Etna Elementary School
Where we Think, Learn, Achieve, & Care
http://etna.lcsd2.org
ierantoni’s Place
April 2012
Welcome Back!
I hope your family had a wonderful Spring Break. We are back in session and ready to finish the year out
strong. Here are a couple of “Spring Thoughts” for you to consider.
Gifted and Talented Identification
We are starting the process of evaluating students to see if they can be identified as academically Gifted
and Talented. If you are interested in learning more about this process and how it relates to your child,
please contact me during the month of April.
Parent Input on Student Placement
If you are considering making a suggestion for teacher placement for your child, the process is different
than in years past. Starting this spring, all parent input on student placement will need to be submitted
using an application form that is available in the office. Please consider the following:
• Every classroom in each grade level offers the same exposure to the curriculum.
• When classroom assignments are made for the following year, it involves a time intensive process to
make sure students are considered individually for how they will succeed based on teaching style, learning
style, interaction with peers in the classroom, student strengths, and teacher strengths.
• We cannot consider more than one request per student.
• Parent input is one determining factor and not the determining factor in placement. While we work hard
to consider parent input, placement from parent input is not guaranteed. Teachers, along with myself, take
the above listed factors into account when it comes to placing all students in classrooms.
• Parent input is due to the office by the end of the school day on May 4, 2012. Any requests received after
that date, including requests made once the class lists have been posted, will not be considered.
Calendar
4/16
Mastery Club - Students ride 4:00 p.m. busses home
4/20
Sheriff’s Office K-9 Presentation at 10:10
4/17,18,24,25 & 5/1,2 After-School Enrichment 2:30 - 3:55 p.m.
4/25
Field Trip to SVHS Production “Charlotte’s Web”
5/4
5th Grade to Oregon Trail Center
5/4
6th Grade PNA Survey
5/7-11
Teacher Appreciation Week
5/9
6th Grade Tdap Immunizations at 9:00 a.m.
5/11
Native American Day
5/14
Mastery Club Parent/Student Cookout at 6:30 p.m.
5/15
4th Grade Rendezvous
5/23
4th-5th Grade Concert and Art Display
4th Grade at 6:00 p.m. and 5th Grade at 7:00 p.m.
5/24
End of AR Term
5/25
No School
5/28
No School – Memorial Day
5/30
6th Grade Orchestra/Band Concert at 7:00 p.m.
6/5
Awards Ceremony at 1:00 p.m.
6/7
Last Day of School - early release at 10:45 a.m.
Congratulations!
Katherine Lechner, Ellie Schreiber, & Condry Lainhart
have earned
Honors Reader
by earning 100 Accelerated Reader points from reading
and testing on books from a specific list of quality
literature.
2012 Young Authors Winners
These Etna student’s took first in the LCSD2 Young
Author’s Competition. Their writings have gone to the State
Competition to be judged.
Back Row (L-R): Miah Atwood, Hannah Tallerico,
Rio LeFevre, Brenna Battleson
Front Row: Hailey Hincks, Samantha Ortega,
Johannah Christie
Alyssa Anderson, Ellie Schreiber, & Brock Motzkus
have earned the
Indian Paintbrush Award
by reading all fifteen titles nominated for Indian
Paintbrush, a Wyoming Children’s Book Award.
Healthy Snacks!
The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is a grant that provides all elementary children
in Lincoln County School District # 2 with a variety of free fresh fruits and vegetables for a
midmorning or afternoon snack. This is an awesome program that gives us the opportunity to introduce our students to a
wide variety of fruits and vegetables as healthy snack options.
This is our third year participating in the FFVP. We have served the students items like mangos, blood oranges, kohlrabi
and even yellow watermelon. During service of the snack our teachers relate fun facts about each new item to the
students.
Our goal is to help the students of Lincoln County School District # 2 experience the choices
the world has to offer in fresh fruits and vegetables and to develop healthy eating habits for the
rest of their lives.
