Petaluma Girl Scout Juniors from several local schools attended a workshop put on by Sonoma Bach at the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University. They learned about different composers and types of organs from renowned organist Anne Laver. They even got to play them. The girls then performed songs conducted by Bob Worth of Sonoma Bach to finish the workshop and complete all the requirements for their Musician Badge, according to Freya Hurley from Troop No. 10977. The Petaluma members in attendance were from five troops including students from Grant Elementary, McKinley Elementary, St. Vincent Elementary, Valley Vista Elementary, Spring Hill School, River Montessori Charter School, Old Adobe Elementary, Meadow School, La Tercera Elementary, McNear Elementary, Two Rock School and Loma Vista Immersion Academy.
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Teacher Bianca Hendrick welcomed Cindy, a representative from Safe Routes to Schools, to campus last week. Hendrick reports Cindy offered an engaging presentation to all Loma Vista Immersion Academy second-grade classes to talk about pedestrian safety. The students will practice walking safely around the streets of Loma Vista with Cindy in a couple of weeks. The Safe Routes to School program also brings Walk and Roll to school days to LVIA on Wednesdays. The second graders are excited about the next Walk and Roll day shares Hendrick. One student was even inspired to write a comic about crossing streets safely.
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At the new The Spring Hill School campus on North Webster Street, the middle school students have been busy building catapults, writing and binding novels plus everything in between. The students are preparing to bind their novels, which were written over one month. The students also made simple catapults recently, intending to begin planning their designs for larger catapults and trebuchets. “This cross-curricular design-thinking project covers math, science and humanities curricula in the best way. The students in the fifth and sixth grades created stop motion animation films before the holiday break. The cinematic presentations focused on the theme of friendship. The project had students create storyboards, including story elements of introduction, climax, falling action and resolution.
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Music was in the air at Old Adobe Elementary this month. First up was a special presentation by the members of The Quercus Quire. This choir from Audubon Canyon Ranch is made up of volunteers with a passion for bringing the concepts of nature education to life through song and skit, according to their website. “The choir of nature lovers performs at school assemblies throughout the northern Bay Area bringing nature education to students and teachers free of charge,” according to the website. The ecology themed song invited students to sing certain lines creating quite the lively performance. Next up at Old Adobe School was a visit by members of the Santa Rosa Symphony to make music with the students. The lesson included samba and percussion demonstrations. The youngsters then joined in by using buckets and drumsticks to add to the concert. All this was building up to the school’s annual formal Winter Concert coordinated by Rachel Steiner. Transitional kindergarteners through sixth grade students performed two programs over two days for friends, family and community members who gave the event rave reviews.
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Petaluma High School’s Future Farmers of America students were busy last week investigating the nervous system in veterinary science. Comparing response rates in sensory neurons - blind spots, pinpricks and temperature change responses were all part of the hands-on laboratory lesson. Later in the week, the students tackled optic nerve and cow eye dissection. The program website notes it was established in 1928, the Petaluma FFA is a premier example of the potential growth of students in agricultural education, cultivating skills in leadership, personal growth and career success.
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Mark Your Calendars. The third annual Choral Festival will take place on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. The Petaluma City Schools Chorus Festival will feature students from several schools performing for the community. Both the Petaluma Junior High and the Petaluma High choirs will perform. All the students in fourth through 12th grades will join together to present a Grand Finale at the event taking place at the Petaluma Junior High School gymnasium.
(Maureen Highland is a mother and executive director for the Petaluma Educational Foundation. She can be contacted at schools@arguscourier.com)
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