Thursday, April 9, 2020

April 2020 already…

April 2020 already…

With the onset of Spring in Idaho, SO many changes have forced their way into our reality at North Valley Academy!

First, a recap of classroom excitement before...well, before the chaos storming in on our nation and communities!

Education at NVA would not be complete without grand celebrations of President’s Day in our classrooms!  From log cabin building to a visit from President Abraham Lincoln, Kindergarten enveloped themselves into the spirit of American history. 


Look at that intensity!














 Stepping Back into Time with Abraham Lincoln!






5th Grade Social Studies created a zoo as part of an endangered species unit with Mrs. Bolish and check out this cool zoo!! 

Nice job Bailey Scott!! 









Mrs. Stephenson’s sixth grade English class received an escape room kit through Donors Choose (a BIG thank you to those who donated)!  Students had a blast trying out their mythology and critical thinking skills to break into the box!




They are really in some deep thought!!



6th Grade also collaborated with Mrs. Klamm’s high school art classes on our novel unit for
A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park (a wonderful book if you have not read it)!  Future artists right here…






Congratulations to these budding writers!!

The following students had winning entries in the Gooding  Elk’s Lodge Americanism Essay competition. 
5th Grade Level: First Place Award:  Charlie Shurtz
        Third Place Award:  Elece Edwards

6th Grade Level: Second Place Award:  Layla Leon
        Third Place Award:  Campton Sites

7th Grade Level: Third Place Award:  Will Patton

PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Systems) at NVA:
Students and Staff have ramped up the culture at NVA this year through our new PBIS system.  Students' efforts to follow expectations and create an environment full of positive energy, have created opportunities for students to earn Patriot dollars.  These dollars have become an exciting commodity, adding some fun into students’ days. 

Mr. Klamm lost his chair for the day and had to use a MUCH smaller one…


Ice Cream Socials have become the favorite though!




Thank you NVA Patriots for making our school a great place to be!!



And...that brings us to March…

What a crazy month it has been moving from normal classroom activities to COVID-19 and the required transition to virtual learning! 

For NVA high school students, this change has not been as drastic, because most students were used to submitting work on a virtual platform, even though they were in the classroom.  For elementary, all I can say is WOW!  The move to switch elementary students to a virtual platform has proved both challenging and stressful.  School staff accustomed to seeing student faces every day have had to work diligently to move to virtual platforms - all while working ALONE.

Technology and virtual lectures have replaced students in seats creating some opportunities for exciting new ways of learning; yet, amplifying the sadness that comes from the distance separating us from fellow staff and our students...our kids!  Make no mistake about it, we miss our kids! 

In my classroom (6th grade), I am always telling my students “use inside voices,” or “it’s a little too loud for Mrs. Stephenson today!” Boy am I missing that noise!  Students and staff continue to adjust to this new dynamic. 

As a school, we will continue to strive to provide quality instruction with the same high standards we expect in the physical classroom. Continued learning is key for our students’ future success; and yet, our biggest concern is for the safety and well being of our staff, students, and families. 

So much more than learning goes on in a classroom setting!  Yes, the learning, the lectures, the discussion, the challenges, the successes, and the work itself happens; but, the most rewarding piece of being a teacher is the light in a student’s eyes when something clicks and they finally “get it,” or the smile of joy as students arrive at school each day, or a needed hug after heartache on the playground. The moments and connections teachers make with our students last in our hearts for a lifetime...it’s those moments that you can’t capture on a text or an email or a phone call...those moments that cannot be replaced by any amount of technology.  It’s those moments that we desperately miss; and, as handy as Zoom is, it just really isn’t the same!  Personally, I’d like to reboot 2020 and get a fresh start; but, as time goes by and things heal, Spring will come and joy will replace caution and fear, and through it all hopefully we will find our own renewal and rebirth - a chance to remember and appreciate what is really important in life. 

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Happy New Year from North Valley Academy

Happy New Year from North Valley Academy!

