GREYWOLF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Congratulations to Damon Little and Blake Wiker for being chosen as the junior royalty "kings" who will represent Greywolf during the Irrigation Festival in May. Damon is in Shannon Green’s third-grade class and Blake is in Sheri Burke’s third-grade class. Both boys read their essays entitled "Why I like living in Sequim" during the royalty pageant on Saturday, March 6. In addition, Greywolf is proud to send congratulations to Amber Lamb who designed the Irrigation Festival button. Amber is in Jennifer Lopez’s fifth-grade class.
– Tricia Stratton, secretary
HELEN HALLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Our Haller families raised $2,380.13 during our "Pennies for Patients" campaign. It is for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s School and Youth Program that helps raise money for local kids with cancer.
– Lili Ring, paraeducator, and Debbie Buchillo, secretary
Here are limericks written by Andrea Slack’s third-grade class at Helen Haller Elementary:
There once was an old leprechaun
Who raised a cute young fawn.
Although he was nice,
He didn’t raise mice.
The fawn ate the lawn.
– Clay Morgan
There once was a leprechaun.
He liked a good smell-a-thon.
It just happened to be
He was just too smelly
To enter the smell-a-thon.
– Jazen Bartee
There once was a leprechaun named Shawn
Who didn’t like going on his lawn.
He made an exception
To be in protection
When on his lawn appeared a fawn.
– David Buckley
There once was a colorful rainbow.
It went straight through my window.
It was such a sight.
I had a great fight.
To shove it back into the meadow.
– Ian Parker
There once was a kite named Yicks.
Who had a friend named Micks
Who wanted to hike
And wanted a bike
Because he had big ticks.
– Julia Cathro
There once was a girl named Lee!
She loved sushi and tea.
She lived in a small house
She dressed up in a white blouse
When she drank her tea with me.
– Haley Holden
There once was a pot of gold
That was very old.
It got in trouble
For blowing a bubble.
So now it has been sold.
– Alberto Tinoco
There once was a shamrock named Ted.
He bonked his head on a bed.
He started to cry.
My oh my!
Poor Ted and his bed and his head!
– Brenden Jack
SEQUIM MIDDLE SCHOOL
Read Beyond Reality, Teen Read Week: During the week of March 19-25, Sequim Middle School hosts Teen Read Week. Every day at lunch, the library is open to all for a bunch of fun activities such as book Jeopardy, charades, book bingo, making bookmarks, and tons of other fun things. In the Language Arts classrooms, students earn a chance to enter a competition to win books in several different ways. They can keep reading logs, answer daily trivia, create book blurbs and enter a class competition. To cap it all off, Sequim Middle School hosts Family Reading Night from 6:30-
8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24. The event includes activities galore, with chances to win books, gift certificates and movie tickets. Punch, coffee and cookies are provided. Come and join us in making Reading Beyond Reality!
– Elizabeth Lawson, teacher
Teacher Michael Galligan wants to give a shout-out to all the big readers in his sixth- and seventh-grade classes who are making progress toward their reading goals. He is proud of you and wants you to keep reading.
Think of this quote: "Many a book is like a key to unknown chambers within the castle of one’s own self." (Franz Kafka)
– Michael Galligan, teacher
The food drive is chugging along and students are bringing in nonperishable food daily. We have donations totaling 730 pounds with a week to go. Will we reach our first goal of 3,000 pounds earning ice cream for the whole school? Maybe if we ramp it up a bit, we can reach our goal of 4,000 pounds, earning a spirit assembly along with the ice cream.
Spirit assemblies are always a popular pasttime at middle schools. Some of our more popular events from past assemblies included teams of students competing in passing a cup down the line using only straws and teams unwrapping a wet frozen T-shirt. The team that had a team member actually wear the shirt won. It was good clean (cold) fun. The over-under wet sponge hand off was also a popular competition. Anything that involves food or water seems to be a big hit with the middle school crowd.
The ASB team is hoping to bring in 5,000 pounds to add a segment to the spirit assembly. Principal Brian Jones, science teacher Brian Smelcer and counselor Rob Brooke have generously volunteered to have their heads shaved in front of the whole school. Of course, it isn’t as important what prize we earn as it is how much food we can donate to the Sequim Food Bank. The Sequim Middle School ASB is passionate about giving back to the community in whatever way it can.
Upcoming ASB events include the popular annual sixth-grade skate party at Olympic Skate Center in Port Angeles. Sixth-grade class representatives Cassidy Costello, Mark Feeney, Kayley Lofstrom, Pearl Barry and Kassidie Jordan have been busy making posters and organizing this fun event. Two buses with 100-student capacity have been reserved and sixth-graders are signing up first-come first-served to fill the seats.
– Caity Karapostoles, ASB advisor and secretary
SEQUIM COMMUNITY SCHOOL
Olympic Peninsula Academy’s Amariah Clift, a ninth-grade student in Kim Glasser’s American Literature class at OPA, won a poetry contest and will have her poem published in "A Celebration of Poets." Her poem was chosen from thousands of entries.
Pablo van Renterghem, a seventh-grade student at Olympic Peninsula Academy, received the President’s Award and a U.S. savings bond for his photo entry "Feathered Friend," in the Sequim Arts’ 16th-annual Student Art Show, junior division, at the awards ceremony on March 5. His other photographic entry also received a Merit Award. The Student Art Show, hosted by the Museum and Arts Center, 175 W. Cedar St. in Sequim, continues through March 27 and features works by high school and middle school students.
– Terralyn Dokken, OPA secretary
First Teacher Happenings:
Wednesday, March 17 – Kids’ Craft at 10:30 a.m. Make an egg carton caterpillar. Fundraiser meeting at 10 a.m. Children are welcome.
Thursday, March 18 – Parent Connection group with Nicole Brewer at 10 a.m. Come meet other parents and talk about relative parenting topics while your children play together. For more information, contact Brewer at 461-9992.
Friday, March 19 – Home Safety Discussion by Sequim Fire Department members. They will bring the fire truck for the kids to explore!
Monday, March 22 – Reading Time with Corky Schadler at 10:30 a.m. Each child attending Reading Time receives a free book. An egg hunt is at 10:45 a.m. with the Happy Tymer Clowns.
This is the last reminder that Block Fest is coming to Sequim on Thursday, March 25, at the Sequim Community School gym, at 220 W. Alder St. There will be three, 50-minute sessions offered for children 8 months to 8 years of age at 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. This activity is offered free of charge. Children must be accompanied by a parent. Interested parents should call 582-3428 or 681-2250 to reserve a spot.
– Patsene Dashiell, First Teacher events coordinator
SEQUIM HIGH SCHOOL
The HSPE (High School Proficiency Exam, formerly called WASL) testing is set for March 16-18. Students taking the exam start at 8:15 a.m. All other students start school at 10:15 a.m. Please note that the buses run on their "regular" schedule.
– Lora Millet, secretary
The high school talent show is at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 19, and 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 20, in the high school auditorium, 533 N. Sequim Ave. Friday night is judges’ choice and Saturday is the fans’ choice. Cost is $2 for students with an ASB card and senior citizens; $3 for students without an ASB card and adults; and $7 for families.
– Dave Toman, coordinator
On Feb. 26, the Jazz Ensemble from Sequim High School performed at the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho in Moscow.
The Jazz Band had an outstanding performance in front of parents and other school groups who were performing that day. The judges’ comments were all in the Outstanding Categories.
– Vernon Fosket, teacher
