Service Valley Charter Academy.... A True Story
Sunday, August 12, 2012
A short documentary highlighting opportunities that SVCA provides. read more
SVCA Butterfly Plant Sale
Service Valley Charter Academy Annual Butterfly Plant Sale 21102 Wallace Road 620-421-3449 May 10, 2013 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Host Plants $4.00 Nectar Plants $3.50 read more
Pretty Girls...
Just a couple of girls enjoying the beautiful weather on Monday, March 4, 2013. The first grade students have measured the girth and length of Sue and Wee and applied the measurements to an algorithm that they found through internet . . . read more
Kansas State Department of Education Mini Grant Helps Fund Health Education Program
Neosho Heights Elementary and Service Valley Charter Academy grades K-5 have started the Power Panther Pals Health Education Program provided by the Kansas State Department of Education. During the course of this eight week program our . . . read more
SVCA Kindergarten Project
The idea for the Kindergarten project came about after reading the book Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens. The Kindergarten students learned that sometimes we eat the roots of the plant and sometimes we eat the part of the plant that . . . read more
BIGGEST PUMPKIN EVER!!!!!
The kindergarten students have been measuring and charting the growth of BIGGEST pumpkin ever. Well, maybe just the biggest pumpkin ever grown at SVCA. The pumpkin plant went into the ground at the end of June, so that the . . . read more
In The Piginning....
Ms. Brimm and the entire SVCA First Grade Class.
On Wednesday, September 26, 2012, the first grade class welcomed two new members to their class. Granted these little newcomers smelled a little too strong to assign a desk. They were given a straw bed in the barn. Mr. Huff carried them . . . read more
Broody Chickens are Moody Chickens!
It was Saturday, June 2, 2012. My husband, Bill and I went to the chicken coop at SVCA to move the chickens to their new home for the summer. We backed a trailer up to one of the openings in the chicken coop and guided the . . . read more
2nd Annual Butterfly Plant Sale
SVCA will be having the second annual butterfly plant sale on Friday, May 4th from 8:00-6:00. SVCA will have the . . . read more
The Stress Test
by Jay Sramek
On Wednesday February 15th, 2012 we had received a few inches of snow the night before. The schools cow was thought to be ready to calve around the first of March. Around 2:00 students, Carl Grady and Dakota Housley went with me out to . . . read more
Did our chickens lay any eggs yet?
SVCA received baby chicks in September. The chicks were kept in the school in a large container until they were big enough to move to the chicken coop. The same day they were moved to the chicken coop, Damiya asked a . . . read more
Dr. Samantha Doolittle
I am sure most of you have heard of the movie " The Horse Whisperer" , starring Robert Redford. Well, SVCA has a kindergarten student that has been nick-named the cow whisperer! Samantha has a special talent that lets her connect . . . read more
Sowing the Joy
Did you know planting flowers and vegetables together can be beneficial to both types of plants? Flowers bring in the pollinators and beneficial insects to the garden. Beneficial insects are also important because they target and . . . read more
SVCA Kindergarten Student Receives State Honor
SVCA Kindergarten student, Aubrianna Keele, was selected as Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom’s 2012 Postcard Art contest winner. Aubrianna was the first-prize winner among Kansas Kindergarten students. The . . . read more
The Skype Is Falling
Service Valley Kindergarten students and Neosho Heights First grade students have been putting Skype technology to use over the past couple weeks to share information about their classroom projects. The idea to share the classroom . . . read more
"EGG"traordinary Find
“EGG”traordinary Find It was last March when the 2011 Kindergarten class was successful in hatching baby chicks from eggs they gathered from SVCA chickens. We ended up with 4 hens and 4 roosters. The . . . read more
Special Thanks To Erin Byrd
SVCA school grounds have a new splash of color with the planting of fall mums donated by Erin Byrd's Greenhouse. Erin Byrd has given many donations to SVCA over the last two years in giving of her time and knowledge, as well as . . . read more
The Letter M!
SVCA Kindergarten students were learning about the delicious letter Mm. We did a lot of math activities with a small bag of m & m's. We started our lesson first my learning about the patience it takes to watch the m float of a . . . read more
Farm Heritage Celebration
SVCA students from Mrs. Sheddrick's and Mr. Ward's 4th, 5th and 6th grades spent the day in Parsons at the Tolen Creek Park Farm Heritage Celebration. The weather was perfect for learning all about farm history from the turn of . . . read more
Breaking Ground!
