Los Altos School District Weekly Newsletter
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Springer Buzz! February 7th, 2014 |
In This Issue |
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Calendar Dates Principal’s Letter News and Announcements Parent Education Opportunities Student Extracurricular Activities |
Quick Dates for your Calendar |
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February 10: Family Dinner Night Out at Mountain Mike’s February 17-21: Winter break – NO SCHOOL March 13: Science Fair March 22: Springer Auction April 3, 6-8pm: Open House April 7- 11: Spring break – NO SCHOOL April 26: Junior Olympics |
Letter from the Principal |
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Safety is ALL of our concern.
As I write this, the rain is coming down - finally. Our earth is thirsty and the rain is certainly welcomed. Unfortunately, rain also means an increase in car traffic during drop-off and pick up times. Please adhere to the following guidelines (rain or shine):
• ONLY drop off at the yellow curb. DO NOT drop off in the parking lanes. This creates a very dangerous situation as children should not be walking through the parking lot.
• DO NOT leave your vehicle if stopped on the yellow curb. For any reason. Doing so creates a back-up.
• If possible, have backpacks in the car, not in the trunk. This way, a student can exit the vehicle with his/her backpack and be on his/her way.
• SLOW DOWN and follow all rules of the road. Remember that you are providing a model for your own children who watch your driving habits.
Please remember that we, as the adults, are all responsible for creating the safest environment possible in the parking lot. And, if you have grandparents, baby-sitters, or others dropping off and picking up your children, please review these guidelines with them as well.
Sign-IN Reminder: All persons on campus must sign-in at the office before going to the classroom or other volunteer activity. Make sure you are wearing the visitors sticker that indicates that you have done so. This is an important safety precaution that helps us know who is on campus at all times. When you leave campus, be sure to sign-out.
Regards, Wade Spenader- Principal |
News and Announcements |
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It’s not too late to make your LAEF donation for the 2013-14 school year! Our goal: 3.2 million and 100% participation. Funds are already at work in support of: smaller class sizes, extended library hours, STEM, physical education, Living Classroom lessons, art docent lessons, vocal and instrumental music. Who helps make LASD schools so outstanding? YOU DO! Donations can be made online at www.laefonline.org. Annual Fund suggested donation is $1,000 per student, and corporate matching is available. Invest in excellent schools and a strong community.
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 |
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Don’t forget! Pertussis Booster for Students in grade 6 - Please provide a copy of your child’s immunization record to your school office by March 14, 2014. |
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NOMINATE AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER TODAY!
For the past 22 years, Mason-McDuffie’s Education Foundation has been recognizing deserving teachers in Northern California by awarding them unrestricted cash grants. To date, they’ve given $818,000 to 1,365 special public school teachers. It’s their way of giving back to the communities in which they do business.
Let's recognize and reward our best teachers! They are accepting nominations of outstanding teachers for their 2014 grant program. You can nominate a teacher by clicking here and using their online form. Or, click here for those who prefer to print out and type or hand-write their nomination. Please make as many copies as you need. In May of 2014, the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate will host an award ceremonies throughout Northern California to give acknowledgement to the teachers chosen for these grants.
Please note that the deadline for nominations is March 15. |
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You are Invited! Prom Night: Springer School Auction 2014 March 22, 2014, 6:30-10:30 pm Michaels at Shoreline
This is more than just an auction, it’s the party of the year! Join your fellow Springer parents and teachers for an evening of fun and fundraising benefiting Springer School.
Volunteer Secure your babysitter, check out Abracadabra for details of their babysitting service here Host a party (deadline is February 7th) Donate an item (deadline is February 7th)
Questions? Email 2014 auction co-chairs, Rachel, Kirsten & Elizabeth at springerauction@gmail.com |
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Springer Family Dinner Night Out at Mountain Mike’s! Who doesn’t love pizza? Head on over to Mountain Mike’s Pizza on Monday, February 10th for either lunch or dinner and earn 20% for Springer! You can eat at the restaurant or pick it up and take it home. Don’t forget mention Springer when you order. |
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Cornerstone Corner This month each child in the school will hear one of these two books: “Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream” by Deloris Jordan tells the tale of Michael’s childhood fears of being too short to succeed in basketball and how he and his family come together to fulfill his dreams. “Long Shot—Never Too Small to Dream Big” by Chris Paul is an autobiography of an NBA All-Star. As a child, he is one of the shortest players on his basketball team, but with hard work, determination, and the support of his family he is able to realize his dreams.