Last month students at Etna Elementary enjoyed the following items for a mid-morning snack:
Watermelon, cucumbers, cantaloupe, jicama, Blood Oranges. Mangos, Snow Peas, Strawberries,
Red Delicious Apples, cherry tomatoes, blackberries, sugar snap peas, and Mandarin Satsuma
School Psychologist’s Corner
Removing Distractions
In the classroom, paying attention is crucial for remembering the teacher’s instructions, remembering information while
trying to write it down, and shifting tasks during class time. At home, the ability to attend can reduce the amount of
time spent doing homework and improve the quality of work by avoiding accidental errors. Eliminating distractions in
a child’s environment is key to paying attention both at school and at home. Here are a few strategies to help improve
attention while doing homework:
•
Avoid use of television, stimulating music, and games
•
Keep your child’s workplace free from clutter by removing all items not needed for the assignment including
phones, toys, other schoolwork, books, etc.
•
Allow movement breaks when needed in 10, 15, or 20 minute intervals depending on the attention capacity of
your student
•
Allow your children to work in a quiet area where others won’t disturb them while working
•
Non-stimulating music such as classical instrumental can keep a student on pace while working
•
Recent studies reflect that chewing gum while working has been shown to improve attention and concentration.
If you have any questions or would like to offer suggestions, please contact Brandon Henscheid at (307) 885-2472 or
[email protected].
PTO News
Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up during May 7-11. Please watch for a note to come
home with your child giving you the opportunity to sign up to help provide treats for our
wonderful Etna Elementary Staff during that week.
A Note from Our Librarian
Spring Cleaning? Please keep an eye out for Etna library books. We’re missing quite a few. Thank you!
Etna Enrichment Express!
We have taken a break from Etna Enrichment Express
classes for most of March but now we are looking forward
for our final session to begin on April 17. Watch for the
registration forms to come home the Monday after Spring
Break. We have some great new classes that we are excited
about, along with some of our past favorites. We will be
doing a 6th Grade Movie this year and plan to have tryouts
on Monday, April 16 after school. We will need several
crew members to shoot the video, actors, and students to
help with the set, props, and costumes. We will also be
offering a fun dance aerobics and fitness class to help get in
shape for the summer. We are preparing to provide some
great information to students on nutrition, bike safety, and
money management. We will have some great craft and
cooking classes as well, so make sure you check out our
line-up of classes on Monday, April 9th!
Our winter session of Swim-N-Read was very successful.
Watch for the summer registration forms coming home
in May. We are looking towards offering two sessions at
the Jackson Recreation Center beginning in June and one
session at Star Valley Ranch in August. Our goal is for
every one of our students to be safe in the water, so we
hope you will take advantage of this program to make sure
your child is able to swim.
We will continue to check out Brain Bags to students
each week, usually on Wednesdays. We appreciate your
making sure the bags are returned in good condition to
the office on Monday or Tuesday each week so they will
be available for new students to experience. Teachers
hand out golden tickets to students that must be signed
by a parent to be valid. We provide this program to assist
parents in making sure their children are learning and
growing at home during those after-school hours. Enjoy!
81,360 Minutes in Four Days!
Etna’s fabulous PTO challenged our students to read 72,000 minutes
during Literacy Week. Things went kind of slow until the students
learned that meeting this goal meant Mr. Pierantoni would have to eat a
whole cream pie in one minute or less - with his hands tied behind his
back! Etna students not only met the goal but exceeded it by almost
10,000 minutes! Thank you to our PTO officers for providing this
encouragement to our students to develop the lifelong skill of reading.
Grand Entrance
“Don’t even think about trying
to get out of this!”
“One more second!”
“Look Mom!”
“Don’t try this at home!”
Clare Doornbos shows off Etna’s great
achievement. Classes earned an ice cream
scoop cutout for every 20 minutes read.
The PTO and student council then lined up
these scoops to make the longest ice cream
cone ever!
Elementary, My Dear Etna!
Please enjoy the following talents of our wonderful students.
Snow Fun!
