Happy Valley Hornet - Happy Valley Elementary School

A Happy Valley PTA Publication
Happy Valley Hornet
February 2011
Happy Valley 2011 Science Fair
Friday, February 25
th
Now that sign-up forms have been turned in, all participants
should be working away at what are sure to be great projects for
the Science Fair. Students should also practice presenting their
projects using the rubric form that will be sent home with their
project boards. All Happy Valley families are invited to come and
view the fair Friday night.
February 21st
Bring projects to your classroom
February 25th
SCIENCE FAIR
9:45 - Noon Students present their projects to feedback
teams
Noon—3:30 Classes visit the fair
6:00
7:00
Fair open for viewing (Gym) all students must be
accompanied by an adult for the evening
events
Recognition Ceremony (Cafeteria)
All participants will receive an award in one of three categories: outstanding presentation, outstanding effort and outstanding research
As usual we can always use volunteers, so if you are available to
help out or have any questions please contact Greg McCracken
at [email protected] or 647-8990.
Kick off Assembly for Science Fair
Issue 28, Volume 5
Special points
of interest:
 Feb 18th—21st:
Mid Winter Break
 Feb 21st: Presidents Day
 Feb 25th: Science
Fair Open House
and Recognition
Ceremony
Inside this issue:
Principal’s
Message
2
President’s
Message
3
From Around
the School
4-5
School News
and Events
6—7
Calendar
8
Page 2
Issue 28, Volume 5
Principal’s Message
Dear Families,
Martin Luther King Day on January 17th, 2011 is a date that I will always
remember. This was not just a day of no school, no snow and almost no
rain; it was a day when three community groups joined forces to create
the Happy Valley School Community Garden. I don’t know when I have
ever felt more proud to be a part of this wonderful community, watching
students work alongside staff, members of our neighborhood, and a
young committed AmeriCorps crew . It made me realize once again that
when we all work together anything is possible. Between the morning
and afternoon work groups, over 100 volunteers signed in to help out,
and this energetic group of hard workers spanned four generations!
There was a true feeling of community as we worked together to lay
cardboard and bark for mulch, build the raised beds and fill them with
soil. Thank you to these businesses and individuals who donated
items which helped to make this year’s MLK Day of Service so successful:
Food for the hungry work crew:
Mt. Bakery, The Grace Café, Rocket Donuts, The Market at Fairhaven, Sehome Starbucks, Grocery
Outlet, Pizza
Time, Pizza Pipeline, Bellingham Food Co-op
Other project donations:
Happy Valley PTA, The Country Store, Bellingham School District, Herb Barker, City Arborist James
Luce, WWU
Recycle Center, Overhead Door, Parberry’s Northwest Recycling, Nooksack Salmon
Enhancement Association, Costco
Teachers have already begun the work of looking at The New Washington State Science Standards and
creating plans for how they will utilize the garden as ―a hands on environmental science kit‖. I have enjoyed
watching the numerous field trips to the garden; students have been measuring, looking at environmental
factors and beginning to think about what and when to plant. In the bus line I have heard many conversations about whether we should grow lettuce, watermelon, carrots and what about bananas? I can already
see many opportunities for learning coming from our garden.
A huge thank you to our families, The Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) crew, and the Happy Valley
Neighborhood Association for helping to make Happy Valley’s dream a reality. If you have an interest in volunteering to help keep our garden ―alive‖ or if you have an interest in helping to research grants or ideas for
adding a sign, a garden shed or perhaps gardening tools, please call the office at 676-6420.
Karen Tolliver
Happy Valley Hornet
Page 3
President’s Message
Dear Families,
There is SO much going on in the world of the PTA right now! For starters, it’s time to think
about next year, 2011-2012! We must find board members and committee chairs to ensure the
programs our kids enjoy so much will continue seamlessly. Openings include two Presidents, a
Record-Keeping Treasurer, a Secretary, and a Vice President of Membership. Does your child
enjoy the science fair? Our science fair chair is graduating from Happy Valley and would love to
pass on his wisdom to another parent to continue this great tradition! Do you find the student directory useful? The ladies who have put this together the past few years will be moving on as
well. Please let me know if you are interested in any of the above positions or could help in any
capacity. Our programs only work because our families put forth the time and effort to make
things happen!