SVCA students contributed sweat equity while preparing for a Fall Garden. Preparation began with harvesting all the vegetables from the Salsa Garden. After the vegetables were harvested, all the plants and weeds were pulled. . . . read more
What a Way to Start off the School Year!
First Day of school We toured the school grounds. While we were walking through the butterfly garden the kindergarten class found their first monarch caterpillar. It was not the first caterpillar that they had seen because we . . . read more
Plotting for Success - Stage One
Stage One – the leader emerges SVCA Kindergarten students traveled to Good Samaritan Society of Parsons for National Volunteer Week on Monday to plant a small butterfly garden as a culminating activity to a two-week project. . . . read more
The Sky's the Limit!
SVCA kindergarten students were “flying high” during last week’s reading lesson. The students were given a basic introduction to technical reading. The class read the instructions on how to put together and fly a kite. They also read . . . read more
Bring the Monarchs to Your Backyard
SVCA students will be hosting a spring plant fundraiser on May 6th & 7th as an outreach to the nationwide campaign “Bring Back the Monarchs” in cooperation with Kansas University. We have purchased a variety of specialized milkweed . . . read more
SVCA Students Get a Lesson in Stalking!
SVCA K-8 students are in hopes of growing the largest soybean plant as part of the “Willie and the Beanstalk” Open House Plant Growing Contest sponsored by Kansas State University Department of Agronomy. The contest is open to . . . read more
1500 Attend SVCA Spring Greenhouse Opening
The end of February brings with it a very busy time for every greenhouse and SVCA greenhouse is no exception. K-8 students have been busy cleaning in preparation for the arrival of the anticipated 1,500 guests. We . . . read more
Production Has Begun
Production Has Began SVCA upper grade students took to the greenhouse on Friday afternoon to take a well-deserved break from state assessment prep to start spring planting. SVCA will have a variety of peppers and tomatoes available . . . read more
Discovery Days
SVCA students, grades K-5, were invited to attend Discovery Days at Neosho Heights on February 21st. Discovery Days is a day for students to learn about a range of different topics. This year students were able to attend sessions . . . read more
Flowers in December
SVCA Kindergarten students found a way to bring flowers into the season, even in the month of December. The students set to work to make a special gift to share with their family for Christmas. The students put their . . . read more
Beneath the Ground
We were on our way to harvest seeds from the flowers in the pasture gardens at SVCA, and we made a stop at the peanuts plants that were started by last years K/1 class the previous school year. The students were looking around the . . . read more
Lets Talk About Co-operation!
Kindergarten students were introduced to some of the different jobs that farmers do everyday. We shared the story, “The Little Red Hen”. The kindergarteners discussed all of the jobs the little red hen did on her own to get . . . read more
Increasing the Yield!
Soil fertility fluctuates throughout the growing season each year. With the SVCA gardening season winding down, it was time to do a little soil research to determine what our garden plots needed. Keith Martin from Labette County . . . read more
Mr. Huff Lands a Big One
Neosho Township Fire Department presented an outstanding program on Friday Oct. 8th for Fire Prevention week. Students were very excited to watch a fireman dressed in full fire bunker gear guide the life flight helicopter to land on SVCA . . . read more
SVCA Students Get a Little Corny!
SVCA K/1 students followed the planting and growth stages of a field of corn last school year thanks to Mr. Joe Sprague. A new crop of Kindergarten students took part of the reaping of last years sowing of the cornfield. . . . read more
SVCA Valley of the Butterfly
SVCA students and staff started the process of developing a butterfly garden in front of the school in May of last school year. The garden is now registered as an official Monarch Waystation and is included in the . . . read more
Yummy Omelets!
SVCA Kindergarten students have been learning about Dr. Ollie Ostrich. Dr. Ollie Ostrich is a character in the program Animated Literacy recently purchased by the district as a supplement to our reading series. Dr. Ollie Ostrich . . . read more
O.R.E.O. Fun - Part Two!!
Kindergarten students were enjoying stacking OREO’s as part of the on line project and of course that lead to wanting to enjoy eating some OREO’s as well. As the cookies were being passed out several students asked for milk while . . . read more
DIRT BABIES
Students in grades 3-4 had the opportunity to observe grass sprouting and growing like hair on the heads they created using knee-high nylon stockings and potting soil. The grain grows very rapidly during the first ten days after . . . read more
HAPPY NATIONAL CHEESE PIZZA DAY!
What do you do when you find out National Cheese Pizza Day is in September? You make pizza during an agriculture activity. Pizza is a world-popular dish of Italian origin, made with an oven-baked, flat, generally round bread that is often . . . read more
O.R.E.O. Fun!!
