Sunday, November 27

 

I hope you had a wonderful break. I know many of us got taken down by sickness. We held strong until our bodies finally let down. For me, that meant some forced rest and it was hard to find the positive. In the end, I was thankful that I was well enough to have my family over for Thanksgiving. Overall, it was a much needed break!! 

We have some things added to our schedule this week. 

Evacuation Drill: We will have an evacuation drill at 10:50am on Monday. We are supposed to have an evacuation drill each month and this will check the November box. 

Optional Assembly: ECO Hero Assembly at 9am on this Tuesday, Nov. 29th. This assembly will be outside in the quad. The last time they came, we had some sound issues. It is a very fun and light-hearted assembly the kids really enjoyed. It is optional, so please come if it works for your class!

Introduction: There will be a new face on campus tomorrow! Kirsten Ansbach will be officially starting as the new teacher for our SDC class in room 34. Yay!! Please give her a huge welcome!

Upcoming PTC Events:

We will have our fist Penguin Patch Holiday Shop. It will be super fun. Kids can buy gifts for their family members. Stay tuned for more information.

Parents Night Out: We are also adding a Parents Night Out. Friday, 12/9 ~ 5-7:30pm 

Sign Ups will be available soon!

Did you know... Poppi Canepa ran a half marathon while pregnant with her second child!

One of our staff members lives two blocks away from her best friend since 2nd grade from the Bay Area!

What makes you unique??: If you haven't already, please add an interesting fact here: Unique Fact

Coming Up This Week:

Monday, 11/28: 10:50am Evacuation Drill

Tuesday, 11/29: ECO Hero Assembly at 9am (Optional) and 2:20pm PBIS Team meeting.

Wednesday, 11/30: Brooks Off-site in the morning and SSP meetings by invitation only. 

Friday, 12/2: Flag Salute at 7:50am

Birthdays This Week🎈🎉 

Silvia Toderean on November 27th

Fun Fact of the Week:

Have a great week!

Sunday, November 13

 

I wish you a wonderful conference week. I know that it is a long week for you but I hope you also get your bucket filled with love and thanks from your families. Take each compliment, soak it up and put it in your pocket. You may need that compliment on a rainy day. Make it a great week! 

I am going to keep it short and sweet this week because I know it is a big week for you and the following week is Thanksgiving Break. I cannot believe it! 

Did you know... Erin Roberts had a horse when she was younger named Billy Buck and she loved to ride.

Did you know that one of our staff members ran a half marathon while pregnant with her second child? Who is it?

What makes you unique??: If you haven't already, please add an interesting fact here: Unique Fact

Coming Up This Week:

Wednesday, 11/16: Lunch provided by the PTC.

Thursday, 11/17: PACK Assembly- Kind at 9:15am and Dine for Dollars at Pieology.

Friday, 11/18: Flag Salute at 7:50am

Birthdays This Week🎈🎉 

Aimee Schmitz: November 15th

Fun Fact of the Week:

Have a wonderful week!

Sunday, November 6

 

Well, it is that time- Time to fall back. I must say I took full advantage this morning! Did anyone else feel really tired this last week. I chalk it up to the dark evenings and cold weather. Time to pull out the sweaters and coats! 

Baby Time! Thank you to Erin for hosting and to everyone else that planned the baby shower yesterday. It was a wonderful get together celebrating our new mommas, Rani and Katie. I can't believe the day is almost here! 

Report Cards: Please have your report cards submitted by Monday night. If you have lingering assessments, remember you can make changes by Wednesday. We will be emailing report cards on Thursday after school. Almost all grade levels wanted them emailed ahead of time. We can print your report cards for conferences too. 

EL Update:

RFEP Monitoring

California requires that we continue to monitor the academic and language growth of any students who have been reclassified from English Learner (EL) to Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) within the last 4 years. This monitoring allows us to celebrate student success and to determine if additional support may be needed for these students to continue making progress.  

Our first round of RFEP Monitoring Forms will be assigned on 11/10/22 and will be due by 12/09/22. Teachers who have students that have been reclassified within the last 4 years will receive automated emails from Ellevation when these RFEP Monitoring forms are assigned. Once you receive the email, please log-in to Ellevation through Clever to complete the forms in your “Monitoring” tab within Ellevation.  If you have any questions as you complete the forms, please watch this 3-minute video to learn how to complete the RFEP Monitoring Forms in Ellevation.

Please keep in mind that we will review these Forms in order to assess how students are progressing. You will not be able to edit forms once you have submitted them, so please review carefully!

Please reach out to me with any questions.

Thank you!

Summative ELPAC Important Dates to Consider

Input Appreciated

ELPAC Testing will be taking place in February and March. Please work with your PLC to add any dates to the table that may impact our scheduling. It may be determined to avoid that day all together or work around scheduling with a particular grade level. Include field trips, grade level significant events, assemblies that may not be on the calendar etc... LINK

Thank you for your help!

Did you know... Shannon doesn't have a middle name!

Did you know one of our staff members had a horse when she was younger named Billy Buck and she loved to ride? Who is it?

What makes you unique??: If you haven't already, please add an interesting fact here: Unique Fact

Coming Up This Week:

Tuesday, 11/8: Election Day-Lunch Outside. (Fingers crossed it does not rain!) PLC Leadership at 2:30pm, Room 11

Wednesday, 11/9: Brooks Off Site in the Morning. SSP meetings by invite only.

Thursday, 11/10: Drill- Shelter at 10:05am. PTC Meeting at 2:30pm

Friday, 11/11: No School

Fun Fact of the Week:

Have a great week!