Karli Clinger asked 6th graders the following question about their Pine Creek Ski Area field trips.
What was your favorite memory or wipeout?
Rio LeFevre: “I did a lot better than last time, but I still flew off the side
of a hill.”
Riley Shapiro: “I was going down the hill and I was flying in midair, and
one of my skis flew off.”
Piper Thompson: “My favorite part was when I did a spread-eagle off the
jump.”
Matthew Hunting: “There was this one part where my ski fell off. When
I fell, I looked back five feet behind me and there were no tracks that I slid. I must have been launched from my skis.”
Condry Lainhart: “My best wipeout was on ‘The Levi.’ I was rolling down the hill and my skis fell off. They were on
top of the hill, so I had to walk all the way to the top to get them.”
Tiffanie White: “It was fun that I could spend time with my dad and best friend.”
Zoe Buchanan: “When I got on the flatter part of ‘Floating Feather’ and I really got the hang of going side to side and
the lift.”
Etna Elementary PTO Fundraiser
Junk in the Trunk
Load up your trunk and bring it on
Saturday, June 2, 2012
to Etna Elementary beginning at 8:00a.m.
Buy your space.....sell your stuff!
It’s a huge community Garage Sale!
Parking Lot spaces
available for $20!
For questions or to reserve your spot
Contact:
Tina White (307) 880-8689
Karen Seagraves (307) 413-9233
Kathy Moore (307) 883-2161
2nd AR Period Celebration Awards
AR Most Improved
Back Row (L-R): Jozie Merritt, Jessica Castillo Ayala,
Jordan Johnson, Jackson Lysager
Middle Row: Sierra Butler, Devin Hamp, Autumn Eacho,
Shari Jorgensen
Front Row: Luna Papi, Shelby Mondy, Nicholas Trail,
Riley Heward
School Breakfast Week Drawing Winners
Jacob O’Connor, Mason Goe, Garrett Post
AR over 200% of Goal
Back Row: Remington Roberts, Jessica Plummer, Zachary Thorpe, Jesus Medina, Tiffanie White, Jessica Castillo Ayala,
Matthew Hunting, Jessica Medina, Brock Motzkus, Hyrum Eacho, Bradley Nichols, Chad LaRose, Jackson Lysager,
Riley Shapiro
Middle Row: Jacob O’Connor, Spencer Shervin, Jonathan Morales, Amber Swanson, Sarie Jenkins, Jhett Jenkins,
Sierra Butler, Jozie Currie, Destiny Ortega, Jennifer Castillo Ayala, MaKenzie Edwards, Autumn Eacho, Brigham Warren
Front Row: Haylen Potter, Olivia Rainey, Hailey Astle, Teylor Dunn, Taylor Corbin, Thomas Skinner, Daxton Herd,
Daniel Herrera, Evan Adshade, Ellie Schreiber, Katherine Lechner, Jeri Baker, Frances Hunting, Gracey LaRose
Not Pictured: Cassie Clinger, Alex Fluckiger, Janice Hall
AR Highest Percent
Math Awards
4th grade
McKenna Allred 1st, Diann Hesser 2nd
Highest Achiever Math
Back Row (L-R): Noah Hutchinson, Thomas Baker,
Condry Lainhart, Rio LeFevre
Middle Row: Jozie Currie, Andrew Jeske, Clare Doornbos,
Wyatt Moore (not pictured)
Front Row: Ellie Schreiber, Gracie Erickson, Porter Johnson,
Davin Sorensen
5th grade
Andrew Jeske 3rd, Alayna Bateman 1st,
Wyatt Moore 2nd (not pictured)
6th grade
Samuel Lechner 3rd, Condry Lainhart 1st,
Hannah Tallerico 2nd
Most Improved Math
Back Row (L-R): Spencer Johnson, Matthew Hunting,
Tassie Meikle
Middle Row: Amanda Beard, Destiny Ortega,
Jennifer Castillo Ayala, Mason Goe
Back Row: Gideon Hatter, Frances Hunting, Colton Pelletier,
Andrew Breidenstein
School Bus Riders of the Month
Back Row (l-r): Marion Robinson (bus driver), Chance Blankenship, Katlyn Linton, Daxton Herd, William Erickson,
Shelby Mondy, Ethan Putt
Front Row: Miah Atwood, Samuel Jenkins, Joylyn Paipa, Gypsy Montiel, Ian Fadich, Jillian O’Connor
Etna Students Write a Story
As part of Literacy Week, Etna students wrote a story - one class at a time. Each class contributed half a page then
handed it on to the next class to add their part. The following is their exciting adventure.
