Washington/Franklin Elementary School

☀️🏆 Yesterday was a whole mood! 🏆☀️

Who says summer school can't be all fun and games? Yesterday, our amazing students took a break from the classrooms and absolutely crushed Field Day!

Seeing these kids cheer each other on, try their best, and just enjoy being kids was the absolute best part of our week. Huge shoutout to our teachers who made the day a success, and a massive round of applause for our students who brought the hustle and the smiles! 👏

Building Resilience, One Jump at a Time 🧠🛠️

Our 4th graders just took "hands-on learning" to a whole new level! For their latest STEM project, they became mechanical engineers and built their very own jumping robots.

From calculating angles to tweaking rubber band tension, these students showed incredible perseverance. There were plenty of trial-and-error moments, but seeing their creations finally take to the air made it worth the effort! 🙌

Talk about taking learning to new heights. 📈 Little engineers, big ideas!

🏡 A Step Back in Time! 🎒

Earlier in the week, the 4th graders were out exploring the Historic Long House right here in downtown Farmington!

From walking through the historic rooms to learning about the incredible stories preserved by the U.S. National Park Service, our 4th graders got a firsthand look at the rich heritage that shapes our community.

The house is located at 400 Ste. Genevieve Avenue and the original home was built of log construction containing one room downstairs and one upstairs, with an enclosed stairway and fireplace. On the north lawn stands a granite pyramidal structure (visible at about 3 o'clock in the photo collage) identifying the site of the first industry in Farmington, a tannery, owned by Phillip Graham Long. When this marker was being built a stone was placed by every remaining member of the Long family.

A huge thank you to the rangers and volunteers who made this field trip so memorable, interactive, and fun. Our students left with big smiles, great questions, and a newfound appreciation for local history!

☀️ Wait, Second Grade did WHAT this week?!? ☀️

The Second Grade Summer Learning Academy had an absolute blast exploring our community this week. From tasty treats to firefighting facts, we covered it all!

Here’s a recap of our amazing adventures:

🍞 Farmhouse Bakery: We started the week with a behind-the-scenes tour to see how the magic happens—and yes, we got to sample some delicious treats!

🚒 Farmington Fire Department: Next, we visited our local heroes. The kids learned all about the life-saving equipment, got an up-close look at the trucks, and practiced important fire safety tips.

🍦 Columbia Mercantile: We wrapped up an incredible week the best way we know how—with a sweet ice cream treat!

A massive thank you to all the local spots that welcomed our students with open arms. We are so proud of how our second graders represented our school this week!

Check out some highlights from our trips below! 👇📸

Me: "Yay, volunteering to go on the 4th-grade field trip to St. Joe State Park will be so fun!" 🌲☀️

Also me: Remembering that Missouri has 46 species of snakes and St. Joe is basically prime reptile real estate: 🛑🐍 NOPE! I'm out on this one. But for those who braved the park...

So much learning and energy was packed into one day:

🐍 Reptile Encounter: The kids got up close and personal with some incredible reptiles. (The bravery of 9 and 10-year-olds holding a snake is next level!)

🦅 Bird Watching: Along with other native birds, they came across a young baby fledgling that was SO SMALL!

🦌 Park & Wildlife Exploration: We hiked the trails, learned about the importance of taking care of our parks and everything St. Joe State Park has to offer. They get to spend some time on the playground too (there were no snakes there!).

Huge shoutout to St. Joe State Park for hosting us and especially to Assistant Supervisor Billie Tedford as well as Naturalists Gabrielle Johnson and Mary Crowell for organizing the amazing experience! Just keep the snakes in your neck of the woods...LITERALLY!

📢 Friendly reminder!🎒🎉

Don't miss out on the Back to School Bash! You have about a month left to register, but make sure to sign up before the deadline on July 11.⏳

📌 Quick Details:
What: Free school supplies, backpacks, shoes and more!

When: Saturday, July 25

Where: Mineral Area College in the MAC-Tech Building

Deadline: Saturday, July 11 🚨

👉 Secure your spot right now! Register at https://tally.so/r/MezeMl.

For more information, email [email protected]

🚒💦 Perfect day for a soaking! 💦🚒

Our Farmington kindergarteners and 1st graders had the ultimate cool-down today! ☀️ Standard field trips are great, but nothing beats the pure joy of running through a massive water curtain courtesy of the Farmington Fire Department!

A huge thank you to our local firefighters for making a splash, keeping our kids safe, and creating core memories today. There was much screaming, the water was cold, and the smiles were absolutely unforgettable!

Check out some of our favorite soggy, smiling moments from today! 👇📸

🐻🏼 ALL RISE! ⚖️🥣

Our 4th graders traded their classrooms for the courtroom today! It was an incredible field trip to the Farmington courthouse to put a famous fairy tale felon on the stand for the "Trial of Goldilocks."

The charges? Breaking and entering, destruction of property, and porridge theft! 🪑❌

Our students played the role of the jury while teachers and staff played the role of the characters involved. The Witnesses (including a very disgruntled Babe E Bear) took the stand to tell their sides of the story. The Jury deliberated long and hard over the evidence (they actually really did!).

A massive thank you to Judge Patrick King, Circuit Clerk Kristina Bone, the bailiffs and the courthouse staff for hosting us, teaching our students about the judicial system and showing them that civics can be incredibly fun.

So, what was the final verdict? Goldilocks was found not guilty of breaking and entering, but guilty of theft and destruction of property!! 🏛️👨‍⚖️👩‍⚖️

Summer School Week 1 prize winners!! 💪📚

These students were our perfect attendance prize winners at the Summer Learning Academy for week one! We want to give a massive round of applause to all of our students who achieved perfect attendance during summer school this week. Showing up every day with a positive attitude is a huge accomplishment!

All students with perfect attendance for the week are entered into prize drawings at the end of the week. Be on time and present each day for a chance to win! We'll see who wins prizes for week 2 next Monday!

We also want to shout out our incredible families for waking up early, packing lunches, and ensuring our students arrive ready to succeed. We appreciate you! 🎒🚌

🚌✨The park is calling and we must go! ✨🚌

Our amazing 2nd graders had a great time playing with their friends at Engler Park today!

Who doesn't want to conquer the playground?! There was endless fun, soaring high on the swings, racing down the slides, and plenty of teamwork on the climbing structures. It was so wonderful to see our students playing together, sharing, strengthening both their gross motor skills and social/emotional skills!

Check out a few glimpses of our sunny, action-packed adventure! 👇📸