Have you noticed the raised beds behind the fence beyond the bike racks to
the left of the portables? This is our Community Science Garden, built with
the help of the Happy Valley Neighborhood Association and Americorps volunteers in addition to Happy Valley students, parents, and staff. My third
grader has already been out there learning some hands-on science lessons.
This is so exciting!
Coming up, we have the Science Fair at the end of this month, the Used Book Sale in March, and
the Sock Hop in May. And of course the MUSICAL, “School House Rock”, which is going to be
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!
Please make sure you contact any of the board members to give input or ask questions about PTA
stuff. We are happy to listen! Remember you are WELCOME to attend the
monthly PTA meetings, held on the first Friday of each month at 9:30 AM in
portable D. The latest minutes hang on the bulletin board in the front hallway.
Tonya Lockman
Greg McCracken
Co-Presidents
Washington Language Proficiency Test
The Washington Language Proficiency Test I ( WLPT-II) is an annual measure of
progress in English Language Development (ELD). All students who are part of the
State Transitional Bilingual Instructional Program are required by state law to be
tested annually.
The testing window is from February 7th to March 11th. This year the test dates for
Happy Valley are Feb. 28 through March 4. The test includes questions in each of
the four language areas: listening , speaking, reading and writing. Students who
were waived from the program after 2009 will also be tested.
Free breakfast will be available to all students on the day they are taking the test.
Page 4
Issue 28, Volume 5
From Around the School...
Mrs. Knight’s 2nd Grade Class gets Inspired
by Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream”
I Have a Dream
My Dream for Animals
By Isabel Carpenter
By Jordan Baron
I dream of a world were all people have a nice warm
home to be safe from BIG animals. Their houses
need to be big and blind people can have dogs to
guide while going places. The homes have bedrooms
and beds to sleep in every night. That is my big
dream!
I dream of a world where every animal
has a loving, warm home. Where no
animals are neglected in any way.
Where they can sit by the fire and be
adored by children all over the world! Or
maybe be a classroom pet or just a plain
old house pet! Because every animal
deserves a good home!
Clean Water to Drink
I Have a Dream of…
By Hazel Stoyka
By Jake Ortega
I dream of a world with
clean water that everybody
can drink from. Right now
some people don't have
any clean water to drink.
First if you want to help,
you can try not to use too
much water. Second, give
away some water. Third,
don't dump sodas and
other drinks in lakes, seas,
and other waters. That’s
what you can do to help
people who don't have
water to drink.
I dream of a world where
everything is fair. Some
people in the world have
thousands of dollars and
some only have a little bit
of money. Some people
only have a tent to live in
and some people have
humongous houses to live
in. Some people have lots
of equipment to do lots of
fun things while some people have no equipment at
all. That is why things
should be fair.
I Have a Dream
By Rhea Randhawa
I dream of a world where everyone has an education. Where
people learn the alphabet, reading, and writing. So some of
them can go to Harvard, yale
and all of the awesome schools.
You might even get scholarships
to Yale or Harvard. It doesn't
matter both of them are fantastic.
I dream of a world where everyone has an education.
Water for the World
By Camren Burton
I dream of a world that has clean, shinny
waters. All fish especially guppies, gold
fish, and tiger-striped fish should have
clean water. What can you do??? When
you go swimming, don't throw litter into
the lake or don't drop bags into the
street! The next day it might blow into the
ocean with some crumbs in the bag and
it could affect the ocean A LOT! That’s
what you can do to help with world.
I Have a Dream
By Avery Fisher
I have a dream of a
world where everyone is friends. Where
there is no war or
fighting where everyone can be peaceful
and kind to one another whether black
or white. That is my
dream for the world.
All About Peace
By Emily Ma
I dream of a world that has peace. I
don't want anyone to fight. It will be
really sad if people are in a war, because you might die. Some people
in their family would be sad. I also
want all people to be nice to their
friends! I also want all people to be
peaceful to others. That’s why I like
peace.
