Cape, Jackson schools ready for American Education Week

Several Cape Girardeau County schools will observe American Education Week starting Monday, with events ranging from supporting troops overseas to the writing of educational graffiti on a school sidewalk.

All of the elementary schools in the Cape Girardeau and Jackson school districts have organized special activities. Here are activities a few of the schools have planned:

Jefferson Elementary

Jefferson Elementary School in Cape Girardeau has events planned for every school day of the week.

On Monday, teachers at Jefferson will incorporate activities marking Veterans Day into their lesson plans; Tuesday is designated as "Thank Your Teacher Day," with parents and students asked to write a short note of appreciation to their teachers. Wednesday is "Parent Visitation Day," where parents are invited to eat lunch with their students and visit their classrooms afterward; Thursday will be "College Alumni Day," with the staff of Jefferson Elementary encouraged to wear a shirt from their college alma mater to show support for postsecondary education. Friday will be "School Spirit Day," and students and staff will be asked to wear orange and black in support of Jefferson Elementary and the Cape Girardeau public schools.

Sandy Elfrink, administrative assistant at Jefferson Elementary, said the school has participated in American Education Week since 1957.

"We're an elementary school, and children tend to love their teachers at this stage," Elfrink said. "They're going to be on board for the whole week. We also want to let the teachers know we appreciate the work they do. Sometimes there's not enough time to do that."

The first observance of American Education Week was in 1921; it is celebrated the week before the week of Thanksgiving.

South Elementary

South Elementary School in Jackson also has a full week of events scheduled.

On Monday South Elementary's student council cover a sidewalk with reading-oriented slogans such as "Read Your Heart Out" and "Grab A Book," and on Tuesday students will vote for a book to be read to them during an assembly. Wednesday is "Drop Everything and Read Day" from 2:10 to 2:30 p.m., and Thursday, South Elementary principal Jessica Maxwell will read from a book in the cafeteria during the last 10 minutes of each of the school's three lunch shifts.

On Friday the results of the book voting will be announced, and South Elementary assistant principal Lance McClard will read from the winning book at a "surprise location" during an assembly. He will read to kindergartners and first-graders from 10:30 to 10:55 a.m., and to the second through fifth grades from 2:25 to 3 p.m.

Millersville Elementary

At Millersville Elementary, students will be involved with the Operation Gratitude project by writing letters, sending cards and drawing pictures to be included in care packages for troops deployed overseas.

"We got the idea to do that from one of our parents," said McClard, who is also principal of Millersville Elementary. "She had already been involved with Operation Gratitude at her place of employment, and her activity was the basis for us to start our own project here at the school."

The school will also kick off its annual canned food drive for the Jackson Elks Lodge during the week, with a goal of 500 cans to be collected. On Thursday students will be treated to a "candlelight lunch" to show that education brightens their future.

West Lane Elementary

The fifth-grade students at West Lane Elementary School in Jackson will be posting a large Venn diagram in the school's cafeteria so that education in colonial America can be compared and contrasted with today's system. Students will research both eras and will draw or find pictures to cut out and place on the diagram.

klewis@semissourian.com

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