Barn Dance postponed
EDITOR: Due to the recent fires the Healdsburg Future Farmers Country Fair board has decided to postpone the Nov. 4 barn dance. We have decided to have it at a later date, to be announced. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone. We believe the community will understand.
HFFCF board
Healdsburg
Strength and unity
EDITOR: My heart is heavy as I observe the devastating toll the firestorm has taken. Amid the ashes of unthinkable loss and destruction, what shines through is the strength and unity at work in our community.
Last week, nearly every school district in the county was closed. As some school sites begin opening their doors again this week, student safety and health will continue to be top priority. Staff are working around the clock to monitor conditions so that school at the remaining closed sites can resume as soon as it is safe to do so. More than anybody, educators and school staff understand the importance of restoring a sense of normalcy and routine to students.
On behalf of the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE), I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the men and women working tirelessly to get schools back up and running, many of whom have lost their own homes in this tragedy.
Thank you to custodial staff for providing our students with a clean school environment to return to by replacing air filters, cleaning desks and power washing school grounds. Thank you to office staff for your diligent record keeping and communication with parents during these hard times. Thank you to teachers and counselors for adjusting your life schedules to provide guidance, comfort, and stability to our children. Thank you to school and district administration for your dedicated leadership and coordination behind the scenes.
You all play an essential role in ensuring the success of Sonoma County students, and you couldn’t be more valuable in these challenging times.
Steven Herrington
Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools
4-H welcoming
EDITOR: Warm Springs 4-H club is welcoming new members. 4-H is a great opportunity to create new friends, learn new things and participate with new people. We will welcome anyone ages 5-18 with a passion for being a part of the community. We meet every third Monday of every month at Hoofbeat Park at 7 p.m.
We are offering the following projects: poultry, horse, dog, swine, community service, sheep, cooking, gardening, arts and crafts and vine pruning. For more information, please contact one of our community leaders, Dana Grande at da*********@gm***.com or Ann Davis at kw*******@ma*.com.
Isabel Savin
Healdsburg
I am thoughtful and caring
EDITOR: Adelyn Lyon, a fourth grade teacher at Healdsburg Charter School, gave her students the assignment of creating an “I Am” poem on their first morning back at school after the fires. Students could write on any topic they chose, keeping with the two letter prompts of each line. One of her students wrote the following poem:
I Am Ashley
I am thoughtful and caring
I wonder how many houses have burned down
I hear a helicopter in the air
I see smoke in the air
I want people to get help
I am thoughtful and caring
I pretend that everything is back to normal
I feel the sadness of everyone around me
I touch the cover of a book
I worry about my dogs’ safety
I cry because so many people lost their homes
I am thoughtful and caring
I understand that times are tough
I say that we should all help each other
I dream everything is back to normal
I try to help my community
I hope the fire ends soon
I am thoughtful and caring
Ashley Jenkins, 9
Healdsburg
