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The Springer Buzz October 23, 2015 |
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In This Issue:
Quick Dates for your Calendar:
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Principal’s Message |
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Take a Breath and Savor the moment Today, because of a substitute shortage, I found myself subbing in a 6th grade classroom. While I certainly had a pile of work on my desk and a to-do list on multiple sheets of paper, I actually relished the chance to get back in the classroom and work with students as a teacher. And, as a former junior high teacher, I find 6th graders to be a good fit for me! After lunch today, we had a short discussion of mindfulness. I explained that mindfulness is the ability to be totally present and in the moment. Being in the moment means that we aren’t thinking about the past or worrying about the future. By being mindful, we are completely aware of ourselves, others around us, and our current surroundings. To demonstrate, I asked the students to sit still and quiet. I told them that I was going to ring a chime and when they could no longer hear the chime, they were to put a finger on their nose. The room quickly became quiet. I hit the chime and we all silently listened. After what seemed like a minute (but was actually about 7 seconds), students began placing fingers on their nose. The room remained totally quiet even after that. Was there ever a more focused time than that 7 seconds? I asked the students if they would like to repeat the experiment- which they, of course did. Some commented that they felt relaxed and calm during the exercise. That’s a part of being mindful, I told them. As we are about to enter the busy holiday season, on top of our already busy schedules, demands, and obligations, I invite all of you to take time to practice mindfulness. “It is indeed a radical act of love just to sit down and be quiet for a time by yourself” - From the book Arriving at your own Door: 108 Lessons in Mindfulness Have a great weekend Wade Spenader-Principal |
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Fall Costume Parade |
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Next Friday is the annual Fall Costume Parade. This is a school wide event that takes place at 1:15pm on the blacktop (weather permitting). By grade level, the students parade around the grounds, showing their costumes and waving to their adoring fans! Families are welcomed to attend this event. Dismissal for 3rd-6th grade students on Friday, October 30th is at 2:25pm. When helping your child select a costume, please keep these things in mind:
Hope you can make this fun event! |
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Junior Olympics- Help Needed |
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The Junior Olympics takes place on Saturday, May 7th. This great experience, for both students and spectators, showcases 4th-6th graders across the district participating in a wide number of track-n-field events. The emphasis is always on doing one’s personal best. The atmosphere is one of fun competition, school spirit, and sportsmanship. In order to give our students this experience, we are looking for people to assist us in the coordination and logistics of Springer’s team. You do not have to be an upper grade parent to help, andisupport is provided by the outgoing committee members to help facilitate a smooth transition to this year’s Junior Olympics Committee . This is a very impactful way to contribute to the students of Springer. If you are interested in helping to give our upper grade students an experience that they talk about for years after, please contact Wade Spenader (wspenader@lasdschools.org). |
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Noon Duty Position Open |
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Do you want to get involved at Springer in a super fun and positive way? Do you like to play? If so, you might be interested in the noon duty position opening we have currently. The position requires you to supervise, interact, and engage yourself with the students of Springer at lunchtime. It’s only an hour a day (11:45am-12:45pm) and it is a paid position! If you, or anyone you know, is interested please contact Principal Wade Spenader. wspenader@lasdschools.org |
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Photo Make-up Day |
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Photo make-up day is Wednesday, November 4. If your child was absent for our first photo day, they are already on the list to have their photos retaken. If you would like to add your child to the make-up list, please contact Linda Ripley-Smith at lripleysmith@lasdschools.org. |
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Tech Challenge |
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This year's TECH Challenge at the Tech Museum in San Jose is Taking Flight! Registration is open for students in grades 4-12. If you are interested, here is the link. It is a team engineering design challenge to solve a real world problem. The big event takes place on Saturday, April 23rd. I'd love to see a few teams from Springer take on the challenge. Any questions? Contact Joanie Craddock at jcraddock@lasdschools.org. |
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LAEF |
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It’s LAEF Phonathon Week! Our volunteers and LASD staff have been busy making calls to help LAEF meet its $3.5M goal for 2015/16 and to encourage 100% participation from every district family. It’s not too late for you to help LAEF pay for the amazing enrichment teachers, staff, and smaller class sizes in TK-3 and 7-8 this year. To learn more, pledge or donate go to LAEFonline.org. Every donation is appreciated! The LAEF Annual Report 2014/15 is Here! LAEF's board of parent volunteers would like to recognize the amazing difference our community of supporters made in our classrooms last year. We are pleased to share our 2014-15 Annual Report. Check it out at LAEFonline.org and learn which programs received 59% of our grant, why 2,285 donors contributed, how 400 families doubled their donation, and much more. |
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LASD Looking For Volunteer Interpreters |
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Los Altos School District is looking for volunteer interpreters to assist us during parent/teacher conferences, student meetings and district events. We are seeking assistance with all languages and it is very helpful if you are able to translate at a different school. Please contact Ann Haigh at 650-947-1180 or at ahaigh@lasdschools.org or complete this form if you are interested. |
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Student Extracurricular Activities: |
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Springer has many after school activities! Please click here to link to the Springer website to see the selection and register for a class. |
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MVLA Speaker Series Presents Julie Lythcott-Haims |
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Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success, will be speaking at Mountain View High School Spartan Theatre on Tuesday, November 3rd at 7pm. |
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Parent Education Opportunities |
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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. |
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How to Submit an Article to the Springer Buzz |
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If you have an article to submit to the 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. |