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Service Valley Charter Academy

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K/1 students measuring the garden.

SUNFLOWERS

by Theresa Farris | Thursday, June 10, 2010

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 blooming when we returned to school in September. Students used rulers to measure the garden plots and . . . read more

 

Flower Garden

by Karla Wimp | August 4, 2010

The flower gardens at SVCA are looking beautiful this summer. Please stop by and take a look...don't forget enrollment is August 18. read more

CHILDREN OF THE CORN

by Theresa Farris | June 9, 2010

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

Trip To Tulsa

by Ray Huff | May 14, 2010

It’s very rare that an entire school gets to take a field trip, but that’s exactly what Service Valley Charter Academy accomplished just a few days ago. I say, “accomplished” because it took a lot of work from a lot of different . . . read more

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT

May 11, 2010

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

by Theresa Farris | April 30, 2010

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

by Theresa Farris | April 22, 2010

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

by Karla Wimp | April 21, 2010

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

by Karla Wimp | April 18, 2010

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

April 18, 2010

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

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!

More Than Expected

By Rod Monroe | April 16, 2010

The 6-8 science students of Service Valley Charter Academy have been studying reproduction of plants and the parts of flowers.  Mr. Monroe picked his wife’s only tulip and brought it to school for dissection.  However, the class . . . read more

EGG BUSTERS FIVE

by Theresa Farris | April 12, 2010

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

by Karla Wimp | April 9, 2010

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

by Theresa Farris | April 6, 2010

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

by Theresa Farris | April 6, 2010

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

by Theresa Farris | March 27, 2010

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

by Karla Wimp | March 27, 2010

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

by Theresa Farris | March 25, 2010

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

by Theresa Farris | March 23, 2010

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

by Theresa Farris | March 23, 2010

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

by Theresa Farris | March 23, 2010

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

By COLLEEN SURRIDGE | March 23, 2010

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

by Theresa Farris | March 23, 2010

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

Service Valley Students Enjoy a Trip to The State Capital

by Ray Huff | February 5, 2010

It's not often you get a call from  a State Representative... so I was a little nervous when our secretary told me that a state representative was waiting on the phone for me. I thought to myself, "Great what have I done now?" . . . read more

This Omniscient Speller Embarked Upon a Circuitous Journey

by Ray Huff | January 28, 2010

Mouthful huh??? Try spelling those words in front of a room full of people with dictionaries!  That's exactly what Service Valley Charter Academy student Matthew Wegner did at the Labette County Spelling Bee this Thursday. He . . . read more

Spinning Their Wheels

By Rod Monroe | January 25, 2010

The eighth grade science class at Service Valley Charter Academy has been studying work and the six simple machines.  As a project they set up several different types of pulley systems testing the mechanical advantage of each system and . . . read more

Construction Crew to Demolition Crew

by Karla Wimp | January 16, 2010

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!

by Theresa Farris | January 13, 2010

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

by Theresa Farris | January 12, 2010

Confucius say... he with loose laces catches many chicks! read more

Up Hill Both Ways

by Theresa Farris | January 12, 2010

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

by Karla Wimp | December 15, 2009

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

by Theresa Farris | December 10, 2009

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 CHRISTMAS PROGRAM.... They Sang Their Hearts Out!

by Ray Huff | December 9, 2009

SVCA students sang their hearts out last night! Thanks to all students, staff, and community members who made this possible! It was a HUGE success!   read more

SVCA K/1 Students participate in NASA Experiment

by Theresa Farris | December 3, 2009

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

November 23, 2009

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!

by Theresa Farris | November 13, 2009

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!

October 29, 2009

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

by Karla Wimp | October 29, 2009

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!

by Theresa Farris | October 28, 2009

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.....

by Theresa Farris | October 13, 2009

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

Final Day of Harvest

by Ray Huff | October 5, 2009

With Old Man Winter knocking LOUDLY at our door, we thought it best to start preparing our gardens for next Spring. With this in mind we started by first harvesting all the vegetables from the garden.... and little did we know how many we . . . read more

K/1 Students Explode!

September 25, 2009

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

by Theresa Farris | September 25, 2009

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

Karla Wimp | September 19, 2009

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" ......

by Theresa Farris | September 17, 2009

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!

by Theresa Farris | September 17, 2009

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!

September 15, 2009

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

by Theresa Farris | September 9, 2009

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......

by Theresa Farris | August 29, 2009

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!

by Theresa Farris | August 24, 2009

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!

August 23, 2009

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

by Theresa Farris | July 14, 2009

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!

by Karla Wimp | April 16, 2009

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

Opportunities for Learning

Service Valley Students will:   Experience a well-rounded curricula that includes core academics as well as project-based learning   Utilize advanced interactive classroom technology including . . . read more

Kitra Cooper Presents Agricultural Program to SVCA

March 17, 2009

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

by Karla Wimp | January 21, 2009

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

January 20, 2009

This is book two in the series written about Service Valley Charter Academy chores.     read more

Chores aren't so bad......

January 17, 2009

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

Karla Wimp | January 13, 2009

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?

by Karla Wimp | December 3, 2008

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

by Karla Wimp | October 29, 2008

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

by Ray Huff | July 9, 2008

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

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