The Vine February 2, 2018 From the desk of Superintendent Chris Williams

SkillsUSA PRHS will be hosting the Region 2 SkillsUSA California Conference this Saturday, February 3, beginning at 8 AM in the Gil Asa Gymnasium. The conference will have over 1000 student competitors from the counties of San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Kern, Kings, Tulare, Santa Cruz, Fresno, Santa Barbara, and San Benito. Judges for the competition include many local business owners and industry personnel. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA provides educational programs, events, and competitions that support career and technical education (CTE) in schools. PRHS has one of the largest CTE programs in the state. Courses offered at PRHS include Culinary Arts, Automotive Industry, Building Trades, Informational Technology, Digital Media, Early Childhood Education, Welding, and Health Careers. The CTE courses help students develop a skill set to prepare them to enter the workforce. PRHS has 200 students registered to compete this year. There are 70 different competitions scheduled throughout the day in various categories. Students have to perform in several skill components and written tests including the presentation of a resume. Competitions will take place from approximately 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and will be housed at several different locations including PRHS, Culinary Arts Center, and Flamson Middle School. Top finishers in each category advance to the California State Conference in Southern California in April. From there, students move on to the national conference in June in Louisville, Kentucky. Last year, PRHS had ten students qualify for the national conference. Parents, business owners, industry personnel, and the general public are all invited to watch the students in action!

Almond Blossom Festival K-5 students from all over PRJUSD entered the 31st annual Almond Blossom Festival this past Saturday at Flamson Middle School. The festival showcased oral interpretation and dramatic skills and featured student helpers from the PRHS Drama Department. High school students helped run the festival and provided three performances for the younger students. Each category awarded a “Command Performance” medal listed below: Reader’s Theater: Emma V. and Grant P., 2nd grade (Winifred Pifer) Theater Scene: Sheyla B. and Sofia K., 5th grade (Winifred Pifer) Original Poetry: Augustin B., 5th grade (Georgia Brown) K-2 Published Poetry: Karol O., 1st grade (The Arts Academy at Bauer Speck) 3-5 Published Poetry: Laney O., 3rd grade (The Arts Academy at Bauer Speck)

Paso Robles On-Line Store Now Open Back by popular demand! Eastbay has once again created a team store for all Paso Robles staff and community members to purchase spirit wear. All items will be shipped directly to you. The window for ordering will close on February 12th and all items will be shipped around the first week in April. How to purchase items: 1. The items can be ordered by going to www.eastbayteamsales.com/teamstore 2. Enter the code OFTSPRBH and hit submit. Or click on the direct link: http://www.eastbayteamshop.com/Flyer/f9b106cd-7b85-48fb-b991-05f768a81be8

iCal Feed Glitch There is currently a glitch in the iCal feed on the website calendars. While the information on the calendars is accurate, the link that connects it to your work calendar is not. The issue will be fixed by Schoolwires on February 9. In the meantime, please use the web version of the calendars for most up-to-date information. Sorry for the inconvenience!

FSC - Marine Intertidal Monitoring Project On Sunday, the PRHS Field Studies Collaborative: Marine Intertidal Monitoring Project went on their final trip to the coast. The 10 students met with the director of the UC Reserve at Rancho Marino, Cambria, and worked to set up new transects to collect data on invertebrates and algae growing in the rocky intertidal. During the course of 5 trips, PRHS students have learned 26 species, have met researchers from UC Santa Barbara and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), they've been trained in 4 different research protocols used by 2 different research agencies, and have collected valuable data at 5 different sites in SLO County.

The goal of the Field Studies Collaborative is to get students outside of the classroom and participating in real scientific research. Thank you to Mr. Ewing for sharing! More information can be found at www.pasoschools.org/fsc.

Student Wins Essay Contest The Paso Robles Independent Study Center (PRISC) is pleased to announce that 7th grader, Karl Walrod, earned 1st place in the annual Daughters of the American Revolution Essay Contest. His narrative essay about the aftermath of World War I was selected from all 7th grade entries submitted to the El Paso de Robles chapter of the DAR and will be sent on to the state level of the competition.

Community Helper Day Winifred Pifer Elementary kindergarten and preschoolers recently participated in Pifer’s annual Community Helper Day. Service employees were invited to teach students about their careers and how they help our community. And they brought along their service vehicles!

