The Springer Buzz

December 4,  2015

In This Issue:

• Principal’s Message

• News and Announcements

• Parent Education Opportunities

Quick Dates for your Calendar:

• December 10, Thursday:  Springer Gives Back

• Wednesday, December 16, 7pm: Springer Singers Winter Concert

• Friday, December 18, 1pm: Winter Concert, 4th - 6th Grades

• December 21 - January 1:  Winter Recess--No School

• January 4, Monday:  School Resumes

Principal’s Message

Springer Gives Back!

On Thursday, Dec. 10th, Springer School will go into “workshop” mode.  Working with their buddy classes, students will work on a number of useful crafts that will be given to local charities.  Each craft will include a card so the recipient can see that their gift was handcrafted by Springer students.

We call this experience “Springer Gives Back”.  This will be the 3rd year in a row that Springer will undertake the project.   One of the 3 major character traits we wish to instill in children is the idea of empathy (along with responsibility and growth mindset).  During the holiday season we take time to be thankful for all that we have.  It’s important for our students to know that there are others very near to us, whether they are living in retirement homes, local shelters, or in hospitals battling illness, who do not have it as well off as the majority of us.  Springer Gives Back helps our students learn that they can play a role in the greater community.   Students learn that they can brighten the lives of others who could use a little sunshine in their lives.

I appreciate the work that Renee Johnsen, and her team, has put into making Springer Gives Back a relevant and worthy experience for all the students at Springer.

Have a great weekend.

Wade Spenader-Principal

Shop Springer!

Dear friends of Springer:

Are you aware that we have a ShopSpringer (www.shopspringer.com) website where 4-12% of your purchases are paid directly to our PTA, just for directing traffic to their sites?!? On this site you will find active links to a variety of online vendors, including Amazon, iTunes and Walmart.com.   Rest assured that using this site will have no impact on pricing, discounts, special shipping offers, etc..  So by simply stopping first at ShopSpringer.com, on your way to Amazon, you make $$$ for our kids!!!

Thank you for your support!

Springer PTA

Blach School Holiday Faire

Blach School invites you to its annual Holiday Faire on Friday, December 4th, 2015, from 1:00-4:00 pm.  

More than 100 7th and 8th grade students will host over 60 booths to sell their own creations:  treats, crafts, clothing, jewelry, holiday decorations and much more.  Come stop by and shop for the holidays!  For more information, please email blachholidayfair@gmail.com, and click here for the flyer.

Living Classroom

Become a LIVING CLASSROOM docent... share your love of nature with kids!

It's time to build bird nests, harvest veggies from our gardens to make soup, look for symmetry inside fruit, make natural dyes from plants and learn about nitrogen fixing bacteria by dissecting the root nodules of fava beans!  If you like all those things and more, please consider becoming a Living Classroom docent!  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 Winter Docent Training will take place Monday mornings from 9 - Noon on 12/7, 12/14, 1/11 and 1/25.  Please click HERE to view our Winter Training Flyer which lists the locations of each of our trainings.  Apprentice-style training is also available to those who can’t make our Monday morning trainings.

Questions? Email us at livingclassroom@lasdschools.org or call (650) 947-1103.  For more information about Living Classroom, please visit our website at www.living-classroom.org.

Student Extracurricular Activities:

The following classes are back for Winter/Spring sessions:  Art, Chess, Legos, Speak/Debate, Soccer, and Tennis.  Additionally, Speak/Debate is offering a class for Grades 1 & 2.  Click  here  to see all of our after school activities and registration information.

Parent Education Opportunities

The Mindset Revolution: How to Help Children Learn and Love Math

Click here for flyer

Monday, December 7

6:45 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Jordan Middle School, MP Room

750 N. California Ave., Palo Alto [map]

Target audience:  parents (grades 4-12), students (grades 6-12), and teachers.

RSVP appreciated

Dr. Jo Boaler, renowned Professor of Mathematics Education, and presenter at the White House on girls and STEM, will share the latest brain science that sheds important new light on the best ways to learn math. She will also engage the audience through videos of students learning math in different ways and share a wealth of resources to help students on their mathematics journeys.

Sponsors: Palo Alto Unified School District and Parent Advocates for Student Success (a parent network dedicated to closing the achievement gap in PAUSD).

Parent Education Opportunities

Reclaiming Conversation

Book Discussion in January

Santa Clara Valley PTA invites you to their association meeting in January 26, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm, to talk together about a book on a timely issue and about the issues raised.

The book selected is Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age, by Sherry Turkle.

It is about the value of conversation in a time when attention to digital devices has encroached on face-to-face interactions, and the need to make meaningful conversation a part of our lives.

The impact on us as adults and the impact on our children.

Sherry Turkle has been interviewed by NPR about her book, and has given a TED talk about an earlier book, Alone Together; check out these links if you want to find out more:

NPR - Making the Case for face-to-face in an era of digital conversation click here to view.

TED Talk on Alone Together click here

Articles on Reclaiming Conversation:

Thank You Sherry Turkle: Conversation is important for adults, but it is even more critical for kids

Here is How to Ensure Your Kid Has a Healthy Relationship with Tech

Are You A Parent Of A Child With ASD?

Parenting a child with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder can be challenging.  Here is an opportunity to learn some coping strategies.  This free program is offered at Stanford.  Click here for further information.

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.

How to Submit an Article to the Springer Buzz

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.