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The Springer Buzz September 12, 2014 |
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In This Issue:
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Quick Dates for your Calendar:
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Principal’s Message |
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Rolling Along… And Getting Started with Two Important Committees It’s the same every year; photo day (this Wednesday!) is one of those gentle reminders that the school year is officially in full swing. Many, or all, of our programs for students have begun. Starting Arts for our Kinder through 3rd graders began this week. The library opens up next week. Homework is becoming a consistent nightly activity, and the students are back in to the routines of school. It’s definitely mid-September! So much of the work we do at Springer, together as teachers and parents, is important. Two committees where important work is done are Springer’s Site Council Committee and Technology Committee. Both these committees are made-up of parents and staff, working together to better guide the decisions we make for our students. The Site Council Committee has a far-ranging charge of studying the various means of school improvement. That improvement can be targeted in academics, school climate, facilities, or in other ways. Last year, the Site Council Committee put out the Springer Site Survey that over 250 families completed. The Site Council looked at the results and made recommendations to the administration and PTA about areas where Springer could improve. The Site Council also studied campus safety in the area of foot traffic flow. The new fencing put in last Spring was done so based on a recommendation from Site Council. Anyone is welcomed to attend Site Council meetings, which are held on the last Tuesday of each month at 3:00pm in the staff lounge. Our first meeting is September 23rd. The Technology Committee has gained more importance with the embedding of computers, ChromeBooks, and iPads in our classrooms and curriculums. Gone are the days of the Tech Committee simply discussing what the traditional computer lab needs. Now, topics of study include infrastructure, budget, successful implementation, apps, and so much more. Again, teachers and parents form this important team. The recommendations of this committee is very important to our PTA when making technology purchases, which are becoming an increasingly larger part of PTA expenditures. You are also welcome to attend the Technology Committee meetings, which fall on the last Wednesdays of each month at 7:30am in the computer lab. Our first meeting is September 24th. If you have any questions about these two committees or have an interest in joining them, please do not hesitate to contact me. Have a great weekend. |
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Reminder: Photo Day is Wednesday, September 17th |
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Photo Day is Wednesday. Once again, student photos will be outdoor shots using a natural Springer background. If your child is absent or you would like a retake, Photo Make-Up day is October 29th. . |
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PTA Announcement |
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Last Tuesday (9/9) PTA held a special meeting to discuss the LASD bond measure (Measure N). Thanks to Superintendent Jeff Baier and LASD Board member Steve Taglio for presenting an update on the LASD Board's plans regarding the bond measure and for holding an extended Question & Answer session. We had a good discussion and I think everyone came away with a much better grasp of the issues and current planning. For those who missed the meeting and would like to learn more, please take a look at the information on the District's Measure N web site and especially at the Board's recent update on "Master Facility Planning Direction". Following the discussion, PTA members at the meeting unanimously approved supporting the "Excellent Los Altos Schools" initiative in favor of Measure N with a $5000 donation. Thanks to everyone who attended and made this possible! Thomas Wieland (President) and Shannon Coin (Executive VP) |
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Walk-A-Thon Sponsor Cards Are Here! |
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Our Rock-n-roll Walk-a-thon is Saturday October 11, from 10-3... but the time to collect sponsors is NOW! Look for your child's green sponsor card, along with the purple registration book, in today's Friday folder. Ask friends, family and neighbors to support our school by making a pledge -- either per lap walked or a flat rate. Walk-a-thon proceeds support instructional materials; supplies and printing costs; enrichment programs like science, music and arts; and noontime clubs. Sponsor cards -- including the all-important parent signature on the back -- are due back to school on Thursday, October 2! And don't forget to sign up to volunteer on Walk-a-thon day! Easy, fun shifts are still available before, during and after the event. Just click here! 100% family participation is our goal. Rock on, Springer! |
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Hot Lunch Is Looking For Volunteers |
