McKinley students walk in Colonial shoes

McKinley Mustangs in Mr. D-Z’s fifth-grade classroom learned about social classes in the Colonial era with Excite Instruction recently. “This experiential session put the kids in the shoes of gentry, craftsmen, militia, and slaves as they learned about social dancing and dress appropriate to the time, marched to fife and drums and pondered the plight of slaves captured and shipped to the colonies’ plantations,” explained D-Z. The presentation brought to life some of concepts such as indentured servant and triangular trade, and left the students with a deeper understanding of the inequalities of the era, according to D-Z.

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Grant School students were fortunate to take their history lessons “on the road” as they visited the Oakland Museum of California to enrich their social studies and science curriculum.  The Science Gallery at the museum offers docent led tours of small groups of students. “We are working on life science so the focus was on predator/prey/decomposer relationships, habitats and adaptations.  Students had the opportunity to see taxidermy animals up close in their natural settings in Plexiglas boxes, discovering and learning about the different creatures that inhabit California,” shares teacher Denise Reyes. The other installed displays in the gallery included some presentations focused on current environmental concerns, such as the plight of honeybees, alternative vehicles, effects of debris in the ocean, and recent scientific discoveries. The second floor History Gallery starts with the Native People of California, and leads visitors through the years like they are walking through time in California, says Reyes. In the back are current periods in our history.  Students recently completed a Native People project at school, so they shared how exciting it was to view some of the same subject areas studied when touring the museum.  They also had the opportunity to get a glimpse of real things from the times they will be learning about in upcoming chapters, such as explorers of California Mission life, the Gold Rush and westward expansion. Both galleries offer opportunities to touch and do things for further understanding.  Students were on a self-guided tour for part of the museum visit, and had to draw the things that they found to be the most interesting in each part of the gallery, adding to the overall interactive experience.

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Harvest Christian School recognized National Reading Day with lots of fun activities for students last week. On Friday, students came dressed as their favorite literature character, Kindergarten through fifth grade parents and special guests read from their favorite book to students in classrooms, and students got to decorate bookmarks to commemorate the special celebration. Throughout the week, students brought a favorite book to be displayed in “Harvest’s Favorites” collection.

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Have you ever heard of K-TV? K-TV is Kenilworth Junior High’s daily video news production. Every morning, students in the digital media and other classes that contribute to the segments write, rehearse, report and record K-TV for the following day’s viewing. The students cover a wide variety of topics and current events, from lunch menu reminders to weather reports, using the school’s WeatherBug technology. KJHS’s Weather Bug is designated as a National Weather reporting site. K-TV’s own Charlie Sabella, a seventh grader, recently interviewed fellow students about their participation in the professional grade recording set. Sabella shares that student Amber Almond, K-TV’s floor manager, appreciates all the great experiences, and learns a lot of fun and new things every class. Teachers Isaac Raya and Laura Bradley have expanded the class each year, offering new and exciting tools for students to experience what it is like to work in a real on-air studio setting. Thanks for the awesome reporting, Charlie. Visit K-TV’s YouTube channel, and check out the daily broadcast.

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The Bay Lights Project at McNear Elementary School for fifth graders in Ms. Heaslet’s and Ms. Lyon’s classes had a light bulb-aha moment” when they got a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Bay Lights Project. Executive producer Amy Critchett told students the history of how this amazing art installation came to be with 25,000 white LED lights installed on cables on the 1.8 mile western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The structure will be lit again on Jan. 30 in conjunction with Super Bowl 50 kickoff events. Art docent Alyse Breece said students were inspired by this light sculpture to look at art in a big way and as something not being one-dimensional. They also explored the symbolism of what a bridge represents, and discovered how technology and art can join together. World-renowned artist Leo Villareal who created this light sculpture was thrilled to see the students’ interpretation of his work. This project was in conjunction with the ongoing Petaluma City School District art docent program.

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Dunham Elementary School principal/superintendent Adam Schaible announced that the campus is now accepting applications for transitional kindergarten for the 2016-2017 school year. visit the website dunhamsd.org. for more information or to schedule a tour of the school.

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McDowell Elementary School invites families to a meeting tonight, Jan. 28, from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. to learn more about the new transitional kindergarten and existing kindergarten programs being offered in the coming school year.

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(Maureen Highland is a Petaluma mother and executive director for the Petaluma Educational Foundation. She can be reached at schools@ar guscourier.com)