The North Branch community gathered for the annual performance of St. George and The Dragon on Friday, December 18th. After the 1:30 matinee, the snow began falling fast, reaching 21 inches, (and more in some areas) forcing the 7:00 performance to be canceled. However, it was a wonderful play, enhanced by many lovely seasonal songs such as “People Look East,” “Stephan,” “To Drive the Cold Winter Away” and others. This year’s performance was dedicated to Sarah Gerome, our beloved art and Primary teacher, who is leaving the school after eleven years of teaching. Despite the shortened schedule, it was a beautiful start to the winter break. More pictures and video to come…
The junior class recently visited Natural Bridge. Although the weather was cool and somewhat rainy, we packed our umbrellas and boots and headed out. It turned out to be a lovely day, and we were able to have lunch in a shelter that had a fireplace going. After an interesting visit to the wax museum, we headed down the many steps to the bridge.
Walking to the Monacan village
We spent about half an hour listening to the Monacan guides telling us about life in the village. One of the most surprising moments of the tour came when a guide blew a conch shell horn. They were used to call in children from the woods or to sound an alarm. It was astonishingly loud! The huts are primarily built with cattails and wood.
Dixie shows the class how the Monacans used beaver pelts
Learning how the cooking was done
We went inside one of the huts, which was completely dry. Dixie explained that all cooking would have been done indoors on such a rainy day. The hut was mostly smoke-free and well-ventilated through the ceiling.
We learned how tasks were assigned in the village
We had a very peaceful and interesting trip to the Monacan village. We were the only group there and it was relatively easy to imagine what life might have looked like in the past.
Time on the playground is an important part of toddler group
NBS’s weekly Toddler Group will begin again in January. Call Cleo at 540-456-8450 to register or for more information.
Winter Session I: Wednesdays, 9:30 – 11:30, January 6 – February 10, $60 or $12/Wednesday
Winter Session II: Wednesdays, 9:30 – 11:30, February 24 – March 31, $60 or $12/Wednesday
On Saturday, December 5, students, teachers, and parents bundled up and created a festive NBS “float” for the Nelson County Christmas Parade in Lovingston.
The Float's Front End
A Festive Trailer, with NBS students, parents, and teachers
Happy Thanksgiving! The whole school came together last night for the annual North Branch Thanksgiving program and dinner. Students spent the last few weeks rehearsing songs and preparing vegetable soup, cornbread, butter and fresh-pressed apple cider. Thank you again to Elizabeth Ferrall and Lisa Kendrick for preparing the soup. This video shows the school singing what I have come to think of as the North Branch theme song.
NBS is one of only five schools in the Commonwealth to receive the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ Virginia Naturally School Recognition Award for all ten years the program has been in effect. Schools receiving this recognition have demonstrated exemplary efforts to promote good stewardship of Virginia’s natural resources. Virginia Naturally Schools must meet specific requirements, which increase with each successive year a school achieves this recognition. To celebrate this milestone, on November 20 North Branch School was awarded a sign acknowledging their achievement.
Head Teacher Charlotte Zinsser Booth, Science teachers Toni Ranieri and Maggie Buchanan, and students pose with the new outdoor sign and indoor plaque recognizing NBS's 10-year "Virginia Naturally" achievement.
In their application for the 2008-2009 school year, North Branch School outlined the units of study about nature and the service efforts that all of the students, preschool – 8th grade, enjoy. Projects for the 2008-2009 year included, planting and harvesting the school’s gardens, feeding, identifying, and graphing sightings of birds, wildflower walks with the Wintergreen Nature Foundation, building mini-greenhouses, maintaining the school’s nature trail and outdoor classroom, geology lessons with a field trip to Grand Caverns, and stream monitoring as part of the Chesapeake Bay Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience. In May, North Branch’s middle school students spent several days on the Chesapeake Bay, learning about the Bay’s habitat and ecosystems through the programs of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Local groups, such as the Blue Ridge Sierra Club, RiverFest of Waynesboro, and the Wintergreen Nature Foundation helped to underwrite this hands-on field study.
Last school year was a time of education in green building for North Branch students and staff as they observed the construction of the school’s new annex. This building, opened in September 2009, is insulated with natural cotton fiber insulation and integrates radiant floor heating and south-facing passive solar elements. Sun tubes bring natural light into the north-facing rooms.
For more information about the Virginia Naturally Recognition Program, visit the Virginia Naturally website at www.VaNaturally.com. For more information about the environmental stewardship efforts of North Branch School, please call 540-456-8450 or email the school at info@north-branch-school.org.
Last Friday, we were treated to a special performance of Where the Wild Things Are. The play was directed by Kristin Nicks and included a cast of Wild Things from the Primary and Junior grades.
Thank you to Stephanie Gross, one of our parents, for providing these photos.
Grandparents took tours of classrooms and got a chance to see their grandchildren’s work.
A Primary II student shows off his journal.
Taking a tour of the new Spanish classroom
After the tours, everyone enjoyed a special assembly
Natasha's class singing "Mail Myself to You"
Yale Landsberg (l) presented North Branch with a wonderful Circadian clock. Eric Thompson (r) helped work on the annex
Seniors and Middle Schoolers sing a song for our visitors
Jaime Marion, Tommy Harvey, Charlotte Zinsser Booth and Jim Gates (contractor for the project) prepare for the ribbon-cutting ceremony
After all that, everyone got to have some of the annex-shaped cake made by Deana and Brad Tipler. Thank you so much to everyone who worked hard to make the annex a reality!
Last Friday, October 23, was Grandparent’s Day and the dedication of the new annex. More to come about that, but I wanted to share this video of Natasha’s class singing Woody Guthrie’s “Mail Myself to You” to all the grandparents who were unable to attend.