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Hot Lunch is still looking for a few more volunteers. Shifts are from 11:15-12:15. Tuesday 10/7, 10/21, 11/4, 11/18, 12/2, 12/16 (one person) Friday 10/10, 10/24, 11/7, 11/21, 12/5, 12/19 (two people) Hot Lunch is a fun opportunity to see the kids during the school day, plus it is a fundraiser for the PTA. For more information and to volunteer, please contact Hilary Burcell at: hilary[at]burcell.com or Anita Leo at: amleo73[at]yahoo. |
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Classroom Yahoo Groups |
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Each class at Springer has a Yahoo Group, used for communications from the PTA, the room parents and/or teacher, and for discussions between the parents. It is very important that at least one parent from each family join the Class Group, as otherwise you will miss communications about activities in your classroom, special events at Springer, etc. All parents listed in the Springer Directory have been sent an invitation to join your Class Group(s). If you haven’t already joined your Class Group, please click here for instructions on how to join. Questions? Contact: SpringerClassLists[at]gmail[dot]com. |
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Back-To-School Order Form |
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Hello Springer Parents, The Springer Back To School (BTS) Order Form is a quick, easy, online tool that allows you to make donations, sign up for PTA memberships, order Birthday Books, select your child's Walk-a-thon T-shirt size, place Walk-a-thon Food Pre-Orders, and purchase Auction Tickets, Spirit Wear, and Yearbooks. This is a convenient way to make a single payment for your donations and orders! Click on the link below to open the form. We recommend reviewing the 2014-2015 Spirit Wear selection with your child before opening the form. Please consider making your BTS payment via e-check. We prefer electronic payments because they allow us to more quickly and easily process the BTS orders. (Last year, a parent volunteer made 27 trips to the bank to deposit over 1400 handwritten checks for the Springer PTA!) Furthermore, payment by e-check is less expensive for us. (Intuit charges the PTA a flat fee of $0.50 for every e-check. PayPal charges the PTA 3-5% of each payment.) The Los Altos Educational Foundation (LAEF) accepts (and prefers) payments by e-check as well. Making your payment by check is of course still an option, if you prefer. We appreciate your support!! The link to the form is: Springer 2014 BTS Order Form The password is "stingers" (all lower case) The online form will close on Sunday, September 21 and payments are due by Friday, September 26. Thank you for your support of the Springer PTA! Thomas Wieland and Shannon Coin 2014-2015 Springer PTA Co-Presidents |
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Please Complete Lice Permission Form |
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Those annoying Lice! Don’t you just wish we could eradicate these bugs from our lives? Realistically, we won’t be able to eliminate lice completely, but learning about lice and how to prevent infestations and treat them when necessary, is a proactive and smart approach. Periodic lice checks can greatly reduce lice outbreaks, but schoolwide checks are not possible without the help of volunteer parents. Volunteer parents will be trained by the District Nurse and privacy for your child is ensured. Please read and sign the permission slip, which will allow a trained parent volunteer to check your child by clicking here. And please sign-up as a volunteer too--we would love to have you on the Springer Lice Squad! |
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Are You Thinking About Joining Cub Scouts? |
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Come To Pack 36’s Pack Meeting On Wednesday, September 17th in the Springer Multi All families interested in Cub Scouts are invited to participate in our Cub Scout Pack Meeting on Wednesday, September 17 in the Springer Multi from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Our focus is to help every boy build self-esteem, learn how to get along with others through team building activities, gain a good sense of citizenship in community, state, and nation, build character, and provide a strong focus on family values through family activities. We sponsor many family oriented activities throughout the year like our Halloween Carnival, Scouting for Food Drive, Camp Circle, Holiday Sing, Pinewood Derby, Overnight Camping, and monthly hiking activities. For more information on Pack 36, please visit our website at: https://sites.google.com/site/springerpack36/home. |
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Girl Scout Information Night |
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Girl Scouts is a great way to build leadership, advocacy, self-expression and friendship. Service Unit 608 of Los Altos is hosting a Girl Scout Parent Information night for girls K-12. They will provide information regarding Girl Scouts, help you find your girl a troop to join and assist with starting new troops at your school. Join us on Monday, September 15th from 6:30 to 8:30, Los Altos United Methodist Church, Creekside Room, 655 Magdalena Ave., Los Altos Hills. For more information, please contact Sandra Hillman at Sandra.G.Hillman[at]gmail.com |
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For Parents New to Special Ed And Special Needs |
