We have amazing faculty and staff members at Santaquin Elementary and our wonderful PTA has decided to spotlight them!  This week we learned a little more about Mrs. Greer (6th), Miss Levi (2nd), and Mrs. Hogan (1st).  We are so grateful to have these Magic Makers at our school because they help us remember every day how ... The Magic Begins With YOU!

Character Education is alive and well at Santaquin Elementary!  These students have all been chosen by their teachers for demonstrating how "we show respect for ourselves and others" by practicing HONESTY with fellow classmates and friends.  Thank you for setting such a great example for all of us!

 Author Adam Glendon Sidwell  visited our school on Wednesday, September 27th.  He immediately got our attention by showing us some of the films he and his brother helped make.  He was involved in the animation for such films as Pirates of the Caribbean, Tron, Toy Story 3, Spiderman, The Incredibles, Night at the Museum,  Avitar, and King Kong!!    What a fantastic way to earn a living.

                Mr. Sidwell gave our young writers some very "SMART" advice.  Using the letters from "SMART" he listed 5 elements to include in every story:

Structure:  Have a good beginning, then build the action or conflict and finally resolve the conflict in the end.  

Moral Choice:  The characters in the story should have to make a choice.

Aim to Finish:  Don't forget to revise the story.  Ask your friends and family to read it and give you feedback.

Real Life:  Give the characters meaningful dialogue that moves the plot along.  Think of using your real life experiences for inspiration.

Theme:  Find a central idea.  Think about who your audience is.

                Students were encouraged to  share stories with friends, create comics, write scripts and make movies.  

                A winner was drawn from the students at the school and given an autographed copy of Mr. Sidwell's book,  Evertaster.  Paden Kunz was the lucky student.  Paden has already read the book and reports that he really enjoyed it.

Santaquin families enjoyed the kick-off activity for our Fall Book Fair with an early morning "Parents and Pastries".  Parents were invited by the PTA to "bring your children and some books and come enjoy milk and donuts while you read together!"  What a great way to start the day ... reading!

On Friday, September 14th, the second grade students at Santaquin Elementary learned all about taking care of their teeth.  Red Rock Orthodontics shared ideas about brushing and flossing twice a day, eating healthy foods and seeing your orthodontist by age seven.  Keep smiling!

In the United States millions of children in elementary schools have vision problems that go undetected and untreated.  If you can't see properly, how can you learn properly?  On Thursday, September 13th, Santaquin Elementary students participated in school-wide vision screenings.  Vision was checked to make sure everyone can see the important learning taking place in each classroom.  Thank you to our wonderful school nurses and parent helpers for making the day a success!

Bright and early Friday morning, the students, teachers and staff of Santaquin Elementary conducted their first fire drill of the school year.  Students quietly followed teachers to designated areas, where they were counted and then waited for the 'all clear' signal.  Safety first at Santaquin!

At Santaquin Elementary, after reading the book Enemy Pie, Miss Dooley's first grade class decided to write their own recipe for Friendship Pie.  Working together in a Shared Writing activity, the students and teacher recorded their ideas for important things to have in a recipe for friendship.  They will use this recipe to help build their classroom community throughout the year.  Thank you, 1st graders, for sharing such a great example of friendship!

On Thursday, August 30th, the students at Santaquin Elementary participated in the first of many It Pays to Read assemblies.  To recognize the importance of reading throughout the summer and all year long, students were treated to new books of their very own!  Names were called to shoot baskets for cash, as well as for the grand prize of a brand new bike, the winner of which had read over 8000 pages during the summer!  We want to thank the Road to Success reading program for keeping us excited about books!  Keep up the great work! 

Parents, students, teachers, and faculty were all in attendance Thursday evening at our annual Back to School Night at Santaquin Elementary, August 23rd.  Families were able to visit with teachers about the procedures and policies in their students' classrooms, as well as receive information and sign up for upcoming events through the efforts of our wonderful PTA.  We were excited to review our school vision of:  Everyone caring, involved, and improving.  At Santaquin, we celebrate success because ... ALL students are OUR students!  Thank you for your support of our learning!