How is it possible the new decade, 2020 is upon us already?  It truly feels as though the school year has just started!  If it were not for all the amazing activities and learning this past Fall, I might not believe we are nearly half way through the school year.

October brought School Spirit Week fun, ALICE training for parents and staff, and the Fall Carnival.  ALICE training gave our parents an opportunity to experience the intense training and work necessary for our staff (and community) to continue to provide a safe environment for our children at school.

Classroom spotlight - Mr. William’s second grade classroom was busy learning about quotation marks and enjoying an art project, wax on watercolors, provided by guest teacher, Mrs. Hall.




During School Spirit Week, students showed their NVA pride through a variety of fun activities and dress up days.  The week started with a Decades Day (you really have to love the 80’s).  Twinning Tuesday brought out the creativity in our students - who knew being a twin could be so much fun!  Teacher/Student swap day is always a hoot, but my personal favorite, English teacher that I am, is the Literary Character Day!  My version of Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games, was not quite blonde enough to be authentic, but our 5th grade version of Katniss Everdeen was not brunette...so, it all evened out in the end!  Little Red Riding Hood also made an appearance at the festivities!
 
       

To close out our Spirit Week, students participated in our annual leaf raking community service project.  Teaching our students that giving back matters is a key principle we strive to instill.  As you can see, community service is both rewarding and enjoyable…




Leaf-raking also brought in the month of November and an opportunity to thank our Veterans!  The Veterans Day program is always a favorite of mine as we are given the opportunity to personally thank Veterans for their service to our country.  Our students always bring the house down with our military anthem tribute - if you missed it, plan to attend next year, you won’t be disappointed!  Thank you to all the U.S. Veterans who sacrifice everything to secure the freedoms Americans enjoy and many times take for granted.

Classroom Spotlight - Mrs. Rogers’ Kindergarten class collaborated with High School Art to create placemats!






 December, Oh, December!!  The joy of the season and chaos in the classroom!!  (just kidding)
There is always so much going on at NVA in December...from Christmas concerts to community events our school is full of Christmas Spirit and Joy!

Our students brought Christmas cheer to a community meeting at the Basque Center.



Preparations for Christmas Concerts kept students and staff on their toes!

Classroom Spotlight - Mrs. Stephenson’s 5th grade English, again, spent time studying Charles Dicken’s, A Christmas Carol, a powerful novel that reminds us to value the important things in life and embrace the Christmas spirit, not just at Christmas, but throughout the year.


What is holding you back from achieving your best self in 2020?

Happy New Year!!

Monday, August 26, 2019

Back to School

Back to School time already?  Where did the summer go?

We hope our students enjoyed a summer full of amazing memories, continued learning, and relaxing fun!  North Valley Academy is working diligently to prepare for the upcoming year and welcome students back.

Back to School Night -  Thursday, August 29th from 4:00-7:00p.m.  
Come bring your school supplies, meet your teacher, and 
get ready for an incredible new year!

The NVA staff kept our feet to the fire all summer with loads of great professional development and new happenings!  Some of the highlights…

PBIS (positive behavior intervention systems) - showing now at N.V.A.
Featuring...Our new PBIS team:
Mr. Klamm, Mrs. Stephenson, Mrs. King, Mrs. Rogers, and Mrs. Klamm   

Our team spent many, many hours training and working this summer to bring 
PBIS to NVA - wait until you see what’s coming, you’re gonna LOVE IT!  

School-wide PBIS is a systems approach for establishing the social culture and behavioral supports needed for schools to be effective learning environments for all students.  Our goal is to create educated and patriotic leaders, promote academic achievement, and encourage students to be responsible citizens.  Our school culture should reflect a safe and engaging environment for growth.  Great Expectations provides our foundational model, PBIS paves the way!  To achieve this, we are implementing The NVA Way, focused, school-wide expectations, and positive recognition for students who exemplify The NVA Way!




