Chalk Talk March 11, 2015

Helen Haller launched the Cougar Writers Conference by partnering with high school students to celebrate reading. Our classes were flooded with students eager to spend 30 minutes reading together. It was a most impressive sight!

March 10, 2015 8:08 pm
Dressed up as characters from Dr. Seuss books on March 2 to celebrate Read Across America/Dr. Seuss’ birthday are Aason Judd as Horton Hears a Who
Dressed up as characters from Dr. Seuss books on March 2 to celebrate Read Across America/Dr. Seuss’ birthday are Aason Judd as Horton Hears a Who

DISTRICT

Friday, March 13, is a “No School Day” unless a snow make-up day is needed.

The next board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, March 16, in the board room. The agenda is available on the district website at www.Sequim.k12.wa.us. Board meetings always are open to the public.

 

GREYWOLF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Our Greywolf Washington Reading AmeriCorps members will hold a new tutoring training from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, in the Wolf Den room (Room 142). This training is for folks wanting to learn about becoming a reading volunteer tutor at Greywolf. Trainers are WA Reading Corps members Holly Ambro, Heather Conway and Jordan Goodman. For more information, call the school office at 582-3300.

HELEN HALLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Helen Haller launched the Cougar Writers Conference by partnering with high school students to celebrate reading. Our classes were flooded with students eager to spend 30 minutes reading together. It was a most impressive sight! Thanks to the high school students for such a successful and enriching experience!

The rest of the week will be packed with more reading and writing experiences. Highlights of the week will include an assembly with author Suzanne Selfors, a visit to the high school to watch Book-It Repertory Theatre present “Alice in Wonderland” and unique grade level writing sessions. The week will culminate with an all-school sharing session where kindergarten through fifth grade learning groups will share their favorite piece of writing from the enriching week of experiences.

 

Sheri Suryan’s fifth-grade class has been studying about world explorers and the different reasons each explorer had for risking their lives to find the Northwest Passage to Asia.

Each student has become the explorer and here’s what they wrote:

“I am Cabeza de Vaca. I came in 1536 from Spain to Cuba. I traveled from Cuba to the Gulf of Mexico, and to Mexico and Texas. Then I walked 1,200 miles. It took me eight years to get that far on foot. I liked adventure since I was little. I wanted to find new land.” Kyle Gagner

“I am Hernando de Soto, a Spanish explorer. I came from Spain and I explored Cuba and what is now known as Florida. I was looking for gold and glory. I wanted to find gold for Queen Isabella!” Andy Benitez

“I am Vasco Nuñez de Balboa. I was the first Spanish explorer to see the Pacific Ocean. I’m from Spain and I explored the northwest part of South America. I sailed for glory and gold.” Kobe Applegate

“I am Jacques Cartier. Nice to meet you. I am from France and in France born in St. Malo, Brittany. The purpose of my three voyages was to look for the quicker Northwest Passage to Asia and also to look for gold, gold and glory.” Robert Streck

“I am John Cabot. I sailed in the 1400s. I’m from Italy and sailed to the East Coast of Canada, looking for gold and glory. I mistook it for Asia.” Kieran Van Selus

SEQUIM HIGH SCHOOL

Sequim High School Leadership students worked to pair up high school classes with elementary classes to come together and enjoy reading books from 9:20-9:50 a.m. on Monday, March 2, in honor of Dr. Seuss Day. This year was particularly exciting because there were 24 high school classes, bringing nearly 500 high school students to read with Haller students and providing many one-on-one reading experiences.

A large helping of Green Eggs & Ham goes to Sequim High School teacher Jennifer Van De Wege and Student Leadership coordinator Quintan Johnson for putting the event together!

 

SHS principal Shawn Langston would like to extend congratulations to Emily Carter for being officially recognized as a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. She has received this extraordinary honor when she was named a semifinalist in the fall of 2014 with approximately 16,000 other students, but now has moved on to being recognized with nearly 8,000 finalists! “It’s a huge honor and we’re all very proud of Emily’s work,” Langston said.

These students each received $100 for completing Microsoft Expert Certification: Thomas Arnesen, Marshall Conway, Joshua Gaylord, Jensen Heike, Lillian Oden, Reynaldo Perez and Mercedes Woods. Grant Pierson received $200 for Microsoft Master Certification. Board president Beverly Horan presented each with a check on Feb. 26. Mark Sabo is their computer science teacher.

 

Many of our students have entered the 2015 Sequim Arts Student Art Show to be held March 4-29. Awards were presented March 7.

SHS art teacher Jaye Hall says, “The students have done some amazingly beautiful work, including pen and ink drawings, colored pencil, ceramics and glass fusing. Several students submitted two pieces of artwork and many of the drawings were judged by the Audubon Society if they are bird-themed. Please come by the show sometime this month and support our student artists.

“They’re very talented and have done some beautiful work! I would like to acknowledge Sequim Arts for donating a beautiful Logan mat cutter to the high school. In previous years, we were using a 25-year-old cutter and the bevel and straight edges of the mats were lacking in quality. This year the cutting was more streamlined and the artwork looked better for the show.”

 

There will be SAT testing held at 7:45 a.m. Saturday, March 14, in the cafeteria.

 

The Band Boosters will have a meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, in the board room.