DISTRICT

Let’s keep the conversation going! Join Superintendent Gary Neal for an informal coffee chat from 10-11 a.m. Thursday, March 16, at Starbucks in Sequim Village Marketplace, 1095 W. Washington St.

A reception is planned to honor school board director Beverly Horan, who is stepping down from the school board, from 5:30-6 p.m. Monday, March 20, in the boardroom. The boardroom is in the auditorium building, 503 N. Sequim Ave. Please join us! A regular school board meeting follows at 6 p.m.

Spring break is April 3-7. During spring break week, the district office will be open from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (closed from noon-1 p.m.).

GREYWOLF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Family Math Night was well attended — 350 people! — and a good time was had by all. Greywolf students were the experts and taught parents, friends and family members many new math games that correspond with their math curriculum. Thanks to the PTA for providing family friendly dinner fare.

Please note Drama Club presentations have been moved to 6 p.m.April 20-21 (instead of March 16-17). Teachers Shannon Green and Sheri Burke, assisted by Sequim High School sophomore Damon Little, are rehearsing the musical play “Into the Woods” with about 40 children.

Sewing Club, facilitated by teacher Cathy Green, meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school to practice basic sewing skills. The students have learned to sew on buttons, measure with measuring tapes, the basics of hand sewing and running a sewing machine. Sewing projects include pincushions, stuffed heart pillows, fleece scarfs and aprons.

HELEN HALLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Recently, science specialist Dave Hasenpflug had the students blowing bubbles in the outdoor courtyard. “We were using the bubbles to determine the direction the wind was blowing around our campus buildings, as part of our studies of the properties of air,” explained Hasenpflug.

Emily Ellefson’s third-grade class have been busy learning about astronomy. Each day the students listen to a chapter about space and respond to a prompt in their journals.

Here are some journal entries:

“Our Solar System” by Sophia Lawson

Our solar system is like a large neighborhood in outer space. To begin with, there are eight planets orbiting in the solar system. They’re just like cars on a road. Planets are made out of gas or rock. Also there are meteors traveling in orbit around the sun sometimes veering off course. Meteors are pieces of metal or rock that can enter the earth’s atmosphere while burning up. In conclusion, I think our solar system is like a neighborhood.

“Earth” by Shelby Haskins

Earth is considered a planet because Earth is a sphere. Also it is a gigantic round mass that is located in space. It is made of rock and gas and travels in an orbit. It orbits around a huge star called the sun. The Earth clears out its path while it orbits. Earth does not make its own light. That is why Earth is considered a planet.

“Atmosphere” by Joe Giles

Most of the planets have an atmosphere. Mercury (the closest planet to the sun) has no atmosphere. That is why when it is facing the sun it is 750 degrees F and when it is not facing the sun it is really cold negative 300 degrees F. Venus does have an atmosphere. The atmosphere is thick and dense. Venus is the hottest planet because its atmosphere is like a hot blanket. It traps the heat and doesn’t let it out. Earth has an atmosphere and it is perfect. It lets heat in and out and it is not too cold. Those are a few planets that have and don’t have an atmosphere.

“Gravity” by Liam Nielsen

Today I am going to talk about gravity and what it is. Do you know that gravity holds all the planets and stars together? Gravity is a force that pulls. Gravity is present between everything. Mass is very important. Objects with a lot of mass have a stronger thing called gravitational pull. You cannot see or feel gravity. Gravity makes it so you have weight. The more mass you have the heavier you are. Earth has more gravity than the moon. So when you’re on the moon you’re lighter than you are on Earth. That is what gravity is and what it does.

“Stars” by Ashton Reichner

Stars are hot balls of gas. If you were to get close to a star, you would see how bright they are. Stars that are the hottest and closest to Earth appear brighter than other stars do. Some stars look small because they are so far away. So many different stars are different sizes like us. No person is the same as the other.

“Galaxy” by Shaan Deol

A galaxy is basically a giant country of stars. There are many galaxies. We live in the Milky Way Galaxy. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy. There are over a billion stars and over a thousand we can see. The Milky Way is not the only galaxy. There are some more galaxies that humans don’t know of. The Milky Way is made up of planets, stars and moons.

SEQUIM MIDDLE SCHOOL

Don’t miss Disney’s “The Lion King, Jr.,” with performances at 7 p.m. on March 16-17 in the Sequim High School auditorium. Featuring a talented cast of all middle school students, except for the part of Mufasa, which will be played by a high school student. This musical production is directed by John Lorentzen.

Growth and Achievement Night on Feb. 28 was a wonderful commemoration. Families and staff shared a meal, laughed together and celebrated the progress and accomplishments of our students. Teacher Maria Germano said, “This event was a true reflection of the focus of our work here at Sequim Middle School — that all children are capable of success, no exceptions.”

Teachers Heather Riley and Marcia Garrett received a grant from Peninsula Credit Union for $500 to fund a garden tower project. They were able to purchase the tower, as well as soil and seeds.

“The garden tower has been an incredible addition to the classroom learning environment,” Riley said. “It has helped emphasize community, food independence and an understanding of the connection of farm to table.”

“Students worked together as a team to assemble the garden tower,” Garrett added. “We discussed the importance of working together and how communities are formed.”

As part of the project, students read the book “Seedfolks,” about neighbors living in an apartment complex in a dingy part of Cleveland, Ohio. The neighbors are brought together as a community by turning a vacant city lot into a community garden. The students also will be reading excerpts from the book “Omnivore’s Dilemma.” They will write about the garden and are excited to grow vegetables that will be used to make a salad toward the end of the school year.

SEQUIM HIGH SCHOOL

Photography teacher Jim Heintz has four students who will attend a SkillsUSA state competition in Yakima on April 27-29. They are seniors Maddie Potts, Lillian Oden and Emily Straling and junior Jessica Lato.

A Fine Arts assembly at 10 a.m. March 16 in the gym will feature performances by band and choir groups, as well as visual presentations.

The Great Pacific Northwest Junior Prom is from 8-11 p.m. Saturday, March 18, in the high school cafeteria. Guest request paperwork is available in the office and must be completed and returned by March 16 at 3 p.m.

To accommodate spring sports schedules, the annual Seniors vs. Staff Basketball Game has been moved to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 16, in the gym.

News notices from Erin Dwyer, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) student: “FBLA students are leading Saturday computer workshops on March 18 and March 25 at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at the high school in Room A-3. These sessions are open to the public. There is no admission fee, but donations to help with the team’s travel to state competition are welcome. The basics of computer coding is the topic for March 18 (an advanced session will be available as well). The basics of the computer will be reviewed on March 25. For more information, contact Erin Dwyer at dwyer.erin20@gmail.com.

During March, the track team is selling coffee cards that offer up to $140 in savings! Cards are $20 each and are good at many local coffee spots including Gabby’s Java, White Cup Espresso, Hardy’s Market, Hurricane Coffee Co., Cheryl’s Java Jungle, RainShadow Coffee Roasting Company, The Lodge Espresso, Suzon’s Coffee Lounge, Tootsie’s and ‘Ohana Coffee. If you are interested in supporting the track team, and your coffee habit, contact Erin Dwyer at dwyer.erin20@gmail.com.”