Thurston students dig new fossil club

Cindy Shopoff

Here’s the news of what has been and what will be happening at our

busy Thurston Middle School at this time.

Mr. Selin has organized a new club. On Tuesdays and Thursdays from

3:05 to 4 p.m., Thurston students excavate fossils from local

construction sites. Fossils are identified by resource geologists

working at grading sites, then they are covered in plaster to be

shipped and stored in a county property in Santa Ana. The fossils are

in a matrix of other rock, in this case sandstone. The two “rock

jackets” the club is working on are about the size of the trunk of a

car. The rock jackets are on loan from the County of Orange. The

rocks and sandstone may contain fossils of scientific importance.

There are nine students in the club, two eighth-graders and seven

sixth-graders.

More than 100 members of the Thurston Spanish Club participated in

the annual outing to Medieval Times on March 16. The dinner theater

recreates the experience of an 11th century tournament at a castle in

Spain, complete with jousting knights and their cheering supporters.

A special thanks to the chaperons who helped make the trip possible.

Students in the Spanish 1B classes at Thurston are now posting

communications to their friends at our sister school in Castellon,

Spain. The school’s website recently established a bulletin board, or

“foro,” which allows the students at both schools to practice their

language skills as they share their thoughts on cinema, sports,

television, hobbies and other interesting topics.

The PTA at Thurston is in the process of selecting a new board and

slate of volunteers to head next year’s committees, while the

fifth-graders and their parents are having meetings and orientations

to find out about middle school life.

Parent Orientation for fifth-grade students will be held at 7 p.m.

April 20 in the Thurston gymnasium

Thurston Middle School is in immediate need of a volunteer to post

information to the website. If you have the ability and willingness

to do this job (through next year is preferable) please contact Dr.

Joanne Culverhouse at school.

We are packing for spring break even as I write this. We are going

on a big trip, but with the weather as it has been, everyone else

seems to have come to our own Laguna for theirs.

Whether you are staying or going, remember to let the brain cells

rest, get your fun shoes out and participate in the other part of the

school year -- downtime with the kids.