New Look at Wilson School

Students at Wilson School are enjoying the first phase of the entire campus remodel started last summer. The campus has a new entrance, including a new front gate featuring a Wildcat, the school’s mascot. Fourth-grade teacher Gina Evenich reports students are using IPADs daily received from a Petaluma Educational Foundation (PEF) Impact Grant awarded last year. “My fourth graders are vigorously working with them daily, and on Fridays we do a fun activity called ‘Genius Hour.’ This is where the kids get to research and investigate what they want to learn. Then they present their findings to the entire class,” she explained. Evenich shared she is mirroring this idea after one used at Google, where they promote this activity among their employees.

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An engine and crew from the Petaluma Fire Department visited students at McDowell Elementary last Tuesday to show the third graders the fire truck’s equipment and teach students about fire safety. October is fire safety awareness month. During the presentation, students were encouraged to share the important safety reminders with their families and remind their parents about changing batteries on their fire alarms and establishing a family meeting spot in case of an emergency.

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Old Adobe Union school District Superintendent Jason Yamashiro reports the first two schools in OAUSD met their “Reading Challenge” and passed 15,000,000 words read, as verified by the Accelerated Reader system. Miwok Valley has a reading thermometer tracking progress out in front of campus to keep building excitement for this fun and beneficial challenge. The principal promised to do the ice bucket challenge as one of the rewards to show support of her hardworking students. This was the first of Yamashiro’s “Superintendent Challenges” in OAUSD. Each school that reaches its goal will get a $1,000 check from the district’s ASK Foundation for classroom libraries. “As a district we are over 50 millions words and counting,” says Yamashiro.

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The kindergarten class at St. Vincent Elementary School has been observing and investigating apples - including how apples grow. The students studied the well-known Johnny Appleseed story and enjoyed creating some special apple masterpieces. The children also had fun wearing paper pots on their heads and traveling around the school campus just like Johnny Appleseed did when he journeyed across America sharing apple seeds with everyone. The school’s open house takes place on Oct. 19 from 10 a.m. until noon. For more details, call 762-6426 or visit SVELEM.org.

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Dunham Elementary School fifth and sixth graders attended the Wells Fargo Center’s School House Rock presentation on Friday where they enjoyed the hit songs like “Conjunction Junction,” “Just a Bill,” “Interplanet Janet” and “Three is a Magic Number” from the former Saturday morning cartoon series. “This pop culture phenomenon that taught history, grammar, math and more explodes onto the stage with songs updated for a whole new generation,” according to wellsfargocenterarts.org.

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Students at Petaluma Junior High School are helping spread awareness about Breast Cancer Month by inviting all Bantams to be part of “Think Pink Fridays” where students are encouraged to wear pink each Friday through the end of the month.

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All Petaluma High School alumni are invited to “Come Home to Homecoming” announces Debi Richardson, PHS assistant principal.

The community is invited to join current Trojan student-body on Friday 17 as the school hosts its annual neighborhood parade with spectacular floats led by the school’s award-winning band. The fun all starts at 3:30 p.m. Official kick-off for the home field varsity game is 7 p.m. Halftime features selection of this year’s PHS Homecoming Queen and her court with a special presentation of PHS Alumni.

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International Walk and Roll to School Day was Oct. 8. Many schools around Petaluma participated. Grant Elementary School had a total of 91 students actively involved in the program. “Our student leadership team handed out pencils and stickers at the front of school and at the bike racks. We even ran out of room at the bike racks, shares principal Catina Haugen. Reports are even a teacher joined in the fun. Mrs. Kowta, Grant’s third-grade teacher, rode her bike to school.

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(Maureen Highland is a Petaluma mother and interim executive director for the Petaluma Educational Foundation. She can be reached at schools@argus courier.com)