Tommie Monterhermoso's amazing Picasso-style drawing for YWC.

Students and families are invited to come to the MVES library Thursday, May 17th from 5:30-7:00 to see examples of student writing from all grade levels. Each class will have a table displaying examples of student writing projects. In addition, visiting author Nina Laden will be available to autograph purchased books. Refreshments will be provided by APT. Bring the whole family and celebrate writing at MVES!

Plus:

All day Friday, May 18th, MVES will celebrate our third Young Writers Conference.  Our visiting author this year is Seattle’s Nina Laden, who has written and illustrated many exceptional books for students in grades preschool through 6th grade.  During the day, students will have a chance to hear Nina speak about her books.  They will also have other opportunities to work with community experts in unique areas of writing / illustrating such as cartooning, sports and science writing, bookmaking, etc.  Teachers, parents and community experts will help facilitate these sharing sessions.

Parents interested in volunteering to help during the conference day are encouraged to contact Anne Andersen aandersen@methow.org.  This special day would not be possible without the support of PSFA, The Methow Fund and Methow Arts.

Liberty Bell students will present work in video production, Speech and Debate and art in a showcase at The Merc Playhouse in Twisp Monday, May 7, at 7 pm.  The first half of the program will include short speeches and a mini debate. During intermission, art students will discuss their work in the lobby. The second half of the program will be a showing of student-produced videos. Admission is free. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Dr. Mark Wenzel, MVSD superintendent, sent the following letter to parents on May 2, 2012.

This is to update you on the pertussis situation. So far we have seven confirmed and eight suspected cases in our community, at least two of which are in our school. Six of the confirmed cases range from ages 10 to 12; the seventh case is a two-year-old.

Many students have been seen by their health care provider for pertussis-like illness. Some have been tested, while others are getting treatment (antibiotics) without being tested. This makes it difficult to determine the exact number of pertussis cases.

Families are being urged by the district to keep students home during the five-day treatment. After five days, medical authorities say they do not pose a risk.

While the county medical officer has the right to exclude from school students that have not been fully immunized, at this point he is not issuing such an order. His strong encouragement, however, is for children and adults alike to get immunized.

School nurse Laura Brumfield urges families to check your medical records or call your health care provider to make sure you are immunized with a Tdap.

As I’m sure you know, in addition to whooping cough, there are a lot of other bugs out there causing colds, vomiting and fever. Let’s make extra efforts to practice good hygiene (covering mouths, washing hands, staying home if sick) and encouraging students to do so as well.

The school board has approved the 2012-2013 calendar. School will start on September 4 and end on June 13. Click here for the calendar.

Liberty Bell Junior High Drama Club presents Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” at The Merc Playhouse this weekend.

The show is adapted for the stage by Dave Barton and Matt Bond and co- directed by Jane Orme and Elyse Fulcher.

Set in Missouri in the late 1840s, many of Tom Sawyer’s famous adventures are included. Audiences familiar with the story will recognize Becky Thatcher, Amy Lawrence, Tom and Huck, Aunt Polly, Muff Potter, Joe and other familiar characters.

Show dates are Friday and Saturday, April 20 and 21 at 7 pm with a matinee on Sunday, April 22 at 3 pm at The Merc Playhouse. The Merc will have concessions, and the play is appropriate for any age. (about 75 minutes)

Admission is $5.00 for students and seniors and $6.00 for adults.

Doors open at 6:30 pm on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 pm on Sunday.

Methow Valley voters strongly supported three ballot measures in the April 17 election. As of election night, the results were:

M&O LEVY: 72% YES

Tech levy: 68% YES

Bond: 67% YES

“These are fantastic results,” said superintendent Mark Wenzel. “We’re very thankful to the community for this show of support. It means a lot to us.”

Methow Valley School District received notification last week that it was awarded $350,000 for energy efficiency improvements as part of grants made to districts across the state. The grant is contingent on the passage of a $1.8 million bond on April 17.

Statewide grants totaled $21 million and went to 43 school districts, according to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Seventy districts applied for the grants, said state superintendent Randy Dorn.

The Methow Valley grant extends the scope of the facilities bond to include lighting upgrades and control systems for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems at the elementary and high school.

The lighting upgrades will replace old T-12 (and in some cases PCB ballasts) and metal halide lighting with state-of-the-art florescent and LED systems inside and out with appropriate controls.

“This is great news for the district,” said superintendent Mark Wenzel. “It’s an added incentive to pass the bond because it will maximize our bond dollars and allow us to do everything possible to save energy.”

The bond provides funds to improve the HVAC system in the 1978 wing of the elementary school. This system is original to the building. Two of the three major components – the entire cooling loop and a heat recovery unit – have failed. Still operated by pneumatic controls and configured for when the building was a high

school, the system is in need of urgent repair, according to Wenzel.

“Our facilities committee has been discussing this project for more than a year,” said Wenzel. “It’s exciting to see the grant become a reality. Together with improvements made from the bond, it will positively impact our students’ experience in the classroom.”

The district expects to save about $12,000 a year in energy costs, based on the proposed facilities improvements from the bond and the grant.

“Our intent all along has been to put together a package that is fiscally responsible, while taking care of pressing needs,” said Wenzel. “We were very excited to hear the news about the grant.”

Kindergarten Round Up takes place at Methow Valley Elementary on March 8 in two sessions, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 5 to 7 p.m. Teachers will meet parents to introduce the program and register the student. Anyone registering a child for kindergarten should bring the child, his or her birth certificate and immunization records. Children who will be 5 years old by Aug. 31 may enroll.

Methow Valley Elementary offers full-day kindergarten. The program includes academics and creative play for its youngest students. Students receive daily instruction in gym and health. They also spend time in the Classroom In Bloom garden in the fall and spring and have two eight-week sessions of Spanish instruction.

Liberty Bell Jr.-Sr. High recently received the Washington Achievement Award from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education, the agencies announced.

The award is based on a school’s performance as measured by the Washington Achievement Index, a barometer for how well schools are performing.The index uses state assessments from the past three years to recognize schools that have averaged in the top 5 percent statewide.

Schools can excel in seven different categories to receive the award. Liberty Bell earned recognition in two categories: overall excellence and high graduation rates.

Four schools in North Central Washington won the award for overall excellence: Liberty Bell, Osborne Elementary in Leavenworth, Ephrata Middle School and Wilson Creek School.

“This is fantastic news,” said Mary Anne Quigley, board chair. “It comes from the dedicated care of all faculty, staff and administration, including coaches and extra-curricular contributors. How exciting!”