Happy Valley Hornet
Page 5
From Around the School...
WHERE DOES THE FUN RUN MONEY GO??????
2
Last month I wrote about Teacher Grants, the largest PTA expense paid by our Fun Run income. Now
it’s Art Literacy, costing $3,300 for labor and materials.
You know those art classes with Mrs. Chue your student attends during the school day? They are NOT
part of the Bellingham School District’s regular curriculum. This is an amazing program unique to
Happy Valley. Years before my time here, someone really smart got together with Mrs. Chue to design and implement an Art Literacy program. Mrs. Chue, who is a professional artist when she’s not supervising our kids on the
playground, designs the lessons and coordinates with classroom teachers so all of our students can learn about visual
arts. I love to walk down the hallway and see Picasso inspired pictures. I love that my kids are learning about great
artists and how to use some of their techniques. This program does rely on parent support to assist with preparation
and implementation, and Mrs. Chue welcomes help!
This program is made possible by Fun Run income and is a great example of a program which benefits each and
every student at Happy Valley. Thank you for your continued support!
DONATIONS FROM THE MARKET AT FAIRHAVEN
(Formerly known as the Food Pavillion)
The Happy Valley PTA just received a check for $238 from the Market at Fairhaven, bringing the total for this year
to $751!! This is our share of their Fairhaven Good Neighbors Program, in which customers “vote” with their receipts for the local organization of their choice to receive a donation. When you spend $20 or more, you receive an
additional register receipt to drop into a donation box slot against the west wall. Drop your receipt into Happy Valley Elementary PTA’s box and we will continue to receive some great checks! The Happy Valley PTA gives our
sincere thanks to the Market at Fairhaven for their generous support.
I Dream of a World
By Jack Francis
I dream of a world where all people have shelter. No one
has weapons. Everything is fair. Everyone has a family.
Everyone has clean water. Everyone is healthy. Everyone
has friends. That’s my dream!
World Peace
By Robert Bailey
I dream of a world where there is no hate and no weapons.
No crime and no fear and no bad people in the world. No
people would go to jail because all people were nice to others. There would be no street crime in the world. There
would only be world peace, because all black and white
people can work together all be nice. I dream of a world
where all people together to stop hating.
Everyone Has Someone Who Cares
About Them
By Lowen Henoch
I dream of a world that everyone has
people who care about them. I think
everyone in the world should have
someone who cares about them. I
think everyone should care for one
another if they get hurt or if they don't
have someone to play with. You can
always do something awesome with a
friend or a family member. Everyone
should care about each other.
My Dream Is…
By Delano Cao
I dream of a world where world peace is everywhere. Peace for animals. People for people. Peace for me, you and everyone. Let your life be filled with peace not with hate. Be
peaceful to animals, only eat fruit. What can you do? You can protect endangered animals everywhere. You can also help the homeless, starving, and sick. You can do all
these to make my dream for peace come true.
Page 6
Issue 28, Volume 5
School News and Events Cont’d...
Heads up for Head Lice
Head lice is a condition that is common to many school children so it’s a good idea
to regularly check your child’s head especially if their head is itching. For best visibility inspect the hair close to the scalp in good light near a window or with a magnification lamp.
Here’s some quick facts and information about this pesky critter:
Anyone with clean or dirty hair can get head lice
Itchy scalp is the most common symptom of having head lice and symptoms
may continue after treatment
Lice need human blood to live and will die within 24-48 hours if they can’t get a
blood meal
Nits (eggs) will hatch in about 7 days
Lice treatment products help kill and remove lice but you still must physically remove lice and nits by combing or picking them out
Don’t panic or re-treat if you see live lice after treatment – remove any lice you
find
For Treatment: Follow directions of over-the-counter or prescription medication
used. Do Not Use a crème rinse, combination shampoo/condition or condition before using lice medication. Do not re-wash hair for 1-2 days after the lice medicine
is removed. Nit combs should be used to comb nits and lice from the hair shaft. After treatment check the hair and comb to remove nits and lice every 2-3 days. Continue to check for 2-3 weeks to be sure all lice and nits are gone.
