ECES Challenge Program

03/05/2025

I would like to say a big “CONGRATULATIONS” to the following students for winning the School and System Levels of the Young Georgia Authors Writing Competition. They have now advanced to the RESA-Level Competition. Wishing them the best of luck…their writing entries were so creative and well-written! I am so proud of these students!

ECES Grade Level Winners:
3rd Grade - Kinsley Case
4th Grade - Ella Kimsey
5th Grade - Rease McElroy

*About the Young Georgia Authors Writing Competition: The purpose of the competition is to encourage students to develop enthusiasm for and expertise in their writing, to provide a context to celebrate their writing successes, and to recognize student achievement in arts and academics. This prestigious competition has been engaging Georgia students since 1991, and is open to any student currently enrolled in Georgia public schools in grades K-12.

11/22/2024

Wishing all of my students and their families a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING BREAK! I hope everyone stays safe and gets plenty of rest and family time! 🦃😃

11/22/2024

11/22/2024

Today, my 5th graders made posters to cheer on the ECCHS Blue Devils as they left for their playoff game against Heard County tonight. Go Big Blue!!!

11/15/2024

My 4th graders finished up a research project on New York City this week. New York was the setting of the read-aloud book we recently finished. The students showed so much interest in, and had so many questions about different places in New York, that I decided to have them research New York City to learn more about it. They conducted research to locate facts, created Google Slide Shows to share their research and pictures, and also illustrated posters to showcase what they learned.

They presented their projects this week, and as always, they did a great job! I was so happy with the teamwork displayed, and with the collaboration between the students during the duration of this project. Way to go everyone…I am super proud of you!

10/29/2024

More Robitic Legos fun today with my Tuesday class of 3rd graders!

10/28/2024

My students have been having fun working and learning with the Robotic Legos. It takes a lot of skill, practice, and patience to construct and code/program the different people and animals. Then it’s on to testing the creation to see if it will work, move, and make sounds. If at first you don’t succeed, it’s time to troubleshoot to find the problem, and then test it again. Repeat if necessary.
Everyone has done such a great job! I’m proud of all of the students, and especially my 3rd graders who are working with the Robotic Legos for the first time! 😃

Keep an eye out here for more pictures to come in the next few days!

10/01/2024

3rd Grade Post:
I have enjoyed getting to know these fantastic students over the past (almost) nine weeks. They are all so excited and enthusiastic about what we are doing in class each week. One of their favorite activities/stations has proven to be our classroom Makerspace. Most of the students are asking first thing each week if they can visit this area, so I thought I would share a bit about what a classroom Makerspace is, and also the benefits of having one available to the students.

A Makerspace is a designated area in a school or classroom where students can learn through hands-on activities that involve designing, building, experimenting, and creating. A Makerspace contains a wide variety of materials, such as basic craft and art supplies. The students are not shown patterns, but are encouraged to use their creativity and imagination to design and create their own products using the provided materials.

Makerspaces in the classroom can have many benefits for Gifted students, including:
*Hands-on learning through experimentation and exploration
*Creativity to develop ideas and “think outside the box”
*Problem-solving through “design thinking”
*Critical thinking
*Collaboration
*Opportunities to innovate
*And, the list literally goes on and on.

I have included some photos of some of the students with their creations. I am so amazed at what they have dreamed up and constructed all on their own, and I am looking forward to watching these students continue to learn and grow over the course of this school year. 😃

09/20/2024

Happy Friday Everyone! This is a quick post to provide an update on what we have been doing in our classes the past few weeks:

*All classes are participating in book/novel studies, and the students are creating interactive notebooks to enhance their learning. These notebooks provide many opportunities for the students to expand their knowledge in many skills, such as writing, parts of speech, comprehension, and many others. There are also many activities that provide the students with a chance to use their creativity and critical thinking skills.

*We are also participating in many activities that reinforce the Georgia Mathematics Standards of Excellence that are being taught in the homeroom classrooms. Many of our learning games require the students to work together to problem-solve and find solutions. I have been so proud of how my students have been collaborating with each other and using teamwork to complete tasks! Learning to work together is an important life skill, and my students are doing great with this!

*We will begin our first big project of the year within the next few weeks. I will post more details about this once we get started.

I am posting some pictures of my students working in the classroom these past few weeks. We have had such a great start to our year of learning! 😃

08/26/2024

Our Challenge classes for the 2024-25 school year are off to a great start! We are working hard and learning new things in each and every class! It’s going to be a great year! 😃

A quick note to Parents/Guardians: please be on the lookout for a letter that will be sent home with the students this week. It is a permission slip requesting your permission to post your child’s pictures on this page for our ECES Challenge Program, and also occasionally in The Elberton Star. If you do not want your child’s picture posted, please indicate that preference on the form so that I will know. Please indicate your preference and return the form to school this week, if possible.

Thank you for your prompt response. I am looking forward to bragging on all of my students, and also showcasing their work and activities on this page this year!

Mrs. Dove. 😃

05/24/2024

To My 3rd and 4th Graders:
I hope all of you have a great summer full of fun times and time spent with your families! I will see all of you back at the start of the new school year for another fun year of learning together in Challenge! 😃