Nelson School Projects & Events 2012
Many events are built into the schedule of the Nelson Elementary School students each year. Below you will find a sampling of just a few, with some quick links available to you for more information over to the right.
Each monthly event is planned and organized by the faculty and staff to bring a richness not only to the student, but to the community as well. Other events planned throughout the school year include a few fund-raisers like the Pancake Breakfasts and the Annual Nelson School Auction. Each of these events are welcomed and well attended by the people of Nelson and Munsonville. (Some folk even arrive from other towns!)
Announcements for the school events are made well in advance through school newsletters and on our internet calendar, so you won't ever miss a chance to attend!
September: The annual Nelson School BBQ and Open House is held each year as closely to the opening of school as possible. We have been very lucky each year to have been able to enjoy great weather and a fantastic turn-out by the parents and relatives of the Nelson School students.
In 2011, the evening got underway with 'Chef' Durand holding court at the BBQ grill while mounds and mounds of delicious foods were brought to the table by the families and staff. Following the BBQ, everyone gathered in a circle outdoors and the new Nelson School instructors were introduced. Joy Birdsey-Smith also spoke a bit about the Nelson School PTO and urged parents to become involved. Later, all were invited inside to visit the classrooms. The students are always thrilled to be able to point out their favorite aspects of school and their classrooms to their families.
Keep watching the calendar to see when the annual Nelson School BBQ and Open House will be held in the coming years.
October: Even our small school can make a difference! By participating in the Trick or Treat for UNICEF program each year our students have involved themselves in the world community. Through this program, our students learn that even the little accomplishes a lot: + $1 protects a child from polio for life. + $1 immunizes one child against measles. + $2 can provide 66 children with vitamin A capsules for a year.
Ms. Benner's K/1/2 class becomes the local UNICEF 'headquarters' each year. All of the students incorporate math skills while counting and adding up the donations. They learn to recognize the various monetary denominations and their worth, and then offer an annual report to the Nelson community.
For more information, you can visit Trick or Treat for UNICEF.
November: Feeling the nip in the air and the chill of the wind, you can believe that it's time for the harvest - and Thanksgiving!
It's also time for the annual Thanksgiving Feast, held on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving each year. During the month of November the students plan their menu of delicious goodies and then bake, cook, and prepare each morsel themselves the Monday before the big day! Volunteers in the community get to bake as many turkeys as are needed, (thereby filling their own kitchens with delicious aromas!), and then these same volunteers as well as other members of the school family are invited to join the students in the school's Multi-Purpose Room for The Feast.
In 2011, the students invited members of the Nelson School Board, bus drivers, and members of the Nelson School PTO. Everyone has such a great time!
December: The staff and students of Nelson School invite friends and family to join in a Community Holiday Sing-A-Long each year in the month of December. We all get to sing some of our favorite holiday songs and enjoy light refreshments. This annual event is always looked forward to by the students!
Another annual event is the making of gingerbread houses! Each student gets to build his or her creation from graham crackers and a whole slew of colorful candies! Then they get to take them home to enjoy over the Holiday Break. Some of the gingerbread houses actually make it home with no nibbles lost!
January: January is cold and dark. There's no better time than now to curl up with a good book! The students of Nelson Elementary School plan their pen pal project for this time of year.
Each student, grades Kindergarten to 6th, are paired with a member of the community. Each will read a children's classic - be it The Secret Garden (2011) or Anne of Green Gables (2012). Each will exchange hand-written letters via the postal service telling a little about themselves and what they have enjoyed about the book.
The Pen Pal Project comes to an end in early February with a get-together at the school where the students and the adults meet each other.
February:
March:
April: It's time for the Annual PTO Auction!
May: Teacher Appreciation!
June: Graduation!
