Rachel Bateman

As part of Freedom Week activities, Smyrna Primary invited Gary Leffew, a retired Navy and Air Force veteran, to provide lessons on caring for the American flag. Fourth and fifth grade students learned how to properly raise, lower and fold the flag.

@SmyrnaPrimary celebrated the end of the first nine weeks with Friday's Ion Showcase of Learning. During the showcase, kindergarten classes shared the whys behind their favorite toys and first graders created birdhouses after reading and writing about birds. Students in fifth grade delivered presentations related to the novel Esperanza Rising, phases of the moon and more. Fourth grade performed a reader's theater about food chains and ecosystems. Another of the showcase’s highlights was the performance of “Numberland,” a song written by physical education teacher Robert Abernathy to deepen second-graders’ understanding of place value. One of two Ion School programs within Rutherford County Schools, SPS infuses its learning with the arts to help students express what they’ve learned. Ion Schools are innovation incubators that use community, staff, and student input to develop and pilot programs across the district. Rocky Fork Middle houses the second Ion program. #StrongSchools #StrongStudents #StrongCommunity