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

 

 

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.

http://bit.ly/2ApXbQn

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

Veterans Honored at Fort Calhoun High School

On Friday, November 10th, Fort Calhoun Community Schools honored our Veterans by having a Veteran’s Day Ceremony. The event was hosted by our Skills USA students with an introduction by Wylie Oliver and the MC being Kloey Appel. The High School Band and Choir both performed several patriotic songs including the Armed Forces Salute.  The 4th Graders also helped us celebrate by performing the song “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Mark Erikson was the Keynote Speaker.  Several service members from the Military were in attendances and enjoyed a luncheon prepared by the school kitchen staff and served by the Skills USA students. Thank you to everyone who helped with the event. Once again, Fort Calhoun Schools would like to thank all our Veterans for their service to our country.

       

Grossology at the Elementary

Many thanks to the Fort Calhoun PFE for sponsoring the assembly “Grossology” from the Omaha Children’s Museum. The Elementary students discovered some of the anatomy’s most interesting facts in the most disgustingly fun way. Some 6th graders I spoke to said: “it was a little gross.” However, they liked the visuals and they also said: “it was a fun way to learn about our bodies.” Thanks again PFE for all you do for our students.