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Vol 4, Issue 29
The FUNd Stuff!
Stories from Pacific Northern Academy
brought to you by the Office of Communications
Vision Courage Integrity
Greetings!
It seems spring has arrived, and with that, the countdown to the
end of the year. As we finish out the last six weeks of school, we
are busy enrolling new students to start with us in August. We
know that kids learn best when they have a clear path to explore
what they are curious about. How does a car work? Why does
rain fall from the sky? And why does the sky change colors?
Many of our inquiries are from families at the beginning of their
educational careers, and we are thrilled to share our program with
PNA students in all grades have been making
block prints during the past week. While upper
grades use linoleum and other materials to
create their blocks, Beginners Parker and
Connor are learning how to make prints using
styrofoam and lots of "mix-up" paint!
Revolting Children, Indeed!
them. Haven't been to PNA yet? Give us a call, come by the
school, and see curiosity in action for yourselves...
The Early Years: Yearning for Learning
by Robin Sutton | PNA Kindergarten Teacher
Do you want to see what learning is like before it seems difficult or
simply a necessity? You should visit a classroom of young
children. They have no need for pressure to do work. They
welcome it and would even join the movie robot, Number Five,
who says, "Need input, More input!"
EK-2nd grade rocked the house Friday as
Matilda! Highlights from the Musical
was celebrated on center stage!
Book discussion in progress in EK.
There is something so special about a classroom full of young
children. There is an energy that is completely unbound. They are
precocious in nature. They are sensitive. They are fearless and
fearful at the same time. Young children are eager and ready to
learn, moving ahead full steam, completely nonstop throughout the
day. They come to school with a wonder as they make
observations of every detail in the world around them. Their little
fingers run over each thing they see in an effort to absorb the
textures and temperatures. They hold tight to a desire to take in
their surroundings using all five senses.
Naughty children were everywhere!
Miss Trunchbull tried her hardest to keep the
children miserable and under control..
Dagny searches for discoveries in the dirt.
Whether it is wriggling their fingers in the mud, savoring the juices
of an orange, or sticking pretzels in their nostrils simply to
entertain a neighbor. Their laughter becomes contagious. Heads
are thrown back and the feeling is passed on to the next child.
They fall on the ground and roll around as they pretend to become
something they are not.
... No braids allowed in the classroom!
Pierce experiments with kinetic sand.
To encourage and sustain this enthusiasm for learning demands
hands on, project based teaching. This way of facilitating learning
is a great way to meet them head on. Providing opportunities for
them to engage their senses in what they have a passion to
discover is what we do. That is exactly what we offer to the
youngest of our students here at Pacific Northern Academy. Of
course, our teaching/facilitating does not stop there, because we
believe learning can continue to be fun, passionate, and incredibly
engaging no matter what grade you attend at PNA!
In the end, Matilda prevails, teaching us all that
the circumstances you find yourself in
don't have to define your destiny!
Love What You See?
Postcards from the Classroom
You Can Support It!
Your gift benefits today's students and
everyone's future. Spread the word! Don't let
PNA be Anchorage's best kept secret.
Let your friends know!
To make a donation or refer a family to PNA,
Call (907) 333-1080
and speak with Jennie Tschappat,
Director of Admissions and Communications
Local artist, Cindy Shake, returned to PNA this week to help the
Beginners and Early Kindergartners complete the banners the
students helped Cindy make for Thread's 30th anniversary "Follow
Your Dreams" art showcase and benefit auction. You can see the
PNA piece, along with art created by early childhood programs
PNA Book Fair
Monday, April 11th through
Friday, April 15th
across Alaska, on display April 25-29 in the foyer area of the
Performing Arts Center during the presentation of Peter Pan. The
PAC foyer display will be free and open to the public.
PNA's annual book fair is next week! Gently
used books, DVDs and toys are available at
bargain basement prices! Stop by the alcove and
browse anytime, Monday - Friday.
LINKS WE LOVE
Wisdom and More from Roald Dahl
Rumor has it that most everything we need to
know to get through life can be found in a Roald
Dahl book. In honor of Matilda, we're including a
link to 10 of Dahl's most famous quotes. Test
your Dahl trivia: do you know which book each
quote came from? If not, check out the links on
the right for information about each book!
Mirabel creates a unique color combination! EK'ers learned how to
make block prints using styrofoam plates.
Summer is around the corner (actually, it
visited on Friday. Here to stay? Snow in the
forecast? Who knows!!) and it's time to sort
out summer activities and camps. We have
some great options for you!
New this year is PNA's Create Academy, for
kids entering 1st-8th grades next August. It is a
skill-building, fun, PNA-based camp for creators,
innovators, and designers. You'll recognize
elements of the Responsive Classroom,
collaborative exploration, communication and our
A full week of springtime weather and sunshine brought school
Great Outdoors.
outside. The 4th graders work on passing skills in soccer, while...