Summer school - yay!

NVA was able to offer summer school to help bolster academics success rates for some of our students.  A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Rogers, Mrs. King, Mrs. Bolish, and Mrs. Childs and Mrs. Smith for spending a month of their summer helping kids!

Professional development - getting our training on!

North Valley Academy elementary staff attended the SDE Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada again this summer - WOW - did we learn a lot!!  New staff also attended Great Expectations training in Texas.  But...we had some fun with our families too!  Check out these teacher highlights from the summer!

Mrs. Perreira’s summer  brought some changes as her family moved into a new house.

I am so thankful that we were able to go to the Las Vegas SDE conference again
this year (Thank you, Mr. Klamm for making it happen again)!  I have learned so
much this year as well as last year.  The most important aspect I take away from
 every session is to build a relationship with every student!  That is the first step
in helping students have a successful year.  This year I am excited to add more
STEM projects for my first graders to combine literacy with science!

Dr. Ferens’ summer involved working on his mobile home renovation and discovering the true meaning of the term "crawl space." 
It was a crash course in spelunking...would not make it, if my waistline was an inch or
two bigger!  My cat was okay living in Moscow, Idaho for 6 weeks and she even
tolerated travel fairly well.  
Except, he says, that his cat was attacked and received several puncture bites from a bully while visiting there.  We are so sorry, Dr. Ferens - we know BULLYING IS NEVER OKAY!  Dr. Ferens is excited about the possibility of taking students on field trips with our new Blue Bus. 

Mr. Williams went to both the SDE Conference and Great Expectations and loved them!  He is excited about building a zoo in the classroom, engaging children in a super fun activity.  There will be a new poetry section in his class and earwigs...EWW...for a Halloween science project! 
While visiting Great Expectations in Houston, Texas, he attended his first ever baseball game with Mr. Klamm, Mr. Sanders,  and Mr. Freeman - Take me Out to the Ballgame, unless it is in a high grass field in Texas with snakes in the area…

                                                                           YIKES 
Watch out Mr. Williams!
 Mr. Williams also bought a new book that he is super excited about - he’s going to learn to teach like his hair is on fire - watch out neighboring classrooms.
  


Mrs. Stephenson was sooooo sad not to be able to go to the SDE conference this year; but, Mr. Klamm brought back some great books about poetry and writing for her - she gets REALLY excited about new books!!  She has added tons of books to her classroom library, because who doesn’t need a lot of great books to read? 
I did get to participate in the team training for PBIS and my big take-away was 
finding your “WHY” both as an individual and an organization.  I love teaching at NVA!  Why, you ask?  Well, the students are totally awesome and I’m excited to make a positive difference in their lives, the AMAZING staff really cares about kids, and the administration is supportive and open to new ideas.  I love that NVA has an American Heritage focus and is dedicated to developing student character along with academics.  So, if your kids aren’t at NVA my only question is…..WHY?

Mrs. Anderson is working on something called Calendar Math - I have no idea what that is, but in about two weeks, your students will!!

New teachers!

Mr. Richard Freeman - High School History, geography, and government 
Mr. Freeman was born and raised in Jerome, Idaho.  After high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps and served at Camp Pendleton, California for four years.  He traveled around for a while, and in 2011 returned to school.  He studied at the College of Southern Idaho and University of Idaho, along with two years at Mississippi State University.  He is a Nineteenth Century U.S. historian with emphasis on The Civil War and Reconstruction.  Welcome to NVA, Mr. Freeman!

Mr. Jeffrey Sanders - 4th, 5th, & 6th grade social studies/science
Mr. Sanders is excited to be new to North Valley Academy this year!  Welcome to NVA, Mr. Sanders!




Thursday, May 16, 2019

NVA Academic Fair

Come One, Come All
North Valley Academy’s 2019 Academic Fair
Thursday, May 16, 2019
4:00pm - 7:00pm

Our students have worked SO hard this year.  Please come help North Valley Academy celebrate our students’ accomplishments!



