The Springer Buzz

April 17, 2015

In This Issue:

• Principal’s Message

• News and Announcements

• Parent Education Opportunities

Quick Dates for your Calendar:

• April 20 - 24: Book Fair

• April 23, Thursday, 5:00 - 8:00pm: Spring Picnic

• April 20 - May 8: SBAC Testing

• April 25, Saturday: Junior Olympics for Grades 4, 5 & 6 at Mountain View High School

• May 1, Wednesday, 8:45am: PTA Meeting

Principal’s Message

SBAC Testing begins Monday

Statewide testing, known as the SBAC (Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments) begins on Monday and will run through the next 3 weeks, ending on May 8th.   Each grade level, from 3rd through 6th, have a separate testing schedule, so the days your child takes his/her test will vary.  Teachers will provide their individual testing schedules to families.

Students will take online tests in English/Language Arts and Mathematics.   Both subjects also have a Performance Task component as well.   There are no time limits on any of these tests but the total amount of testing for 3rd-6th graders is about 7 hours- hence the reason why we spread out the testing over 3 weeks.  Students have been practicing the test by logging into the online testing environment and taking sample questions.   

What can you do as a parent to prepare your child?

• Please make sure children arrive at school on time.  Some of the testing begins at the beginning part of the day so getting to school on time is always important- but especially during testing.

• Make sure that your child is getting a good night’s sleep and eating a healthy breakfast.  

• Encourage your child to do the best they can but not worry about results.  Use the growth mindset ideal of praising the effort and not the outcome.   Because the tests are computer adaptive, and test questions become more difficult as the student correctly answers questions, students WILL hit a wall eventually on the test.  

• Remind students the SBAC is a way for the school to learn how and what is the best ways to teach students.   A student’s individual results will not have an impact on grades or progression through the grades.  The results we get as a school will help further refine our instructional practices to some degree.  

Since this is the first year the SBAC is official, we will all be entering a learning curve.  Learning how to log-in, how much time each test actually takes, and coordinating schedules are just a few of the complexities we, as a staff, are working through.  We anticipate a few bumps in the road, as with any first year test, but will plug on!  In the end, all will be fine and we’ll come away from testing better for it.

Have a great weekend.

Wade Spenader- Principal

Book Fair Coming April 20 - 24!

April 20-24, 2015

8:00am – 3:30pm

Grand Opening Monday, April 20, 8:30am - 10:00am

Bring your friends and come in for coffee, pastries, and books!

Spring Picnic and Book Fair Family Night

Thursday, April 23, 5:00–8:00 pm

Join us for food trucks, fun, and shopping.

Make a donation to support UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital’s school program which allows hospitalized children to continue their education.

With a donation of $1 per student, we will reach our goal of $500 and receive a visit from a special guest on the last day of the fair!

Volunteers Needed!  We are looking for Spring Picnic volunteers to help with set-up, break-down and all the fun in between!  To volunteer, please click here.

Shop Online from Springer’s website April 20-April 24

If you can’t find it in the multi, you’ll likely find it on the online fair, with 65% more books than we can fit in the Multi. All orders are shipped to Springer free of charge.

Please discuss your family’s purchasing guidelines before the event to help children make good choices.

A hold area will be available daily if you prefer to make purchase decisions together after school.  

As this is a fundraiser, all sales are final.

Junior Olympics Saturday, April 25

Junior Olympics
Calling all 4th, 5th & 6th Graders
Saturday, April 25th @ Mountain View HIgh
Come join the Los Altos School district for a fantastic day of track and field events!
For all the details click here!

LAEF

LAEF’s in the final stretch – every dollar counts!
 

There are just two weeks until LAEF makes its 2014-15 grant to LASD at Junior Olympics on April 25. With $206,504 to raise between now and then, every dollar you give will help! Did you know that if 30 more families gave at each school we would reach our goal? Your gift to LAEF directly benefits your child this current school year by funding STEM, PE, art, library, music and smaller class sizes for grades K through 6. Give online today at www.laefonline.net or bring a check to the school office this week.