Brianna ran stealthily through the dense forest. Its
shadows engulfed her as she slipped through the fall
colored trees and shrubbery that lined the well-worn path.
The colorful fall leaves were a sharp contrast to Brianna’s
coal black hair that flowed behind her back as she ran. “If
only I could find it.” The life-saving “Flower of Healing”
was lost and it was her responsibility to find it.
Her light steps were as silent as a snake slithering through
the forest floor. The moon reflected in her sea-blue eyes.
Her breathing was the only sound that could be heard in the
night air.
Suddenly, a noise reverberated off the canyon walls
sending an icy shiver down her spine. Her senses told
her someone or something was not far behind her. There
was no proof of the danger, just her natural instincts that
something was following and wasn’t right and, as is usually
the case, her instinct was correct.
High above her in the seclusion of the tree-covered
slopes, Reynaldo silently followed Brianna. Reynaldo had
been Brianna’s friend for years. He was always aware of
what was going on with her family. It seems as if someone
in Brianna’s family had always been sick.
Brianna ran as fast as she could. Finally, she turned
around and saw Reynaldo standing with a concerned look
on his face in the cold of the night. They looked at each
other with questioning glances. As the wind blew, Brianna
turned around and continued to run without saying a word.
Reynaldo kept running right behind her. Brianna’s hair
was waving in the cold night wind. She was jumping over
sagebrush and dodging as many obstacles as she could.
Reynaldo just wanted to know what his old friend was up
to. Finally he got within arms reach of Brianna. “Stop!” he
shouted as he grasped her by the arm.
Brianna turned in fear and slowly petitioned, “Why are
you following me?”
Before Reynaldo could speak, she asked a second
question, “What do you want?”
He was finally able to answer, “You are up to something.
I just know it.”
She shook her head “NO” and looked at him with her sea
blue eyes. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went out for some fresh
air” she lied.
“Do your parents know where you are?”
“Um . . . yeah.” (another lie)
Because they had been best friends for so long, she felt a
little guilty for the lies, and he knew it.
But because of her huge responsibility about the flower,
she knew she could use some help. She was not sure
Reynaldo would believe her. Brianna thought, “I cannot
share the secret with anyone or the flower will die.” (What
to do?)
Suddenly there was a spine-chilling groan from the
deep undergrowth, and out hopped a bunny. Brianna was
confused, so she turned to Reynaldo.
No Reynaldo!
Frantically running and searching for Reynaldo, Brianna
fell and tumbled into a deep hole! She fell head over heels,
not knowing which direction was up or down. Finally,
Brianna caught hold of a sticky vine. She tried to see
above and below, but there was no light, just the musty
smell of earth.
She clung to the vine, but slipping . . . when she heard
a growling noise. She lost her grip completely and
started falling again. Brianna managed to catch a root
poking out of the wall. No growling, but her eyes were
wide, any sounds were heightened. The smell of the pit
was overwhelming, all her senses were in a heightened
state. Something bright caught her eye. Brianna found
roots in the sides of the hold and slowly started to climb
down. Climbing for almost half an hour, with bloody arms
and legs and barely any energy, she saw the light again.
Squinting to see farther into the hole, she noticed small,
dainty but exquisite things dropping from the glow. They
were petals. “At least I found what I was looking for,”
she whispered. Little did she realize that a dark figure was
listening to her every word and had watched her suffer.