Goals of lesson:
Questions to ask and discuss to reinforce this lesson at home:
When you “catch” kids modeling positive behaviors... Notice, Name it, and Celebrate it!
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February WOW Competition Starts Next Week!
The next WOW competition will start next week. The top 3 classes with the most walkers and wheelers on Tebrauesday and Wednesday will get 5 minutes of extra recess! So be sure to walk or wheel to school and zap your tag. Remember, you won’t get counted unless you zap in. We’ll announce the winning classes on Friday.
Springer School encourages all of our families to walk, bike, or scoot to school whenever possible, and WOW makes it fun and rewarding for kids to participate. This free program tracks how many times your child walks or wheels to school. If you have any questions about the program, please contact the WOW team: Kevin Beedon ksbeedon[at]gmail.com, Kacey Fitzpatrick kfitz[at]avalon-enterprises.com or Sharon Tan sharontantan[at]yahoo.com.
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Parent Education Opportunities |
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MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series “Parenting In the Age of Social Media” My Digital TAT2, Tuesday, February 11, in the MVHS Spartan Theater from 7-9PM. Click here for more details |
Student Extracurricular Activities |
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Join Springer Singers for our Spring season singing selections “From the Movies.” Songs from Cars, Oliver, Yellow Submarine, Mary Poppins, Disney movies and more! Grades 1-6 rehearse Tuesdays in the multi from 2:30 – 3:30. For more details about the Springer Singers, please contact Heidi Rockett, rockettland[at]comcast.net |
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String Fling Concert Wed., March 5, 7 pm Blach Intermediate School 6th Grade String students from Springer, Loyola, and Oak will join Blach Junior High students for a large orchestra performance. Rehearsal is Mon., March 3 from 3:10 – 4pm at Blach. |
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Peninsula Youth Theatre presents "The Sound of Music" at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts on March 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9, with matinee and evening performances. Tickets are $22 for adults and $18 for children at the box office. http://pytnet.org/shows/SoundOfMusic/tickets.htm |
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girlSPARC girlSPARC - a Science Plus ARithmetic Club is an after school extracurricular STEM program for 2nd - 6th grade girls, with the goal of exposing girls to engineering, math & science topics in a fun, supportive environment. We are offering a Spring Session twice a week - Thursdays for 2nd & 3rd grade girls, and Tuesdays for 4th, 5th & 6th grade girls. It is an 8 week program, starting on 2/25. For more information, contact Tracy Stone, tracygstone[at]yahoo.com, or Anita Mathew,anita.mathew10[at]gmail.com. |
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Medaka no Gakko Registration applications are now being accepted for Medaka no Gakko, a Japanese cultural summer program for children who have completed kindergarten through fifth grade. The parent cooperative program features arts and crafts, music, literature, cooking, social studies and language. Classroom activities are enriched by demonstrations and performances by artists and community members. Dates: June 23 - July 11, 2014; Monday through Friday, 8:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple in Palo Alto. After school care available until 3:00 p.m. For more information, please visit www.medakanogakko.org or emailmedakanogakkopaloalto@gmail.com. |
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30th Annual Margaret Thompson Historical Essay Contest 2014 Theme: “Los Altos Art Works Enrich Our Lives and Community” Take a journey in your mind and imagine what would happen if your favorite work of art came alive! Describe an experience or adventure that happened one day. Within your writing, identify your work of art and tell where it is located. Be sure to include a beginning, middle, and end. Think about developing an organized flow of ideas. As you write, use interesting vocabulary and creative ideas. For the complete essay prompt, go to http://www.losaltoshistory.org/ |
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Winter Break Basketball Camp
Learn valuable skills from MVHS basketball coaches and alumni in this half-day camp. Shooting, ball-handling, and defense will be among the topics covered in a high-energy, fast-paced environment. This is a great opportunity to stay active, have fun, and work on your game during winter break.
This half-day camp takes place Feb 17-21 from 9 am-12 pm and is open to boys and girls in grades 4-8.
Sign up today at www.SpartansSportsCamp.com or call 650.479.5906 for more info! |
How to submit an article to the Springer STAR |
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If you have an article to submit to Springer Buzz, please send it to the editor atspringer.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. |
