Read Across America Celebrated

A S T O R I A S C H O O L

D I S T R I C T

W W W . A S T O R I A . K 1 2 . O R . U S Astoria Schools M A R C H , 2 0 1 6

C O M I N G

U P I N O U R

S C H O O L S

March 21—25 Spring Vacation No School

April 1 Astor Spirit Day

April 12 LC Fultano’s Night

April 14 End of 3rd Quarter

April 15 Teacher Workday No School

The Astoria High School Band traveled to the district band competition to put their talents to the test against bands from Seaside, Warrenton, Jewell, St. Helens and Banks. During the competition, the AHS band scored a 74, 73, and 61, which were the highest scores in recent years. The

minimum number for admittance to the State Competition is a 70. The band now awaits for the final selection process for the state competition.

During the first week of March, Astor Elementary students and staff celebrated Read Across America. Each grade level participated in various activities such as book walks, guest readers, wear red and white, read a shirt day and buddy reading. Students from the AMS leadership class pitched in to help us celebrate by volunteering to come and read stories to our first grade classes. It was a really fun week of activities that got everyone reading more.

Band Hits a High Note at Districts

P A G E 2

Changing Lives with Dramatic Lessons

Kindergarten Round Up

Astor will host a

Kindergarten

Round Up on

April 21st.

Students and

families will be able

to register for

kindergarten, tour

the school, ride a

bus, and meet our

staff.

If you have a child

who will be the age

of 5 previous to

September 1st,

please come and

share in this event.

Call the school for

details and times.

On February 11th and 12th, Seniors Marissa McGuire, Zander Arnold, and Bronson Holthusen facilitated the “Every 15 Minutes” aware-ness program addressing the risks of Drunk and Distracted Driving.

Over 40 students directly par-ticipated in the reenactment in front of the school, filming

of the video, and the all school assembly.

The community outreach was impressive. During the course of the program, students partnered with Medix, the Clatsop County Courthouse, the Astoria Police Department, Astoria Fire Department, Caldwell Mortuary, Classics Tow-ing, Clatsop County Sheriff Department, and the State Police and many other community supporters.

The Lewis and Clark Parents Club

continue to raise funds for a new

playground for the school and have

recently received help from Fort

George and Dutch Bros.

In January Fort George hosted a

benefit night in which a portion of

pizza sales were donated to the

playground fund as well as a silent auction and raffle basket sales. In total

over $2,200 was raised from this event!

Then in February Dutch Bros hosted a proceeds day in which all drink pro-

ceeds were donated to the playground fund. A total of $1,100 was donat-

ed! Thank you to both Fort George and Dutch Bros for supporting Lewis and

Clark playground renovation.

We are getting closer to our goal, but can still use your help. Please contact

Sarah Lambert at sjlambert000@gmail.com for more information or to make

a donation.

Playground Gets Local Support

P A G E 3

For over 20 years, John Goodenberger has been

working with Lewis and Clark fifth graders teaching

them about architecture and engineering. Combining

form with function, each of the classes worked in

teams to build a bridge that was not only aesthetic

but could withstand a pile of books.

The Shadow Wing

team from Ms. Sund’s

class, shown here,

not only won the best

looking bridge, but

also took away the

crown for the strong-

est when it held up to

42 books.

100 Days and Counting Always looking for a way to tie real world events into math lessons, Kindergarten teachers at Astor made the 100th day of school into a special activity.

From hats with units of 10 adding up to 100, to candy beads, the kids worked on their math by counting out 100 in a variety of creative ways.

P A G E 4

Creating a Positive School Environment

A S T O R I A S C H O O L S

Lewis & Clark has implemented a student leadership Team initiative this year and it is really

exciting to see it in action. This month we want to highlight one particular team and that is the

Student PBIS Team. PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.

One of the foremost advances in school-wide discipline is the emphasis on school-wide sys-

tems of support that include proactive strategies for defining, teaching, and supporting appro-

priate student behaviors to create positive school environments. Instead of using a piecemeal

approach of individual behavioral management plans, a continuum of positive behavior sup-

port for all students within a school is implemented in areas including the classroom and non-

classroom settings (such as hallways, buses, and restrooms).

Our Student PBIS Team has been going through training with Mrs. Nunnemaker to gain an

understanding of their role in making our school a positive place to be. These teams will be

monitoring student behavior, talking to students about expectations, and rewarding positive

actions. This process will include specially colored Discovery Tickets that will be collected to

earn a reward activity once we reach 5000 tickets collected. It is fun to watch the growth in

students as they embrace leadership roles and make a real difference in our school.

32 AHS students attended the Cesar E. Chavez Leadership Conference hosted at Western Oregon University. At the

conference, students explored college and career opportunities, learned about social justice issues, and were given the

chance to connect with nearly 2000 Latino students from around Oregon.

P A G E 5

A S T O R I A S C H O O L S

AHS Teachers Unveil Writing Website

Astor Elementary participated in the Dental Sealant Program provided through the Oregon Health Authority. There were seventy-eight students screened. Sixty-one students received sealants. The value of the sealants provided totaled $7,070.45. The program found that twenty-one percent of children needed dental treatment due to active decay, infection, or injury.

Throughout the day on March 2nd and 3rd, AHS students visited the Columbia River Maritime Museum to study the presentation of the World War II Japanese memento flags. These flags were decorated with signatures of family and friends with well-wishes that could be carried into areas of combat. Students were asked to use their Smartphones to take pics of assigned WWII displays of their choosing. They will them add summary texts below each pic in slideshows and address prompts posed by their instructors. Students will then use Google Classroom platforms to share their presentations with their teachers and classmates. Students in HS English teacher Matt Love’s class, recently published their first edition of “Alternative Overcast.” Personal stories that were written from the heart and world perspectives from a teenage point of view make for a great read and insight into lives often overlooked.

The Astoria School Board and Astoria School Foundation will be sponsoring “A Tradition of Excellence.” The May 4th event will honor all staff members that have 10 or more years of service to the district and will also present awards for outstanding certified, classified and groups. You can nominate a teacher, staff member or group for the award by clicking on this link.

Astoria School District has an active Facebook page.

Please check us out at https://www.facebook.com/Astoria-School-District-362765341958/

Short and Sweet News

P A G E 6

Kindercamp Grant Boosts Experience

A S T O R I A S C H O O L S

Astoria School District has received a $22,000 grant from the Northwest Early Learning Council to implement Kindercamp in August 2016. Kindercamp is designed for Astoria School District students entering Kindergarten in September 2016 and will include providing an early learning opportunity, prior to Kindergarten entry, for children who have not had a formal pre-school experience. Kindercamp will run four days a week over a two week period in August. The program will include a licensed teacher, a school counselor to provide support, two instructional assistants, and a family engagement/literacy component. The program will take place at Astor Elementary. This is an opportunity for students entering Kindergarten to gain social and academic skills necessary to be ready for school. The mission of the Northwest Early Learning Council is to work collaboratively to support coordinated systems that are child-centered, family-friendly, culturally and linguistically appropriate, and community-based to meet the needs of the populations and communities of Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook Counties.

Last month, seven AHS students had the opportunity to climb aboard the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus when it

made it’s stop in Astoria. The students spent the day recording an original song and then made a video. You can check

out their creativity by visiting this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oq_DglCM9Y&feature=youtu.be