Brianna watched in fear as the figure stepped out of the
shadows. As the hairy figure reached out a greasy hand,
it grabbed her by her ponytail and dragged her through
a tunnel. Her feet turned raw from scraping on the
sandpaper like rocks and ground. Then, it all went black…
When she woke up, she was in a JC Penneys. She saw
a man who started dancing to “Thriller.” Sales people
in tight red uniforms joined in dancing. A Norwegian
manager with a beard in a suit and big red shoes jumped in
and started dancing. The customers jumped in and started
dancing. Brianna started tapping her foot and nodding her
head and started beat boxing . . . .
Then a gray shadowy mist pulled her back into the cold
dark tunnel. The beat boxing was the sound of crickets in
the dark damp hole. She was being sucked back through
the dark moist mist. She opened her hand and realized
the petal of the “Flower of Healing” was there. She heard
deep breathing.
She was dragged into a dungeon and thrown on the floor.
As her sea blue eyes adjusted to the dim light she noticed a
limp figure in chains. It was Reynaldo.
Glowing red eyes stared at them from every corner.
Brianna’s vision cleared and she saw that there was
actually one pair of red eyes, and that they belonged to a
fire-breathing minotaur who spit acid which was dripping
from his mouth and burned holes in the rock bottom of
the cave. Brianna thought to herself, “I have to get to
Reynaldo!” as she scanned the room.
The minotaur stepped out of the shadows to reveal
a double bladed axe. While slowly inching toward
Reynaldo, Brianna watched as the minotaur’s eyes swelled
when he saw the petals in her hand. The next thing that
happened surprised Brianna, as the minotaur set his axe
down and spoke to her saying, “Dem’ goblin dat brought
you here want me kill you, but me thinks I is going to help
you.”
Brianna stepped forward, grabbed the axe, paused and
looked at the minotaur with a doubtful gleam in her eye.
Then with a swift chop of the axe she freed Reynaldo from
his bonds. Kneeling down, she picked up Reynaldo’s head
and asked him, “Are you OK?”
The minotaur stuck out his bronzed hands and said, “My
name be Bulldozer. What be your names?”
After brief introductions, Reynaldo slowly revived and
the three entered what turned out to be an underground
labyrinth.
Although Bulldozer was an acid-dripping minotaur,
Brianna and Reynaldo reluctantly agreed to bring him
along. (They also knew they were no match against his
strength, horns, acid-spitting mouth, and double-bladed
axe if he decided to come after them. After all, Reynaldo
could magically turn into a small centipede, which isn’t
the most powerful creature in the woods. Therefore,
they thought it would be wise to allow Bulldozer to join
Brianna’s crusade.) Reynaldo was still confused about this
excursion, but he trusted Brianna’s determination to follow
her anyway.
The trio began working their way slowly and carefully
through the vast labyrinth. Although there was very little
light, Brianna noticed the ground was soft and slightly
covered with fallen leaves and broken twigs, as if the
labyrinth itself was merely an extension of the dark woods
she and Reynaldo had come from.
All of a sudden, the group heard crunching leaves and
breaking twigs in front of them. Not knowing what was
making the sounds or how far ahead the sounds were,
Reynaldo quickly metamorphosed into a centipede, leaving
Brianna and the acid-spitting minotaur to handle the
situation themselves. Reynaldo scurried back the way they
had come. Brianna cursed her life-long friend for leaving
her behind, but needed to focus on the situation at hand.
Grabbing his axe, the 11 foot minotaur stepped forward
and began chanting in an undecipherable language.
Walking confidently ahead of Brianna, Bulldozer finally
caught a glimpse of what was ahead. “Run!” Bulldozer
said, turning back to Brianna.
Remembering her mission to help her family with the
healing flower, she thought of her younger sister, Autumn;
if her sister was sick, she’d need the flower more than ever.
“Run!” interrupted her thoughts. Looking ahead, she
saw a snarling, matted werewolf, standing thirteen feet
tall and four feet wide. Brianna froze with fear as the
werewolf leaped toward her.
