Fort Calhoun Elementary had a blast celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday. The theme this year was “kindness.” The week included some fun annual activities like dress up days, guest readers and door decorations. However, we also included some new activities like the kindness chain and kindness jar which both encouraged students to be mindful of all the kind acts they are doing every day. They also participated in making a kindness rock during their craft time. The assembly is always a fun way to end the week and this year’s event was no exception because it ended with a silly string fight. So Fun!
Artist in Residence at the Elementary
Students at Fort Calhoun Elementary participated in a fun art project recently. The PFE sponsored an Artist in Residence, Julia Noyes from UNL. The program involved the entire school and consisted of a curriculum-based art project developed and conducted by Julia. The students learned about the Pointillism style of painting, created by Georges Seurat in 1886, and took part in creating two murals to be displayed in the school.
Kindergarteners Encounter Wildlife
Students in Mrs. Clausen’s Kindergarten class got a fun treat last week. Wildlife Encounters from Gretna brought in several different animals for students to see up close. Presenter Kip Smith had an albino boa constrictor, a fennec fox, an orange hair tarantula, an African hedgehog and an alligator. He taught the students about their habitats, life spans, diet, age, gender, adaptations and other fun facts. The students loved it and they were very excited to see all the animals at their very own school!
The albino boa constrictor was named ‘Noodle’. We learned about how it finds food through its sense of smell through its tongue (it can smell left and right with its tongue!) and its ability to see heat! We also learned about how a snake’s tail is special and can vibrate/rattle its tail to scare away predators!
The African Hedgehog ‘Sonic’ was about 4 years old (it has a lifespan of 8-10 years). It uses scent camouflage because it has bad eyesight! When we tickled it, it curled up into a cute little ball! It felt pokey. The hedgehog is a burrowing animal and is an insectivore.
The orange hair tarantula has an exoskeleton. We couldn’t tough the tarantula because we didn’t want to hurt it because of this. We were able to see it climb up the presenter’s shirt because of its tiny claws on each of its 8 legs. We also learned about how it can flick its hair.
The alligator was missing a front leg. It had a genetic mutation and also had a deformed foot. It can move very fast! We were able to watch it move! The alligator opened its mouth but you can’t see down its throat! That is an adaptation it has! We also learned about the alligator’s 3rd eyelid and how it pulls its eyes under for protection. The alligator was about 17 years old. Alligators are unique in that their mother raises them for 2-3 years before leaving them. We also learned about the alligator’s skin. We were a little scared to feel the alligator but many were brave!
Pictures and article by Mae Clausen
Congratulations Wrestling State Qualifiers 2018
Students Raise Money for Habitat for Humanity
Fort Calhoun Students Lizzie Namuth, Ashlyn Dippel, Kloey Appel, and Anna Polesky raised money for Habitat for Humanity by giving students the chance to vote on which teachers were taped to the wall. Mr. Jones was the top vote-getter with Mr. Hatcher in second. Students also had the opportunity to pay a dollar for a piece of tape. Lizzie said “One of the funniest parts was watching Mrs. Wellman High Horse and Mr. Hatcher have a competition to see who would get taped. I also enjoyed seeing a lot of the junior high kids getting involved and donating a lot of money. I thought it was a fun and competitive way to help raise money for a good cause.” In all, $254.85 was raised.
2017 Dance Camp Fun
Students at Fort Calhoun Elementary had a ton of fun at Dance Camp on Friday, December 15th. Forty girls attended this event organized by the High School Dance Team. This year, they had a Holiday theme and danced at halftime of the Girls’ Varsity Game against Wahoo. Kindergartener Lani said, “it was pretty fun and exciting but it wore me out.” Anna and Jordin agreed that their favorite part was the performance where they danced to songs like Jingle Bell Rock.
photos by Bailey Bannister
Students Visit Autumn Pointe 2017
“Devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
One of our freshman homeroom classes has been writing to and visiting a group of Seniors at Autumn Pointe. The students and seniors share stories of family activities, sports and hobbies and life experiences. The ‘pen pals’ write to each other monthly and we visit the retirement home during their homeroom once per month.
photos and article by Carole-Anne Crump
Tessa Rutledge Honored 2017
Congratulations Tessa Rutledge for being named Nebraska’s Elementary School PE Teacher of the Year by the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE). We are so lucky to have you here at the FORT! See the following article by Hillary Rosencrants for more information.
photo by Joe Burns, Enterprise Publishing
Photo by Mae Clausen, Kindergarten Teacher
NE Humane Society Fundraiser 2017
Nebraska Humane Society Holiday Donation
What to donate:
Blankets
Dog toys
Cat toys
Black Sharpies
Tied fleece blankets
Unopened jars of peanut butter
Flash drives
Soft dog treats
Canned chicken
Pill bottles
Roller gauze
Resealable sandwich-size plastic bags
Scoopable litter
Dog food
Cat food
Towels
When: November 20 – December 8
Where: A bin will be available in Mrs. Wellman-High Horse’s room
Contact: Email jklemm@ftcpioneers.org if you have any questions!
Art Student Creates Owl Zentangle
This time-lapse video was created by Fort Calhoun Junior Stephanie Mlynarik, and she is in Independent Art this year. She used her iPad, iMovie, Adobe Clip, and iTunes to create and edit the video. Stephanie spent four days working on the project.
Mr. Paul High Horse