Parents who want a choice, consider North Branch School. Limited spaces available in Preschool, K-5th grade, and Middle School programs for 2010-2011. Drop by between 7:00 – 8:30 PM to meet teachers and tour the school.
Event Date: Thursday 25th of March 2010 07:00 PM
Location/Address: North Branch School/221 Mickens Road, Afton, VA
Contact Telephone Please call 540-456-8450 for more information
“Where are my shoes?” This familiar cry is heard in homes throughout Central Virginia. For the past few weeks; however, students at North Branch School in Afton have been asking this question to make sure they remembered to bring gently used shoes and socks to school as part of a Shoe Drive for school children in Afghanistan. During a school-wide assembly, 5th grade student, Jay Rothenberger, asked his classmates, classmates of his sister Mason, age 6, and any other school family interested, to help his church collect shoes and socks for children in Kabul. St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Scottsville had learned of the need through parishioner, Cathy Russo.
While serving in Afghanistan, her son, Lt. Matt Russo, visited an elementary school in Kabul. Lt. Russo found a school with no heat, broken windows, and a playground consisting of two swing sets but no swings. The children were wearing sandals although the temperature was below freezing. In correspondence with his mother, Lt. Russo, said, “These children who have so little in a war torn country are so anxious to come to school and educate themselves as a way out of war and poverty. Anything we can do will be greatly appreciated.”
Lt. Matt Russo with school children in Afghanistan.
Jay, Mason, and their friends collected approximately 60 pairs of shoes and boots and over 30 pairs of socks to send with the collection from St. Anne’s to the children in Kabul. “I wanted to let people at my school know so we could get more socks and shoes for the kids in Afghanistan,” said Jay, age 11. “They have to walk to school in sandals when it is 20 degrees outside.”
Fifth and sixth grade North Branch teacher, Michael Donegan, used the stories and pictures of the students in Kabul to further his students’ study of Afghanistan and surrounding countries. His North Branch class was surprised to learn that only 1 out of every 5 girls attend school in Afghanistan and that Afghan teachers make approximately $38 a month.
North Branch School is one of only five schools in the Commonwealth to receive the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ Virginia Naturally School Recognition Award for all ten years the program has been in effect. Schools receiving this recognition have demonstrated exemplary efforts to promote good stewardship of Virginia’s natural resources. Virginia Naturally Schools must meet specific requirements, which increase with each successive year a school achieves this recognition. To celebrate this milestone, on November 20 North Branch School was awarded a sign acknowledging their achievement.
In their application for the 2008-2009 school year, North Branch School outlined the units of study about nature and the service efforts that all of the students, preschool – 8th grade, enjoy. Projects for the 2008-2009 year included, planting and harvesting the school’s gardens, feeding, identifying, and graphing sightings of birds, wildflower walks with the Wintergreen Nature Foundation, building mini-greenhouses, maintaining the school’s nature trail and outdoor classroom, geology lessons with a field trip to Grand Caverns, and stream monitoring as part of the Chesapeake Bay Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience. In May, North Branch’s middle school students spent several days on the Chesapeake Bay, learning about the Bay’s habitat and ecosystems through the programs of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Local groups, such as the Blue Ridge Sierra Club, RiverFest of Waynesboro, and the Wintergreen Nature Foundation helped to underwrite this hands-on field study.
Last school year was a time of education in green building for North Branch students and staff as they observed the construction of the school’s new annex. This building, opened in September 2009, is insulated with natural cotton fiber insulation and integrates radiant floor heating and south-facing passive solar elements. Sun tubes bring natural light into the north-facing rooms.
For more information about the Virginia Naturally Recognition Program, visit the Virginia Naturally website: www.VaNaturally.com For more information about the environmental stewardship efforts of North Branch School, please call 540-456-8450 or email the school at: info@north-branch-school.org
Gift items, jewelry, food, aprons, and body care items all handmade and reasonably priced. Please stop by for some holiday cheer and neighborhood shopping.
Event Date: Friday 4th of December 2009 08:30 AM
Location/Address: 221 Mickens Road, Afton
Contact Telephone Please call 540-456-8450 for more information
Afton
Nelson County, Virginia
After months of construction the ribbon was finally cut on new annex at North Branch School (NBS) this past Friday afternoon. The new building will house 5th through 8th grade students and a language computer lab. “There’s still space I don’t know how to use. So it’s an amazing, it feels great to go from I didn’t have a room last year to having this huge room now,” says Michael Donegan, 5th and 6th grade and art teacher at NBS since 1999.
