Our Mission

At Springer Elementary School, we will provide a safe and supportive environment that engages, inspires, and nurtures all students’ emotional and academic needs in order to become empathetic, productive global citizens and lifelong learners.

In This Issue: December 8, 2017:

• Principal’s Message

• News and Announcements

• Parent Education Opportunities

Quick Dates for your Calendar:

• Friday, December 8, 7:00pm: Springer Singers Winter Concert; Multi

• Friday, December 15: Pajama Day--Wear your pajamas!

• December 18 - January 1: Holiday Recess

• January 18th - Parent Mindfulness Class 7pm to 8:30pm in Multi

Principal’s Message

Dear Springer Community,

What a fabulous week of talent showcasing.  First we started off the week with the instrumental and vocal sounds of our 4th, 5th and 6th grade students.  It was amazing to hear the talent being sung and played.  

Midweek we had our students with the coordination and planning of our Springer Gives Back  Committee, create a meaningful and giving back day on Thursday. See below for details.

Ending the week with the sounds of music was our own Springer Singers!  Come see them perform tonight at 7pm in our Multi.  

It was truly a week of celebrations and of sharing!  Have a wonderful weekend.

Lynn Boskie

Buzz… Did you know that Mrs. Boskie’s favorite pastime when she was in elementary, and middle school was to shoot hoops in her drive to late in the evening.

Springer Gives Back

On December 7, all of the grade levels got together with their buddy classes and put together useful gifts and kits that will benefit organizations such as Ronald McDonald House, The Humane Society, Gateway Neighborhood Center, and several more.  To learn more about these organizations and how your family can help them, please click here.  

Heidi Rockett, Laura Rossi, Nicole Flowers and Kristen Dietrichsen are the women who have planned, organized and gathered donations for the past several months to make Springer Gives Back a Success--Thank you so much!

Pajama Day Next Friday, December 15!

Friday, December 15 is Pajama Day!  Wear your warm, cozy pajamas or Springer wear to school.  If you bring slippers, make sure to also have shoes appropriate for school.  The class with the most participation will win the Spirit Bee!

Lost And Found

Lost and Found is beginning to bust!

Please stop by the Lost and Found near the multi if you are on campus or remind your children to stop by and take a look. You may find a long lost treasure.   

Is there a parent that is willing to organize the Lost & Found a couple of times a year?  This would require going through the clothing and putting it out so that the parents and students can see it and retrieve their lost items.  If you’re interested, please contact the Springer School Office at 650-943-4200.

Cornerstone Corner

This month’s ABC book: “When Sophie Gets Angry: Really, Really Angry” by Molly Bang tells the story of a young girl who is searching for ways to cope with "big feelings" like anger.

Goals of lesson:

· To identify, acknowledge and express feelings in safe, positive, healthy ways.

· Stop and think and choose how to react when our emotions feel out of control.

· Be able to switch directions and make positive choices.

· Use peaceful conflict resolution to resolve conflict and the steps to a genuine apology.

To reinforce this lesson at home:

· Help your child identify and acknowledge how they are feeling with words. “You are frowning, is that puzzle frustrating? Can I help?” “You are using a loud, angry voice. Are you mad? Tell me about it.”

· As a caring adult, notice and acknowledge your own feelings. Role model the techniques you use to stay calm and in control. Share your successful strategies with youth.

·Help your child chose safe ways to calm themselves:

Do physical activity.

Put on music and dance away the anger.

Go on a walk or bike ride.

Take deep breaths.

Count to 10.

If still angry, count to 10 again and add deep breaths.

Remove yourself from the situation.

Take a break in a safe, quiet place.

Use art materials such as markers, paint, or other art materials to express feelings.

When you “catch” kids modeling positive behaviors... Notice, Name it, and Celebrate it!

Hot Lunch

The Hot Lunch program would not be possible without the 20+ volunteers per week that come in to serve lunch!  We have volunteer slots that have opened up for the new year on alternating Mondays and Tuesdays.   The lunch volunteer shift from 11:25-12:15.  Hot lunch volunteers receive a Choice Lunch credit for a free lunch for every volunteer shift worked.  Contact Donna Murphy (at HotLunchScheduling@springerpta.net) to join the lunch crew or if you’d like more information.