Children enjoyed the hands-on experience, asking great questions, and bringing what they learned back to the classroom. Many fire trucks and rescue scenes were being acted out both inside and outside the classroom. Thank you to all our volunteers from the police, fire department, ambulance, Cal Trans, and military that taught our students!

Coffee with the Principal The Georgia Brown Elementary Leadership Team hosted the first Coffee with the Principal event earlier this week. It was a great opportunity for parents to ask questions and talk to school leaders.

Students Selected to Honor Choir The Central Coast Section Honor Choir was recently held with selected students from Carmel to Los Osos. The director was Mr. De La Rosa from West Valley College. The following students represented Flamson Middle School: David Maduena, Zoey Rainey, Emily Wiebe and Kaydence Camacho. Not pictured is Emrey Torres.

Athletes as Readers and Leaders The PRHS Athletes as Readers and Leaders (ARL) program took its first trip to Winifred Pifer Elementary. Students, Lya Abel, Natalie Portillo, Phillip Portillo, Stephanie Cashmore, Luis Velazquez, Robert Tauscher, Isiah Espinoza, James Doran, Jimmy Claasen, Daniella Perez, and Sergio Torres read to kindergarten and 1st grade students. The large turnout of PRHS students allowed for even some small group readings and Pifer students reading to the Bearcat athletes.

Former Pifer student, Luis Velazquez, a PRHS junior, was able to read to students in Mrs. Steaffens’ class. Mrs. Steaffens was his kindergarten teacher!

Mock Trial to Compete The PRHS Mock Trial legal team will begin its competition season this Saturday at the SLO County Courthouse from1:15 PM – 3:30 PM against Central Coast New Tech. Students have been preparing for the past 5 months with after-school practices twice a week and have put in tons of hours above their normal homework load to prepare. PRHS teacher, Seth Draine, explains the case: “The case this year is another who done-it?, but with a twist that will leave civil rights activists and Supreme Court buffs sitting on the edge of their seats: The defendant, an immigrant rights activist with a heart of gold but a history of violence and a bloody walking stick.... The police investigator, small town cop with a chip on their shoulder and some lazy investigating... The victim, who just can't seem to ever be at the right place at the right time... And a car GPS navigator which records our every move....whether we know it or not!” Best of luck to our students and staff! Alex Withers: Attorney Sam Gomez: Attorney Kate Reupold: Attorney Ethan Moore: Attorney Maria Vargas: Attorney

Yeiny Renteria: Attorney Dayne Gregor: Attorney Aileen Williams: Attorney Dylan Fiel: Witness Grace Osborn: Witness

Beatriz Lopez: Witness Raul Rendon: Witness Anthony Villarruel: Witness Lilly Vargas: Witness Sarah Prentiss: Witness

Sarah Campos: Witness Brina Dang: Witness

Other competitions: SLOHS: Tuesday 2/6, 6:15-8:30 MBHS: Wednesday 2/7, 6:15-8:30 Coast Union, Thursday 2/8, 6:15-8:30

Students Rewarded for Positive Behavior Congratulations to these Bobcats from The Arts Academy at Bauer Speck for earning their responsible tags! The Bobcats ROAR by being responsible, outstanding, always safe, and responsible.

Basketball Season Basketball season is in full effect throughout PRJUSD. Our athletes at all grade levels are working really hard this season and that work is paying off! Most recently, Lewis Middle School 8th grade boys took 3rd place in a tournament with Tanner O’Farrell earning tournament MVP honors. Coming up: The Bearcats will be taking on Atascadero High tonight in boys’ and girls’ basketball. The district elementary basketball championships will be held on February 23 at PRHS. Special Olympics SLO County United Basketball Tournament will be hosted by PRHS on March 1 and will feature teams from PRJUSD, Atascadero Unified, and San Luis Coastal.

Attendance Winner Congratulations to Virginia Peterson Elementary for leading the pack for the 2nd month in a row with the highest attendance percentage for month 5! Their attendance rate was 94.08%. Great job by the Panda staff, students, and parents on making school attendance a priority!

STEAM Mrs. Poppen’s 2nd grade class at Kermit King Elementary has been studying matter. Recently they were engaged in science rotations where they explored five separate stations. The students manipulated various states of matter and collected data. Student exploration offers many opportunities for language development as well as context knowledge through student-driven learning.

