Winners!

2011-11-21T09:24:00.000-08:00

Laura Ingalls Wilder and Walt Disney

Lucille Bluford and Kit Carson

Jesse James and Ginger Rogers

Kit Carson and Lucille Bluford

Veterans Day Presentation

2011-11-11T09:12:00.000-08:00

Mr. Davis presented information about his tour with the kindergarten classes on Veterans Day. We at California Elementary School appreciate his service to our country and for taking his time to visit with our students.

Red Ribbon Week-PJ Day

2011-10-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Mouse's class had 19 out of 21 participate in PJ Day! Aren't they sweet?

Breakfast with Mom

2011-10-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

We had a great response to our Breakfast with Moms day! Our homemade cinnamon rolls really hit home on a blustery day!

Breakfast with Dad!

2011-10-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

Breakfast with Dad was this morning at the ES. We had a wonderful turnout of Dads! Our menu of biscuits and gravy was well received. Tuesday we will have cinnamon rolls with Mom!

Pinto Day!

2011-10-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

Students celebrating PINTO DAY by wearing their red and blue! These are just representatives of the school, tooooooo many to put into photos!!

Decades Day!

2011-10-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

50s

60s

70s

80s

80s 5th grade

50s

Students dressed up in different decades! The 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s were represented!

National Walk to School Day!

2011-10-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

Lots of students and parents took advantage of the lovely weather to walk to school today. Students who crossed at the various crosswalks received stickers, slap bracelets and coloring books. Mrs. Steffes handed out suckers at school.

Homecoming Week- Music Day

2011-10-04T06:25:00.000-07:00

What a fun day! There are all kinds of personal expressions today with music...from Broadway to Rock and Roll!

Taylor Swift Fans

Justin Bieber Fans

Rock and Roll Hair

Country and Hannah Montana

Broadway, California Kids, and I love music!

Rock and Roll!

Spirit Assembly this Afternoon!

2011-09-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

Our littlest students are getting ready for the spirit assembly this afternoon! Here they are practicing in the Multipurpose Room before school.

Fun in Music

2011-09-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Wise's first grade class is having a ball dancing to the music in Mrs. Friedrich's class. They chose to dance to the Freeze song and at the end, they sang a beautiful goodbye song to the teacher.

The Dome at Night!

2011-09-28T17:38:00.001-07:00

Dome Theater

2011-09-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

All our students experienced theater in the round today when they watched their various events in the Dome Theater. Dinosaurs, the Titanic and the Wild Earth were some of the shows seen today.
This presentation was made possible by the card sales last November. Thanks to all who purchased one!

Math Curriculum Night

2011-09-21T05:04:00.000-07:00

Math Curriculum Night was held in the school cafeteria last night. Students were greeted with the opportunity to estimate the number of candy corn candies that were in a jar. The one with the closest estimate would win the jar of candies to take home!

Next Mrs. Steffes welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming. She described our commitment to having every student receiving 60 minutes of core instruction daily in math. She then asked parents to describe their own experiences in math class. Parents shared their stories and those who liked math had one thing in common: each had a great math teacher!

Mrs. Mathes played a fraction game and a Wheel of Fractions game with us. The winning word combination was California Pintos!

After the games, each grade level representative shared with the parents and students the highlights of each grade in math. Teachers answered questions about their curriculum. Mrs. Higgins shows how the second grade uses anchor charts to help students remember what words mean "add."

The winner of our candy corn contest was Savannah Smith, a first grader! She estimated that there were 188 candies in the jar. The actual number was 216. Great estimation skills, Savannah!

Marble Party!

2011-09-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Rowles class earned a party today by collecting marbles in a jar. Each marble represents something good the class has done. That's a lot of kind things! The class started the year by reading the book How Full is Your Bucket (for Kids) and talking about how mean things empty your bucket and kind things fill your bucket.

Mrs. Rowles' class

The class generated these ideas and placed them on an anchor chart that hangs in the room. It helps remind them to fill each others' buckets all through the day!

Family Literacy Event-Celebrating Grandparents!

2011-09-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

Our Family Literacy Event featured Grandparents! We read books about grandparents. Mrs. Steffes, Mrs. Dicus and Mrs. Brauner all read books about grandparents.

After a snack of cookies and milk, grandparents and their grandchildren worked on a poem about grandparents. One of the students shared their poem with the group.

Lunch in the Sunshine

2011-09-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Billings second grade class had lunch in the courtyard today "just because." It was a great day to sit in the sunshine and enjoy our toasted ham and cheese sandwiches!

