Welcome to First Grade! My name is Laura Ward and this is my 28th year teaching! I have been teaching here at IES for 25 years, which is the best place to BEE!  I am originally from Florida and I taught for 3 years in Tampa before moving to Irmo.  I graduated from the University of Florida, so I always want to make sure to teach my first graders the Gator Chomp! I have 2 wonderful daughters, Madison (19) and Avery (16 almost 17). Madison loves to read and she is very artistic! She is a sophomore at USC majoring in Graphic Design!   Avery is a senior at DFHS and she loves to dance! She has been dancing since she was 3 years old!

First grade is such a fun and rewarding grade to teach!  First graders are eager learners, who are very observant and curious about the world around them!  Your first graders will make choices, take risks, learn from mistakes, keep trying and have fun! They will participate, observe, investigate, problem solve and grow both, academically and socially!