Where the Wild Things Are

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.

"They showed their terrible teeth..."

"Max" in his wolf suit

The cast poses with their wonderful boat and set

Thank you to Stephanie Gross for the fabulous photos!

Grandparent’s Day and Dedication of the Annex

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!

A song for the grandparents who are far away

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.

done

Just In Case You Missed the Cake . . .

NBS held its Grand Opening of the new Annex last Friday, October 23.  We’ll write more about that later, along with the wonderful Grandparents’ Day that preceded it, but since for some of us  it’s really all about the cake, here’s a photo.  Huge thanks go to Deana and Brad Tipler for creating and transporting this edible model of the new Annex.  Incredible!  (And tasty, too.)

North Branch Celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month

From September 15 to October 15, NBS students and Spanish teacher Oscar Cardenas celebrated National Hispanic Heritage month.  In class, students worked on greetings, personal information, and family vocabulary. Students also learned the song “El Tambor de la Alegria,” a song from Panama, and performed it at Assembly.

Seniors and Middle Schoolers dance during the fiesta.

The culmination of the month’s work was a fiesta held on October 16, at which students danced salsa, bachata, and son cubano.  They also played “Pongale la cola al burro” (Pin the Tail on the Donkey), using decorations, pinatas, and pictures created by students.  Thanks very much to the NBS parents who helped with food and beverages for the fiesta.

The student-created "burro" for fiesta games.

An imaginary family tree for one student.

NBS Reads for the Record

On October 8, NBS students helped JumpStart set a world record by having more than 1,000,000 people read the same book on the same day.  Students read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle with their teachers and with other students, and teachers found ways to bring the caterpillar’s story and character into activities all day long.

Nursery teacher Jennifer Stuart shows off the caterpillar-green bread made by the preschool students.

Nursery teacher Kyla Saby reads this year's book in Spanish with the Juniors.

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The Junior Class visits Davis Creek Farm

On Thursday, October 1st, the junior class had the wonderful opportunity to visit Davis Creek Farm, a working all-natural cattle farm owned by North Branch parents Elizabeth Van Deventer and Tim DiChiara. We began our visit with a short talk by Elizabeth, who used pictures and examples to illustrate the difference between a small, natural farm and a large feedlot.

Elizabeth talks to the class about where food comes from

The juniors ask questions about the farm

Then we took a tour of the property, stopping to examine compost in various stages. We visited the chicken coop and took a walk through a field to examine the freedom fountain, an interesting device that allows cows to drink fresh water all winter. The red balls seal the water in to keep it from freezing, and also let it out when pressed. Elizabeth said that the cows who are new to the fountain are curious enough to press their noses against the balls within a few minutes of discovering it.

The juniors try out the freedom fountain

We also got to hold some new baby chicks. Everyone liked that!

Everyone got a turn to meet the baby chicks

After that, we crossed over to the apple orchard, where everyone picked enough apples for the cows. Then we moved some of the free-standing chicken coops.

Elizabeth directs the new placement of the freestanding coop

After that, the class walked up to the pasture where the cows were – the whole group was charmed by Nova, the cow who was having her 20th birthday. She was wearing a silver ribbon around her neck so we could pick her out of the herd. Our next task was to move the cows to a new pasture. Elizabeth called to the cows, and as we held the rope fence and encouraged them with apples, the herd changed fields. Elizabeth’s middle son went to the back of the herd to help them along. When Nova passed by, all the kids threw her apples and sang her Happy Birthday. Then we went up to the house to enjoy an apple cake in honor of Nova’s birthday. It was a unique and wonderful field trip – thank you Elizabeth and Davis Creek Farm!

Nova is the one wearing the silver ribbon

Middle Schoolers Experience Watersheds Firsthand

Successful Canoeing Brings Cheers!

On Friday, September 25, the Middle School got a closer look at part of our watershed.  Donning raincoats and life jackets, they braved the chilly rain and spent part of the day canoeing along the James River.  After a peaceful canoe journey to an island for lunch (and a swim in water warmer than the air), the group worked hard on the second part of the canoe trek, as the wind picked up, the rain fell harder, and the water became choppier. Everyone made it successfully to the landing in good time, and the group bundled up for a wagon ride to the Tye River Overlook, where they could see the confluence of the Tye and James Rivers.  The park ranger told the students about Hurricane Camille in 1969, in which the Tye River crashed into the James with so much force (and so much water–it rained 21 inches in 3 hours!) that the James ran backwards almost nine miles, lapping backwards against the bridge that crosses it on Route 60.  After a day of being in the water, on the water, above the water, and under a pretty steady falling rain, the Middle School class and their teachers had experienced this part of their watershed in almost every way possible.  The trip, part of a science unit on watersheds, is one the students won’t soon forget.

The Tye River Overlook at the James River State Park

Hawk Watch 2009

Last Tuesday, the junior class went up to the top of Afton Mountain to observe the hawk migration. We were fortunate to have good weather. The kids had a great time on the mountain, and stopped in at the visitor’s center to observe the topographical map of the area. While on the mountain, we observed many turkey vultures, but only a few hawks. Teachers Robin Luecke and Toni Ranieri talked to the class about how to identify different raptors in the sky. The class also talked about migration, weather patterns and the frequency of raptor sightings as represented on bar graphs.

A lesson in raptor identification

Scanning the sky for hawks

Juniors on a giant rock!

Doin’ What Comes Naturally–10 years in a row!

NBS has been selected as one of the Virginia Naturally Schools for the 2008-2009 school year. This program recognizes the efforts of Virginia schools that increase the environmental awareness and stewardship of their students. NBS is one of 5 schools in Virginia that have been recognized for 10 years since the start of the program.  The banners that hang in front of the school commemorate other years’ awards.   As a 10^th year school, we will be receiving a sign for the front of our school, along with a recognition plaque.  Congratulations to us!