SIUSLAW NEWS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER ❚ SEPTEMBER 2016
SCHOOL
ZONE
A Monthly Newsletter for the Siuslaw and Mapleton Schools and Florence Community PTA
PTA gathers labels, UPCs
for school rewards
Florence Community PTA members con-
tinue to make the Labels for Education
Program work for them.
“The Campbell’s Labels for Education is
winding down, but we can still earn money
for our schools by turning in UPCs with the
Labels for Education Logo next to them.
Newer packaging no longer has the logo
with the UPC and cannot be counted,” said
Button Watkins, PTA Labels for Education
Coordinator.
UPC codes from the following products
are sent in for points: Bic, Campbell’s,
Pace, Pepperidge Farm, Spaghetti-Os,
Swanson’s and V8.
From now on, only UPC codes with the
Labels for Education logo attached will be
accepted.
There are collection boxes in the Siuslaw
Elementary School Office, 2221 Oak St.,
and the Siuslaw Public Library, 1460 Ninth
St. in Florence.
Watkins said, “Thank you to everyone
who’s helped us get products for our stu-
dents.” —Submitted by Button Watkins
S av i ng s ol u ti o n
Mapleton helps ‘SOLVE’ beach litter problem
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S
tudents from Mapleton High School, with
teacher Terri Johnston and two other adults,
participated in National Beach and River Clean
Up Day on Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Siuslaw River
North Jetty Beach. “The clean-up went great,”
Johnston said. “The weather was gorgeous!” Thank
you Mapleton High School students for doing your
part in making the world a cleaner place. As Ghandi
would say, “Be the change you wish to see in the
world.” The event was hosted by SOLVE and spon-
sored by the Oregon Lottery. More information is
available at solveoregon.org/. — Submitted by
Pamela Lauer
Patriotic
essay contest
seeks entries
Florence Veterans of Foreign Wars Post
3232 and its auxiliary are sponsoring two
essay contests available to middle school
and high school students.
The “Patriot’s Pen” contest is open to
students grades six through eight and
requires a typed 300-400 word essay.
The essay topic is: “The America I
Believe In.”
The top national winner will receive
$5,000 and an all-expenses paid trip to
Washington, D.C.
Students in grades nine through 12 can
enter the “Voice of Democracy” contest
by submitting a written or CD essay on
the theme: “My Responsibility to
America.”
The top national winner will receive a
$30,000 scholarship.
Each state winner will receive an all-
expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C.,
and a portion of the $153,000 available in
national awards.
The deadline for both contests is
Tuesday, Nov. 1.
For more information, visit www.vfw.org
or call Ken Smith, VFW Post 3232, at
626-945-4044 or Tom Benedict at 702-
610-9617.
Welcoming sixth-graders to SMS
he first day of school.
For some, a chance to
show off new clothes,
hair and height. For others, a
cruel end to summer. For the
new sixth-graders at Siuslaw
Middle School (SMS), it was
a day to learn the school, mas-
ter their lockers and have fun.
For the third year, the SMS
WEB Leaders took charge of
the sixth-graders’ first day.
WEB stands for “Where
Everyone Belongs” and the
eighth-grade volunteer lead-
ers went out of their way to
make sure the
sixth-graders
felt welcome.
WEB Leaders
helped facilitate
a two-hour
assembly which
featured clap-
ping challenges,
singing, relays
and silly floor
challenges.
Even the
most nervous
T
COURTESY PHOTOS
new students couldn’t help
but laugh when they were
told to skip in a circle
singing the theme song to
“Spongebob Square Pants.”
From the gym, the WEB
Leaders took small groups of
sixth-graders to classrooms to
participate in a variety of ice
breaker activities.
Students took on a straw
challenge, several balloon
challenges and a few more
serious discussions about
strategies for success in
school.
After the activities, the
groups donned silly hats and
began a school tour. As part
of the tour, they completed an
intensive Locker Station —
including a how-to video with
hands-on practice with indi-
vidual combination locks. By
the end of the hour almost
every sixth-grader had
opened their locker — and
several asked to do it again,
for fun.
Lunch was extra long the
first day to give everyone a
chance to learn the routine.
The sixth-graders were treat-
ed to artisan pizzas and
frozen yogurt. A few students
took this chance to practice
their lockers again. Most just
enjoyed the break and the
dessert.
After lunch, students went
through their entire schedule
and met all of their new
teachers. The classes were
only 14 minutes long but on
Thursday, when all of the
seventh- and eighth-graders
showed up, the sixth-graders
were confidently navigating
the school.
By the end of the day, the
sixth-graders were exhausted
but happy. Per an impromptu
survey, most sixth-graders
gave the day a 5 (meaning
it was awesome) and said
they were eager to come
back the next day. They felt
that Siuslaw Middle School
was a great place to belong.
— Submitted by Heather
CYAN MAGENTA YELLoW BLACK
Wanted