Kindergarten students at SVCA registered to participate in a variety of O.R.E.O. Projects (Our Really Exciting Online Project). The projects are part of ProjectsByJen.com. and is open to any classroom, in any grade, in any . . . read more
A Bakers Dozen
Friday K through second grade students got to share in a unique experience. They got to spend time in SVCA’s own butterfly palace. While the enclosure was small, it held thirteen butterflies and five students. Not bad for . . . read more
Pollination
Bees can help flowers make seeds. Bees look for pollen and sweet juice. The bee's first job is to move pollen from the anther of one flower to the female stigma of another flower. In other words, when a bee gets pollen from a flower, the . . . read more
SVCA Would Like To Welcome Frost!!
As a Certified Assistance Dog, Frost is specially trained to help people. Her main job at SVCA is to help children improve their reading skills while providing unconditional love and acceptance. Research has proven that having an animal . . . read more
SUNFLOWERS
K/1 students spent time during the month of March researching the different types of sunflowers and deciding which ones we wanted to plant in our gardens. We had decided that our seeds needed to be planted the last week in May to be . . . read more
CHILDREN OF THE CORN
The last day of school K/1 students took their last trip out to Joe Sprague’s cornfield to check the growth of the corn. The corn had only grown to about a foot tall but we knew it was only a matter of time. In April, Joe . . . read more
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
K/1 students are proud to announce the arrival of the first black swallowtail butterfly which emerged May 7, 2010 sometime during lunch. The swallowtail caterpillar was found on the green top of carrots growing in a garden back in . . . read more
FIELD TREK
K/1 students took a field trip, not by bus, but by walking a short distance to a field located just west of SVCA to learn first hand what it takes to plant field corn. Joe Sprague had disked the field the week before in preparation for . . . read more
EGG BUSTER SIX: A RAW EGG CAN BOUNCE LIKE A RUBBER BALL
Can a raw egg turn soft and rubbery and bounce like a ball? K/1 students place one white egg and one brown egg from our chickens at SVCA in jar filled with vinegar. Shortly after we added the eggs we noticed bubbles rising . . . read more
Chicks on the Move
It was time to start moving the dry baby chicks to their new home. The chicks are living in a brooder, in the hallway, just outside the 4-5 classroom. They will be staying there for two weeks before moving on to a new home and lifestyle. . . . read more
Day 20 - There is Action in the Incubator
Excited began in the 4-5 room on April 15, as I prepared to move the eggs from the rotator to the screen inside the incubator. There were three eggs with chipped shells and the sound of chirping coming from within the eggs. We would have . . . read more
THEY HAVE ARRIVED
On April 16, students and staff arrived at school to find 10 baby chicks. There were seven Rhode Island Reds and three Silver Laced Wyandottes. Chick number 11 started hatching around 9:00 that morning. Students and staff were amazed and . . . read more
EGG BUSTERS FIVE
EGG IN A BOTTLE Since K/1 students had been working hard at collecting, washing, and labeling the eggs laid by SVCA chickens we decided they also should have a chance to enjoy some “eggs”periments using eggs. We . . . read more
Potato Chips
In 1853, George Crum was employed as a chef at a resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. One dinner guest found Crum's French fries too thick and returned the order. Crum decided to rile the guest by making another batch of fries too thin and . . . read more
EGG BUSTER FOUR
A CHICKEN HAS EAR LOBES! K/1 students have been learning about the different types of chickens that we have at SVCA. We have discovered that chickens have combs (top of the head), wattles (beneath the beak), and ear . . . read more
EGG BUSTER THREE
THE FIRST EGG A CHICKEN LAYS IS SMALLER The SVCA students compared a white egg bought at the grocery store with one of the pullet eggs laid by the SVCA chickens. K/1 students determined the SVCA pullet egg was easily . . . read more
EGG BUSTER TWO
EGG BUSTERS 2nd EGG BUSTER: K/1 STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WASH EGGS WITHOUT BREAKING THEM! Within a short ten days our chickens had laid enough eggs that it was time to implement the washing phase of egg production. . . . read more
Poultry Farmers
Day 1: People who keep chickens are poultry farmers. One poultry farm may have thousands upon thousands of chickens. Our class is incubating 38 eggs. We have placed Rhode Island Red and Silver Laced Wyandotte eggs in our incubator. The . . . read more
MYTH BUSTERS or I Should Say EGG BUSTERS
