Springer Buzz!

November 1, 2013

In This Issue

Calendar Dates

Letter from the Principal

News and Announcements

Parent Education Opportunities

Student Extracurricular Activities

Quick Dates for your Calendar

November 6, 8.45am: PTA meeting, with Alyssa Gallagher (LASD Asst. Superintendent)

November 11: Veterans’ Day; NO SCHOOL

November 18-22: Book Fair

November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break; NO SCHOOL

November 25 & 26: Parent/Teacher conferences           

Letter from the Principal

Springer Gives Back- A New Tradition

Springer is changing an annual tradition that takes place just before the holidays.  For years, classrooms participated in a Ginger Bread house making party.  While it was often fun for our students, there were some issues that arose annually.   Things like food-related allergies, an immense number of volunteer hours to ensure a safe environment, the sugar "intake" and other issues have given us an opportunity to re-examine this yearly tradition.

Ginger Bread House building, for many of our classrooms, has been part of the classroom parties that are traditionally thrown the days before Winter break.  Indeed, it is good to celebrate as a classroom community the successes of the first half of the year.  But, isn’t there a way to still celebrate and find a new tradition that brings the whole community together and gives back to our community as a whole?  Isn’t there a new tradition out there that captures the season and aligns more with academic relevance?  We think there is.

The Leadership Team (consisting of a teacher from each grade level) and I have come up with an idea.  We brainstormed what we liked about Ginger Bread houses (construction, time together, class celebration) and crafted those elements into something called, “Springer Gives Back”.

“Springer Gives Back” is a way for our students to come together, collaborate, and produce something to give back to the community.  The idea is that classroom buddies will partner up and produce a product that will then be given to those in need or those who could use a “lift” in December.   For example, two classrooms, working together (older students helping younger students) may produce lap blankets which would then be given to a nearby assisted living center.  Another class pairing could write letters to troops overseas, thanking them for their service.  

The themes of community, collaboration, giving back to those in need, and celebration would be imbedded in “Springer Gives Back”.   It’s important to note that class room parties would still be thrown; “Springer Gives Back” would not replace those celebrations of accomplishment- only add to it.

On Tuesday, December 17th, starting at 10:30am, Springer would go into “workshop” mode.  Buddy classes would meet together and produce their products, with the help of teachers and parent volunteers in a workshop style activity.

Then, all the products would be brought to the multi to be put on display.  The staff would then “tour” our students on Wednesday, December 18th through the multi so they can get a sense of their accomplishments and what they are giving back.  The products would then be disseminated, with the help of parent volunteers, starting on Wednesday afternoon, December 17th through Friday, December 20th.

Each classroom buddy group will be given a workshop production task.  Some rooms will decorate holiday wreaths.  Some will produce lap blankets.   Some will decorate picture frames.  Others will make scarves.   Other groups will write supportive letters to troops overseas.    

We are currently identifying organizations that can use these products.  Places like shelters, hospitals, and assisted living facilities are being contacted to let them know that we would like to donate these products.

Parent volunteers will be needed for the following: to acquire the needed materials (I'm envisioning trips to Michael's and Joanne's House of Fabrics), material preparation for the workshop days (cutting material, organizing decorations for the workshop), helping out during the workshops, and delivering the products to the organizations.   If you are interested in volunteering for any of these important duties, in what will surely be a rewarding experience for our students, please contact me atwspenader@lasdschools.org

Thanks for being such a supportive community

Wade Spenader- Principal

Follow on Twitter  @SpringerSpenade

News and Announcements

LAEF: We love smaller class sizes!  Your donation to LAEF provides lower student-to-teacher ratios in grades K through 3rd that help our children thrive. In addition, LAEF funds Small Group Literacy Instructors in first and second grades to work with small groups or individual children during literacy/reading instruction time.  LAEF is an important part of our community's commitment to high quality public education. Please support LAEF every year with your generous donations to keep class sizes smaller. Also, the Challenge Grant will match any new or increased donations received by November 1st, so please don’t wait to make your donation.

LAEF representatives at Springer are:

Nancy F

Susan Longyear, sue.longyear[at]gmail.com

Brooke Schiller, bbwc[at]sbcglobal.net

Kristin Najarian (member at-large), kristin_najarian[at]yahoo.com  

Make Your Tax Deductible Donation Today!  www.laefonline.org

WALK-A-THON: Forms & Money Due Tuesday 11/5!

