Our school’s Christmas break began Thursday. So get ready to go out of town, have guests or enjoy the holidays with Mom and Dad. Be safe and a Merry Christmas to all and have a happy New Year.  Remember, students come back on Monday, Jan. 7.

Our school has experienced a transformation in the classroom listening centers that has impressed students and teachers alike! Gone is the brief case-size compact disc player and accompanying muffler sized headphones. Students no longer wait for a set time and gather around the player in groups of eight.

Thanks to a very generous donation by the Daphne branch of Compass Bank, the iPod Shuffles have arrived!  Mrs. Kathy Smith first approached Daphne Banking Center Manager and Vice President Ms. Melinda McGhee in October. By Thanksgiving, Compass gifted the school with five iPod Shuffles. In the last weeks before break, students have been using the Shuffles to listen to reading selections as they follow along in their text. This activity helps to build both reading comprehension and fluency in the listener.

(Editor’s Note: The Daphne Bulletin will feature a story on the inclusion of iPods at Carroll in its Dec. 26 edition.)

The Project Jubilee class recycles used laser and inkjet print cartridges, old cell phones, PDAs, iPods, digital cameras, laptop computers, video game systems and video games.

We are able to redeem the equipment for points that can be used to purchase technology equipment and classroom supplies. The items can be dropped off at the school office. We welcome local businesses that might want to sponsor our school in this recycling effort.

Please contact Blair Heald through the school office if you have any questions.

Don’t forget to clip and save Campbell’s Soup UPC codes as well as other labels and send them to our P.E. Department. To find out what other product UPC codes can be saved visit the Web site www.labelsforeducation.com. 

Our P.E. Department is also collecting Box Tops for Education. Many General Mills and Pillsbury products have box tops to cut. To find out what products to buy visit these two sites: www.boxtops4education.com and www.tyson.com/projectaplus.

Congratulations to our school wide Geography Bee winner Christian Parke from Mrs. D. Smith’s fifth-grade classroom. He will take a written test in January to see if he will qualify to participate in the state Geography Bee later in the school year.

Scarlett Crouch from Mrs. Angela Stewart’s fifth-grade class was our first runner-up.

Sabrina Hare from Mrs. Linda Loper’s fourth-grade class was our second runner-up.

Well done once again to all of the Geography Bee participants who did such a great job representing their classroom in the school bee: Nina Rye-Clarke, Megan Glynn, Benjamin Lin, Eli Moran, Mae Lyle, Peyton Galich, Claudia Barrow, Lola Mahner, Christopher Walding and Helen Henry.