1ST MYTH: BROWN EGGS ARE HEALTHIER THAN WHITE EGGS K/1 went to the United States Department of Agriculture web site to find the information needed to determine whether this myth was confirmed or busted. According to the . . . read more
EGG PRODUCTION BEGINS
K/1 students have been waiting for this day since SVCA received the baby chicks back in September. We knew the chickens needed to be 20-24 weeks of age before they would start laying eggs. We knew from research in the fall that a . . . read more
JOINT ADVENTURE
SVCA K/1 students and Neosho Heights Grade School first grade students worked on a project to learn about germination of a bean seed. The students learned that when a seed gets warmth, air and water it starts to change. Each student was . . . read more
K/1 Students GROW A Little Nutty
We were very excited when we received a large sampling of registered peanuts from the coordinator of the OK Ag web site. We used this as an opportunity to learn about a man named George Washington Carver and some of the hundreds of ways . . . read more
Service Valley student wins state bee
By COLLEEN SURRIDGE
The third time was the charm for Service Valley Elementary School seventh-grade student Matthew Wegner of Parsons, who after three wins at the county level took the title of state spelling bee champion in the Great Bend Tribune’s 2010 . . . read more
TIRED OF WAITING
K/1 students were tired of waiting for spring to show itself, so they took to the greenhouse (along with the help of Mrs. Smith) to get a jump on planting flowers we will need to put in our butterfly garden. When we return from . . . read more
Construction Crew to Demolition Crew
Winter break, a visit from Jack Frost and Mother Nature helped a group of energetic students in grades 2-5 construct and demolish an igloo in the cold tundra of Southeast Kansas. Students returned to SVCA from break with more than . . . read more
If You Build It, They Will Come!
I have been teaching for 20 years and in that time we have never had the learning opportunity that was presented to us by the weather last week. Monday afternoon K/1 students had perfect weather for being outside to work on their snow . . . read more
Confucius Say
Confucius say... he with loose laces catches many chicks! read more
Up Hill Both Ways
We have all heard stories that our grandparents have told about when they were young. Stories like we had to walk to school in all kinds of weather and of course it was up hill both ways. Well they have nothing on our students at . . . read more
The Show Must Go On
The SVCA Christmas program was held on Tuesday, December 8, 2009. Students in 4-5 were in for a challenge when their music teacher/classroom teacher had to attend/coach a high school basketball game. The class took control and . . . read more
Pretty in Pink
Why pink? Well, back in August when we were in the process of ordering shirts and discussing color choices, Mr. Huff said he did not care what color we ordered as long as it wasn't pink. So, we settled on green but . . . read more
SVCA K/1 Students participate in NASA Experiment
Wednesday Nov. 4 SVCA students are one of 400 schools chosen to take part in the NASA experiment to determine how the microgravity of space will affect the development of monarch caterpillars. NASA will watch from cameras on the . . . read more
WILD BIRDS
K/1 students put up a bird feeder right outside the classroom window. K/1 students were excited to see which wild birds would visit our feeder. The next day we noticed over half of the birdseed was gone but we had not . . . read more
Sunflower Hut!
To recap: K/1 students from last school year, 2008-2009, shared the book “The Sunflower House” by Eve Bunting. We purchased mammoth sunflower seeds and planted them in the K/1 garden in hopes of being able to pull the sunflowers . . . read more
Appreciation Dinner
.....THANK YOU!
We recently had an Appreciation Dinner for all our volunteers and donors. It took a few hours to prepare and decorate our barn and, although it was a little chilly, I believe it was a huge success! It . . . read more
Dirty Jobs
The RAIN came last week. The MUD was way past our ankles but it did not keep students in grades 2-5 from doing one of the most dirty jobs on the school farm. Yes, we cleaned out the stalls in the barn. The students, Mrs. Sheddrick, and I . . . read more
The Last To Go!
The days are getting shorter and temperatures are falling. The last of our monarch butterflies emerged from its chrysalis. We decided to do some research to found out how the falling temperature would affect the migration of our final . . . read more
Neither Rain, Nor sleet, Nor Dark of Day.....
Neither rain, nor sleet, nor dark of day will stop the K/1 students from delivering the necessary care for the SVCA’s new chicks. K/1 students started daily chores last week. Twice a day K/1 students take fresh water and feed out to . . . read more
K/1 Students Explode!