Reading in Second Grade

2011-09-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some scenes from Mrs. Dusenberg's second grade class as they are reading. Lots of opportunities for each student to learn the way they learn best!

Grandparents Day 2011

2011-09-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Grandparents at our annual Grandparents Day! We had a great turnout!

Our assistant principal, Mrs. Ramsdell

Our lovely third grade teachers!

Our Grandparents Day annual celebration was started by Mrs. Honeywell about 20 years ago. We are so glad she had this wonderful idea!

Picture Day!

2011-09-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

Today was Picture Day! I love this day so much, all the students are dressed up and on their best behavior! If you missed paying for pictures today, you can go to www.inter-state.com and put in the code 963867 BEFORE MIDNIGHT to order. If you order AFTER MIDNIGHT use code 963967.

Mojo

2011-09-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

We are so fortunate that Mrs. Ramsdell is willing to share her darling dog, Mojo, with us as a mini school mascot. Mojo has been willing to help all kinds of kids with different problems and is making his way around the school reading stories about dogs to all the students. Mojo is pictured here with his mom, Mrs. Ramsdell, reading to Ms. Doll's classroom.

Kindergarten Readers!

2011-08-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

Students from Mrs. Hall's class came and read three readers to me this morning and left with a Smartie!

Technology Night

2011-08-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

Our first Family Literacy Night was well attended. Our hot dog buffet was a great success! Several teachers presented on what each of their grade levels use for technology and demonstrated several programs for the parents and students that attended.

Our next Family Literacy Night is September 15. We will serve sub sandwiches (bring your own drinks and sides) and we would love to have Grandparents join us!

School Scavenger Hunt!

2011-08-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

So many things have happened at school this summer to get ready for our students. I have taken a few photos of our building of some of the new sites. See if you can guess where they are located!

Rugrats as Therapy

2011-08-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, I countdown to the first day of school! I love the first day of school. I love August, although I usually prefer it to be below 100!

The beginning of school can trigger some conflicting emotions for students as they prepare to begin the routine again. Some students experience fears about school that you as parents can help with. I read this article and felt it had wonderful information for parents at this time of year.

Rugrats As Therapy

Summer School Fun!

2011-06-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

Summer School students met and visited with Warpaint and Susie, his rider. Warpaint and Susie are the mascots for the Kansas City Chiefs. Susie came and talked to us about Warpaint's story, which includes disappointments and heartache but that led to her dream job of representing the KC Chiefs! Susie discussed setting goals for ourselves in order to set a path for our lives and to work hard to achieve those goals. It was a great assembly!

Last Day of School!

2011-05-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

The last day of the 2010-2011 school year was today. It is always a bittersweet time. We began the day with the Awards Assembly. We honored several fifth graders with academic awards as well as art, music, physical education and library awards. Awards were given for character and attendance. After the awards portion, we had our annual slide show. The slide show consists of photos from the year compiled together and set to music. Then we enjoyed the talents of the California Kids. Our day was complete!

Fun Day Olympics

2011-05-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

Our wonderful PE instructor organized our Fun Day this year with the theme of the Olympics. Classrooms studied various countries, then paraded in the gym announcing their countries and flags. After the country parade, the students watched as four high school students ran the Olympic torch to the stage and spoke about how sports helped them be successful in high school. There was a fun video about Teacher Olympic Stars and then the Games began! Students were having so much fun!

Miss Allaneous Parade!

2011-05-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

The fourth graders learned a lot of vocabulary while preparing for their annual Miss Allaneous Parade. The students must learn a word, create a poster and a costume for it and then bring it to be judged by Mr. Loring, Mr. Williams and Mrs. Steffes.

Here are some of the participants (not necessarily the winners!)...

Bubble Day

2011-05-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

First graders played with bubbles during the fine afternoon yesterday! Did you know there were such things as blue bubbles? Enjoy!

The Barnyard

2011-05-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

Today kindergarten, first and second grade visited the HS Barnyard, a fun project put on by the FFA students. These photos are of some of our second graders enjoying the day!

It is also Nurse's Day!

Test Pool Parties

2011-05-10T07:06:00.000-07:00

The last of our pool parties! Students were rewarded with a pool party for all the hard work they did on the MAP or Terra Nova test. Here are some shots from second grade!

Punk Rocker!

2011-05-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Steffes kept her promise to dress like a punk rocker today! The African Book Project collected 1,360 books to start another new library in Africa!

With the help of Heather and Amanda from Bella Capelli in Jefferson City, Mrs. Steffes was taken from her regular self to a bona fide punk rocker!

