Atascadero students wrap up October with choral festival, Red Ribbon Week, robotics
Atascadero Unified choir students at the Cuesta Middle School Choral Festival. Photo courtesy of Atascadero Unified School District.
District also offers free virtual parenting class on ADHD Nov. 10
– Choir students from Atascadero Unified School District took part in the Cuesta Middle School Choral Festival, one of several school activities highlighted in the district’s Oct. 30 “Fall Fun News” newsletter. The Atascadero Fine Arts Academy Honors Choir, Atascadero Middle School Choir, and the district’s sixth-grade choir met up with three other middle school choirs from around the county to perform for each other and combine for a joint performance. All of the choirs received an onstage clinic from John Sorber, director of choirs at College of the Sequoias, according to the district.
Atascadero High School marked Red Ribbon Week with messaging and spirit days and ended the week with Halloween fun. Media arts students also added smoke bombs to pumpkins to create Halloween photos.
Atascadero High School students during Red Ribbon and Halloween week. Photo courtesy of Atascadero Unified School District.
Atascadero High School Theater’s production of “Beetlejuice Jr.,” directed by Sabrina Pratt, has remaining performances at noon Saturday, Oct. 31; 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. Tickets and information are available at ahsblackbox.ludus.com.
At Creston Elementary School, the PTA partnered with Champions for a family pumpkin-painting night. Students celebrated Red Ribbon Week with Red Out, Crazy Hair and Socks, Tie-Dye, Pajama, and Costume days, and a Children’s Farmers Market with the SLO Food Bank brought fresh fruits and vegetables to campus, where students also created holiday cards for residents of a retirement home. The week wrapped up with the PTA’s annual fall festival and a costume parade, according to the school.
Atascadero High School media arts students added smoke bombs to pumpkins for Halloween photos. Photo courtesy of Atascadero Unified School District.
Santa Rosa Academic Academy’s robotics team is exploring Battle Bots through friendly competition in the school library. At the same school, transitional kindergarten students explored pumpkins with all five senses, including tasting pumpkin seeds; kindergarteners learned about animal needs during a visit from baby chicks; and students celebrated Red Ribbon Week with five days of themed spirit days.
Fourth- and fifth-grade classes at Monterey Road Elementary School took a field trip to a Cal Poly women’s basketball game in San Luis Obispo. The school also held its annual pumpkin carving contest, with winners in the Most Creative, Most School Spirit, and Most Festive categories, and an annual costume parade. Earlier this month, we reported on the school’s Mustang Trot fundraiser.
Monterey Road Elementary students at a Cal Poly women’s basketball game. Photo courtesy of Atascadero Unified School District.
The district’s Student Intervention Services team also thanked school sites for their activities during AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) Awareness Month. About 22 students across the district use high-tech communication devices, four use mid-tech devices, and many more use low-tech communication supports, according to the district, which credited its team of 13 speech-language pathologists for helping students communicate with staff and peers.
For parents, the San Luis Obispo County Special Education Local Plan Area will offer “ADHD: Focus Isn’t the Whole Story,” a free virtual session in its Growing Together Parent Learning Series, on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from noon to 12:50 p.m. The session will cover lesser-known aspects of ADHD, from motivation and hyperfocus to emotional regulation and executive functioning, with insights to support children in daily life, school, and relationships. Registration is available online.
For more information, visit www.atasusd.org.