Great Grizzly Run is this Saturday, April 18th

We’re looking forward to seeing all LASD families at Gardner Bullis for their annual 5K benefitting LAEF.  It’s easy to register on www.active.com.  Registration will also be available the morning of the run starting at 8 AM.  The run begins promptly at 9 AM at the front of the school.  The fire department will be there to greet everyone too. All welcome, including siblings older and younger, strollers, grandparents and pets and more!

Open Auction Parties

Don’t miss out on awesome Springer hosted parties!
Help raise funds for Springer school!

Sign up info. for Open Auction Parties    

• Dodge Ball, Flag Football, Pool Parties, Teacher hosted grade parties, and more.

• Adult Field Day Party on May 16.

• Adult Revenge of the Nerds Party with Nigel Lemon and Parmesan Tray on June 13.

Questions? Email auction co-chairs, Rachel, Kirsten & Elizabeth

Sixth Grade Basketball Tournament

Bob Celeste "Everyone Plays" 6th Grade Basketball Tournament

May 15th Girls Tournament
May 29th Boys Tournament
Location: Egan
Time: 3:30p-8:30p

Project Cornerstone

Cornerstone Corner

In this month’s ABC book: “Sebastian’s Roller Skates” by Joan de Déu Prats, Sebastian gains confidence while practicing a new physical activity: roller-skating! His newly developed confidence empowers him to speak up and participate more fully in other areas of his life as well. This book shows how physical activity, perseverance, and hard work can bring about great leaps of confidence and skill.

Goals of Lesson:

• Help students explore and discover their sparks (interests, dreams, passions, etc.)

• Reflect upon and identify the support students receive from their peers, family, and community.

• Growth mindset:  Change negative thoughts into positive thoughts.

• Empower students to provide support to their peers.

To reinforce this lesson at home, ask your child:

• What dreams do you have for your future?

• Which mentors or role models do you admire?  Why?

• If you could do one thing with your life, what would it be?  Why?

Here are some tips that might help your child find a sense of purpose:

• Cut down on television, computer, and telephone time to make time to develop interests.

• Model having a sense of purpose.  Do the things that matter to you.

• Compare passion lists.  Have family members each write down five things they are passionate about and then talk about them.

• Model using positive self-talk and turn negative thoughts into positive ones.

  • “I hate spelling.  I will never be able to spell.” (negative self talk)

  • “Spelling is hard for me, but I  practice and work hard to do better.”  (positive self talk/growth mindset)

When you catch kids modeling positive behaviors… Notice it, Name it, and Celebrate it!

CSTEM Showcase

Thursday, May 28

3:15 - 5:00pm

Almond School Multi

For more info, click here

Part-time Nurse Needed

NURSE NEEDED:  The Los Altos School District needs Registered Nurse substitute(s). Must be available on short notice. Approximate times needed are minimum of three hours, 9:30am-12:30pm. Job will entail covering snack & lunch time to supervise students with type 1 diabetes blood sugar levels and insulin administration; both injection and insulin pump.  Monday-Friday.  To apply, call Marlene Revelo 650-947-1153.

Sixth Grade Students Bridging to Blach & Egan

For more information about bridging to Blach, please check out the Blach School website here.

For more information about bridging to Egan, please check out the Egan School website here.

Sixth Grade Immunization Requirement

Pertussis Booster for Students in grade 6

Students currently in 6th grade must have proof of a Tdap or Dtap (Pertussis or Whooping Cough) booster given after their 7th birthday (after 10th birthday is recommended) in order to begin 7th grade in August of 2015. Please provide a copy of your child’s immunization record to your school office by March 13, 2015.

Student Extracurricular Activities:

Check out the other 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.   

Parent Education Opportunities

Through enriching presentations from local and national experts on topics of interest to parents, faculty and staff, the MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series seeks to contribute to the academic, physical, and emotional health of our students. All events are free of charge and are for parents, faculty and staff in Los Altos and Mountain View public schools. For a schedule of upcoming presentations, please click here.