THE CHALKBOARD: Super heroes and beach visits

Super heroes were out in full force at Meadow School in the Waugh District for the start of school.|

Super heroes were out in full force at Meadow School in the Waugh District for the start of school. This year school’s theme is “Super Heroes” in honor of alumnus CJ Banasek. CJ battled his illness while attending Meadow and passed away this summer. “Our Orange Army has learned much from him, and we plan on keeping his super hero spirit alive by spending time developing our own super hero powers that can do good in our school, our community and in the world,” said principal Melissa Becker. “Meadow students are encouraged to come to school each day with a super hero brain and heart and spend the year learning about strong character traits that make each of us a true hero. Most real-life heroes don’t wear capes, so we will be inviting local super heroes to our school to celebrate their contributions and prompt us to think about traits that make someone a hero to those around them.”

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Dunham Elementary School has its own super hero in Ty O’Donnel. This weekend, former Dunham student O’Donnel completed the first stage of his Eagle Scout community service project. The Dunham campus now has four new raised bed planter boxes. This coming weekend, Ty will finish up his project when he delivers fresh soil for the boxes and repairs the border between the garden and the blacktop. Congratulations on a job well done.

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New principal Fran Hansell at Mary Collins School at Cherry Valley reports students just celebrated the annual, fun-filled Beach Day at Dillon Beach. The campus/community event saw more than 400 students playing in the sand, making human compasses and bonding with one another. It was a great day all around. Parents, family members and staff connected as safety patrol and supervision captains at the event.

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Hansell also shares Cherry Valley’s theme for this learning year is “Reconnect and Rediscover,” which was recently highlighted as the theme for the staff retreat. Other news from the campus includes the update that kindergarten and first-grade students are learning about all things “10,” while the current fourth-fifth-grade class is sharing collaborative art projects. Some students are even playing their flutes in the school garden for all to enjoy.

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Harvest Christian School is celebrating its 10th year as school beginning this week. Harvest has grown since its inception in 2005 with 27 students in kindergarten through fifth grades with three teachers and two administrative staff members to 150 students in kindergarten through eighth grades with 12 teachers, four teacher aides and four administrative staff members. Harvest has plans to start a high school, announced school contact Kerri Petersen. For more information on Harvest, visit the school’s website at harvestpetaluma.org.

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The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition’s certified safety instructors are hosting a fun and free workshop for parents and their kids on bicycle safety just in time for the start of school. The event in Petaluma takes place this Saturday. Children must be able to ride a bike and be ready to take the road with their parents (recommended age is 9 and up with no training wheels). The first half of the workshop takes place on a blacktop where both parents and kids receive instruction and practice skill/safety drills. The second half is a supervised, instructional family bicycle ride. Participants must bring a functional bicycle and helmet. Kids who complete the workshop receive a free blinking light. This workshop takes place from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Lucchesi Park. Register early at bikesonoma.org because space is limited.

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Petaluma and Kenilworth junior high school parents are reminded that all eighth-grade students will be using Chromebooks as part of their curriculum for this school year. One parent/guardian for each eighth-grade student must attend a training meeting before any Chromebooks can be issued. Please contact your campus for the next planned parent meeting.

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Be sure to mark your calendar. Kenilworth Junior High is hosting its campus Back to School Night today, Aug. 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. Many schools will be sending home notices about these important parent meetings, so keep an eye for your school’s announcement with specific dates and times.

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

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