Plainfield Community School Corporation

2^nd grade students at Brentwood Elementary spent the last couple of days before their holiday break rotating to different classrooms learning about winter holidays around the world.  Mrs. Emily Baker and her fellow 2^nd grade teaching team feel it is important that students become more aware of cultures around the world as our “world gets smaller.”  Teachers used interactive learning activities to demonstrate various traditions of other cultures.

Germany

(Mrs. Edwards)

“The country that we studied was Germany.  We talked about how some of their traditions are similar to those celebrated in the United States. The students learned three German words: Guten Tag=hello, Tannenbaum=Christmas tree, and Stollen=fruit cake.  They learned that the Christmas tree originated in Germany, and that people hide a pickle ornament so that someone can find it for a year of good luck.  Finally, they used Tanagram pieces to figure out how to make a Christmas tree. ”

Friday, December 16^th, Clarks Creek Elementary enjoyed a pajama day to raise money for Kendra’s Call for Komfort. Students and staff raised $850.  When J.R. Dugan from Dugan Chevrolet visited the school the same day, he was touched by Kendra’s story and came back with a check to add an additional $200.  We raised a total of $1,050.

Kendra is a fifth grade student at Clarks Creek Elementary and was diagnosed earlier this year with neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer.  True to her loving and generous spirit, Kendra has established Kendra’s Call for Komfort.  This fund was established earlier this year by Kendra to support other children going through chemotherapy.  Comfortable clothing such as pajamas will be purchased and given to the children at Riley Hospital.  For more information on the organization, you can visit www.kendrascallforkomfort.org.

Students in CHAP periods 1 and 2 made their first of two runs to purchase cans for this year's PHS canned food drive for St. Mark's Pantry.  In this photo, they had just unloaded 476 cans from the cart.

Left to right:  Bailey Jackman, Fatima Khan, Holly Hendricks, Molly Gillenwater and Daylon Weddle

Carrie Farris began the CHAP class’ Domestic America unit of study by dressing as a 1950s housewife.  She read an excerpt to her students from an actual home economics textbook; Mr. Cavanaugh dressed as a 1950s father and read to the students from "The Good Citizens Handbook."  Both of these publications were from the 1950s.  The students were inspired to have their own 1950s dress up day later in the week.

Left to right:

Fatima Khan, Maci Williams, Molly Gillenwater, Krista Berkey, Stacie Kammerling, Maria Whicher, Audrey Koeberlein, Katrina Taivalkoski, Bailey Jackman, and Alec Weiss (in chair)

Left to right:

Betsy Gillenwater, Morgan Heald, Michelle Goda, Josh Morris, Nate Soller, Dane Kirchoff-Foster, and Chase Patterson