DISTRICT

The next school board meeting is 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6, in the district boardroom, 503 N. Sequim Ave. The public is invited to attend and time is set aside for public comment. To view the agenda and minutes of past meetings, click on “School Board,” “Regular Communication” and “Agendas” on the district’s website at www.sequimschools.org.

The Sequim School District announces an open referral process from Dec. 2, 2019-Jan. 31, 2020 for students in grades kindergarten-12 who may qualify for Highly Capable (Hi-Cap) Program services. Anyone may refer students, including (but not limited to) teachers, parents/guardians, staff, friends, students and members of the community.

However, parent/guardian permission will be required for testing.

To learn about characteristics of Highly Capable learners, refer to www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/my-child-gifted/common-characteristics-gifted-individuals.

If your child is new to the Sequim School District and exhibits gifted characteristics, contact the Highly Capable Program Coordinator. Students who were previously identified by Sequim School District will continue to receive services, however, and do not need to re-apply.

Referral forms are online at the district website (go to www.sequimschools.org, then click on “Instruction” and then “Highly Capable”). Paper referral forms are available at each school, the Sequim School District office (503 N. Sequim Ave.), the Sequim Boys & Girls Club (400 W. Fir St.) and at the Sequim Library (630 N. Sequim Ave.).

Referral forms must be fully completed and received by the close of business on Jan. 31, 2020. Because of time constraints, referrals received after Jan. 31, will not be considered.

All referrals must be returned to the Highly Capable Program Coordinator Jodi Olson at Sequim Middle School, school building secretaries or the district office.

For more information or to address questions concerning Hi-Cap services in the Sequim School District, contact Olson at 360-775-7083 or jolson@sequimschools.org, or view the Hi-Cap page on the district website.

GREYWOLF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Carmen Merring’s fourth-grade class recently traveled back in time to study text structure through learning about the Middle Ages. They discovered how life changing education and communication can be.

Then they recreated the telling of history through a stained glass art project.

HELEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Helen Haller’s Resource Room recently had a fun

activity for the students. The reading and math services earn points that they exchange for rewards. Fun Friday is one of the events that they vote for, typically happening once a quarter if chosen. Students from resource room for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders baked and decorated edible items with teachers and paraeducators.

SEQUIM MIDDLE SCHOOL

The next generation of engineers are sitting in today’s classrooms. In an attempt to incorporate more engineering into the middle school science curriculum, students in Joe Landoni’s seventh-grade science classes competed in their annual Convection Engineering Challenge.

As a capstone activity to a study of storms, weather, atmosphere and convection, students built on what they had learned and put the force of warm, rising air to work. Teams employed the engineering design process to devise a fan blade assembly, attach it to a fishing swivel and line suspended above a hot plate set to 10, and capture the warm, rising air.

Engineering constraints (controlled variables) for this competition included the fan blade material (red card stock paper) and the distance the blade sat above the surface of a hot plate (10 cm).

Anticipation surged as groups made final adjustments. Each team was given two, 1-minute trials with the total number of complete spins measured. The average of these two trials became their score.

When average rpm were totaled and all calculations compete, winners were announced. Topping the list was the team of Aeideon Creer, Mackenah Egnes, Michaela Green and Michael Morton with an eye-popping average of 146.5 rpm — well over two rotations per second! Other teams meeting their engineering goal included the teams of Sara German, Kimberly Heintz and Kinzley Henrikson (83 rpm), Lake Barrett, Bradley Bauer and Britton Hobson (72 rpm,) and Kevin Campbell, Nathaniel Gaylord and Charlie Pickrell, (68.5 rpm).

Congratulations to Period 6 with highest overall class average of 49 rpm. Winning teams in each class claimed the contents of a 100-mL cylinder filled with Hot Tamales cinnamon candy. Way to go next generation engineers!

— Joe Landoni, teacher

SEQUIM HIGH SCHOOL

Sequim High School’s S.T.E.M. Club will be presenting a STEM Night (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) for students in grades 6-12from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16, in the SHS cafeteria. The featured speaker is aeronautical engineer Duane Jensen. The event also features food and several hands-on stations.

Scholarship notebooks are due Tuesday, Jan. 21.

As part of Fun Friday, students in Resource Room for grades 3-5 chose baking and decorating edible items with teachers and para educators. Pictured, from left,Urijah Marchbanks, Clinton Cosio, Jesse Nash and teacher Heather Riley. Photo by Melissa Sagara