THE CHALKBOARD: Students say thank you with Valentine’s cards

What’s happening in Petaluma-area schools.|

Love was in the air this week! Students from several campuses handmade and distributed special Valentine’s Day cards to some nonprofit organizations in town to brighten the day of their volunteers and people they serve. Elece Hempel, executive director of Petaluma People Services Center, shared how these sweet messages of kindness truly made their clients feel remembered on the traditional day of expressing love and affection. For the volunteers at Petaluma Educational Foundation’s Alphabet Soup Stores, the handmade student cards were a wonderful reminder of how much their gift of time volunteering at the two thrift stores means to local students and schools.

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Mr. Granger and Mrs. Belove’s sixth-graders at Valley Vista Elementary took their ROVs for a drive in the pool last week. After a month-long build complete with measuring and cutting PVC pipe, ballast tests and electrical wiring, student teams were ready for the swimming pool obstacle course. Team member roles included battery minder, tether organizer, driver and spotters, shared Belove. Granger donned his wetsuit to set up the hula-hoop and crate obstacle course and film the ROV action underwater. What an awesome experience for these Viking sixth-graders.

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Old Adobe Elementary School students have read more than 70 million words so far with the goal of reaching 100 million this year. “Part of getting kids excited about reading is providing them interesting and motivating books to read. Here at Old Adobe we have partnered with Copperfield’s Bookstore to bring outstanding reading material to the classrooms. Instead of having a staff meeting, all the teachers met at Copperfield’s to pick out books for their classroom libraries,” reports principal Jeff Williamson. The teachers selected books on kindness, gardening, making friends, research materials and a variety of grade-level chapter books. Both the teachers and students are very excited with all the additions to their classroom collections. Keep up the great work, Old Adobe Roadrunners.

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Grant Elementary School hosted the Lawrence Hall of Science’s Build It festival program last Friday. With the help of 15 fabulous adult volunteers (parents and Grant alumni) students had the opportunity to visit about a dozen hands-on activity stations. The room was filled with students who were constructing, designing, predicting, calculating, and discussing. Some stations involved constructing creations out of paper. Some of the activities were: Tessellations, Polyhedra, Fold, Fold and Form, Tangrams, Paper Dowel Structures and more. This program was made possible by support from the Grant School PTA.

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The Lend a Hand to Education grant program sponsored by the Rotary of Petaluma Valley and Petaluma Sunrise awarded Harvest Christian teachers five separate grants totaling $1,076. Mike Awtry, seventh-grade teacher, received a $135 grant to purchase items for his science class, including specimens (cow eyes, frogs) and dissection guides, plus a sheep pluck for viewing. Jake Aharonian, eighth-grade teacher, received a $241 grant for 20 Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus paperback books. Mrs. Gorin, second-grade teacher, received a $250 grant for a field trip to the Marin Museum to learn about the life and culture of Miwok Indians. Mrs. Orth, first-grade teacher, received a $250 grant for a field trip to a local working farm. Mrs. Meekins, kindergarten teacher, received a $200 grant for children’s classic books for the corner-reading nook. Kudos to both the Rotary organizations for the support and the Harvest teachers who were successful in submitting applications resulting in support for their school.

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Cinnabar Elementary is recognizing two teachers for their many years of service to the district. Last Friday, during the student assembly, Carol Yashar received a 30-year service crystal award and Deborah Waggoner received a 27-year service crystal award. “Cinnabar’s students, staff and families have benefited greatly from their dedication and longevity as teachers and district leaders,” shared Superintendent/Principal Tracie Kerns. The Cinnabar community also used the gathering to honor three first-grade students who have run the most miles at school as part of the ongoing 100+ Mile Running Club program. Michael Morgan, Kelsey Lehmann and Bryce Emschweiler have earned their way into the 100+ Mile Running Club, with each student earning a medal. The school’s running club is an important component of the campus health, wellness and fitness program. Next school year, thanks to a PEF Impact Grant awarded by the Petaluma Educational Foundation funded by the Petaluma Health Care District and St. Joseph Health, Cinnabar will expand its health and wellness program to include Healthy For Life curriculum across all grade levels.

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Petaluma Junior High School would like to thank the Petaluma firefighters, EMTs and other first responders who helped provide instruction to all of the seventh-graders in CPR, how to use an AED and what to do when someone is choking. The information and set of skills the students learned is invaluable and could be life saving. This is the third year in a row that the school has partnered with the city’s fire department and others in Sonoma County to bring the instruction to the students.

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Spaghetti and supporting students, what could be better? Members of the Lincoln School community invite all to join them at their upcoming Spaghetti Feed hosted by the Aquarium Food & Spirits on Feb. 23. Tickets, $12 for adults and $7 for children 12 and under, are available by calling 763-0045 or emailing Sdoyle@marinschools.org or Karynmari@att.net.

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

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