Mrs. Harris’ 5th grade class at Virginia Peterson Elementary took advantage of the trifecta lunar event on January 31, to talk more about the phenomenon. Students were able to watch a live stream in case they had missed it. They studied the details of the event and integrated mathematics and art into the activity. The students engaged in meaningful conversations and asked driving questions. Students in Mrs. Caruana’s 2nd grade class at Winifred Pifer Elementary are learning about force and motion using catapults and trebuchets. Students discussed and learned different ways objects can move, what ways they could change the motion and force of an object, and how gravity and magnetism affect different objects. Students first built and tested the catapults. They tested their catapults by predicting and measuring how far

their object traveled. Students then were given a demonstration of a real working trebuchet which allowed them to compare and contrast the two.

Students in Ms. Harris' 5th grade class at Virginia Peterson Elementary worked with their little buddies in Mrs. Bivin's 1st grade class to build snowball catapults using popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and plastic spoons. Students tested their designs to see how far each team’s cotton ball "snowball" was catapulted.

One Cool Earth Corner Submitted by: Danica Smith

The gardens are going to be out of the harshness that winter offers. They are greening up, and not freezing as often anymore. Spring will be here soon, as the first fruit flowers come about in Virginia Peterson Elementary orchard. What will you plant as temperatures increase? What is your favorite springtime fruit or vegetable? What is your student’s favorite springtime harvest? Students at Winifred Pifer Elementary and Virginia Peterson Elementary cannot get enough fennel (the licorice plant as they call it!) lately! Looks like grass, tastes sweet like candy, and aids with digestion. If you would like to learn more about gardening with your students, sign up for one of One Cool Earth's teacher trainings.

Springtime Garden-Based Teacher Training! Local nonprofit One Cool Earth is pleased to offer two teacher trainings this spring at a local school garden! Please register soon as space is limited to 12 teachers per training. Below are details about a free, stipended, NGSS-focused teacher training offered at two different times this spring at Ocean View Elementary School. When? 10am - 3pm on February 24th OR March 10th, (pick just one please!) Where? Ocean View Elementary, 1208 Linda Drive, Arroyo Grande Training Content? Did you know that studies have shown that garden-based education improves standardized testing scores in science? Not only that, gardens can increase you and your students' enjoyment and engagement with science topics, bridging textbook concepts with real-world experiences. Gardens also improve student health by familiarizing students with fresh, nutritious foods at a young age. Through a fun, hands-on training that takes place in an actual school garden, teachers will learn how to utilize the garden as a platform for teaching science, as well as supporting student health and wellness. The training will demonstrate specific lessons, providing lesson plans and materials as well as cover such topics as: Teaching without Walls - how to manage students in the outdoors, Tool Tai Chi - garden safety for you and your students, Plant Story Time - learn about native plants through history, biology, ethnobotany, and Gardening 101 - get comfortable with the basics of growing your own produce Perks! The training is voluntary, but includes:

• a stipend for participation ($50) • a project materials kit for your classroom ($25 value) • basic breakfast snacks and a full, garden-based lunch will be provided • Earth Genius garden lesson plans correlated with NGSS standards

How to Register? The registration interest forms are located online here: www.tinyurl.com/Winter2017EarthGenius If you are interested in volunteering in any way, please contact Danica Smith, our FoodCorps AmeriCorps Member at danicas@onecoolearth.org for further opportunities and information. And remember to check out One Cool Earth on Facebook to see when they’ll be hosting community garden workdays at your school: www.facebook.com/onecoolearth or www.onecoolearth.org. From planting to painting signs, there is an activity for everyone.

Environmental Lesson Students in Ms. Aguirre’s and Mrs. Goldbach’s kindergarten classes at Virginia Peterson Elementary got a visit from the SLO County Integrated Waste Management Authority education team. The team did a series of 3 science lessons: Recycling, Tree-mendous Paper Tale, and Vermicomposting. Students learned how to be kind to our planet Earth by reducing their paper and food waste.

Lighthouse Lesson As part of their study of California history, 4th graders at Winifred Pifer Elementary are preparing for their field trip to the Piedras Blanco Lighthouse. Docents visited the classrooms to teach them about the history of lighthouses in California.

Staff News