Opera house events; Panther News school newsletter

HOHS

The Harrington Opera House Society's rummage committee has announced a Super-Sized Rummage Fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The next event after that will be Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m., when Patrick Treadway will present "Memories with Mark Twain," a humorous one-man show crafted from Twain's own words and spirit. Treadway was trained at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and is an actor, puppeteer and visual artist. He has entertained in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene since 1988 and presented his "Memories with Mark Twain" show on a Mississippi riverboat this past summer. Admission will be by donation and the proceeds after expenses will benefit the Society.

News from the school

This section of the news comprises excerpts taken directly from the Panther News school newsletter. With it was a full-page sheet from the Harrington PTA which is holding its 8th Annual Harrington PTA Carnival on Oct. 25, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with games, photo booth, food, a cupcake walk, candy, a bounce house and face painting. It will be held in the school multi-purpose room, where pizza will be available from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for $3/slice or $4 with a side salad. "Don't forget to wear your costume!"

The Harrington PTA is also doing a membership drive "Calling all moms, dads, grandparents and community members!!! The PTA sponsors events and activities, donates money towards educational supplies for pre-school through 12th-grade students and is an important link between parents and our Harrington school. We also award scholarships to graduating seniors and donate to other school clubs and groups when there is a need. A couple of large projects that the PTA has organized and funded in the past include the purchase of new playground equipment and stage curtains. As a non-profit organization, we are financially supported by fundraising events and PTA membership dues. Meetings are held the second Thursday of each month!"

PTA President Carolyn Mattozzi will accept checks at Box 204, Harrington WA 99134 for a $15 membership with potential involvement or a $50 "no-guilt membership," in which case you will not be contacted to volunteer but your financial gift will be used throughout the year.

From the Principal's Page of Tiffany Clouse: "We have settled back into the school routine pretty quickly around here and everyone is working hard. In the coming weeks when you visit the school you may notice some changes to the front door. A secure entry system was installed over the summer so the doors will be locked, and you will press a button to call into the building to be buzzed in. Thank you for your patience as we all adjust and keep safety a top priority. New phones, bells and intercoms were installed over the summer as well, so we are still learning the ins and outs of those. Teachers now have voice mail and when you call the school you have options for who you want to talk to. A big thank you to the City of Harrington for repainting the lines in our parking lot this summer! I am so appreciative of the wonderful students we serve, the family and community support, and the genuine care and focus our staff gives to meet the individual needs of our students. I appreciate your smiles and kind words before and after school as well as conversations throughout the day. Thank you for your continual commitment to our school."

From second-grade teacher Charlie King: "I am so excited to be in Harrington again and have this amazing class. This year is off to an amazing start! The first month of school we have been busy working hard, learning about addition and subtraction. We have also been learning new spelling patterns. In writing, we have been learning all about friendly letters and different types of sentences! We are really enjoying math and reading workshops where the students rotate around to hands-on independent and group activities, practicing the skills and strategies for the week. We love rotating weeks between social studies and science. In social studies, we are learning about how we can be good citizens. In science, we are starting our first unit of ecosystems. I am looking forward to the rest of the year with this group of kiddos!"

Kindergarten is taught by Taunya Sanford: "Thank you for sending your children rested and ready to learn. We are busy getting into the school routine and we look forward to learning and singing together daily! Our school year started with getting to know each other and learning about our families. For our family homework assignment, the students were sent home paper doll shapes to decorate each of their family members. The finished projects were then returned to school and are now on display in the hall. Thanks so much families for your help with this project. They look fantastic! The children are very proud of their decorated families and we invite you to try to stop by to see them. Reading is such an important part of the Kindergarten program. My classroom goal is for you to read or listen to your child read every single day! The more you read, the better you read, so please read, read, read with your child!"

Carrie Halme teaches the pre-schoolers: "We are working hard on self-regulation. Self-regulation is showing feeling, such as excitement, worry, anger, frustration and joy but being able to cope with the feelings in ways that do not hurt others. Young children build these skills by playing and learning with friends. That's where I come in. I model the correct words and action when solving problems. We work hard on using our words to express our feelings so we can be successful teenagers and adults. All eight centers in our room are open, and the children love exploring in them. We have the Block Center (self-regulations: 'Yes, children, the blocks stay on the floor and are for building'), Dramatic Play, Science & Discovery Center, Toys & Games, Writing, Library, Sensory Table and Painting. The children love to explore and discover the new things I frequently add to each center. I look forward to seeing the growth of each student throughout the year."

Pre-K is taught by Susan Larmer: "The school year is off to a great start. Our classroom is filled with 12 busy four- and five-year-olds who are so excited to be at school. We have had a month of learning the PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports) rules and consequences and getting used to our PAX behavior expectations. Along the way we have also had a lot of fun with reading Fairy Tales and participating in some awesome activities. We had the opportunity to learn about the process of getting wheat to flour and then making bread after reading the Little Red Hen. It was so special to eat our bread for snack. And of course we planted bean seeds after reading Jack and the Beanstalk and we are waiting for them to grow to the sky. All day we practiced walking quietly in the hall so we wouldn't wake the giant."