The minotaur jumped at the werewolf with a head-butt,
knocking out the charging beast.
“Why does my brother have to be so evil?” asked the
minotaur. “He is a cruel master.”
Brianna ran up to the werewolf and snatched his manpurse out of his monstrous, clawed paw. Opening the
satchel the two took inventory: an iPod (with Justin Bieber
tunes), pepper spray, lipstick, flower petals, and a map to
the flower of healing.
Brianna was searching through the man-purse when she
pulled out a beautiful emerald and turned it around to find
glowing red hieroglyphics. Then she looked up to find
the minotaur and a strange elf-like creature running from
the area. As she was about to call them back, the emerald
grew black and her world went white. . . .
When Brianna awoke, she was itching all over, and as
she reached out to scratch her arm she screamed in terror,
“Ah! I’m hideous!” She was over 10 feet tall and covered
in hair. It must have been the gem.
She grabbed the black gem and slipped it in the pocket of
her blue jeans. Her instincts were sharper and keener than
ever. She now knew she could hut down the aroma of the
legendary healing blossom. Navigating the labyrinth now
seemed as easy as walking a straight line.
Left turn…
Right turn…
Forward three paces…
Right turn…
Left turn…
The final turn to the healing blossom!
There it was! The flower was growing out a clear crystal
podium with a ray of light shining upon it, the only light in
her new world. It appeared to be a 1,000- watt bulb since
her eyesight had adjusted to the darkness. Each petal was
outlined with emerald green; the center however was a
black as the pupils of Brianna’s eyes, which seemed to be
getting smaller as she approached the beam of light.
As she hesitantly strolled toward the podium, she noticed
the flower opening up its blossom. The center revealed
a familiar shape. “It’s the gem!” she gasped. Brianna’s
cleverness surprised even her. She stepped closer to see
the same hieroglyphics inscribed on the flower as on the
gem. Brianna pulled the gem out of her torn jeans. She
reached out with her hands quivering. She knew she
needed to have the skilled hands of a surgeon. Her left
hand lowered the gem toward the center of the rose. She
gently put it in as far as it would go. Nothing happened.
Remembering a book she had read, she realized the gem
needed to be twisted and she maneuvered it into place.
The green from the gem spread through the flower like
a contagious disease; an underworld silence fell upon her.
The air in front of her started to ripple and green letters
began to form a message:
This flower is enchanted
With it, one wish may be granted.
If this flower you so take,
A decision you must make.
Save yourself or save your sister
For your family’s sickness has been sticking
Hurry now…. Your time is ticking.
Though the words were not written in typical English,
they held no mystery to her. She hesitantly reached out her
furry paw and put a claw on the stem. In one swift move,
she freed the flower from the podium. Suddenly, the ray
of sunlight beamed down on the crystal podium spreading
rainbow-light, illuminating the entire labyrinth. Then the
tunnels began to shake. She knew she needed to exit the
labyrinth before it crashed down on her.
As she jumped through the hole into the forest, she
questioned herself, “How can I possibly choose?”
Remembering the riddle from the labyrinth, she sat on a
log feeling tired and dismayed.
“Save yourself or save your sister. Hurry now!” Brianna
said aloud. “Your time is ticking.”
Then Brianna sat on a log feeling tired and dismayed.
Suddenly she heard rustling of the leaves behind her. She
spun around only to find Reynaldo staring at her. Suddenly
a green warty hand grabbed Reynaldo by the shoulder and
pulled him into the dense forest.
Brianna ran back to save her friend but it was too late.
Reynaldo had been caught and there was no saving him
now.
Brianna’s keen senses told her it was a witch so she
headed off towards the evil stench. As she was walking
she thought of something very new. “What if that witch
could heal her sister?” she thought wondering.
To be continued next year . . . . . . . .
You Must Have Been a
Beautiful Baby!
We would love to have you email us a
“modest” baby picture of your Etna student
or staff member so we can include it in
our slide show during the month of May.
Please send it to [email protected].
Thanks!