What is Battle of the Books?
Elementary Battle of the Books (BOB) is a competition team that encourages students to read by having them read 15 books representing a variety of literary styles and viewpoints by prominent authors in the area of young adult literature. Participation in Elementary Battle of the Books allows students the opportunity to improve reading skills, mature in their choices of reading materials, and acquire a broader knowledge base. Our meetings will offer students the chance to practice for the countywide battle in March by answering questions like the ones shown below. The goal is to answer each question by stating the title and author of the book to which the question pertains. We will prepare for competition at meetings by playing games, discussing the books, taking notes and studying key elements of each text such as characters, settings, and plot. 

Examples of Competition and Practice Questions:
In which book does a character state, “Being a mother is like trying to hold a
wolf by the ears”?
Answer: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

OR

In which book is an alarm set off just for fun?
Answer: Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Teams get two points for the correct title and one point for the correct author. If the team answers incorrectly the other team has an opportunity to steal the question and receives two points for the correct title. Using a game format for the competition creates interest and excitement in reading. 

What are the 15 required books for the 2020-2021 School Year? 

This link will show you the books for this year. Students may begin reading the books at any time and are encouraged to read over the summer. At our first meeting, we will set a reading schedule. 

BOB Required Booklist 

Meeting schedule will be posted here. Please check back.

 Membership: 

Elementary Battle of the Books is open to fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. Students must be strong, fluent readers as they will be reading about one novel per week. All reading takes place on the student's own time. 

How Do I Make the Competition Team?
Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders compete on the same team!  Each member of Elementary Battle of the Books must read the 15 books listed on the elementary list.  Each member should attend practice meetings held through December. If students do not keep up with the reading, they will not be able to continue coming to practices. In December, all students will be given a test using the same question format as shown above for all 15 books.  The 6-8 students with the highest scores on this test will become the Elementary Battle of the Books Competition Team and represent our school in the county Battle in March. 

The Digital Leadership Club is responsible for creating and designing the yearbook each year. Throughout the school year, members of the club capture special events and activities to use in the yearbook. These students work closely with a local news reporter to learn how to take quality pictures with a professional camera. Members of DLC also learn how to design individual pages in the yearbook using a computer program. The main goal of the Digital Leadership Club is to provide the students and staff with an excellent yearbook that portrays all of the unforgettable memories from the school year.

Meetings are held once a month on a specified Monday after school. The schedule will be updated after the start of the 2020-21 school year.

 Membership: 5th and 6th graders can join.

Mathematical Olympiads is a program dedicated to stimulating enthusiasm, fostering creativity, and strengthening intuition in mathematical problem solving. Five monthly 30-minute contests are administered throughout the school year.  Each contest consists of five challenging math problems.  

Mathematical Olympiads

Meeting schedule will be posted here. Please check back.

 Membership: Membership in this program is for students in grades 4-6 who qualify in the academically gifted math program. 

During club sessions students learn to program the motors and sensors on the Lego Mindstorm EV3 and Sphero robots and they work to complete challenges with the robots.

Competitions
We compete in three competitions each school year.

The Catawba County Schools Winter Competition challenges students to work in teams to complete two robot challenges in 25 minutes. This shows off their knowledge of programming each robot and their ability to work as a team to complete engineering challenges.

The other two competitions are SUMObot Competitions. Students work as a team to create a SUMObot using the  Lego Mindstorm EV2. This robot must push another Sumobot off a board. They use ultrasonic sensors to find the other robot and attack. The students also program their bot to use a color sensor to keep it from falling off the board.

Meeting schedule will be posted here. Please check back. Meetings are held once or twice a week for an hour after school. 

 Membership: Open to all 5th and 6th grade students.

Our students get the chance to practice the language, enjoy fun activities, experience collaboration, and increase their awareness of Hispanic culture through games, plays, songs and dances. 

Meetings are held on Tuesdays from 3: 30 to 4:15. The schedule is subject to change after the start of the 2020-21 school year.

 Membership: Second and third grade students are eligible for membership. The club is limited to 20 members. 

Student Council is a service learning and leadership development opportunity.  In the past student council has assisted with our Veterans' Day program, collected items for Catawba County Teen Christmas, made cards for the Meals on Wheels program, volunteered at the Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministry (ECCCM) food pantry and toured the Corner Table Soup Kitchen.

Sixth grade Student Council members may have the opportunity to lead assemblies. Students will also gain understanding about global issues such as poverty, caring for the environment and world cultures through activities and projects.

Meetings will be held once or twice per month after school until 4:30 or 4:45. Day of the week and time will be provided on the application forms available after school starts in the fall.

 Membership: Students in grades 3-6 may apply for membership, with a maximum of 20 students in the group. Eligible students have zero office write ups, as well as positive academic and character records. Students may be selected by a combination of the following: completion of a short essay, a teacher recommendation, administrative input, a class speech in front of their grade level, and election by their class.

The Tiger Art Club provides students with the opportunity to expand their knowledge of art and improve their art-making skills within a positive and supportive environment. During art club, students have explored pottery, watercolor pencils, chalk pastels, paper quilling, printmaking, art history, and drawing and painting techniques that go beyond what is taught in the regular art classes. This year we would love to expand upon that with virtual tours of art museums and digital art.

Members receive a customized T-shirt and all of the materials are provided. If your child enjoys art and wants the opportunity to express themselves in new and exciting ways, they will love participating in the Tiger Art Club!

Meeting schedule will be posted here. Please check back. The Tiger Art Club meets for one hour after school once a week. 

 Membership: The Tiger Art Club is open to current 5th and 6th grade students at Sherrills Ford Elementary School. 

Tiger 13 News is our in-school morning news show that is broadcast to every classroom. This news program delivers information about school events, reports weather information, celebrates staff and student birthdays and more. Membership in this activity is a serious responsibility and leadership role at Sherrills Ford Elementary School.

Tiger 13 News Anchor - The News Anchor is a person who reads the news to the school. This person will be seen and heard by everyone in SFES. As a News Anchor you will be seen as a role model by other students in the halls and classroom. We rotate News Anchors to give more students the opportunity to experience this role. 

Tiger News Technician  - A Technician is not seen or heard by anyone, but is responsible for how the show looks and sounds to everyone in SFES. A technician runs the camera, mixer, soundboard, and the teleprompter and green screen computers. These people keep the equipment working and the show moving at a moderate pace.

Tiger 13 News Production Staff must be in the production room by 8:05 am.

 Membership: All 6th grade students at SFES will be given the opportunity to work on Tiger 13 News Production Staff. You must always be respectful of the school rules and be a responsible student when you participate on the morning show.

Each student that fills out an application will be assigned for a specific length of time on a schedule board. When you are scheduled to work on the morning show you are required to be in the production room by 8:05 in the morning.