DISTRICT

All schools are on spring break through April 3. School resumes on Monday, April 6.

The next board meeting is at 6 p.m. Monday, April 6, 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.

HELEN HALLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Here are poems from Rachel Oden’s fifth-grade class they wrote about their lives:

Where I’m From by Raina O’Donnell

I’m from a place where the air smells like dumpsters, where a couch sits on a much-stained floor, where you can hear the highways rumble.

I’m from a screaming toddler, a rusty playground in our front yard, and a field covered in 3-foot grass.

I’m from where a “You can do it!” gets said, where a crazy dog barks constantly, and where adults are always going somewhere.

I’m from the smell of fried chicken crawling through the air, where “best friend” means loyalty, where everyone’s room is always clean.

I’m from a place where sunlight glows through windows, where the washing machine shakes the ground, and the cat is always hungry.

I’m from a place where butterfly pictures decorate the walls, where the television is always on, where family and friends are always over.

I’m from a place where everybody’s full, where kids play outside, and where homework is never finished.

I’m from a place where the sound of a bouncing basketball echoes, where the table is covered with papers, and where the birds are never chirping.

I’m from a place of love and loyalty.

I’m From by Chris Buckla

I’m from where a football gets thrown, shut ups get said, and water gets splashed

I’m from the house on the highway, where construction never ends, and the computer’s screen is shattered

I’m from where the wood is burned in a fireplace, Frisbees are thrown, and the TV never turns off

I’m from the saying, “You’re more beautiful than a double rainbow,” my family is all I need, and where the robins perch on my fence

I’m from Fridays with pepperoni pizza, a chest full of memories, and the best school ever.

I’m from the place with my friends, a baseball field in my backyard, and a bed to rest and dream in.

I’m from home.

Where I’m From by Kaylee Riley

I’m from a small, gentle creek outside my house, a wonderful, comforting mother cooking delicious meals on a starry night, a cute little strawberry patch itching me to eat them.

I’m from a bedroom where I sleep in comfort during a rattling thunderstorm, a saying of “Different strokes for different folks,” a chest full of scrapbooks with good childhood memories.

I’m from a yard of tweeting birds in the trees on a sunny Sunday morning. A boiling pot with the sweet aroma of Alaskan crab, a new trampoline, such a delight on a summer afternoon.

I’m from an orchard full of trees giving me apples on a brisk, foggy morning, two little toddlers running around using their imagination playing games, a grandma always having my back.

I’m from a patch of woods with lingering creatures, a wide sky stretched across the land until it hits the horizon, a house full of history going back 100 years ago.

I’m from home, not a house, but where my future lies ahead of me with my family waiting for me.

Where I’m From by Tyler Mooney

I am from a house of never-ending dirty laundry, a sister that never stops crying, and a neighborhood of old people.

I am from a house that has 13 pets which is way too many, a driveway that goes on for many miles, and a trampoline that almost never gets used.

I am from a house that has a view of the whole world, a family of many fishermen, a yard that has almost never been mowed.

I am from a family that loves basketball, where a yell gets thrown around, where sleep never happens.

I am from the best house ever.

Students are learning all about their hearts in PE class from teacher Robert Mendiola. He has been working with the students in discovering their pulse and understanding the cardiovascular and respiratory system, but most important, what a healthy heart can do for them. A healthy heart and lungs can increase muscle strength and muscular endurance, lessen fatigue, prevent illnesses and improve the thinking process.

A big Cougar Call-Out to HOME workout winners for February: Trinity Gaither, Violet Phillips, Sedona Rogers, Mayhsa Deol, Izaiah Alonzo, Shelby Haskins, Berlin Achterncamp and Andrew Crigler. In the HOME program, students take home an assignment card with a list of physical activities to be completed and parents sign off once the activities have been done.

Mendiola would like to thank the staff, students, and community for a warm Cougar Welcome and best wishes for a happy, healthy spring break!

Second-graders meet every Tuesday and Thursday after school in the Star Reader Club. These eager readers are working hard to improve their reading through poetry, reader’s theater and guided reading. They enjoy receiving Star Reader attendance rewards supplied by local businesses that include That Takes the Cake, Hurricane Coffee Company and Subway (in the Safeway Center). Reading teachers Debi Munro, Rhonda Cays and Betsy Smith are proud of these happy, inspiring reading stars!

GREYWOLF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The public is invited to attend upcoming performances by the Drama Club of “Sleeping Beauty” at 6 p.m. April 17-18 in the gym. The cast is comprised of 50 students and facilitated by teachers Shannon Green and Sheri Burke. Admission is free and performances are guaranteed to be heartwarming!

SEQUIM HIGH SCHOOL

Some leadership students participated in a stakeholders input session on March 24 with a representative from the superintendent search firm. When asked what students felt the next superintendent needs to accomplish, they responded that funding is needed for facility needs at the high school buildings. In talking about what they liked about their school, they commented on how caring the teaching staff is and how they enjoy being able to connect well with their teachers.

They like the small-town environment of Sequim, but they wish there were places to go where teenagers would have things to do.

About 70 band students and 10 parent chaperones traveled to Anaheim, Calif., on March 18-22 to participate in the Heritage Festival competition. Adjudication was held at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton and took place on March 21.

The concert band/wind ensemble was awarded a gold standard and took first place in the 1A category. The percussion ensemble earned a gold standard and was the only entry in their category. The color guard was awarded a gold standard and was the only group to compete in their category. The jazz band earned a silver standard, and took second place among 1A competing schools. Pianist Eric Anderson (a junior) won the Maestro award, given to only a few students for outstanding solo performances with an ensemble.

Ours was the only band from the Heritage Festival competitors to be selected to march in the Disneyland parade on March 20.

The band is under the direction of Vern Fosket. Nancy Reis is the instructor for the color guard.

The annual seniors-vs.-staff basketball game is at 7 p.m. April 8 in the gym. Admission is $5/adults, $3/students with an ASB card.