THE CHALKBOARD: Mary Collins at Cherry Valley students celebrate Halloween at the movies

Movies entertain and make students think.|

Mary Collins School at Cherry Valley is prepping for a festive Halloween with an early school-wide event. Students and their families will join school staff at the campus Family Movie Night at the end of this week to enjoy a showing of the hit film Hotel Transylvania. This school community gathering takes place on the back lawn behind the lodge to view the movie on the big screen. There will be popcorn, concessions and hot chocolate available for purchase. Cow milk donated by Clover and a dairy-free milk option will also be available. Happy Haunting, MCCV students.

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Also happening on the MCCV campus is Family Math Night in mid-November. Math games and activities for students of all ages will be offered at this creative learning event hosted by Sonoma State University Multiple Subject Credential Teacher Candidates. Sounds like a night that will add up to tons of fun.

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Rebecca Lofton, principal for San Antonio High School and Valley Oaks School was excited to share that San Antonio High School students attended the premiere of “The Hate U Give” at the Mill Valley Film Festival last week. Based on the bestselling young adult novel by Angie Thomas, director George Tillman, Jr.’s powerful drama addresses the topic of police brutality and root causes of racial inequity and injustice says Lofton. Both the director and the lead actress, Amandla Stenberg, were available to answer questions at the end of the film. Many of the students read the book last school year as part of their English coursework so they were very excited to have the opportunity to see the film before it opens nationwide. San Antonio students are grateful for this opportunity provided by the Film Festival.

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Grant School Shamrocks tied their laces tight and took off running at this year’s Grant School Jog-a-Thon. Students all decked out in festive school logo wear were cheered on by parents as they circled the track. New principal Amanda Grey reports, “It was a fun day with enthusiastic participation from our little Shamrocks,” It seems Grant Shamrocks like being on the move. Earlier this month, the students in third grade were learning about Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART). Students attended a presentation in the campus multipurpose room ahead of an upcoming field trip where they took a ride.

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Petaluma City Schools reports the final results for the 2018 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) showed that Petaluma City Schools continues to perform better than state and county averages in English language arts and mathematics. This year, the fourth cycle of CAASSP testing, just over 3,600 PCS students in grades third through eighth and 11th took the exams. “We are so proud of our students and staff for continuing to show academic gains despite all the challenges we faced last year,” says Gary Callahan, superintendent of schools. “The fires led to lost instructional time for all our students and staff. Every single student and staff member were emotionally impacted,” Callahan adds. “The CAASPP scores are important and included as one of the many ways we track individual student progress at school.”

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Also getting in on the jog-a-thon spirit are the McDowell Monarchs! Students at McDowell Elementary received a colorful stripe on their hand for each lap they completed.

The day before, members of the Santa Rosa Symphony’s string quintet visited the McDowell campus to perform. “We are loving being a part of the It’s Elementary music program offered by the Santa Rosa Also getting in on the jog-a-thon spirit are the McDowell Monarchs! Students at McDowell Elementary received a colorful stripe on their hand for each lap they completed.

The day before, members of the Santa Rosa Symphony,” shares principal Lauri Anderson. “It is bringing to life the pieces were have been studying in class.” According to the website (srsymphony.org)

It’s Elementary music immersion program is designed to support the partner schools in their efforts to integrate music into their curricula as encouraged by the California state Common Core practices curriculum.

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