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ARE YOU A PARENT NEW TO SPECIAL ED AND SPECIAL NEEDS? If you are new to special ed or not so new yet still have lots of questions, come and meet local Dr. Trenna Sutcliffe, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician. She is an expert in over 18 different conditions such as anxiety, autism, ADHD, behavioral disorders, CP, and other developmental disabilities. We will be talking about navigating your way through the path of education, family life, testing, and more. For date, time and more information, click here. |
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Creating Conditions of Discovery and Inquiry in our Schools: A Conversation about Innovation with Lisa Kay Solomon and Warren Berger |
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How can we best prepare our students with the foundational critical thinking and creative problem solving skills required to thrive in times of increasing ambiguity, complexity and uncertainty? What will it take to shift our classrooms from stand and deliver models to more inquiry-driven methods that foster discovery and personal engagement? How can our teachers, administrators and parents create environments that promote questioning, experimentation, co-creation and collaboration? And, how can we do this all amidst the realities of performance demands, testing requirements and quantified measurement assessments? Join authors Lisa Kay Solomon and Warren Berger Thursday, September 18, 6:30 pm at Mountain View Center for Performing Arts for a thought-provoking conversation power to influence schools, classrooms and community organizations. Drawing on their insights from their newly published books Moments of Impact: How to Design Strategic Conversations that Accelerate Change (Simon & Schuster, 2014) and A More Beautiful Question, Lisa and Warren will explore a new way of thinking about how to create cultures and conditions for discovery and lasting impact. For more information contact agallagher@lasdschools.org or to RSVP go to https://www.facebook.com/events/375552049263231/. |
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Become a LIVING CLASSROOM docent... share your love of nature with kids! |
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The Living Classroom is looking for docents to help deliver hands-on garden-based lessons to the students of the Los Altos School District. No experience necessary as we provide all the training needed! Our Fall docent training session will take place on Monday mornings from 9 - Noon on September 8th through October 13th. Please click here for more details. Questions? Please contact the Living Classroom at livingclassroom@lasdschools.org or visit our website: www.living-classroom.org. |
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Update For Noontime Fun! visor Program! |
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More Fun!visor Programs began this week at Springer including LEGO Club and NatureZone. Programs continue to see very high student involvement. Run4YourLife had over 82 new avid runners this week and exuberant student builders in LEGO Club numbered near 100. The more parent volunteers that help with these free volunteer-led programs, the better able we are to give attention to students. Next week our monthly Yoga Class begins on Tuesday in the Multi at Lunch! We are very excited and feel very fortunate to have an experienced Yoga Instructor parent Reena Vokoun volunteering her time to teach Yoga at Springer. Parents or caregivers interested in volunteering in Yoga, LEGO, Run4YourLife, Volleyball or any other Fun!visor program, please contact Laurie Pasmooij (laurie.pasmooij[at]mac.com) Click here for an overview of Springer's Fun!visor Programs which can be found on the Springer Website under "Extracurricular Activities/Fun!visor." |
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Join Our Arterrific Stinger Team! |
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Looking for 4th - 6th Grade volunteers to help during noontime Art Club on Wednesdays! Leadership Training for the Arterrific Stinger Student Volunteer Program took place on Wednesday at lunch. In this program students in 4th - 6th Grade volunteer their time to play board and field games, write, do art, and play trivia games with younger grades at the Arts and Games Club at noon on Wednesday. Students interested in volunteering please contact Laurie Pasmooij (laurie.pasmooij[at]mac.com). |
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Student Extracurricular Activities: |
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There are after-school activities at Springer for all grade levels. For a list of all of the activities and more information, please go to Springer’s website by clicking here. |
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STAY AND PLAY! After School Sports & Games With Mr. Heeb |
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Play and Stay Sports and Games with Mr. Heeb will be starting Monday September 15th. Please click here for more information. |
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Come And Learn Chinese! |
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Come and join us, for a learning adventure through singing, reading, writing (drawing), rhymes, stories and games, etc. to keep and develop student’s interest in learning Chinese language and culture. At Springer after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays; For Grades K - 3. For registration and more information click here. |