Sept. 21st brought SVCA K/1 students their first close up look at a Monarch butterfly that emerged around eight o'clock. On Tuesday we had 2 more butterflies emerge. I am sure the whole building heard the K/1 classroom . . . read more
Timing Is Everything
Our first Monarch butterfly emerged from the chrysalis on Sunday over the holiday weekend. We have our second Monarch chrysalis nearing maturity by Sept. 13th and yes it too is on a Sunday. But……. We have at least 11 more chances to . . . read more
Roll'em Again
4-5 took time out of their busy day to play a dice game. What they didn't realize... they were working on probability and computation skills while playing a game of chance. Here are a few student comments: . . . read more
If At First You Don't Suc"Seed" ......
The first sunflower house we planted in early spring bloomed in July. When school started the sunflowers had already turned to seed. Our plans to pull the stalks together to make a sunflower house did not come to pass. But if at first . . . read more
It's a Dirty Job! But K/1 Will Do It!
SVCA students are stripping the gardens and removing old dirt to be replaced with a more nutrient rich soil. Soil has three main kinds of different sized particles: sand, silt and clay. Students felt sugar and salt to represent . . . read more
Jalapeno Peppers and Tomatoes For Sale!
K/1 students spent time outside with our first task harvesting sunflowers. Harvesting sunflower seeds is no easy task but the end result yielded a wagon full of seeds to use for replanting, and setting out for the birds in the winter. . . . read more
What Was I Thinking
Bird Watching requires quiet and no movement. I was expecting K/1 students to sit still and stay quiet at the same - What was I thinking! We put up a humming bird feeder one day and the next day we had two humming birds . . . read more
And So It Begins......
August 26th brought the sighting of our first monarch caterpillar. It was full grown and by the next morning had transformed into a beautiful green chrysalis. We had two small caterpillars emerge from their eggs with at least 3 . . . read more
Are We There Yet!
The first day of school K/1 went on a scavenger hunt to help to familiarize the new students with the school grounds. The students were given clues to objects hidden around the school. The first clue lead the students to the green . . . read more
School ..... Is Hard Work!
K/1 took to our sunflower garden to prepare it for fall planting! Before the new plants could go in the ground the old plants had to come out and that …. is where the work came in! We harvested the sunflowers by using a saw to take . . . read more
Short to Tall
The first month of summer is over and our K/1 sunflower garden has made amazing growth. Three summer storms with high winds and hail leaving their mark on our garden but it could not slow its growth. We now have the signs of our first . . . read more
Oh, It's a Lovely Little School!
Nanny McKae was not too excited about her first visit to SVCA back in the fall. (She disliked the fertilizer.) It is now springtime on the school farm and she enjoys each and every visit. This current visit was to bring ice cream . . . read more
Kitra Cooper Presents Agricultural Program to SVCA
Kitra Cooper, K-State Research and Extension Office, presented an agricultural program to the 2nd and 3rd grade class at SVCA. This was a opportunity for students to gain knowledge about agriculture and understanding of how our charter . . . read more
The Adventures of Cletus Ralphie Smucker
A couple of months have passed since Cletus Ralphie Smucker left our school to travel the world. He has meet hundreds of people, visited many places, and returned with photos and memorabilia. The 2nd and 3rd grade students, at SVCA, have . . . read more
SVCA School Chores
This is book two in the series written about Service Valley Charter Academy chores. read more
Chores aren't so bad......
K/1 wanted to share some of the important lessons that we have learned. While helping with the daily chores that came along with Service Valley becoming a charter school we have learned…. • When the temperature gets below 32 . . . read more
Nanny McKae Arrives Bringing Awards
Students and staff at SVCA were surprised to see Nanny McKae arrive at their recent awards assembly. She returned early from her recent vacation in the Bahamas to present awards. K-1 and 2-3 classes received awards for passing 446 AR tests . . . read more
Where In The World Is Cletus Ralphie Smucker?
In early October, 2nd and 3rd grade students at SVCA took their class cartoon mascot, gave him a name, gathered names and addresses of friendly fun loving folks, and sent Cletus Ralphie Smucker packing to travel around the world. Our . . . read more
Ladybugs
Ladybug by Maria Fleming Ladybugs all dressed in red Strolling through the flowerbed. If I were tiny just like you I'd creep among the flowers too! Service Valley students got up . . . read more
K-State Prepares SVCA Staff For New Program
Educators Learn to Bring Agriculture into the Classroom Manhattan, KS - Teachers at Service Valley Charter Academy, recently learned how to integrate agriculture into their classroom. All members completed . . . read more
Got Unibrow?.... Service Valley students can take care of it with ELECTROLYSIS!
Watch the video!!!!!
Hair removal may be a major concern for this particular student... however he is going to have to go somewhere else to get it taken care of because that's not the type of Electrolysis we are talking about. The Electrolysis we are . . . read more
