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.
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