Don't forget! Walk-a-thon sponsor funds are due this coming TUESDAY, November 5, to the Walk-a-thon cubby in the office.

Checks (preferred) should be made to Springer PTA and stapled (not clipped) to your green form; any cash should be in a sealed envelope attached to your form. Sibling forms and donations can be submitted together. Tax receipts can be printed and are available online here.

Remember, only donations turned in by Tuesday will count toward class participation totals. And, please thank your sponsors for supporting Springer!

Cornerstone Corner: This month’s ABC book: “One”  by Kathryn Otoshi is a colorful story of acceptance and tolerance and tells the tale of how just one voice can make a difference.

Goals of lesson:

1. Students know, accept and value who they are.

2. Students believe that they have the power to make a difference in their own (and other students’) lives.

3. Students recognize that they have the power within themselves to react/respond in bullying/bucket dipping situations.

We hope you will talk with your child tonight about One. To reinforce the message at home:

• Ask your child what areas of their life they feel they have the most control? The least control? Why?

• Talk about ways that each family member counts!

• Role-play ways to de-escalate conversations using a calm tone of voice, positive words, and comforting body language.

When you “catch” kids modeling positive behaviors...Notice, Name it, and Celebrate it!

The Book Fair is coming to the Springer Multi!  November 18-22

Family Night is Wednesday, November 20, 5:00pm- 7:30pm

Or shop online from November 18 – December 3 by using the Book Fair tab on the Springer website

Springer Bike Rodeo Was a Success!

WOW and the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition hosted a “bike rodeo” at Springer on Tuesday, October 22 after school.  We had over 50 young riders from grades 1-4 participate.  Several parents afterwards commented that they really appreciated the bike rodeo and felt their kids learned a lot!  All the students learned and practiced safe riding techniques in a safe environment with expert instruction, and came away with new knowledge, confidence and skills.

Kids were split into age groups to cycle through a variety of obstacle courses and challenges that simulated real life situations. This gave kids a safe and fun environment to practice their skills in and get feedback.  For example, signaling; looking left- right- left before turning into a street; balance when going slow, starting from a dead stop at an intersection, etc.  They also got to test their top sprint speed on a stationary bike at the end, and had a lot of fun overall.

Thank you to the volunteers who helped and made this possible.  And our thanks to the City of Los Altos for providing funding.  And thanks to all the parents who encourage your kids to Walk or Wheel to school!  Every trip counts!

From the Springer Walk or Wheel (WOW) Team: - Sharon Tan -  Kevin Beedon -  Kacey Fitzpatrick

Parent Education Opportunities

MVLA Schools, Parent Education Speaker Series

Wednesday, November 13, 7-9pm in the Los Altos High School Eagle Theatre

Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD, speaks on Our Distracted Mind: Brain, Memory and Multi-tasking

Aimed at parents of 4-12th grade students.

Reading in Preterm and Full Term Children

Do you have a six year old? Are you interested in how reading develops?  Here at Stanford, we are conducting a longitudinal research study which uses psychological testing and new brain imaging technology to see how reading skills develop in preterm and full-term children.

If you are interested in having your child participate in this study, please click here for more details.

Student Extracurricular Activities

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, December 7th/8th and 14th/15th

This wonderful holiday show, reviewed as a “charming alternative to the Nutcracker,” will be performed by children of all ages at Woodside Performing Arts Center on Saturday December 7 (4:00pm), Sunday December 8 (1:00pm and 4:00pm) Saturday, December 14, (1:00 and 4:00), and Sunday, December 15 (1:00 and 4:00).

Tickets available at www.twasthenight.org or by calling 650-323-5292.  Come support your fellow Springer student!  For more details, click here

LEGO Robotics

GRADES 4-6, Tuesdays from October 15th 2013 – December 10th 2013

CLASS TIME: 2:45pm – 4:15pm, STEM Room

MVLA SOFTBALL SIGN-UP

Registration for the Spring 2014 season of MVLA Girls Softball opens on November 1.

Learn more about us at: www.mvlags.org

Play In A Box After-School Fall Drama Class

For more details or to register online, go to:  http://pytspringerfall2013.eventbrite.com

Public Speaking Classes

For registration and more information, click here!

How to submit an article to the Springer STAR

If you have an article to submit to Springer Buzz, please send it to the editor at springer.buzz@gmail.com by noon on Monday for inclusion in the next edition.  Late arrivals will be included if possible but can’t be guaranteed! All flyers must be in either WORD or PDF format, accompanied by a brief summary of the activity in the email.