I was in Haley Alvarado's Kindergarten class this morning as children and their parents arrived for the 3rd Nine Weeks Awards Ceremony. It's hard to believe that we are actually in the last nine weeks of Kindergarten! Haley has the children sitting facing their families so that they can see the pride in their families' faces. There are certificates for Perfect Attendance (Haley actually had perfect attendance from kindergarten- 12
th grade!), All E's in academics, ribbons for Great Citizenship, certificates for the number of books read, etc. but in Haley's class every child gets an award. Even the newcomers get a "Welcome to
Chets Creek"
certificate so they don't feel left out! The awards given at the end of the ceremony are the "Soaring Eagle Awards" which are eagle pins that can be attached to the
Chets Creek denim ball cap (worn on Fridays). These coveted awards go to students for something special. It might be great improvement, being a really good friend, achieving something special, etc., but it is always the high point of the ceremony. This nine weeks was no exception. Parents and children completed the ceremony feeling good. The children and parents have worked very hard this nine weeks with just one more session to go, so they should leave feeling good. I realized that the only person in the class that left without an award was the teacher but I imagine the smiles and hugs were reward enough!
I was in Haley Alvarado's Kindergarten class this morning as children and their parents arrived for the 3rd Nine Weeks Awards Ceremony. It's hard to believe that we are actually in the last nine weeks of Kindergarten! Haley has the children sitting facing their families so that they can see the pride in their families' faces. There are certificates for Perfect Attendance (Haley actually had perfect attendance from kindergarten- 12th grade!), All E's in academics, ribbons for Great Citizenship, certificates for the number of books read, etc. but in Haley's class every child gets an award. Even the newcomers get a "Welcome to Chets Creek" 
certificate so they don't feel left out! The awards given at the end of the ceremony are the "Soaring Eagle Awards" which are eagle pins that can be attached to the Chets Creek denim ball cap (worn on Fridays). These coveted awards go to students for something special. It might be great improvement, being a really good friend, achieving something special, etc., but it is always the high point of the ceremony. This nine weeks was no exception. Parents and children completed the ceremony feeling good. The children and parents have worked very hard this nine weeks with just one more session to go, so they should leave feeling good. I realized that the only person in the class that left without an award was the teacher but I imagine the smiles and hugs were reward enough!
First of all, I can't believe Haley had perfect attendance for K-12th grade. That, in its own right, must be a record!
ReplyDeleteI, for the first time in years, participated in this round of Awards Ceremonies and have to agree that the Soaring Eagles are a highlight. I read them in 3rd and 4th grade to an audience full of camera flashes, cheers, and applause. I also got choked up several times because the teachers wrote such beautiful things about the children. We really should post a few-minus the names of course-because I think other educators would love to embrace this practice.