About The Banks County news. (Homer, Banks County, Ga.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 2023)
PAGE 6A BANKS COUNTY NEWS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2023 School BCES Students of the Month named Banks County Elementa ry School has named Stu dents of the Month. Third graders named are: Taylor Blevins, Malachi McCoy, Jeremiah Grindle, Matthew Sanchez Fernan dez, Copeland Ledford, Mitchell Newsome, Strick land Marchbanks, Evan Benfiel, Brooke Brown and Alexa Montes Rodriguez. Fourth graders named are: Adamson Tran, Bri- elle Lockhart, Lane Pirkle, Gavin Silva, Zoey Wil banks, Emi Moore, Kin- leigh Langston, Journey Mendoza , Carson Bennett and Gabby Grimes. Fifth graders named are: Piper Mansur, Brentley Car- lan, Ramon Paramo, Tadeo Paramo Andrade, Emory Wilbanks, Raif Moua, Rob ert Ward, Cayden Wilson, Laine Shadbum and Eliza beth Farmer. Third grade Banks County Elementary School Students of the Month are: (L-R) Taylor Blevins, Malachi McCoy, Jeremiah Grindle , Matthew Sanchez Fernandez, Copeland Ledford, Mitchell Newsome, Strickland Marchbanks, Evan Benfiel, Brooke Brown and Alexa Montes Rodriguez. Banks County Elementary School fourth graders named Students of the Month are: (L-R) Adamson Tran, Brielle Lockhart, Lane Pirkle, Gavin Silva, Zoey Wilbanks, Emi Moore, Kinleigh Langston, Journey Mendoza and Carson Bennett. Not pic tured: Gabby Grimes. Banks County Elementary School fifth graders named Students of the Month are: (L-R) Piper Mansur, Brentley Carlan, Ramon Paramo, Tadeo Paramo Andrade, Emory Wilbanks, Raif Moua, Robert Ward, Cayden Wilson, Laine Shadburn and Elizabeth Farmer. FFA TEAM ADVANCES TO STATE FFA Junior Environmental Natural Resources team won the area competition and advanced to the state level in December. Team members are: Natalie Seigler (1st Place), Catie Cochran (2nd Place), Jabe Andrews, and Maggie Braswell. Mrs. Annie Reece is shown working with a student in her classroom. Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Annie Reece This school year, Banks County Schools launched an initiative to strengthen student achievement in the schools. The system will spotlight several teachers who demon strate exceptional best practices and student success. Mrs. Annie Reece has been in education for over 16 years. This is her third year as a first-grade teacher at Banks County Primary School. She is a “beacon of inspiration to others,” stated Dr. Mike Boyle, principal at Banks County Primary School. “She recognizes that reading is the cornerstone of academ ic and lifelong success.” Mrs. Reece has wholeheartedly adopted the school’s ob jective of reading achievement. She has created a multifac eted approach to guarantee her students not only acquire reading skills but also cultivate an enduring passion for reading. She employs two key strategies for teaching reading: differentiated small-group guided reading instruction and interactive read-aloud for whole-group reading. These methods are carefully tailored to meet each student’s needs and abilities. In small-group instruction, students are grouped based on their instructional reading levels. “Students progress to the next level when they are ready,” Reece said. “This personalized approach ensures that no student is left behind and that all have the opportu nity to thrive.” For whole-group activities, she implements interactive read-aloud. It involves Ms. Reece reading a selected text to the class while encouraging students to engage in dis cussions with their peers. This boosts comprehension skills and fosters active listening and speaking abilities. To assess her students’ reading progress, Ms. Reece re lies on the county’s reading assessment system, Fountas and Pinnell, for benchmark assessments. In addition, she conducts running records and keeps anecdotal notes to monitor week-to-week progress. This tracking allows her to pinpoint the specific needs of each student, facilitating a more targeted and effective approach to instruction. According to Reece, one of the most significant chal lenges in teaching reading is crafting the perfect reading formula for each student while accommodating her stu dents’ diverse needs and levels. “Every student is unique, and their instructional require ments may differ significantly, even if their reading levels appear similar,” she added. A typical reading lesson in Ms. Reece’s classroom guided reading sessions feature small groups working on phonics and leveled texts while other students engage in hands-on phonics games, independent reading, iPad-based learning games, and more. Activities rotate every 15-20 minutes, encouraging peer interaction and honing reading, listening, and speaking skills. Interactive read-aloud sessions are another highlight. Ms. Reece brings her favorite books to life with expressive reading and tum-and-talk discussions, emphasizing com prehension and fostering a love for reading. “While Ms. Reece’s toolkit includes a variety of effec tive strategies, it is clear that her commitment to personal ized instruction and fostering a love for reading are at the heart of her success,” school leaders state. When they leave her classroom at the end of the year, her ultimate goal for her students is not just academic achieve ment. “I hope they know that they always have a teacher in their comer who loves them, cares for them, and wants what is best for them. I love building a little family together in the classroom,” she said. The best part of teaching, according to Ms. Reece, is the sheer joy of creating engaging lessons and sharing the ex citement of learning with her students. From using funny voices while reading, dancing for brain breaks, conducting science experiments, and playing educational games, she brings learning to life in her classroom. BCES TO RECOGNIZE TEACHERS Banks County Elementary School introduced a new initia tive known as the “Shout-Out Box” to celebrate teachers. This initiative allows students to express their gratitude by submitting heartfelt notes or “roars” to recognize a teacher or school employee who has positively impacted their lives. These messages of appreciation are then delivered to the teachers at the end of each school week. The initiative can be attributed to the collaborative efforts of the dedicated School Governance Team at BCES. This team, which con venes once a month, brainstormed ways to create more op portunities to showcase teachers and staff members.