STAR Reader Day

2011-05-06T06:48:00.000-07:00

Third grade celebrated their STAR reader program today by wearing t shirts they earned and by listening to our guest reader, our own Mrs. Kent! Mrs. Kent and Sadie both came to read to the third graders. Congratulations to all those who earned STAR Reader status!

Happy Administrative Assistants' Day!

2011-04-27T10:41:00.000-07:00


Doesn't this just say it all? We love you Sarah, Carol and Judy!

Our PTO is awesome!

2011-04-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

Over the extended weekend, one of our PTO dads, Jim Whitson, painted lines on our playground for kickball, basketball and four square. The students are going to love it! Thank you so much!

Kindergarten celebrates Earth Week!

2011-04-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

Our kindergarteners have been celebrating Earth Week this week by dressing up each day. Today the kindergarteners wore hats. There is nothing cuter than a kindergartener in a hat!

Pioneer Day

2011-04-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

It is Pioneer Day in the fourth grade. Students dressed in pioneer garb, played games that the students designed and made, and ate snacks like pioneer children had (jerky). Enjoy these scenes from the fourth grade!

Student Author

2011-04-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

One of first grade students wrote a book called If You Had a Pet Dinosaur. He came to the office and read his story to the secretaries and the principal. We love student authors at this school!

Believe and Achieve Assembly

2011-04-08T06:06:00.000-07:00

Our teachers planned our MAP spirit assembly around the theme Believe and Achieve. First we welcomed the students, then we played the Safety Dance episode from Glee. Then we did our own flash mob dance to the Safety Dance! It was awesome!

MAP Spirit Week

2011-04-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

This week we have been getting ready to take the MAP test. Each day we have dressed up and enjoyed reviewing what we have learned.

P    Pajama Day
I Inside Out Day
N   Nature Day
T    Twin Day
O Opposite Day

Here are some photos from school on Twin Day!

PTO Meeting tonight!

2011-04-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our new PTO officers:

Sherry Hess, President

Lori Bailey, Vice-President

Rae Ann Shackleford, Vice-President

Courtney Cassil, Vice-President

Joanie Ferguson, Secretary

Alicia Whitson, Treasurer

Jan Trachsel, Parent Representative

Our fifth graders represented their class wonderfully tonight, discussing things that they would like to see on the playground.

Great crowd!

Our amazing fifth graders!

Second Grade: It's a Jungle Out There!

2011-04-02T06:25:00.000-07:00

Our second grade performed "Its a Jungle Out There" on Thursday night at the Performing Arts Center under the direction of Mrs. Friedrich. The place was completely packed! Here are scenes from the performance:

The second grade did awesome! Thank you parents for the fabulous costumes and to their teachers, Mrs. Ash, Mrs. Billings, Mrs. Dusenberg, Mrs. Higgins, Mrs. Honeywell and Mrs. Rowles!

Special Edition April Fool's Day!

2011-04-01T05:20:00.000-07:00

Gotcha Mr. Williams!

Lunch with the Principal

2011-04-01T01:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had lunch with students who reached their goals in reading. Students had to have at least 40 reading counts points with at least an 80% average. If they met their goal, they got to have lunch with me!

Here are some fun photos from our lunch:

Mr. Williams was a lunch guest, too!

Never Mind, March

2011-03-31T07:03:00.000-07:00

Outside of Mrs. Rowles' classroom

Data Walls

2011-03-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

One of the newest innovations for teaching and learning is to post the data on the walls of school where it can be accessible to students and visitors. Third and fifth grade have started working on their data walls. Here are their displays.

Third grade displays the overall scores for reading.

Fifth grade shows their DIBELS scores and how the grade level is improving

Fifth grade recognizes individual student growth.

You will be seeing more of these around our school!

Scenes from the Student Led Conferences

2011-03-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some scenes from last night's student led conferences!

State Wide Tornado Drill

2011-03-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

Students participated in the State Wide Tornado Drill today at 1:30. Here are some "scenes" from the drill!

Spring McTeacher Night

2011-03-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all our parents and students who came out to support the teachers at McTeacher Night! We love seeing our families. I would like to thank our teachers for working the shifts. I appreciate your dedication.

We are on Facebook!

2011-03-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

You can get posts from this blog on Facebook! Go to the Elementary PTO Facebook page to see our posts. You can also "follow" us by clicking on the right!

Principal's Day

2011-03-04T07:38:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone for their darling posters for Principal's Day! Mr. Williams and I loved them!

