DISTRICT
The next school board meeting is May 16 with a workshop planned for 5:30 p.m., followed by a regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the boardroom. The boardroom is within the auditorium building at 601 N.
Sequim Ave. An agenda is available on the district website under Board of Directors. The public is encouraged to attend and time is set aside at each meeting for public comment.
For more information, contact Marilyn Walsh at mwalsh@sequim.k12.wa.us or 582-3262.
GREYWOLF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Greywolf Drama Club, taught by Sheri Burke and Shannon Green, presents a student production of “Beauty and the Beast” at 6 p.m. May 19-20 in the multi-purpose room. About 60 children are involved in this production. Don’t miss it!
Monique Brasher’s first-grade class recently visited First Teacher. First-graders paired up with the smaller children to read their favorites books to them. First Teacher is a program for parents of preschool-aged children and it hosts weekly reading times featuring guest readers at the Sequim Boys & Girls Club.
Brasher said, “My kids had a great time reading to the preschoolers and their families. It was a fun trip for them and good to practice those new reading skills. Their only complaint was there were not enough preschoolers to read to!”
HELEN HALLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
The third-grade students from Emily Ellefson’s class spent the past several weeks learning about astronomy. The students researched space using several different resources and wrote informative reports, as well as opinion articles based on the facts they learned.
The Moon by Makayla Fox
In my opinion I don’t want to visit the moon. The reason why is because I might die from no air. Also no water and less gravity. From this book, “What’s in Our Universe?” page 12 says the moon is a ball of rock, so there’s no warmth.
It’s dangerous on the moon. For example, there are ditches to fall in. Also there is no air for breathing on the moon. It’s also very cold! I could bump into things like another spaceship, a space shuttle or a spacecraft.
Now you know why I don’t want to go to the moon because it’s dangerous.
Space by Nathaniel Gaylord
We are going to be learning about the moon, the sun, stars and the Earth.
The sun is not a planet. It is made of really hot gas. It is the biggest star and the center of our solar system. The sun is a really strong pull. The Romans called it the Sol and they worshipped the sun. All of the planets move around the sun. Our sun is a yellow star. The sun’s core is the hottest part of the sun.
Stars are different colors and temperatures. The hottest star is a bluish-white. The coolest stars are red. Blue giants are the real superstars. At up to ten times the diameter of the sun, they give out 100,000 times more fiercely with a dazzlingly bluish white light. The smallest and dimmest stars are called dwarf stars. The largest and brightest are called giants.
The moon is about 240,000 miles away from Earth. It takes about 27 days for the moon to go once around Earth. The moon does not have air, water, clouds, rain or snow. There’s no living things on the moon. The moon does not have its own atmosphere. The moon has thousands of craters covering its surface. The moon is made of rock. Neil Armstrong was the first person to step on the moon.
Earth is the only planet that has living things. It takes 365 days for Earth to orbit the sun. The atmosphere protects Earth because the sun can burn Earth. Earth is made of hard rock. Earth is the third closest plant to the sun. The earth has a green blanket.
Bettina Hoesel’s first-grade students are learning about opinion writing.
Here are some reviews they’ve written:
Do you like to build things? Do you like weapons? Then “Mind Craft” is the video game for you. “Mind Craft” is the best video game because it has all sorts of weapons like swords, bow and arrows, pickaxes, sticks of fire and all sorts of stuff.
It also has pools of lava and lots of animals like horses, ducks, cows and pigs. Your guy can build houses. He can be in the ocean.
Here is a picture of some weapons. I would recommend this game to Finley and Christian because they like to play video games and build things. I would give this 5 stars. Austin Francis
In mid-April, 15 Master Gardener volunteers visited each of the second-grade classrooms armed with soil, seeds, flannel boards, puppets, photos and real plants.
Renee Mullikin’s students wrote notes of appreciation to the Master Gardeners. Here are some letters:
Dear Master Gardeners,
Thank you for teaching what you have learned and spending your time to work with us. Did you know that corn is my favorite seed? I learned that plants are great for our world, they give us oxygen and give beauty to our world. Ava Lawless
Dear Master Gardeners,
Thank you for spending time with me and helping us plant those radish, corn, bean, pea and sunflowers. My favorite fact was birds eat and poop out seeds. I have a favorite seed, it is the sunflower seed. I have a question, how tall can a sunflower grow? Hannah Colwill
Dear Master Gardeners,
Thank you for teaching us about plants and helping us plant five seeds in a cup. My favorite plant was the corn. Thank you for teaching me, here’s a couple things I learned. Number 1: roots grip very hard to the soil to survive mudslides. Number 2: barrel cactus have water in them. Number 3: Many things are made of wood. So thank you for coming. Sydney Clark
OLYMPIC PENINSULA ACADEMY
OPA’s Destination Imagination team is looking for ways to raise money to fund their trip to a global competition to be held in Knoxville, Tenn. The team did well at regional and state tournaments, and earned a spot at the next level, where they will face teams from all parts of the country and other countries from around the world.
What a phenomenal opportunity for seven children from a small school in a rural town!
The group is taking on many work projects, such as landscaping, weeding, car washes, bake sales and other odd jobs. The group also has a GoFundMe page. They have scheduled appearances around the community to talk about their participation in the competitions.
For more information, call Dee Dee Nielsen, OPA enrichment coach and DI Team advisor, at 582-3403. For more information on Destination Imagination, see the DI website at www.destinationimagination.org.
SEQUIM MIDDLE SCHOOL
Counselor Cathy Shea held a follow-up session with eighth-graders who recently attended Eighth-grade College Exploration Day at Peninsula College. She reports, “We had a wonderful talk with the students that experienced this inaugural event. The student shared that it felt like a commercial spot for college.
“They said they felt as though they need to start working right now in order to go to college. The biggest impact they discussed was how expensive college is! Thanks to all those who helped put this field trip event together!”
To put their feedback in quantitative terms, each student was asked to fill out a survey form. With 45 respondents, on a scale of 0 to 5, students rated the organization of the trip on an average of 4.4. Using the same rating scale, students said the trip inspired them to want to go to college on an average of 4.2.
Here are some students’ comments:
Isabel Gallegos said, “Visiting the Peninsula College campus showed me what they do there and what college does for you. Now I can see it in my head.”
Mike Bettiga added, “What was talked about made me realize about the money part of college!”
Sara Minty said, “The experience gave me a different outlook and a focus. Now I know that lots of effort and money will be needed.”
Adam Awawda declared, “This field trip encouraged me to go to college. I want to go now!”
The City of Sequim is sponsoring an art contest for all Sequim students in grades 6-8.
The contest challenge is to create an original depiction of the theme “What Sequim Means to Me” by drawing, painting or sketching on an 8.5-inch by 11-inch piece of paper. Computer-generated graphics also are acceptable.
Deadline for entry is June 10.
Entry forms can be found in the middle school office or on the district website at www.sequim.k12.wa.us, then click on 2016 Middle School Student Art Contest entry form under Announcements.
SEQUIM HIGH SCHOOL
Steve Mahitka, agricultural sciences teacher, FFA advisor and Career Technology Education director, wants to get the word out that the annual Sequim High Spring Plant Sale will occur Wednesday, May 4, from noon-5:30 p.m.; Thursday, May 5, from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Friday, May 6, from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; and Saturday, May 7, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the greenhouse.
Monday, May 9, is a DEN day. Graduation orders will be distributed to seniors at that time.
Jake Reichner’s Associated Placement Art students took first place in the “Best of Group Doors” category with their entry in the Habitat for Humanity’s painted door event in April.
