APRIL 19, 2024

Important Changes to the District Calendar

The Board of Education approved a revised district calendar for 2023-24. There will be no school on May 24 (unused emergency closure/snow day) and half days for K-6 students on June 24-June 26.

A Furry Surprise: Rufus the Therapy Dog Delights First Graders

Excitement filled the air as students in Samantha Tanner’s first-grade class awaited the arrival of a special Mystery Reader. Little did they know, they were in for a unique treat.

A student in the class, whose aunt has a therapy dog, brought Rufus for a visit. Rufus is a three-year old Goldendoodle. Since it also happened to be his third birthday, the class joined in a celebration.

The class first enjoyed reading Hello Goodbye Dog by Maria Gianferrari about a dog who wants to go to school, but isn’t allowed. The dog’s solution is to go to therapy school for training as a therapy dog. He returns to school and is welcomed to assist students, especially a young child in a wheelchair.

Students learned that therapy dogs help people with both physical and emotional needs. In order to do this work, the dogs attend a special school for training.

Tanner said all the students loved having Rufus in the classroom. One student pronounced that this was, "the best Mystery Reader EVER!" Another student exclaimed, "No Mystery Reader will ever top this!"

Japanese-American Sam Mihara Shares His Experiences with PMS and PHS Students

Mihara with a photo of his family. All six family members were forced to go to the internment camp

Sharing his memories of life as an American of Japanese descent during the Second World War, Sam Mihara spoke to eighth and eleventh graders about his experience with discrimination and resilience during this time period in American history.

During his visit, Mihara recounted the drastic changes his family experienced following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Prior to the war, California had a flourishing Japanese population. However, in the wake of the attack and the United States' entry into the war, Japanese-Americans faced widespread prejudice and suspicion. Mihara described how his family was forcibly removed from their home in San Francisco and relocated to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, an internment camp in Wyoming.

Students listened intently while Mihara shared his experiences

Mihara shared that life in the internment camp was marked by deprivation and hardship. The cramped living conditions required that his family of six was confined to a single small room without basic amenities like electricity and running water. He underscored the dehumanizing experience of being stripped of their rights and confined behind barbed wire fences simply because of their Japanese ancestry.

Mihara's message to the students was powerful: "Never Again to Anyone." He cautioned against the resurgence of the same dangerous forces that led to the injustices of World War II, emphasizing the dangers of hate, hysteria, and leadership failure.

Following his release from the internment camp, Mihara pursued higher education, heeding his parents' advice. He graduated from UC Berkeley and UCLA and went on to have a successful career as a rocket scientist at Boeing.

Now 90 years old, Mihara continues to travel across the country, sharing his story with students. His mission is to ensure that the lessons of history are not forgotten, as he believes that much of what happened during that dark period is not adequately taught in schools today. To date, over 90,000 people have heard Mihara's testimony, shedding light on the challenges faced by Japanese-Americans before, during, and after their internment.

Left to right: Eighth grade Social Studies teacher James Carey, Mihara, and PHS Principal Joe Palumbo

Mihara's visit served as a poignant reminder of the importance of confronting past injustices and working towards a more inclusive and equitable future.

You can read more about Sam Mihara’s story and work here: Japanese American Prisons | Keynote Speaker on Immigration and Imprisonment (sammihara.com).

National Library Week at PHS and PMS

Marissa Fraher and fifth grade Inquiry Lab students in front of the poster they created for National Library Week

National Library Week at PHS saw Library Media Specialist Joanne Wallace and Library Assistant Pat Kohlhagen implement several innovative measures to draw students to the library more often. The two introduced daily themes to showcase new books and resources.

The library entrance featured streamers for the festivities. The week started with "Pop Into the Library" on Monday, where students enjoyed popcorn. The following day, "Have a Ball at the Library and Have a Super Day" provided bouncy balls, which were a hit. On Wednesday, the theme "DOHn’t You Know?!? Our Library Has it All!" attracted students with Play-Doh giveaways.

“It’s wonderful to see students flocking into the library! We had many students who typically don’t visit the library come in, and they were able to see how welcoming the library is and the large selection of new books,” said Wallace.

Additionally, fifth grade Inquiry Lab students, under the supervision of Marissa Schottler Fraher, worked together to create a poster celebrating National Library Week.

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