Chalk talk

HELEN HALLER

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Are you interested in being a reading tutor? Have you been a reading tutor in the past and plan on continuing to volunteer this year? You are invited to attend a meeting on Thursday, Sept. 22, in the school library from 3:30-4:30 p.m. This meeting is for new and past tutors to meet the K-2 literacy specialist Krista Chatters and to learn about the tutoring reading model. For more information, contact Chatters at 582-3200 or kchatters@sequim.k12.wa.us.

— Krista Chatters, literacy specialist

SEQUIM

MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Please note the revised date for Back-to-School Night is from 6:30-8:10 p.m. today, Sept. 21. Originally this event was planned for Sept. 14, but was postponed due to scheduling of multiple events on that date.

— Brian Jones, principal

• Time to kick off the annual magazine sales fundraiser! The Associated Student Body is geared up to host an awesome event with lots of fun activities and prizes! Magazine sales fund most extracurricular activities, including clubs, sports, dances, community service projects and school spirit events. ASB-sponsored clubs include Art Club, Book Club, History Day Club, Science Fair Club, Interact Club, Writer’s Club, Drama Club and the school newspaper.

The athletic program typically receives more than $11,000 from ASB to help offset the cost of officials, equipment, uniforms and 10 percent of transportation costs for hundreds of middle school athletes. Fall sports include football, cross-country and volleyball, and currently 136 students have been cleared to participate in these activities.

Coming up soon is the annual Harvest Festival, complete with inflatable games, a dance with a DJ and fun activities, including a cake walk, cookie decorating, apple bobbing and movies. The cost of the event is about $3,000-$4,000 and proceeds from magazine sales help us keep ticket prices affordable. Harvest Festival, the “Slightly Dressy” Dance for seventh- and eighth-graders, Spring Fling and the sixth-grade Skate Party are only a few of the fun after-school activities funded by magazine sales. Movie Nights and Cocoa Mornings, along with Spirit Day prizes, are all made possible by the funds earned from magazine sales.

ASB is dedicated to making our school a great place to be and making our community a great place to live. ASB sponsors many community service projects, including food drives, school supply drives and penny wars that support families in our community battling life-threatening childhood illnesses.

We host a “Cool Enough to Wear Pink Day” and donate all the money raised to an organization that supports local women who are battling breast cancer. In keeping with that philosophy, students who sell six or more magazines will have a live duck donated to a family in Bangladesh through World Concern. It’s an enlightening lesson for our students to learn that something as small as a duck can make a huge difference to an entire family located half a world away.

We need all the support we can get from the community, families and friends and we are asking people to renew magazine subscriptions through the QSP website in order to support all the awesome activities mentioned above. To renew a subscription, go to www.qsp.com, and enter the code for Sequim Middle School (1089304) and follow the instructions.

If you have a special middle school student in your life, you can credit him or her for the sale and he or she will receive credit for any sales placed between Sept. 28-Oct. 13. Prizes include admittance to an amazing assembly featuring a magician, participation in insect races (motorized toys, not real bugs!). The top 10 sales people will be allowed to participate in a sleepover with ASB officers and advisors.

For questions concerning the magazine sales, call QSP at 800-678-2673 or Caity Karapostoles, ASB secretary, at 582-3502.

— Caity Karapostoles, ASB secretary

SEQUIM COMMUNITY SCHOOL

First Teacher:

• Thursday, Sept. 22 – Craft time at 10:30 a.m.

• Monday, Sept. 26 – Reading Time with Karla Morgan at 10:30 a.m. Every child attending Reading Time receives a free book. Drop in from

10 a.m.-noon.

• Tuesday, Sept. 27– WIC (Women, Infants and Children). For more information about the WIC program, contact Pam Walker at 417-2275.

First Teacher is located in Room 4W in the Sequim Community School at 220 W. Alder St., next to the playground. Parents of preschoolers, come with your children and enjoy activities, the playroom and the playground. Sign up to receive the monthly newsletter with parenting tips and information about local resources for families. For more about the First Teacher program, call 582-3428 or 681-2250.

— Cynthia Martin, director, and Nicole Brewer, parent leader

SEQUIM

HIGH SCHOOL

Senior Parent Night is 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, in the cafeteria. Important timelines and checklists of events that high school seniors need to know about will be reviewed. The night is designed for high school seniors and parents.

— Lora Millet, secretary