We will post more next week!

Read Across America Day

2011-03-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

Students in the third grade were read to by Mrs. Steffes in celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday. Cat in the Hat was read and Miss Streeter showed the book on the mimio. The students did a great job!

Magic Show!

2011-03-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

Our students were treated to a magic show as part of their reward for having such a great magazine sale in the Fall. Rick Smith Jr entertained us with his card throwing tricks and magic tricks. You may have seen him on America's Got Talent and other shows. You can learn more about him at www.ricksmithjr.com

Here are some fun photos from the day...

Title 1 Goal Getters

2011-02-25T06:39:00.000-08:00

Students in Mrs. Brauner's class and Mrs. Dicus' class met their Reading Counts goals three weeks sooner than their goal date! Woo Hoo! Not to worry, though, there is still plenty of time to make your goal!

Each of these students have met their personal goals in terms of points and percentage correct. Congratulations to each of you!

What's going on in Kindergarten???

2011-02-24T06:28:00.000-08:00

Kindergarten Girls have Bieber Fever!

Kindergarten Boys have John Deere Fever!!

Second (Grade) City

2011-02-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

The students in Mrs. Billings' class created a city from various materials when they studied communities in social studies. The students informed me that they collected milk cartons from their lunches and collected other "goodies" to help them build the city.

The students were able to explain each part of the community and what each role was. I was grateful to see that there was a school in their town!

Nursery Rhyme Program

2011-02-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

Kindergarten had their annual Nursery Rhyme program today under the direction of Mrs. Friedrich and the kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Mouse, Mrs. Rush, Mrs. Gray, Mrs. Weicken and Mrs. Hall.

All kindergarteners!

Mrs. Gray's class

Mrs. Hall's class

Mrs. Mouse's class

Fifth graders are a captive (and wonderful!) audience!

Mrs. Rush's class

Mrs. Weicken's class

After singing and reciting the rhymes, students say Hello, say their name and tell who they are dressed up like!

Our wonderful teachers!

Awww!

2011-02-16T09:40:00.000-08:00

Students from Mrs. Dusenberg's class discovered this heart shaped snow mound and asked me to take a photo of it...

Reader's Theater

2011-02-16T00:02:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Williams' class performed the story Flossie and the Fox for each of the fifth grade classes and a guest: ME! The students practiced reading fluency and their interpretation of the text. Their goal is to be able to compare and contrast this story to Little Red Riding Hood.

The students did a great job on their skit!

Fifth Grade Revolutionary War Parade!

2011-02-15T10:07:00.000-08:00

The Fifth Grade finalized their studies of the American Revolution with a talk by "Thomas Jefferson" and a parade through the school. Students studied different people, created costumes and took on the persona of individuals connected with the War. Enjoy these photos of the event!

Valentines Around the School

2011-02-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

The students are very excited about Valentine's Day. Here are a few scenes around the building.

Mrs. Ash's boys

Mrs. Ash's girls

Dig It!

2011-02-11T07:09:00.000-08:00

The fourth grade performed the musical "Dig It" and was awesome! Kudos to Mrs. Friedrich for getting this all together in such a short time. You Rock!

Snowifornia!

2011-02-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of our school after the Blizzard of 2011. Thank you to Mrs. Ramsdell for letting me use her photos!

Third grade lunch!

2011-01-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

As a Christmas gift to the classroom teachers I offered to take over one of their lunch duties. Today I was with third grade.

I was a third grade teacher for four years in Columbia and I have such a fond place in my heart for them. Today I was highly entertained by their chatter and enthusiasm for ORANGES today!

Snow Day January 20

2011-01-19T18:43:00.000-08:00

It is a snow day for students at California tomorrow. Take advantage of the day off from school and do some of the following:

Snow games : Go to this link to find some fun games to play in the snow

When you come in you will definitely need a cup of hot chocolate and of course, you will need to make these delightful Marshmallow Snowmen to go with them!

Everyone have a fun and safe snow day!

5th Grade Celebrates Project Success

2011-01-15T01:27:00.000-08:00

The fifth grade was honored by the local Kiwanis Club for their efforts in raising money for Christmas for families in Moniteau County. They were able to buy 22 $100 gift cards to Pamida's by selling chances on tickets on Circle of Sharing baskets, working Movie Night and by working at several Carnival booths. The Kiwanis Club brought snacks of cheese, sausage and crackers to be shared with the entire fifth grade class!