When To Keep Your Child Home From School

Sometimes it is difficult, especially early in the morning, to know whether or not to send your child to school.  The following guidelines are indications that you should keep him/her home.  In this way, you are helping to control the spread of colds, flu, and other contagious illnesses.

Keep your child at home when he/she has any of the following symptoms:

You need to keep your child home until he/she has been symptom free without medication for 24 hours.

Also, NOTIFY THE OFFICE IMMEDIATELY if your child is exposed to or contracts chicken pox, mumps or measles or whooping cough (pertussis).  These conditions can be life threatening to students who are undergoing therapies that suppress their immune systems.

The following information is only a guide to common childhood health concerns. Call our District Nurses (650-444-9702 or 650-537-8119) or personal health care provider for more information. Always bring a copy of a physician’s note to school and/or notify the school if your child will have an extended absence due to a health condition for 10 days or longer.

If you would like more information on how to spot flu symptoms, you may go to the LASD Health website by clicking here.

Looking for Noon Duty & Crossing Guard Volunteers

Noon lunch duty is still short 1-2 parent volunteers in the lower (1st-3rd) grades area one Thursday per month, 11:45 - 12:45.  If you are also volunteering for hot lunch, we could still use your help starting after hot lunch through 12:45!  Please contact Clover Huang at: cloverh[at]yahoo.com to sign up.

Crossing Guards needed for the area near the kindergarten area.  Please sign up using this link.

Synopsis Tech Challenge

Attention 6th Grade Students and Parents!

All LASD 6th Graders are invited to submit an application for the 2017 Synopsis Silicon Valley Science & Technology Challenge

What: Synopsis Silicon Valley Science & Technology Championship

Science and Engineering competition for middle school and high school students

Who: Students in Grade 6 only-no exceptions

Where: San Jose Convention Center

When: Thursday, March 15, 2018

Please click here for more information.

Join us for the Tech Challenge!

What: Tech Challenge

Team Design Challenge for students that introduces and reinforces the scientific process with a hands-on project geared to solving a real world problem.

Who: Students in Grades 4-12 only-no exceptions

Where: The Tech Museum, San Jose

When: April 28, 2018 – Please note that this is the same day as Junior Olympics.

Please click here for more information.

Junior Olympics

Junior Olympics

Every year in April our students participate in the LASD Junior Olympics.  It is a spectacular event involving all the students across the district.   This year we looking for volunteers who are interested in learning the ropes from Sharon Tan and Jen Miley. This is a perfect way to get more involved, understand all the details that go into planning and running the event, and have a direct impact on hundreds of students.

If you are interested please contact Sharon Tan sharontantan@yahoo.com or Jen Miley jenmiley@me.com .

Living Classroom

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

It's time to build bird nests, make yummy soup from the veggies we harvest from our school gardens, discover symmetry inside fruit, and make natural dyes from plants!  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 at the LASD iLearn Studio on Monday mornings from 9-Noon on 12/4, 12/11, 1/8 and 1/22.  Please click HERE to view our Winter Training Flyer.  Apprentice-style training also available to those who can’t make our Monday morning trainings.

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

LAEF

LASD Winter Music Concerts

We hope you enjoy the sounds of the season coming from our Winter Music Concerts, happening at all nine LASD schools. The schedule for all music concerts is available at LAEFonline.org.

Computer Science Ed Week

LASD joins schools around the world to celebrate Computer Science Education Week December 4-8. This annual event is dedicated to inspiring K-12 students to take an interest in computer science. Our students participate in the Hour of Code program organized by Code.org as well as continue the many amazing Computer Science programs available to them throughout the year. Visit LAEFonline.org to find out why it's important to learn computer science and what LASD students in each grade are learning this year.

Parent donations to LAEF are making Computer Science and Music possible for our students. That’s why we are requesting your support by donating at LAEFonline.org by 12/31.

Selpa Events

Selpa, an all-volunteer group of parents of children with special needs, are sponsoring several upcoming events:

Parent Chat: The Second Tuesday of every month.  Click here for flyer.

Click here for Spanish Parent Chat flyer.

Parent Education Opportunities

Through an enriching presentations from local and national experts on topics of interests 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 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.