Chalk Talk — Sept. 30, 2015 SLIDESHOW

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, September 30, 2015

DISTRICT

The next school board meeting is at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, in the boardroom. The public is welcome to attend. An agenda is available for viewing on the district website. Time is set aside for public comment at each board meeting. For more information, contact Marilyn Walsh at 582-3260.

There is no school on Monday, Oct. 12, for students. This is a professional development day for teachers. The district office will remain open.

GREYWOLF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Opportunity to Excel, our after-school program, will be available to students in grades 3-5. Teachers will notify students when they plan to begin this afternoon program. Note that OTE is by teacher invitation only. It is every Tuesday and Thursday after school. Limited bus service is available to OTE students, departing Greywolf at 4:15 p.m.

Call the transportation department for more information at 582-3274.

Jennifer Thompson in the computer lab says many students already have been to the computer lab on the computers since the beginning of school. Students have been practicing keyboarding, reading books online and typing in Microsoft Word.

Students, families and staff members are invited to come to the library from 8-8:20 a.m. Tuesday-Friday, to read. Bring your book and read quietly to yourself or with a companion. Read Right paraeducator Betty Kacynski and the Washington AmeriCorps volunteers are on hand to provide assistance. It’s a great way to start your day!

HELEN HALLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

We are excited to have 109 5- and 6-year-olds in the building for the entire day, with the advent of all-day kindergarten. These young students are learning many new things including campus layout, classroom expectations, bus riding procedures and lunchtime routine. Principal Russ Lodge says the additional class time will be invaluable to this particular group as they travel through the elementary grades.

The Scholastic Book Fair will be set up in the library during parent-teacher conferences at the end of October. Librarian Sheri Kruckeberg asks that parents plan to stop by and shop for books. She also is looking for some volunteers to run the register.

Book Fair proceeds are invested back into the students through books for the library collection and prizes for the Accelerated Reader program. Students are encouraged to take program quizzes on the books they read. They earn points and an entry into a weekly drawing for a free book for each quiz they pass. Quizzes are accessed and taken at school.

Find a link to the Accelerated Reader Home Connect website by going to the District website at www.sequim.k12.wa.us, then choosing Haller’s website. Click on the Library tab and then Library Information.

For more information, contact the librarian at skruckeberg@sequim.k12.wa.us or call 582-3204.

Third-grade teachers Ann Riggs, Carolyn Luengen, Celine Aston-Smith and Emily Ellefson are teaching students how to solve word problems involving multiplication and division. Students are encouraged to first read the problem carefully. Then they solve the problem using pictures, arrays, number bonds and equations.

Finally, students write a sentence answering the question from the word problem. Here are some examples of the word problems they are using:

A chef arranges 4 rows of 3 red peppers on a tray. He adds 2 more rows of 3 yellow peppers. How many peppers are there altogether?

Rosie puts 2 lemon slices in each cup of iced tea. She uses a total of 8 slices. How many cups of iced tea does Rosie make?

SEQUIM HIGH SCHOOL

Sequim High’s marching band and flag team were invited to appear in the half-time show at the 63rd Husky Band Day. This is quite an honor, as bands must submit to an application process and only a limited number of high schools are allowed to take part.

Our group, along with parent chaperones and director Vern Fosket, left Sequim before dawn on Saturday, Sept. 19, in two school buses and a van full of equipment and packed lunches to travel to Seattle, where students took part in rehearsal on the field at Husky Stadium with around 2,400 other high school band students.

Husky band members and        Sequim High School alums Sarah Doty (Class of 2012) and Mikaele Baker (Class of 2015) were assigned as guides for the Sequim group throughout the day. The Husky marching band and cheer squad put on a memorable demonstration for the visiting high school students prior to the start of the game.

Band members got to sit in the stands and watch the first half of the football game featuring UW and the Utah State Aggies before filing onto the field to take part in the half-time show.

The SHS flag team is coordinated by Betsy Zumkeller.

For more information about the band program or the flag team, e-mail vfosket@sequim.k12.wa.us.

A slide show of Husky Band Day is available to view on the District’s website at www.sequim.k12.wa.us/site/default.aspx?PageID=1.

The newly redesigned PSAT Test is coming Wednesday, Oct. 14. The PSAT is the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test and is highly recommended for any student planning to take the SAT.

Juniors will have priority registration starting Sept. 21 through the end of September. Sophomores and home school students may register beginning Oct. 1.

A limited number of tests are available, so register early. Students will receive a copy of The Official Student Guide to the PSAT when they register.

Testing fee is $15, payable to Sequim High School in the main office. A few fee waivers are available, so see your counselor for more information.

Important notice about test time: Testing will start at 7 a.m. this year and will conclude at approximately 11 a.m. This is to allow time for the new testing format. Please be prompt, as this is a standardized test.

Steve Mahitka, agricultural sciences, FFA advisor and Career and Technical Education (CTE) director, is inviting anyone interested in helping with one of the CTE areas to come to a meeting from 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, in C-2 culinary arts classroom. Light refreshments will be served.

They can learn what the departments are and what they do.

Advisory members are able to give input into the programs and aid them in development and curriculum. CTE areas include culinary arts, health, agricultural sciences, welding, wood shop, auto shop, photography, journalism, fashion design, marketing and computer sciences.