Pastor Pete was here to thank the students for their efforts. He praised the students and asked them to pat themselves on their backs. One woman who distributes the cards said that she gave cards to families who would not have had any Christmas without them. Another family bought food and supplies for their home. All who received the cards had needs that were fulfilled. Pastor Pete said there was no greater good than helping another person.

Honor Roll Celebration

2011-01-14T09:21:00.000-08:00

Students who met the criteria for A Honor Roll and A/B Honor Roll were treated to ice cream today! These kids worked hard to achieve this honor.

K-2 Wait Area

2011-01-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

K, 1, and 2 students will now report to the Multipurpose Room before school to wait before school starts. The reason behind the change is to get the students closer to their classrooms. The walk from the gym to the kindergarten classrooms took valuable class time.

The students did so well today! After breakfast students came out the library side and on to the MP room. I visited them to see how they were doing. Several told me they liked how quiet it was in there!

Last Day of Winter Break!

2011-01-02T17:18:00.001-08:00

Looking forward to seeing everyone in the morning! Doors open a 7:30 unless it is below 30 then we open at 7:20!

A Little Holiday Fun!

2010-12-22T07:17:00.000-08:00

Starring: Mr. Williams, Miss Doll, Mrs. Dicus and Mrs. Steffes!

Informative Website!

2010-12-14T12:39:00.000-08:00

According to the U.S. Department of Education, research indicates consistent, positive, and convincing evidence: families have a major influence on their children's achievement in school and through life. When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more. In other words, family involvement in children's education positively affects student achievement.

Studies have found that students with involved parents, regardless of their income or background, are more likely to:

• earn high grades and test scores, and enroll in higher-level programs

• pass their classes, earn credits, and be promoted

• attend school regularly

• graduate and go on to post-secondary education.

Parental involvement is one of the central points of No Child Left Behind. Parents are asked to play an active role in their children's school and home learning. The http://www.missouri-pirc.org/%20web web site provides parents and families with many resources and links to other sites that will assist in their children's learning.

Literacy Night-December

2010-12-03T05:10:00.000-08:00

What a great night! Santa made his appearance and read two stories to the crowd, after a fabulous dinner of potato soup, sandwiches and Christmas cookies. Mrs. Rowles, Mrs, Higgins, Miss Carol, and Mrs. Cook were there to help.

Dressed for the Holidays

2010-12-02T14:27:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Jennifer Hope!

Compare and Contrast...

2010-12-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

...a study using a Venn Diagram!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T06:38:00.000-08:00

From the students, staff, and faculty at California Elementary School, Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Thanksgiving Wednesday!

2010-11-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

No school today!

Thanksgiving Tuesday!

2010-11-23T09:50:00.000-08:00

Thank you parents and volunteers!

It is the first grade's annual Thanksgiving feast! Thanks to the many volunteers who brought food, helped serve and got the tables ready!

Thanksgiving Monday!

2010-11-22T05:54:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the halls of the school....

Famous Missourian Star Winners

2010-11-20T01:55:00.000-08:00

Here are the winners of the Best Costume contest for the Famous Missourians Hall of Fame. These students will have their star attached to a ceiling tile for all eternity!!

AEW-Spirit Day

2010-11-19T07:19:00.000-08:00

Spirit comes in all colors! Here are the fifth grade teachers wearing their FISH philosophy shirts. To learn more about the Fish philosophy, click here.

AEW-Apple for the Teacher

2010-11-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

Last week we sent home paper apples so that the students could write a note of appreciation to their teachers for American Education Week.

AEW-Paraprofessional Day!

2010-11-17T06:38:00.000-08:00

We cannot make due without these wonderful people on our staff. They make our lives easier and our students' lives better!

And here are a few students who dressed up like professionals!

AEW-College Day!

2010-11-16T06:29:00.000-08:00

It is easy to spot the favorite here at CES... MIZZOU!

American Education Week

2010-11-15T06:28:00.000-08:00

This is American Education Week. Students dressed up like teachers and here are a few of them:

Did you see Mrs. Taggart and Mrs. Henley? Mrs. Rush? Mrs. Gray?

A Ferret A Ferret

2010-11-12T10:27:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Gray's class had a ferret come to visit. Enjoy the sock ferrets!

Famiy Literacy Night

2010-11-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

Our third Family Literacy Night was held on Thursday, November 4. This was a Round Robin Reading Night where students and their parents went from room to room to hear books and to get an ingredient for their Harvest Trail Mix. Six teachers, Mrs. Hendickson, Mrs. Weicken, Mrs. Francis, Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Butts, and Mrs. Zimmerman read stories in their classrooms! Thank you so much!