The 4th Grade Lemonade Stand will be open for business!
Selling (by donation only) lemonade and 
homemade candies made by 5th grade students in a collaborative end of year project for Math and English
All proceeds will go toward the 4th, 5th, & 6th grade field trip fund



Amazing Senior Projects will be on Display in the cafeteria

High School Art Show in the library

6th Grade 
Divergent Faction Projects and Storybooks - ELA room
Bering Sea Creature & Food Web Projects - Science/S.S. room
Personal Budget Projects - Math room

5th Grade 
Kid in a Candy Store - Math room
Poetry Books - ELA room
5th Grade will also be performing Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Play performance will be in the gymnasium

4th Grade 
Lemonade Stand Projects - Math room
The Lemonade War Character Theme Projects and Poetry Books - ELA room


3rd Grade
Interview Video (30min) - will play at 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30

2nd Grade
 Handling Caterpillars

1st Grade
Benjamin Franklin Kites
MLK Informative Paragraphs
Life Cycles Published Books
Dinosaur Dig Station - come practice being a Paleontologist

We hope to see you here!  You won’t be disappointed!

Monday, April 29, 2019

April showers bring May flowers, but April also brings successes to North Valley Academy!

April showers bring May flowers, but April also brings successes to North Valley Academy!

NVA’s Advanced Strings participated in Festival 2019, performing in front of three judges for our main performance and one judge for our sight reading portion. They earned a superior rating which is the TOP rating at festival!  Congratulations to our students and to Mrs. Winton for an amazing year in strings!


    
We are so proud of our strings program! 


In other news, Mrs. Rogers’ Kindergarten class visited the local Fire Station to learn all about what Firemen do!  Maybe some future firemen and women in the making??





Thank you Firechief Covey for all you do for our school!








Monday, March 11, 2019

Indoor Activities Including The Magician's Nephew

Brrrr!  It’s cold in Idaho!  Cold weather outside, but a busy, busy February in North Valley Academy Classrooms!  Our staff has packed in so many great activities for students in such a short amount of time this month...Check it Out!

Kindergarten enjoyed a visit from Jaimie Crane, a Umatilla Native American.  Jaimie brought regalia to share with the class and did a slide show presentation. Some of her regalia included river otter skins, moccasins, beaded jewelry, and shawls.  The students loved hearing about her heritage and learning about Native American cultures.



Third Grade is learning about SPACE, decorating NVA hallways with fabulous projects!





Sixth Grade has been studying the novel, A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park.  The novel is a true story of a lost boy of Sudan blended with a fictional account of a young girl who has to walk for water every day to support her family.  These stories parallel and join at the end in an exciting way.  In an art collaboration project with high school, these students created watercolor paintings and silhouettes of the African landscape in the spirit of this novel.






And…..The Climatic Event of February…..The Idaho Shakespeare Festival. 
Mrs. Stephenson’s sixth grade class raised money to bring the Idaho Shakespeare Festival Youth Theater to North Valley Academy on February 11th.  The Idaho Youth Theater performed a playwright based on The Magician’s Nephew, a novel by C.S. Lewis.  All I can say is AMAZING!  The play was performed for all NVA students K-12.  The best part was the workshops the actors held with our fifth and sixth grade English classes.  The workshops were so fun!  The actors helped students learn how to warm up their voices and bodies for a performance, they taught them how to act out impromptu scenarios, and students learned how much fun theater can be!  Thank you to the many individuals who donated to bring this event to our school.  Special thanks to our main sponsors, Clover Creek Dental, Columbia Bank, Sparks Landscape, Cyndi Hoekstra, Mary Sibley, and Mrs. Stephenson.  If you would like to donate to this event for next year, please contact Mrs. Stephenson at North Valley Academy.  

Enjoy these photos from the all school performance:





From the Classroom Workshops: