The Vine February 23, 2018 From the desk of Superintendent Chris Williams

District Championships The 3rd annual District Elementary Basketball Championships will be held today at PRHS beginning with the first round of games at 3:30. The championship games will begin at about 5:30. Admission price is $3 for adults and $1 for students. All proceeds benefit Bearcat Basketball. Come out and support our future Bearcats!

The Jungle Book KIDS The Paso High Theatre Company is proud to present The Jungle Book KIDS March 2nd & 3rd at the Paso Robles High School Performing Arts Center. Both days will include shows at 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM. Tickets are only $5 and available now at www.prhsdrama.com. The production is directed by Marcy Goodnow with vocal direction by Aimee Ware and choreography by PRHS student Cassidy LeClair.

Bearcat Athletics This Saturday is the annual PRHS Bearcat Spring Sports Preview Day. Please see the schedule to the right for information on where you can catch our Bearcats in action. Congratulations to the Bearcat wrestlers who finished in 8th place as a team at the CIF Northern Division Tournament. The following wrestlers have qualified to advance to CIF Masters this weekend in Temecula: 122 lbs. Dylan Maduena (3rd) 128 lbs. Porter Tanner (4th) 140 lbs. Michael Dominguez (3rd) 154 lbs. Julian Madrigal (3rd) 172 lbs. Hunter Deverick (5th)

Mock Trial Team Competes Another season of PRHS Mock Trial has concluded and with it, some great memories for our student participants. Congratulations to Mr. Draine and the team on their victory over Morro Bay High School. And congratulations to the students who earned individual awards: Beatriz Lopez: 3 consecutive year participation recognition Lily Vargas: Honorable mention for her witness portrayal Aileen Williams: Honorable mention for work as a defense attorney Sarah Prentiss: First place award for best defense witness

Team members: Alex Withers: Attorney Sam Gomez: Attorney Kate Reupold: Attorney Ethan Moore: Attorney Maria Vargas: Attorney Yeiny Renteria: Attorney Dayne Gregor: Attorney

Dylan Fiel: Witness Grace Osborn: Witness Raul Rendon: Witness Anthony Villarruel: Witness Sarah Campos: Witness Brina Dang: Witness

After School VAPA The after school VAPA program at Georgia Brown Elementary recently held its culminating activity: A production of the classic fable, "The Tortoise and the Hare." The students rehearsed Mondays and Wednesdays after school for nine weeks. Coach Judy Castro and her cast did an excellent job!

Students of the Month Congratulations to the Flamson Middle School students of the month! These students were recognized for demonstrating pride in themselves and their community.

Students Learn About Space Program Winifred Pifer Elementary 3rd grade students learned about the space program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Mr. Bean is a mechanical engineer and a project manager at JPL and his wife, Beth, is a para educator at Pifer. He has worked on the Mars Rover and brought in a prototype of the Rover wheels to share with students. Mr. Bean has been volunteering his time at Pifer to "plant the engineering seed." We appreciate his dedication to our students!

Lions Club Speech Contest Congratulations to PRHS student Katherine "Kat" Dickinson for winning the Lions Club Speech Contest last week. Pictured are all the competitors from the high school: Kalina, Mason, Jeneva, Kat, and Spencer. Great job, Bearcats!

In the Classroom Kelly Roth, our teacher on special assignment who oversees our Teacher Induction Program was out on focus observations with one of her new teachers and spotted some excellent instruction happening in the classroom. Pictured here is teacher Lori Biaginni from The Arts Academy at Bauer Speck teaching math with students sharing their math work using academic language. Also pictured is outstanding number talk happening in Mrs. Steaffens’ class at Winifred Pifer Elementary.

Liberty Basketball Wins Championship The highlight at Liberty High School this week was a big win for the basketball team! Students competed in the Central Coast Continuation High School Athletic League basketball tournament held in Arroyo Grande and won the tournament! This is the second tournament win for Liberty; previously, they won the Central Coast Continuation High School Athletic League flag football tournament. Congratulations to Anthony Cunningham, head coach, and all the Shark basketball team participants!

Aquatic Complex Fundraiser The Courtyard Marriott is sponsoring a pasta dinner with all proceeds going toward the Paso Robles Aquatic Complex. Tickets are only $10 per person in advance and can be purchased at the hotel or at the district office. Everyone who purchases a ticket is entered into a raffle to win great prizes such as a hotel stay in San Diego. Additional raffle tickets will be available for purchase and you do not have to be present to win! Thank you to Courtyard Marriott for being such a great community partner! To-go orders also available!

State Honor Band Congratulations to Sofia Anglim who recently participated in the California All-State Honor Band. According to her mom, Steffanie, Sofia “was over-the-moon thrilled with her experience.” She said that students rehearsed a total of 15 hours over 2.5 days, and attended lectures and concerts every evening. Sofia had such a great experience that she is already planning to audition again next year. Steffanie goes on to say that “this would not have been possible without support from Lewis Middle School and the Band Backers, so thank you all again. It was an incredible experience for her, and will definitely contribute to sustaining her love for and commitment to music!”

Parent University The Paso Robles Parent University just completed its latest module for English Learners. Over 20 parents participated in the sessions, led by Heather Stover and Marcos Zamora. Parents learned about Proposition 58 and the variety of research-based language acquisition programs the state recommends for families. They also participated in a question and answer session with parents who have graduated from the PIQE program.

Cal Poly Field Trip Future scientists and engineers from Winifred Pifer Elementary went on a field trip to Cal Poly's Learn by Doing Labs where they conducted various chemistry experiments. They had the opportunity to be scientists, wearing lab coats and goggles, as they conducted the experiments.

ASES News ASES students from throughout PRJUSD have been busy with various activities. At The Arts Academy at Bauer Speck, students learned to make ice cream during science enrichment. Also at Bauer Speck, students played hula hoop musical chairs during physical education enrichment to keep them active after school.

Students at Winifred Pifer Elementary made Olympic torches and Harry Potter glasses during art.

Fitnessgram Testing The P.E. department will begin Fitnessgram testing in March for 5th graders throughout PRJUSD. The Fitnessgram is a health-related physical fitness assessment and each of the test items were selected to assess important aspects of a student's health-related fitness (cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, body composition), not skill or agility. There are the six test items:

• The Mile Run or PACER (20-meter shuttle runs) • Push-ups (measures upper body muscular strength/endurance) • Curl-ups (measures abdominal muscular strength/endurance) • Either the Back Saver Sit and Reach or Shoulder Stretch (measures flexibility) • Trunk Lift (measures trunk extensor strength and flexibility) • Body Mass Index (measures body composition: appropriateness of weight

relative to height) How can parents help 5th graders prepare for the Fitnessgram?

• Actively play or move at least five days during the week for at least 60 minutes. Walk, jog, play tennis, play racquetball or participate in any activity you enjoy.

• Do strength-training activities such as sit-ups, push-ups, modified push-ups or climbing activities 2-3 days each week. Begin doing as many repetitions as possible and try to increase repetitions gradually.

• Eat a healthy diet by including more fruits and vegetables and reducing sugars. • Ask your physical education teacher for specific tips on ways you can prepare not only for the Fitnessgram test

but for a lifetime of good overall health.

FFA News FFA and agriculture students have been busy with numerous projects at Paso Robles High School. Animal Anatomy & Physiology Class enjoyed a lab using new cross-sectional livestock models (provided through a CTE grant) These interactive models give students a hands-on understanding of anatomy and the muscular system.

Sustainable Ag students worked on creating their design layout for the class straw bale garden. Soils students practiced measuring slope as a part of their land classification unit. And don’t forget about the drive-thru BBQ this Saturday at Tractor Supply from 1:00 – 3:00 PM!

One Cool Earth Corner Submitted by: Danica Smith

This week at Virginia Peterson Elementary, students in ASES made what is typically known as “Seed Bombs.” This is a guerilla gardening technique that is utilized to take back spaces that are neglected, such as barren soil patches, either urban or suburban. To beautify them, and increase biodiversity. Miss Danica chose to rename them “Seed Rolls,” as a way to reduce the violent language that is associated with “bombs.” Students used two mediums, the first was clay soil from their garden, and the second was recycled newspaper that was pulverized in a blender with water. Both mediums will decompose once planted and release the seeds to germinate when they’re ready. The students placed 3 to 7 seeds inside each seed roll. Seed types ranging from flowers, to natives, to herbs, to

gourds, to squash! Once these seeds dry, they are going to be planted outside the garden, and in the planter boxes throughout Virginia Peterson campus. This is a fun and easy garden craft that you could do at home! We are looking forward to springtime in Paso Robles! 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.

Lunch with your Panda Even with this cold weather, Virginia Peterson Elementary had a terrific turn out for “Lunch with your Panda” this week! The Pandas enjoyed lunch with families, young siblings, teachers, and friends. They ate in classrooms, in the cafeteria, and even outdoors when it warmed up. So much family fun!

Field Trip

Here are a few more pictures from the Winifred Pifer Elementary 5th grade Piedras Blancas field trip. The students learned about the region and also got the opportunity to see the elephant seals.

Book Blind Dates During the month of February, PRHS students can go on a “blind date” with a book. Display books are wrapped in red paper and students select one based on the description on the heart...no peeking! Take your “blind date” home and get acquainted. Inside each book is a “Rate Your Date” slip for students to let the library know if they enjoyed the book or if it was a dud. All returned slips are entered for a prize at the end of the month.