The Freshman homeroom class continues its service to other with our 4th visit to Autumn Pointe this year. This was the first meet up in a while and the pen pals had lots to talk about. We look forward to one more visit before the end of the year to wrap up our great experience.
Words and pictures by Carole-Anne Crump
Photo by Ann Klemm
A group of 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade students took a field trip to take in some art. Students observed the Scholastic State Art Exhibition currently on display at the Omaha Public Schools Teacher Administration Center building. The Scholastic State Art Exhibition is comprised of artwork from students all across the state of Nebraska. The group also made a stop at Kaneko in downtown Omaha to view the exhibition Light. The exhibition consisted of visual, educational, and interactive elements.
Article and pictures by Carole-anne Crump
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!
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.
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 to our Wrestling State qualifiers Tyler Curtis (10), Ronnie Albertson (12) and Joe Garcia (11). Wish them luck at the State meet this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the CenturyLink Center.
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.
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
