Lynd's Fruit Farm

As you can see from the pictures, 2A had a wonderful time on their field trip to Lynd's Fruit Farm! They learned all about Lynd's Fruit Farm and how they help protect our environment. They were able to pick the most environmentally friendly apple too (the Goldrush apple). What a fun morning!

Campfire Stories

The students enjoyed campfire stories with Mrs. Oeth and their PreK buddies! They were also able to roast marshmallows and make s'mores.

Native American Day

It has been tradition in second grade to study the Pilgrims and their story from England to Holland to America, culminating in a special "Pilgrim Day" celebration on the half-day of school before Thanksgiving break. This year we have decided to break from that tradition and focus instead on Native Americans. We will be studying 4 different geographical groupings of Native Americans. The groups to be studied include: Eastern Woodlands, Plains, Southwest, and Northwest/Inuit. We will of course still touch upon the Pilgrim colony of Plymouth and the historical connection between Thanksgiving today and the first Thanksgiving in 1620. But, as with the half-day of school, our "Pilgrim Day" celebration is gone. In its place will be a Native American day wherein the second graders will be playing Native American games, doing crafts, exploring clothing and costumes, hearing stories, etc. We are also planning a Native American feast for lunch that day, and for that we are calling upon help from the second grade parents.
Our request is that each class' families prepare and bring in foods that are representative of the different Native American groups diets. During the next few weeks we will explore staples of each group's diet and some of the dishes they may have eaten. Of course there will be dishes and staples that are not commonly found; like venison, bison, wild berries, etc. However, we can make some substitutions while maintaining the overall integrity of the idea. Some foods and dishes to consider are:

• corn (cornbread, corn stew, roast corn, tortillas, etc)
• beans
  
• squash (summer and hard-shelled, mixed into stews with beans and/or rice)
• chiles
• wild rice
• salmon
• beef jerky (substituted for bison or venison jerky)
• breads (fry bread, mixed grains)
• berries with honey or maple syrup for dessert
  

We are asking that each class prepare a variety of foods to feed 17. The foods will then be arranged in the hallway and each student can pick items from their own class or sample items from other classes. This would take the place of lunch the day before Thanksgiving break, November 25.

Cole - Star Student

Cole is seven years old and he has four people in his family. He wishes to be famous someday, and he is very good at hockey. He admires his mom, and his favorite book is The Invention of Hugo Cabret. His favorite food is steak, and his favorite animal is a shark. He loves recess, and he is a star because he is funny! Cole is also an amazing artist, and he can skate backwards faster than his dad! Maybe someday Cole will be a famous artist!

Natalie Star Student

Natalie is seven years old and she loves Tilapia and Noodles. Her favorite restaurant is Barb's Cafe, which is her Mom's kitchen! :) Natalie is good at homework, and she really likes Spanish and Computer class. When she is home, she enjoys riding her bike and watching t.v. in her room. She loves horses, loves to play the violin, and she loves to sing in the shower! Natalie also wishes to live in the Bahamas someday! Don't we all?

Pumpkin Carving and Pep Rally!

The students were able to observe a Columbus Academy parent carving a huge pumpkin last week! They loved it! You can see the finished product in the cafeteria right now if you are interested! Also, they had a pep rally on Friday to help the students get excited for the football game vs. Bexley!

Brandon - Star Student

Brandon is seven years old and he wishes to be a scientist when he grows up! Brandon likes the color green and his favorite food is fruit! He loves the Captain Underpants series, and he also enjoys skiing. Brandon's favorite thing to do in school is computer class and recess! He likes to watch movies at home and play computer games. Brandon loves Spongebob, Star Wars, and playing the drums on Rock Band at home! He cares about the earth and he also shows others he cares by being a nice person!

Jordan -Star Student

Jordan is seven years old, and she would like to be a hip hop dance teacher when she grows up! She loves dogs, and her favorite food is her Mom's salmon. She likes to dance outside of school, swim and do gymnastics! She is one busy little girl! Jordan shows others she cares by helping them when they are sad. Jordan loves to travel to Aspen, and she she's good at the rings and skiing! I can see why she is in such great shape with all of the activities she's involved in!

More Santa Maria pictures...

Thank you to Mrs. Phillips for sending more pictures of our field trip!