Wright Students Have Their Heads in the Clouds

For thousands of years, humans have been fascinated by the sky. More specifically, our race has looked to earth's fellow planets as a way to expand. Is it possible for people to live there? Who else shares the galaxy with us? Are we truly alone? On April 18, Wright's sixth graders joined the millions who have pondered the same questions. Certainly the Wright Cougars didn't solve the universe's mysteries--our kids are smart, but if Galileo couldn't do it, maybe we could at least give them until next year--but they did have the opportunity to learn a little something about how our world turns at the Santa Rosa Junior College planetarium.

During the weeks leading up to their trip, the sixth grade studied the sky. No, this does not mean that one of our Cool School classes stood with their mouths gaping open, gawking at the clouds and the sun. Rather, I was proud to see our mentors engaging the kids in discussion about where each planet was situated in the solar system, why days shortened in the winter and extended in the summer, and even how stars can navigate people. When the lights darkened on the "Observing the Sky" presentation, even though I couldn't make out faces, I could tell from their oohs and awes that our kids were familiar with the material! Further, I was never so proud than when they could rattle off answers such as, "Mercury is the planet closest to the sun!" Or when they asked why the planets were named after Roman gods and not Greek gods. While I'm gushing over our students, however, I would be remiss if I didn't throw our mentors a little viral recognition. Thank you to Ms. Lindsey Tanaka and Ms. Natalie Paraiso for creating such elaborate, creative, thorough lesson plans. The experience that your sixth graders had would not have been as meaningful without your cosmic brilliance--excuse the dorky pun. All joking aside, you may have inspired a future John Glenn or Buzz Aldrin.

Lauren Loeffler

Wright Charter VIP

RL Stevens Super Class

While I, without a doubt or a blink, love each and every student in RL Stevens Cool School, I have as of late been greatly impressed by the tenacious and spirited 4^th grade class. Under the nurturing and yet diligent care of Ms. Jimenez and Ms. Latta, 4^th grade has taken on several projects including: the Photovoice project with Network for a Healthy California, pen pal program with CSU Chico teaching students and a service learning project where they will be working with Heifer International to provide animals for others in need. Each student has invested time and care in taking a field trip to take photos of healthy foods and practices for Photovoice, writing letters about what they read and why, and discussing which animals they think would best help another family or community.

            A personal highlight has been working with 4^th grade on their letters. Working with them on how the genre of a letter is designed and then sending them to actual pen pals has been highly rewarding in that students see how writing can be applicable in the real world. In the letters, students focus on what they like to read and why, and their reflections on what makes a book interesting to them has been helpful in thinking through how to help students engage in learning. All in all, I am very proud of all of the extra work our 4^th grade students (through the hard and often extra work of their mentors) have done to think through ways they can enjoy their own education and how to make healthier choices. 

The 3rd and 4th Grade Take on The Redwoods!

Gabby O'Neill, AmeriCorps VIP at Wright Elementary

On March 30th, Wright Charter’s 3rd and 4th grade students, of the After School Program, went to Armstrong Redwood National Forest. Classes were divided into groups and led by seasoned docents along the Pioneer Trail. During the hike, students learned the importance of Redwood Trees, their life cycle, famous people who were a large part purchasing the land and the importance of the preservation of the Redwoods.

The highlight of the hike was when students found a 3” Banana Slug. It was hard to tear students away from the yellow and black colored wonder, but once they were told of the snack that lay ahead, they decided to finish the hike.

It was a beautiful day for a trip to the Redwoods and a great way to experience a science lesson outside of the classroom.

A Trip to "The Jungle"!

Kori Farrell, AmeriCorps Mentor at Wright Charter School
  

  
One thing all of our first and second graders seem to have in common is their love for animals. That made the destination for their first field trip of the year perfect. When we told them they would be going to Safari West, a local Wild Animal Preserve, they let out a huge round of applause! It quickly was followed by questions like, “Is there going to be tigers?” and “Can we pet them?” 

When the day finally arrived the kids were more excited than ever, some even equipped with their own cameras and binoculars. All the grogginess from the bus ride disappeared once we made the final turn into Safari West. There were about 50 first and second graders, and they were all equally astonished by the sight of the lemurs, cheetahs, and birds. But I think the biggest hit was the giraffe, even if he only was peeking his head out of his house. After a long day at what some kids were calling “The Jungle”, it was time to get back on the bus, where most of the kids slept all the way back to school.

Store Tours! Roseland Field Trip

Tasha Hruska, Supervising Teacher at Roseland Elementary

At Roseland Elementary School, all CalSERVES students went on a field trip to FoodMaxx. Though at first thought a field trip to the grocery store doesn’t sound like the most exciting field trip in the world, the wonderful and exciting FoodMaxx employees were able to prove otherwise!

Students marveled at the behind-the-scenes look at meat department, where they were able clearly see what goes into making the hamburger they might eat for dinner. In the produce department, students were taught the importance of knowing where their fruit and vegetables come from, and learned how to make every meal healthy and balanced.