Most shampoos require retreatment in 7-10 days. Follow directions on packaging.
More information about head lice and treatment can be found on the BSD website
at www.bsdnet.org/department/student-health or www.cdc.gov/lice .
PLEASE CLAIM YOUR
LOST ITEMS
There are a lot of great coats,
sweaters and sweatshirts in the Lost
and Found area in the cafeteria.
Stop by and see what great things
you can recover for your Happy Valley students. There are also lunch
boxes, gloves, hats, and boots, etc.
BAKE SALE
Mountain School 2011 is kicking off
fund raising efforts with a bake sale at
the Science Fair. Bring some cash for
treats! If you want to contribute a baked
good, contact
[email protected] or
[email protected].
Details forthcoming via
room coordinators.
Happy Valley Hornet
Page 7
School News and Events Cont’d...
SCRIP is GREAT!!!
Here's how it works:
What stores are participating in
SCRIP this year?
1) The PTA buys gift cards in bulk at a discount from great stores such as Fred Meyer,
The Market, Haggens, and Pizzazza Pizza
• Fred Meyer (5% to Happy Valley)
2) You buy a gift card from the PTA for face
value (ex- buy a $50 gift card for $50) for a
store you will be shopping at anyway; we all
need to feed our families!
• Haggen (10% to Happy Valley)
• The Market at Fairhaven / Cost Cutter (5% to
Happy Valley)
• Pizzaʼzza Pizza (20% to Happy Valley)
• Woodʼs Coffee (7% to Happy Valley)
• Launching Success (10% to Happy Valley) -
How do I purchase SCRIP cards?
3) The PTA gets a profit of 5, 10, or 15 percent
You can purchase SCRIP Cards by stopping bt
depending on the store.
the Happy Valley front office Monday - Friday –
theyʼll have cards available all year!
4) Our kids benefit from fun PTA programs
such as assemblies, field trips, art classes, and Questions, call Michele McNamee at 647-6020
or email at [email protected]
the science fair!
REMINDER
Please help keep our children safe as well as passing
pedestrians by not double parking on 24th behind
parked cars. It gives the opportunity to allow small
children to run among cars, making it hard to see
them. It also has caused a lot of congestion on 24th
st. Please keep this in mind when picking up your
children.
The next HARVEST OF THE MONTH
school lunch will be on February
16th. The cafeteria will serve
roasted chicken drumstick, cornbread, and green beans. These special lunches incorporate locally produced food and will happen the third
Wednesday of each month. This is a
great chance for your kids to eat
fresh, new foods and to encourage
healthy choices!
Page 8
Issue 28, Volume 5
The Happy Valley Hornet is the published
communication to the Happy Valley school
community. Sponsored by the Happy Valley
PTA, its purpose is to promote and provide
information related to our PTA, our school
and the district. Our thanks to those who
took time to contribute to this issue!
Happy Valley PTA Officers
Co-Presidents:
Tonya Lockman
[email protected]
Greg McCracken
[email protected]
Co-Vice Presidents:
Carolina Olza-Kelsh
[email protected]
(Membership)
Hornet Contact Information:
Rachel Williams
Coordinator: Jessie Burton
(Fundraising)
Contact: [email protected]
Co-treasurers:
[email protected]
Jackie Reed [email protected]
Photographer:
(Record Keeping)
Greg McCracken
Jen MacGregor
Contact: [email protected]
[email protected]
(Check Writing)
Secretary:
Samantha Faris
[email protected]
February 2011
TUESDAY
MONDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
1
2
3
4
9:30 PTA Meeting
7
8
9
10
11
14
15
16
17
18 NO SCHOOL
MID WINTER
BREAK
21 NO SCHOOL
Presidents Day
22
23
24
7:00 pm School
Board Meeting
25
6:00 pm Science
Fair Open House
28
March 2011
1
2
3
4
9:30 PTA Meeting