Gateway’s ‘Discover Montessori Week’ educating parents

Our music and band students had a wonderful learning experience, performing at the Heritage Festival in Anaheim this weekend.

If you are a parent wondering if Gateway and Montessori are right for your child, please stop by this week for “Discover Montessori Week.” Monday through Friday at Gateway will feature guided school tours, a class on “Unlocking Your Child’s Potential” (Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m.) and a Montessori Expo where students demonstrate Montessori lessons and materials.

Registration packets for the 2010-2011 school year will also be available. All community members are invited. All activities take place at our campus at 201 E. Thoroughbred Way, Enoch. Call 867-5558 or visit our website, www.GPACharter.org, for more information.

Our “Buy One Get One Free Scholastic Book Fair” is also this week. It is a perfect time to pick up some books for home, or to donate to your child’s classroom.

Iron Springs plans meeting, movie

Iron Springs Elementary will have its Community Council meeting on Monday, March 22 at 4 p.m. in the library.

Friday, March 19 is PTA Movie Night. They will be showing “The Princess and the Frog.” Tuesday, March 23 is Kindergarten Registration. Wednesday, March 24 is our Science Fair.

Fiddlers Elem. chess club takes bus trip

Fiddlers Canyon Elementary PTA sponsored a wonderful field trip for our Fiddlersburg Chess Club last Friday after school. We had almost 30 students attend from our school, as well as about 10 from Iron Springs Elementary who came along as our guests. A number of parents also rode down with us.

We rode a bus down to the St. George Chess Center where Mr. Alan Crooks, the center’s director, hosted a tournament for all the kids.

Grade level prizes were awarded for third, fourth, and fifth grade winners. After the tournament, we all enjoyed pizza, soda, and chips (and cookies provided by Erin Shakespear, one of our wonderful, supportive parents)!

We’d like to thank Monica Guinan, our parent advisor to the chess club, and Michael Coonen, the chess advisor at Iron Springs, for their efforts in making this a great experience for our students!

Parowan fifth graders take DWA

Fifth grade students at Parowan Elementary have been working whole-heartedly during the months of February and March. These students have spent quite a bit of time learning the ropes of persuasive essay writing.

During the month of February our fifth grade students took the DWA (Direct Writing Assessment); this is the first year fifth grade students were required to take the DWA in conjunction with fifth grade end-of-level testing.

Persuasive writing is not all these students have been working toward. On March 3 our fifth grade students graduated from DARE after completing nine DARE sessions and writing a DARE essay.

In science, students are currently learning about the life cycle of a butterfly; the change in body structure from larvae to butterfly is being observed for a three-week time span. When spring arrives, students will set these stunning creatures free.

South Elem. has reading Olympics

We kicked off our annual reading celebration with Olympic Opening ceremonies Monday. Your child should have a venue of reading activities to participate in, please return the game board each Monday for medals.

The last time students should turn in their game board will be on Friday, March 26 for closing ceremonies and medals. We should all be award-winning readers by the end of March!

There will be a reading assembly for grades K-3 on Friday. We’d like to welcome the SUU dance students for an assembly on Monday. On Wednesday fourth grade will also be attending the Ririe-Woodbury dance show at the Heritage Center. On March 30 our third graders will be attending Farm Field Day at the Cross Hollows Event Center. Finally, South’s Science Fair is on March 26. Please continue to support your child’s efforts at exploring a science project.

Teachers at Three Peaks get training

This week, the fourth grade classes will be hosting the Museum On The Move.

Barbara Prestwich will be working with second graders on Arts Fusion - a partnership with the Fine Arts Department at Southern Utah University.

Mrs. Jill Savage, Mrs. Gail Sardoni, and Miss Camille Dumas are scheduled to attend Proctor Training at the District Office in preparation for the State Core tests in April. All teachers will be participating in school Response to Intervention training. This will be additional professional development taught by reading specialist Jill Savage in the school language arts curriculum using the “Daily Five.”

A special thanks goes to Clay Carter and Debra Harding, and the PTA for the wonderful Science Fair, Spaghetti Dinner, and Arts Night last week.

The PTA will be voting on new officers at the 4 p.m. meeting today in the school library.

CVMS to get ‘LIVE’ assembly

Our GYC students are still collecting pledges for the March of Dimes March for Babies on March 27 in St. George. Please contact CVMS at 586-2830 if you are interested in donating to this worthy cause.

Thirty of our art students participated in the Utah Labor Commission Workplace Safety Poster Contest. These students worked hard to create posters with a message about being safe in the workplace.

CVMS 7th grade students will be treated to an assembly by “LIVE” on March 25. This live theater performance encourages students to adopt healthy eating and exercise habits while promoting positive body image and self esteem and is designed to help counter today’s alarming epidemic of childhood obesity, eating disorders and poor health habits. We are excited to have this performed at our school.

We will also have a special assembly in association with White Ribbon Day on Friday. Seventh and eighth grade students will view a presentation on internet safety from Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.

Soccer Intramurals continue to be every Monday and Wednesday after school at the football stadium. Third term ends on Friday!

CMS completes co-ed volleyball

The CMS Orchestra concert will be today at 7 p.m.

GYC had a St. Patrick’s Day party March 17 from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. with games and activities.

Our rockin’ CMS bands performed beautifully at their annual Mid-Winter Pops Concert. They are now gearing up for their band festivals, tours, and end-of-year concerts.

CMS finished the Intramural Volleyball Tournament. Upper Division Champion Team was The Twin Towers with team members Lane B, Jace E, Daniel G, Austin O, Courtney C, Brecken L, Brecklee L, Makayla C. Middle Division Champion Team was The He/She’s with team members Ashley V, Megan B, Jessica W, Josie C, Chelly E, Madi H, Bailey R, Annemarie T, Bodrey A, Kanahi E. Lower Division Champion Team was the Chickadees & Dudes with team members Kirsten S, Jaymie D, Kaylen M, Dani M, Alyse C, Kaiah B, Taylar J, Jackson J, Jake C.

CHS recognizes outstanding teens

An incredible number of Cedar High student athletes have been recognized this year with the Utah High School Activities Association Academic All State Award.

Through the Winter sports seasons 14 athletes have received the award. Adding to the seven who earned the award in the fall are; Brittney Evans and Alexis Gonzalez in drill team, Emily White and Roman Stead in swimming, Trey Harris in wrestling and Kezia Brown and Jackson Carter in basketball.

For Kezia Brown and Jackson Carter it was their second Academic All State award this year. Kezia also won the award in cross country and Jackson in football.

We would also like to congratulate the following students for receiving student of the month for February 2010. Fine Arts, Saxon Thomas; Foreign Language, Rebecca Williams; Science, Laura Jones; English, Joshuah Crandall; Math, Taylor Hall; Education, Bret Woodmancy; Social Science, Mckensie Kupfer; CTE, Landon Peterson; Physical Education, Matthew Malachowski.