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.
Monthly Archives: October 2009
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
