December 2012

"The words should paint the story without the pictures ... The pictures should paint the story without the words" -- Kobie Wilkerson

L. Kobie Wilkerson is a master teacher and an amazing storyteller.  The students at Santaquin Elementary were inspired by his excitement and his energy, encouraging them to love knowledge and to be life long learners.  The students learned more about the writing process as Kobie shared the steps he took to write his two children's books:  Mary and Fred, and Queen Infinity.  Open up, read, and enjoy the journey!

http://booksbykobie.com/whoiskobie.html

Grandma Beth Epperson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah.  She was so small when she was born that her parents put her in a shoe box on the oven door to keep her warm!  She has always been very active and used to walk everywhere she went.  She had to walk miles and miles to get to school, to piano lessons, and later to her jobs. She never rode the bus or got a ride, but would always walk no matter what the weather.  After she was married, she lived in many different places, including California, Missouri, North Carolina, Idaho, and Utah.  She has 2 children - 1 son and 1 daughter.  She is very good at knitting and used to own a knitting shop called "The Knit Wits".  She also loves to quilt and makes many quilts every year to give away.  She is always busy using her hands and serving others, and that is what has kept her so young at heart.  She looks forward to sharing her quilts with Mrs. Garcia's Kindergarten students each year at Santaquin Elementary.  Thank you, Grandma Epperson!

For our December Reading Celebration Activity, one student from every class won the opportunity to decorate gingerbread houses with Mr. Argyle as a reward for reading every day during the month.  Students worked in pairs to create very elaborate gingerbread houses, which were then proudly put on display in the office for students and parents to view!  It pays to read at Santaquin Elementary!

Caine is a 9-year old boy who spent his summer vacation building an elaborate cardboard arcade in his dad’s used auto parts store.  He dreamed of the day he would have lots of customers visit his homemade arcade, and even though the chances of getting a customer were very small ... Caine never gave up.  The students in Mr. Huezo's class at Santaquin Elementary work this hard every day!  They created their very own cardboard arcade and invited the students to come enjoy themselves.  "We believe that kids’ imaginations have the power to inspire and change the world."

http://cainesarcade.com/

On Wednesday evening, December 5th, the fifth grade teachers at Santaquin Elementary were excited to hold their first annual Parent Literacy Night.  This was an opportunity for parents and students to receive instructional strategies and tools to encourage writing at home and get prepared for the January Writing Assessment.   Books, writing supplies and several homemade Christmas stockings filled with writing materials were given away to those in attendance at the end of the evening!  Families learned about Persuasive Core Writing through Four-Square planning.  Thank you for supporting student learning through our Parent Literacy Night!

Santaquin Sentinel, December 2012