Walking the halls
By BETTY POWERS, Principal, Parnell

Greetings from Parnell! There is much enthusiasm and excitement in our halls and on our playgrounds. Some of this has to do with climate and weather changes, and some of the excitement is related to special events at Parnell. On Oct. 26, Mrs. Seal, fourth grade math and science teacher, planned and conducted an Outdoor Learning Day. Various people from our community as well as other parts of the state set up booths on our west playground and shared information with our students about their business, hobby, or area of expertise. We had representatives from the National Dairy Council, the Parks and Wildlife Department, Priority One Emergency, the U.S. Army. George Brown gave a demonstration on whittling, and Marguerite Braden with Petals and Pebbles Flowers & Gifts did a demonstration on flower arranging.

In all, there were 11 different areas to pique the interest of our students. Several of the fourth grade teachers who have been involved with this project for several years said that this was the best ever.

There are several dates on our calendar for the month of November that will be of interest to parents. Nov. 2, during Good Morning Parnell, our third grade gifted and talented students, under the direction of Rebecca Dougharty, presented an original play on "Bloom's Taxonomy." Nov. 9 will be a Veteran's Day program presented by our fourth grade. As always, parents, school administrators, and community representatives are invited to attend.

Nov. 5 we began afterschool math tutorials. A new internet-based program called Study Island will provide the basis for our tutorial sessions.

Mr. Emfinger, our librarian, has planned our fall Book Fair for Nov. 12- 20. During that week, we will also host a family game/TAKS night to explain to parents the things they can do to help their child academically. This will be Thursday night, Nov. 15.

We did not celebrate Grandparent's Day in September, but rather have chosen to invite our grandparents to come eat lunch with us on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 12 and 13. Children will be sending invitations with more information.

Tuesday, Nov. 20, school will release at 1:30 p.m. to begin the observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. It is evident that both students and teachers will be ready for this time of rest and relaxation with our families since October and November have been so busy.