And there's the Pint-Sized Panthers Camp for 35 year olds, which is PNA -- summer style!
Farther afield, many older PNA kids go to Sitka
Fine Arts Camp for music, drama, art, creative
writing, dance and so much more.
PNA lingua-philes have gone to The Concordia
...Elias holds the measuring tape and Evan measures part of a
blue whale. Blue whale? Yes! Did you know that blue whales are
the largest mammal, and they are approximately the same size as
the width of the PNA playground?
Summer Language Immersion Program.
COMING RIGHT UP!
ERB Testing
Monday-Friday, April 11-15
ERB Smart Food Sale
Monday-Friday, April 11-15
Parent Association Book Fair
Monday-Friday, April 11-15
PNA Goes Platinum! Post-Auction
Monday-Friday, April 11-15
Chipotle Turkey Tacos were on the menu for Friday's ACE
cooking elective, and wow, were they delicious!
3rd-8th Spring Musical and Reception
"A Midsummer Night's Swing"
Friday, April 22, 1pm AND 7pm
SPRING TRIPS BEGIN!
Saturday, April 23
Spring Art Show
Tuesday, May 10, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
PNA Fair
Tuesday, May 10, 5:30 - 8 pm
International Night
Friday, May 13, 5:00 - 7:30 pm
For a full calendar, please visit the
Pacific Northern Academy Website
Want To Get Social?
Do you know what your carbon footprint is? 7th and 8th grade
students and parents calculate how many earths it would take to
support all the humans on our planet if they shared each family's
carbon footprint. Answers ranged from 3.6 - 8.8 earths!
Dear Friends and Families,
I hope you had the opportunity to come to the Beginners through
Second Grade show yesterday! It was a great music-filled
adventure with "revolting children" and an even more revolting Ms.
Trunchbull. Thank goodness she is not a PNA teacher! Noah
Hoefer lent his acting chops to the littlest kids' show this year, and
he really nailed the character of the tyrannical headmistress!
The cast, led by the Second Graders, and Genevieve Lorenz as
Matilda, amazed me with their ability to memorize a multitude of
Catch sight of your kids in action by joining us on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! Don't forget, we
have a PNA Auction Facebook page, too!
lines, along with a fistful of complex songs. It was a delightful 45
minutes, and I look forward to watching it again when it comes out
on DVD.
Our Early Childhood and Lower School program lays an amazing
foundation for these young learners. They are like sponges absorbing the world around them as fast as they can, and PNA
gives them a nurturing, safe environment to do so. I loved
watching the teachers watch the kids in the dress rehearsal. They
mouthed along with the lines, and even mimed a few moves. It is
obvious that they think of your kids as their own, and in addition to
guiding them in the classroom, they are always rooting for their
successes in life.
We are holding a PNA Fair after the Art Show on May 10th after
the Spring Art Show, to show what PNA is all about to our
neighbors in Anchorage. Mark your calendars, and plan to bring a
friend - heck, bring 10 friends! - and share why you've chosen
PNA as your education partner. Can't make it because you're
hundreds of miles away? Send us your story and we'll put it on the
wall. I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing from you soon!
Jennie
We bring cool things your way.
Just One More...
If pictures could talk, Kennadi could tell us
exactly what she's doing here! We are pretty
sure that what ever it is, it's gonna be beautiful.
Jennie Tschappat
Director of Admissions and Communication
Who's Behind this FUNd Stuff madness, anyway?
A BIG thank you to Kathy Heinlein who pretty much put this issue
together single handedly, and to Robin Sutton for her insight into Early
Childhood learning.
The FUNd Stuff Editorial Staff
Amy Rhyneer, Kathy Heinlein,
and Jennie Tschappat
As always, our success is shared with the people and companies that support us. Many thanks to...
John Hardwick and Ral West
VISIT THE WEBSITE
PNA ALUMNI FAMILIES
VISIT THE WEBSITE
GEORGE WALTON'S GOLD AND DIAMOND COMPANY
VISIT THE WEBSITE
Sue and David Beal
GCI
Mirror Studios
Nails By Sabrina
Dr. Steven and Lindsay Tucker
Chakri and Sajani Inampudi
Kenny's Kitchen
Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge
Worthington Ford/Mercedes-Benz of Anchorage
Medical Park Family Care
Ros and Hugh Nicholson
Orthopedic Physicians of Alaska
AAA Fencing
We educate students to be exceptional learners and independent thinkers of vision,
courage, and integrity.
Pacific Northern Academy * 9251 Lake Otis Parkway * Anchorage, Alaska 99507
Dale Evern, Head of School
Laurie Hoefer, Assistant Head of School
Jennie Tschappat, Director of Admissions & Communication
TEL: (907) 333-1080 FAX: (907) 333-1652
www.pacificnorthern.org