Construction started on the annex about one year ago and was finished several weeks ago before the actual dedication.
Michael Donegan in his new classrom at North Branch School.
Jim Gates, (far right) cuts the ribbon on the annex building he constructed. Gates' past and present children attend NBS.
Lawson Johnson, a middle schooler at NBS, grabs his books from the new shelving in North Branch's new annex.
North Branch’s enrollment is about 90 students for the 2009-2010 school year.
Last week students at North Branch School teamed with people across the country in an attempt to break the world record for reading the same book–The Very Hungry Caterpillar–on the same day. The annual event, called “Read for the Record,” is organized by Jumpstart, an organization whose programs help at-risk preschoolers get the “jumpstart” they need for academic success. North Branch School has participated in “Read for the Record” each of the 3 years it has occurred, and each time the school helped break the existing record. This year, the Read for the Record goal was 688,000 readers.
Seventy students at North Branch not only read the beloved story by Eric Carle but also used it as a jumpstart for their own lessons. After the middle school students read one-on-one with the preschoolers, the school’s youngest students made caterpillar-shaped bread with pretzel antenna. Fifth and sixth grade students read to Early Primary class. The five-year-olds then created a paper mosaic replica of the cover art of the book. The students in Primary I took the caterpillar and his appetite with them to math class, where they counted and graphed all the fruits, foods, and leaves that the caterpillar consumed. In the Primary II class emerging and independent reader took turns reading the story to each other. This group was especially excited to read about the caterpillar that turns into a butterfly since they have been caring for and studying monarch caterpillars this fall. To date, 13 monarch butterflies released by the class are now enjoying the gardens at the school. The Junior classes at North Branch read the Spanish version, La Oruga Muy Hambrienta, during Spanish class. According to Head Teacher, Charlotte Zinsser Booth, this activity reinforced known sight words and introduced new words in Spanish to these language students.
North Branch School preschool teacher, Jennifer Stuart, prepares to serve caterpillar bread as part of the school's Read for the Record activities on October 8.
“This entire project is a good example of how our teachers integrate lessons and create opportunities for their students to experience a subject on many levels,” said Zinsser Booth. “In this instance, not only are the children joining with thousands of other students across the country as they attempt to break the record, but they are using the book as a springboard for art, science, math and language activities.”
The Early Primary class at North Branch School created a mosaic of the cover art for The Very Hungry Caterpillar as part of the school's Read for the Record activities last week.
For the students the story was key. Early Primary teacher, Regina Stewart, gathered her class of enthusiastic 5-year-olds in a circle and asked her students what they liked best about reading the book. Several hands shot in the air immediately. “When he turned into a butterfly,” said both Sophie Bridge and Mason Rothenberger. Randall Gardiner liked when the caterpillar got fat. “I liked when we took turns reading with each other,” declared Luke Vance. A lively discussion then ensued as the students debated the funniest food that the caterpillar ate. Factions for salami, chocolate cake were well represented, but in the end the lollipop was declared the funniest food eaten by The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
North Branch School will dedicate its new annex which houses the middle school and senior classrooms and a computer/language lab. All are invited to attend.
Event Date: Friday 23rd of October 2009 02:45 PM
Location/Address: North Branch School/221 Mickens Road, Afton
Contact Telephone Please call 540-456-8450 for more information
ArtCamp 2009 is coming up and we are looking forward to another great summer full of art, camaraderie and sunshine. There will be plenty of time for messy projects, bookmaking, painting, sculpture, quiet drawing and more. We have many new projects planned and are excited to have the same great counselors as last year! Also, we are happy to have a pottery wheel available this year for demonstrations and explorations.
Event Date: Monday 22nd of June 2009 09:00 AM
Location/Address: north branch school 221 mickens road afton va
Contact Telephone Please call 434-296-2936 for more information
Join us at North Branch School as we finish off our 25th anniversary year in style. After dinner hors d’oeuvres and desserts and child care included in the ticket price, $25/couple, $13/single. Tickets available at North Branch School, Cardinal Point Winery, Blue Mountain Brewery, and at the door.
Event Date: Saturday 27th of June 2009 07:00 PM
Location/Address: North Branch School, 221 Mickens Road, Afton
Contact Telephone Please call 540-456-8450 for more information
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