School Notes

Kindergarten orientation coming up
A kindergarten parent orientation meeting is scheduled for April 17 at 6:30 p.m. in the Blaine primary school multi-purpose room. Children who will be five years old on or before August 31, 2003 are eligible to enter kindergarten in the fall.

Parents will have the opportunity to enroll their child for the 2003/04 school year. A copy of your child�s birth certificate is required for proof of age. Washington state law also requires proof of immunization status. Parents will meet staff members and the kindergarten teachers to discuss classroom policies, transportation and the kindergarten program. There will be an opportunity for parents to ask questions. We encourage each parent to pre-register their child from April 17 through June 18 for fall enrollment. Preschoolers who will be entering kindergarten are invited to visit the kindergarten classrooms on April 24 from 10:30 to 11 a.m.

Student serves as Senate page
Matthew Anderson, a 15-year-old student at Blaine high school in Blaine, had the opportunity to experience politics in person when he served as a senate page during the tenth week of the 2003 legislative session. �This is a good learning experience,� said Anderson. �I think it�s interesting to learn about the history of government and how it�s run.� During each week of the legislative session, approximately 50 students from across Washington state serve as legislative pages. The pages, ages 14 through 16, are sponsored by their local legislators. They spend their week performing tasks such as making deliveries, running errands and presenting the flag. Pages also spend part of each day attending a page school where they learn about the legislature�s role, its process and participants.

Community talent show in eighth year
Blaine high school�s close-up organization is hosting its 8th annual �Blaine Community Show.� It will be held on Saturday, May 3 at 7 p.m. in the Blaine school district�s performing arts center. Anyone who wishes to share their talent with the community should contact David Fakkema at Blaine high school at 332-6045.

Class holds penny drive for Red Cross
Corinne Struthers� seventh grade leadership class recently presented the Red Cross Whatcom county chapter with a check for $865.29. The students organized a week-long penny drive as a service learning project, counting all of the coins by hand. Volunteers from the Red Cross who made presentations to the students were Marian Yunghans, a retired school teacher, and Nikki Amato, an intern from Western Washington University. The students in the class were: Cassie Acidera, Shane Bakarich, James Barcome, Tyler Burch, Laura Carson, Vincent Deal, Devan Fischer, Shanelle Freeman, Daniel Galt, Dennis Grigoryev, Dylan Haines, Jesse Hasselworth, Jesse Kilthau, Irina Kovtun, BJ Millhollin, Brittany Moore, Anthony Nault, Cody Nolte, Sooraj Sall, John Shields, and Tamala Stivers. Bank of America in Blaine supplied penny bags and performed a final count.

Math team places second at county
The 7th grade Blaine middle school math team, coached by John Dougan, placed second at the Whatcom County Math championships in March. Team members are Alex Bresnan, Danny Dougan, Dylan Haines, and Patrick Mulholland. Patrick also placed second in the individual event. This team has placed in the top three in their age level since they began competing as a team in fourth grade.

Host family volunteers needed
World Heritage is seeking families, couples or single parents (with or without children at home) interested in hosting a high-school aged foreign exchange student. Hosts should be adventurous, fun-loving, responsible, and most of all caring. Students will spend a semester or year in the area. For more information, call 1-800-888-9040.