@SequimSchools — May 11, 2022

May 11, 2022 1:30 am
Photos by Henry N. Smith Betsy Smith, reading specialist at Helen Haller Elementary School, helps students River Baker Hendrickson, left, and Jaxon Strait use the online Reading Success with Fluency program during after-school Star Reader Club time.
Photos by Henry N. Smith Betsy Smith, reading specialist at Helen Haller Elementary School, helps students River Baker Hendrickson, left, and Jaxon Strait use the online Reading Success with Fluency program during after-school Star Reader Club time.

DISTRICT

The next Sequim School Board Directors meeting is set for 6 p.m. Monday, May 23. See sequimschools.org/School_Board for more information.

There is no school on Friday, May 13 (scheduled snow make-up day).

The historic two-story Sequim School District office building originally built in 1922, will now see an addition of an elevator to the west side of the building, located near the Sequim High School auditorium. Why is school ADA compliance necessary? All buildings open to the public are required to meet guidelines set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It is especially important that schools provide equitable access to students, staff and visitors to allow the same opportunities with the full use of our buildings. It also helps foster an environment of inclusiveness to create a warm and welcoming school for all. The project is set to be completed in the 2022-2023 school year.

GREYWOLF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Stay connected with weekly family Greywolf news online at gwe.sequimschools.org.

HELEN HALLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Thanks to a teacher grant from Sequim Education Foundation entitled “Reading Success with Fluency,” second- and third-graders at Helen Haller Elementary are becoming more proficient readers.

The grant enables Helen Haller reading specialist Betsy Smith to purchase the online fluency reading program, Read Naturally Live. Students access the program while participating in Mrs. Smith’s after-school Star Reader Club, as well as during the school day. The program visually charts a student’s improvement in fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, which in turn increases the student’s level of motivation and pride.

“Reading Success with Fluency” was not fully implemented over the last year because of COVID; however, the Sequim Education Foundation has generously agreed to extend the original grant through the coming school year. The teachers, staff and students of Helen Haller Elementary School send a great big “thank you” to the Sequim Education Foundation.

Third-graders in Emily Ellefson’s class learned about the seamstresses who made the spacesuits for the Apollo 11 Mission in 1969. They were able to test their own skills by cutting and stitching astronaut helmets. Way to go, Astronauts!

Fifth-grade students in Saxon Holt’s class have begun an exciting new unit in their language arts curriculum. It’s all about chemicals and matter. They learn about chemical properties and changes in matter through the study of dinosaur fossils in the badlands. To kick off the unit, students studied the rock layers evident in the badlands and then used watercolor paints to depict the scene from their story.

SEQUIM MIDDLE SCHOOL

Upcoming SMS track meets are set for May 11 in Forks and May 18 in Port Angeles, the league championship meet.

SEQUIM HIGH SCHOOL

Sequim Graduation Party tickets are $30 each and will be on sale during both lunches in front of the cafeteria on May 24 and June 7.

Seniors: The deadline to get your college and scholarship information to Mitzi Sanders is Friday, May 13. Have your information to be included in the SHS Class of 2022 graduation program, scholarship presentation and the newspapers.

Photo by Henry N. Smith At left, paradeucator Jan Webb helps second-grader Miao Li use the online Reading Success with Fluency program.

Photo by Henry N. Smith At left, paradeucator Jan Webb helps second-grader Miao Li use the online Reading Success with Fluency program.

Submitted photo Students in Emily Ellefson’s third grade class at Helen Haller Elementary School pose in their astronaut helmets.

Submitted photo Students in Emily Ellefson’s third grade class at Helen Haller Elementary School pose in their astronaut helmets.

Submitted photo Fifth-graders in Saxon Holt’s class are studying Native Americans of different regions, and last week they studied the Arctic region. These prints were done as block-print technique using Styrofoam boards and carving into them the arctic bird design each student chose. Students then used water-color markers and transferred the prints onto wet watercolor paper that was purchased with a grant from the Sequim Education foundation two years ago.

Submitted photo Fifth-graders in Saxon Holt’s class are studying Native Americans of different regions, and last week they studied the Arctic region. These prints were done as block-print technique using Styrofoam boards and carving into them the arctic bird design each student chose. Students then used water-color markers and transferred the prints onto wet watercolor paper that was purchased with a grant from the Sequim Education foundation two years ago.