DISTRICT
• Don’t miss the birds of prey presentation from 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, in the Sequim High School cafeteria. See live hawks and owls and learn how the Northwest Raptor Center brings injured animals back to health. Presented as part of the Dungeness River Festival by the Dungeness River Audubon Center, in cooperation with the Northwest Raptor Center. Donations to the Raptor Center will be welcomed.
• Sequim student ambassadors participated in a walk-a-thon fundraising event on Sunday, Sept. 12, at Railroad Bridge Park. They walked between Railroad Bridge Park and Robin Hill Farm and back to raise money for their air- and land-tour costs of $2,296 each. They need an additional $200 for food and incidentals during the tour portion of their trip to Sequim’s sister city of Shiso, Japan. After their tour of Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Himeji, students will spend four days in Shiso at the homes of the Japanese students that they host here early in October. The students will leave for Japan on Oct. 28. Before then, they will sponsor a spaghetti dinner as one last fundraising event. Details will follow on the spaghetti dinner.
The Sequim student ambassadors host 14 students and three chaperones from Shiso from Oct. 1-5. This is an annual educational exchange that dates back to 1995.
From Oct. 1-3, the mayor of Shiso, three city officials and four citizens also will be visiting Sequim.
– Karen L. Junell, Title 1/LAP/ELL program specialist, Sequim-Shiso Sister City Association education chairman
GREYWOLF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Susan Gellor’s fifth-graders have begun the practice of "Service Before Self." We have 16 escorts who go to the kindergarten classes three times each day to help Patty Sullivan and Bethanie Robbins get children to and from the buses. They are invaluable helpers and take their jobs very seriously. Even when there have been tears, these student volunteers have been kind and helpful, making sure kindergartners get to school and home again safely. Greywolf is very proud of Lindsey North, Haelee Andres, Hannah Davis, Bailey King, Jessica Lato, Jeff Robotkay, Charlie Prosser, Cameron Dunning, Kriatiana Haynes, Hunter Davidson, Dakota King, Jayse Hagar, Hannah O’Leary, Jack VanSant, Aylee Bennett and Adriana Torres Janssen.
– Tricia Stratton, secretary
HELEN HALLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
• Students in Ione Marcy’s first-grade class were given a survey of their interests. One of the questions asked, "Where is your favorite place to go to and why?" Here are some responses:
Kiki Ersland – I like to go to my Nana’s house, ’cause there are kittens.
Caleb Liebert – Silverwood Theme Park, because I like the rides and the water.
Zoe Moore – The zoo, because of the giraffes, zebras, sharks and sea otters.
Ethan Knight – Great Wolf Lodge and Wild Waves, because I love playing in the wave pool with my dad and brother.
Sophie Sanders – Applebee’s, because it’s cool.
Jackson Van De Wege – On a charter boat, because I get to spend time with my dad.
Samantha Gonzalez – McDonald’s, because it has good food.
Dominic Riccobene – I like to go to the Water Park in Lake Chelan, because it’s fun to play in water and go down slides.
Michelle Hagberg – The swimming pool, because I love to swim.
Payton Egnew – Disneyland, because of the rides and characters.
Robert Streck – The park and school and playground.
Ethan Hunnicut – The park, because it is fun to play on the stuff.
Aaron Gaylord – To go to Applebee’s and to the beach to see the pier.
Cody Hendershot – I like watching rodeos and going to Great Wolf Lodge.
David Ayala – School, because you get to play outside and eat and learn and read stories.
Isabella Cruz – The park, because of all the things to play on.
Madison Fox – Applebee’s, because I want to, and you can pick your milkshake flavor.
Ty Coone – Wild Waves, because of all the big waves, and I can surf them.
Tyler Rice – California, because my mom’s sister lives there, and you can play in the pools and play football.
• Marsha Omdal, Haller librarian, has organized a reading tutor training session for Helen Haller reading volunteers for 3:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30, in the Haller library. It should last an hour. Volunteers are encouraged to come by the school and pick up volunteer registration forms any time before the training or forms can be printed off the school district website.
Parents, please note second-grade parent night is at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, in classrooms.
– Debbie Buchillo, secretary
SEQUIM MIDDLE SCHOOL
• Report by Riesa Sumida, ASB public relations officer:
The first day of school at Sequim Middle School was indescribable. All of Town Center glowed with 780 yellow paper stars. The ASB officers and Ms. Karapostoles worked for hours making stars for each student and staff member and a huge poster that announced "SMS" Shining Stars!
Everyone had fun trying to find their star. It was like a mixture of happiness and excitement! You could see kids running up to their friends, hugging them left and right like they hadn’t seen each other in years. All around, you could see WEB leaders in their purple WEB shirts helping the sixth-graders and some of the new kids to find their classes. At the end of the day, guys and girls crowded into the locker rooms to get ready for cross -country, volleyball and football tryouts to start.
Mikey Cobb, ASB president, Miguel Moroles, ASB vice president, Brandon Fulmer, ASB secretary, Victoria Cummins, ASB treasurer, and I, the public relations officer, went each period to Mrs. Williams and Mrs. MacDonald’s sixth-grade language arts classes to hand out the welcome gifts that the ASB council and their advisors helped make. Each period, two of the ASB officers would go to each classroom and hand out the gifts to all of the students. The welcoming gifts were boxes of crayons with a label on them that said "Welcome to the Timberwolf Pack. Use every color in the box while you are at SMS."
The ASB is so excited about the upcoming months and all the activities they have planned already. Soon the first-period classes will be electing representatives and alternates to help organize and run the fun events we have on the calendar, including spirit days and harvest festival.
The annual magazine sales drive begins Sept. 28. This fundraiser supports athletic teams and extracurricular activities, including harvest festival, cocoa mornings, movie nights, school dances and skate parties. Community support is greatly appreciated.
The first volleyball game is at Chimacum on Sept. 27. The kickoff football game is Sept. 29 at Chimacum, and the first cross country meet is Sept. 29 at Stevens Middle School. Please join us in cheering on our Sequim Middle School Timberwolf athletes.
– Caity Karapostoles, ASB advisor/secretary
SEQUIM COMMUNITY SCHOOL
First Teacher:
Friday, Sept. 24 – Traffic Safety Day from 10 a.m.-noon. Learn about traffic safety with volunteers from the Sequim Police Department and the fire department, as well as Happy Tymer clowns.
Monday, Sept. 27 – Reading Time with guest reader Karla Morgan at 10:30 a.m. Every child attending Reading Time receives a free book.
Tuesday, Sept. 28 – WIC (Women, Infants and Children). For more information about the WIC program, contact Pam Walker at 417-2275.
First Teacher is in 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. Drop in times each Monday and Friday are from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. 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 Chase Hill, Vista volunteer
SEQUIM HIGH SCHOOL
Senior parent night begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28, in the school library. Timelines and checklists of important
events that seniors need to know about will be reviewed. The night is designed for both seniors and their parents.
– Lora Millet, secretary
