9-R NEWS BRIEFS – April 9, 2010

THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
The next regular Board Meeting is scheduled for April 20, 2010, at 5:00 p.m., in the 9-R Board Room in the Administration Building. All are welcome.
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Pre-school and Kindergarten Spring Registration is here! Registration will take place on:
· April 12th — Riverview Elementary (from 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.)
· April 13th — Needham Elementary (from 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.)
· April 14th — Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary (from 7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
· April 15th — Florida Mesa Elementary (from 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.)
· April 16th — Animas Valley Elementary (from 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.)
· April 22nd — Sunnyside Elementary (from 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.)
Please bring your child’s birth certificate and immunization information with you. Preschool children may apply for tuition assistance through the Colorado Preschool Program. If you are interested in this, please bring your child with you on one of these days for a developmental screening. For more information, please call Libby Culver at 247-5411, ext. 1444.
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Professional Development Day is Friday, April 23, 2010. Miller Middle School and Durango High School will be open and classes will be in session as a required make-up day (for school closures due to snow issues this Winter). All other 9-R schools will be closed for a non-student day, while teachers attend professional development training.

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DURANGO HIGH SCHOOL
The Renaissance Club is holding its annual Hypnotist Show during the school day on Wednesday, May 5th for students who received no D’s, F’s, or discipline referrals this school year. This year we are opening the show up for all community members at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5th in the gym at DHS. Tickets are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for students w/ID or younger students. Come check this out and help fund the Renaissance Club to promote positive student recognition and achievement.
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DHS Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, April 22nd from 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. If you are interested in meeting with your student’s teacher(s), please call our P/T conference line on April 19th at 259-1630 x2327 from at 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Please leave a message stating your student(s) name, the teacher(s) you desire to speak with, and estimated time (s) you would like to conference. Please call on April 19th only; a volunteer will call you back Monday or Tuesday with your conference times. If you are unable to meet with a specific with a specific teacher during the designated conference times, please contact that teacher to make other arrangements. Teacher extensions are listed on our website: http://dhs.durangoschools.org, click on Staff Directories.
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SLC1 proudly announces its first “Future Fair” to be held on Wednesday, April 21st, from 12:15 p.m. to 3:35 p.m. The Future Fair is an opportunity for students to present their learning to their peers and approximately 300 students and 15 teachers will be involved with the showcasing of Future-related projects. The fair will start in the auditorium with guest speaker Rob Coddington (SLC1 teacher and varsity baseball coach) and will conclude with a social (and refreshments) at 3:00 p.m. in the Commons. Please join us.
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Durango High School has selected its student leadership for the 2010-11 school year. Selected as student body officers are:
Student Body Co-Presidents: Jenna Mulligan and Dylan Schwantes
Student Body Vice President: Julia Nass
Student Body Secretary/Treasurer: Maddie Tovar
Elections for class officer positions will be held next week. For more information on DHS Leadership, contact Dale Garland at [email protected].

NEEDHAM ELEMENTARY
Needham first graders will be visiting Durango Nature Studies on April 15th, from 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Students look forward to learning and experiencing nature on this field day. For more information, please contact Mary LeClaire at 247-4791.
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The annual 5th grade field trip to the San Juan College Planetarium and the Farmington Bowling Alley is scheduled for April 15th, from 8:15 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. For more information, please contact Dylan Brown at 247-4791.
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Needham 3rd and 4th grade students will experience “A Taste of Music” at the FLC Concert Hall on April 16th, from 8:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. For more information, please call 247-4791.
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Yanowich will take Needham Class group pictures on Tuesday, April 16th, beginning at 8:15 a.m. in the Needham Multi-purpose Room. Students who wish to purchase a group picture must bring their payment to the photographer on school picture day. Individual photos are also available. If you have any questions, please contact the Needham office at 247-4791.

PARK ELEMENTARY
Park Elementary School will host the annual “Buy One Get One Free” Scholastic Book Fair. The book fair will be held in the school library from April 9th though April 16th from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM. There will be extended evening hours until 7:00 PM on Thursday, April 15th during the family events taking place at Park. For more information, contact Jenny Houle at 375-0440.
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Park will be hosting a Multicultural Open House, Art Show & Internet Safety event on Thursday, April 15 from 3:00 to 6:00 PM. Families are welcome to stop by the cafe to review the multicultural display. Ms. O’Donnell, the art teacher, will have displays of art work from every student at Park by the gym. James Torres from 9-R District Office will be offering an Internet Safety program to the parents at 3:30, 4:30 & 5:30 in the Media Lab. We will also have internet safety activities for the students. For more information, contact Park’s Partner in Education Coordinator, Janice Coleman at 247-3718 ext 3519.

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Park 5th grade students will be attending Camp Redcloud Adventure Camp April 19, 20 & 21st in Lake City, Colorado. Each group of students will be working together in challenging activities that are designed to stretch their team-working abilities.

RIVERVIEW ELEMENTARY
Riverview Elementary would like to recognize the following students who received a Principal’s Pride Award in the month of March: Jack Beattie, Everett Kirkpatrick, Jade Robbins, Lauren Grinde, Hailey Horn, Logan Stetler, Owen Eicher, Quinten Berridge, Chloe Gauthier, Nathan Foster, Cash Stephens, Ashlee Ludwig, Naomi Dominguez Robles, Leif Basley, Anastasia Miller, Saylor Stottlemeyer, Corbin Miller, Caroline Knight, Sarah VonTersch, Grace Wolf-Cartier, Paul Knight, Quinn Luthy, Landen Sill, Siena Widen, Carver Willis, Mason Stewart, Autumn Tucson, Keenan Kelly, Martin Cuntz, Noelle John, Greta Cahill, Nathaniel Begay, Chandler Jeep, Brianna Brown, Sydney Schubkegel, Avory France, Carter Reiter, Aja Ramsey, Alex Miller, Shelby Hand, and Edde Lyons. These students were invited to have lunch with Mrs. Chambers. Congratulations and keep up the good work!
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Riverview’s Family Multicultural Night this past April 6th, was great fun for all who attended. Families brought dishes from all different cultures and we were all treated to performances from the Ballet Forklorico, Celtic Musicians, a break dancing performance by Franklin Wickstrom, and a special treat from the LeClaire Family Pow Wow Dancers. It was a great evening for Riverview Families!
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The TEAM meeting and elections for the following year will be held on Tuesday, April 13th from 8:15 a.m. – 9:45 p.m. in the conference room. Immediately following the meeting we will have our Volunteer Appreciation Brunch in the library.
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The Riverview Book Fair is coming up the week of April 26th through the 29th. We will have lots of great selections to choose from. We will also have our special Grand Friends Day celebration on Tuesday, April 27th. Kids are inviting their grand parents or grand friends to lunch at our school. We have a 50’s theme that day, so it will be lots of fun!

OTHER NEWS (Non-9-R, but education-related)

Joyce Bilgrave, M.Ed. announces an intensive 40-hour course in scientifically research-based reading instruction (The Orton-Gillingham Approach) to be held at The Liberty School in Durango on June 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th. The Orton-Gillingham Approach is language-based, multi-sensory, structured, sequential, cumulative, cognitive and flexible. Its breadth, perspective and flexibility prompt use of the term approach instead of method or program. Several well-known programs are based on the O.G. approach: Wilson, Language! Spaulding, Barton and Sounds & Symbols. Learning the O.G. approach provides in-depth knowledge on how to use any phonic-based program more effectively. For more information, please contact Joyce Bilgrave at [email protected] or 970-385-7713.