Students welcome the Year of the Rabbit

Students and staff at Iowa Street School were extra busy the last three weeks of January exploring the land of dragons, kung fu, and origami. They were preparing for their Chinese New Year’s Feast and Extravaganza on Feb. 3. The event involved the whole school in a celebration that demonstrated just a sample of what the students learned in their classrooms.

As part of their regular lesson planning, the teachers used a project-based approach enhanced by Fallbrook Union Elementary School District’s new International Scholars program which offers optional classroom resources that support grade level standards.

While the program assigns a different country to each grade to concentrate on, the district’s recent addition of Mandarin language lessons at all of its elementary schools made celebrating the Year of the Rabbit a popular theme for many of those schools. (Approximately 650 students in the district are enrolled in the Mandarin program.)

The students at Iowa Street School learned about Chinese culture through several different subjects, from music and art to math and literature, from geography and history to nutrition and physical education.

For the big event, which was funded by the school’s Parent Teacher Association, each class prepared either decorations or a demonstration of an activity. Origami cranes and Chinese paintings were displayed in the cafeteria while Chinese lanterns hung from trees around the outdoor amphitheater where the event was presented for fellow students, their families and guests.

The festivities began in the cafeteria with a Chinese New Year’s feast including white steamed rice, a fried egg roll and a fortune cookie which was prepared by the district’s Child Nutritional Services.

Outside, after introductions of the student council members (who led the gathering in saying the Pledge of Allegiance), and adult guests (including a group of seniors from Regency Fallbrook), the first graders led off with the Dragon Dance.

The extravaganza also included demonstrations of kung fu by the second graders, karate by fifth and sixth graders, a ribbon dance by third and fourth graders, a song sung in Chinese by second, fifth and sixth graders and a few words in Mandarin from some of the language students.

Third graders shared hand dragon puppets and seventh graders presented Chinese Zodiac calendar posters. Many students and teachers wore Chinese-themed costumes, some of which were provided by Millie’s, The Magical Costume Place. Other local sponsors of the event included Peking Wok, Major Market, Fallbrook Coffee, Ultimate Self-Defense Studios and The Sweet Sicilian Bakery.

The event was coordinated by teachers DeCuba Porter and Lee LaFave, and parent Michelle Leslie.

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