 A highlight of the day was a special viewing of the box crushing department, where students eagerly gazed upon what was later named “The Boxatron 5000.”

Upon leaving the wonderful world of FoodMaxx, each student received a goody bag containing an activity book and several fun and exciting treats to help furthur their nutrition education. Though the 10 minute return walk to Roseland seemed longer in the warm March sun, students walked away with a new appreciation for where their food comes from.

In our world today, most people are not able to conceptualize the distance between the field and our plates. By showing our students the role of a supermarket in this process, we have made a small step in encouraging students to make healthy choices about the foods they eat, thus fostering a more nutritious lifestyle, and ultimately, a happy healthy life!

Fieldtrip to Chops Teen Club

Natashia Suka, AmeriCorps Team Leader at RAMS

Roseland Accelerated Middle School (RAMS) had their first field trip of the year; we walked to the Chops Teen Club in downtown Santa Rosa!! Yay!! Between the "Are we there yet?!”, the "ugh... why didn't we take the bus", and the "Ms. Tashia! I hhaaaatttteee walking," our walks to and from Chops were amusing to say the least.

All the griping slowly came to a stop as we got closer to the building, the kids were getting excited to get in and explore the different rooms and activities that Chops had to offer! As an incentive and encouragement to get into extra curricular activities, we opted to sign the kids up for a Chops membership so they can go back whenever they want as opposed to just going with after school.

Even though we were only there for a short time, the kids still had fun! They got a chance to hang out, surf the web, shoot hoops, learn a little pool, do some art, and listen to music! What a fun experience for our RAMS kids!

To learn more about the Chops Teen Club, visit their website: www.chopsonline.com

Trip to the Farm

By Jeremy King, Program Assistant

Last Friday students at Roseland Elementary went on a field trip to Bayer Farm to hear from story teller Kenneth Foster. After the stories, the students were able to ask him some questions about storytelling in order to be more effective student buddies. The students had a great conversation and on the way back we got treated to a rafter of turkeys.

Off to Africa!

Kean Witzeman, AmeriCorps Promise Fellow at RL Stevens Elementary


R.L. Stevens After School was transported to the African plains by visiting local wildlife preserve Safari West this month. Thanks to the Discover Africa Scholarship Program, our students were given a free two-part tour of the preserve and were afforded the opportunity to see a multitude of exotic animals, many of which are endangered or at risk of becoming endangered. A few animals, such as the Scimitar Horned Oryx are actually extinct in nature, and are only still alive thanks to wildlife preserves like Safari West.


The first part of the tour was a walk through exhibits where students got up close and personal with cheetahs, lemurs, a 40-year-old tortoise, two fennec foxes, many exotic birds and cranes, and much more. Students learned about the physiology of cheetahs and what makes them able to run so fast. Students also learned interesting facts about the different animal species and important issues and problems that they face in the wild.

The second part of the tour was a ride through the fenced preserve on a large safari truck. During the drive, students were greeted by curious giraffes who walked up to the trucks and introduced themselves to the great students of RL Stevens. Another popular animal was the Watusi cattle, a horned breed of cow that is highly regarded in many African cultures and used as a form of currency for certain tribes. The preserve was also filled with different species of antelope, guinea fowl, cranes, and even ostriches!

The trips to Safari West were a great experience for our students, who have been raised predominantly in a city/urban environment. It was a natural experience unlike any Zoo visit. The variety of diverse wildlife with which the students came face to face and the valuable information they learned was a fun and enriching experience for all!

Service Learning at Sheppard Elementary

Amy Porter, AmeriCorps Promise Fellow at Sheppard Elementary

The AmeriCorps mentors and students at Sheppard Elementary are all engaged in Service Learning, amidst the hustle and bustle of many spring activities.

Our second grade after school class has chosen to do their service learning project on protecting marine wildlife. After studying the amazing creatures of the seas, they decided they wanted to do something to protect and keep these animals safe.

As a Promise Fellow, I was asked to find a presenter or field trip to enrich their learning experience. After doing much research and contacting about 6 different organizations, we were graced with a response from the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco. They were willing to provide our students with a free trip to their Aquarium; we just had to provide the traveling cost.

In order to raise the money to get there, our second grade mentors and students have stepped up and put on a fantastic bake sale for the teachers, a fund raiser at the restaurant Chevy’s, and a car wash. To watch our team come together to serve and enrich our student’s lives has been truly amazing. It is awe inspiring to watch people who are so busy with this life take those little extra steps to support one classroom.

It has also been exciting to see the support we have from the core day teachers at Sheppard. My feelings of gratitude for the school we serve in have grown exponentially in the last few days. I knew we had support, but to watch the love pour in from all directions has only reaffirmed why I love being a part of the AmeriCorps experience. Only when we push ourselves and give of ourselves freely, do we see the simple truth: there is no more beauty in this world than that which we make.