Upper Elementary News - 2/23

Several students have signed up to go to the Nashville Symphony’s performance of Composers of Hope next week on Wednesday. The description of the performance from the website is as follows:

Through many hardships, obstacles, and persecution, even the very creation of art is an expression of defiance, survival, and most of all hope. Join us as we learn about some of the greatest composers in history, the obstacles they overcame, and the timeless music they gave to the world.

Works by Jean Sibelius, Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn, Amy Beach, John Williams, and William Grant Still will be performed by an ensemble that includes Abintra parent Chris Farrell!

This week and next, a group of students are working in an archaeology lab using materials borrowed from the Tennessee State Museum. The materials are in a traveling trunk titled The Life and Times of the First Tennesseans, and includes real and replica artifacts from the Mississippian mound builders of Tennessee. Students who complete this work will have the opportunity to travel to Bells Bend Nature Center next month to work with state archaeologist, Sarah Levithol Eckhardt. We will learn more about archaeology and prehistory, do a little excavating near the nature center, and learn how to throw using an atlatl. Parents of the students who are doing this work will receive an email in the coming days with more information.

We have big news to share about our bee program! Our school was informed this week that we have been awarded $1500 from the Whole Kids Foundation Honey Bee Grant. This support has been made possible by United Health Foundation of UnitedHealth Group, who wished to support honey bee education in the state of Tennessee. We will use the funds to purchase more bees for our hives, youth-sized bee gloves, a wax melter, and a freezer to store the honey.

Students have been inspired by the Winter Olympics to be more active. One of the afternoon activities this week was fitness stations.

As an extension, students took turns leading “Bad Zumba.” This activity was repeated by some of the kids at the farm on Wednesday when it was raining too hard to work. It was the first barn dance at Emerson Farm! We hope you will join us and see the farm for yourself at our upcoming "Goodbye to Winter Fest" on Sunday, March 18 from 12:30 - 3:00 PM.