Sunday, October 30

 

Happy Sunday!! I hope you are all having a great weekend. For whatever reasons, Halloween is one of those times of year that make it abundantly clear that humans are very unique and each bring their own gift to everything. What I mean is that I think you would agree with me if I said that some people are Halloween people and some are not. Some people go absolutely bonkers for Halloween. I will be honest, I do not. My siblings and I blame our parents because it was not their favorite holiday. 

So, why do I even mention this? Last night, we went to one of our neighbor's houses because they have a 'show' nightly. Ok, this is not a small show. They have an entire light show with sparklers and snow!! It is absolutely incredible and a neighborhood  highlight. We also have neighbors who built an entire pirate ship in front of their house, solely for Halloween. As crazy as I may think they are, I am very thankful for them because they are providing so much magic for both children and adults. Rather than beat myself up, I remind myself that I may not bring the Halloween magic, but I bring the magic elsewhere! We each have our own unique, magic. I encourage you to bring your own magic and to recognize everyone else's. 

Beginning tomorrow, we will have 2 days of learning and growth. It is going to be great. So you can mentally prepare, the days will look like this:

Monday:

8am: Meet in the library. We will have some fun and you will need your phone. 

The morning topics will include some SSP/Behavior updates and then the math essential standards.

11:30am: Jesse Bennett will be here to lead us through some yoga. Dress comfy!

12:00pm: We will break for lunch and the afternoon will be time in your PLC's to work on the math essential standard pacing guide and common assessments.

Tuesday:

8am: Meet in the library. More fun to have!

Our morning topic will be PBIS. 

1130am: We will break for lunch and the afternoon is for you to work. I know that conferences are coming and there is a lot to do. 

Thank you to all of you for your participation in the door decorating contest and the parade. It was such a fun day! The Harvest Spooktacular was absolutely amazing and there were so many families here!! What a great week! 

Did you know... Angela Primavera swam in the bay from Alcatraz to San Francisco not once, but twice!? (She still has no idea why on earth she would do that!) Way to go, Angela! I got lots of guesses for that one, but no one guessed Angela.

Did you know one of our staff members doesn't have a middle name? Who is it?

What makes you unique??: If you haven't already, please add an interesting fact here: Unique Fact

Coming Up This Week:

Monday, 10/31: PD 8am-3pm in library

Tuesday, 11/1: PD 8am-3pm in library

Friday, 11/4: Flag Salute and Raffle at 7:45am. Staff Luncheon!! 

Fun Fact of the Week:

Have a great week!

October 22, 2022

 

Parent Teacher conferences are coming and I think that is on everyone's mind. First, we have Canyon Creek. All I have to say is that setting it up was not seamless. Below is the link for you to set it up:

Online Scheduler

Your password is your last name. It will prompt you to change it when you log in. 

It is on our website for parents, but it is not super easy to find. Go to our website, click menu (the top right) and you will find it under 'school.' It says: Parent Teacher Conference Scheduling

Not related to conferences, please share the following with your parents:

This Friday is the big day!! First, the parade at 9am and then, our fun evening!

This Friday is the Harvest Spooktacular. We will be having a blast from 6-8pm at Stoneridge! 

Wear your costumes because there will be a costume contest. 

In order to make this event a success, we need your help!! Please volunteer here:

Harvest Spooktacular Sign Up 

Reminder: Please do not park in the preschool parking spots. Recently, the spots have been taken and it has caused some problems. Just sharing with everyone. Thank you!

There will be an optional Report Card Zoom Training on October 26, 2022, from 2pm-2:30pm for anyone that wants to review how to assign rubrics or have specific questions.

Zoom Link

Did you know... Katie Peterson got a flesh eating bacteria while snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef in Australia! Luckily it was caught early and all of her limbs remain intact. Phew!!

Did you know one of our staff members swam in the bay from Alcatraz to San Francisco not once, but twice!? (She still has no idea why on earth she would do that!) Who do you think it was?

What makes you unique??: If you haven't already, please add an interesting fact here: Unique Fact

Coming Up This Week:

Monday, 10/24: Brooks Off-site

Tuesday, 10/25: Brooks Off-site. Staff Meeting CANCELED!!

Wednesday, 10/26: Brooks Off-site. SSP Meetings by Invitation Only. 

Friday, 10/28: Flag Salute and Raffle at 7:45am. Harvest Parade at 9am and the Harvest Spooktacular from 6-8pm. 

Fun Fact of the Week:

Have a great week!

Sunday, October 16

 

Happy Sunday! When I was thinking about this blog, I was thinking about how I might be able to capture how many of us feel like there is so much to do and not enough time. To me, feels as though there is more than there used to be. Does anyone else feel like this year is really tough? Personally, it seems like there is so much but I cannot put my finger on a reason why or what is causing it. I wish that I could take some of it off you plate, but I can't. I feel bad about that. All I can offer is the empathy that I am right there with you. 

On a side note, I was looking for an image that would represent what we are feeling. In turn, I went down a rabbit hole on Google. Shocker! But, I found Liz and Mollie. If you are a social media person, they are worth a follow. They focus on what we feel and have many incredible images like the one above. They also have books, a podcast and Ted Talks.

I said it last week, and say it again. If you need help or if there is anything I can do, please ask!!

PLC Survey: Last week, during your PLC time, there was a self assessment to fill out. This week, Rori and I will be popping around during PLC time to talk to you about your assessment, and also see if there is any additional support we can provide. At our next staff meeting, we will take a look at the ELA essential standards and pacing guides in preparation for the upcoming PD day when we will start our work with the math standards.

Report Cards: Report cards and conferences are coming. The report card PLC is November 2. I will have a finalized timeline for completing report cards to you in the next couple days. If you have questions, there is an informational zoom available:

There will be an optional Report Card Zoom Training on October 26, 2022, from 2pm-2:30pm for anyone that wants to review how to assign rubrics or have specific questions.

Zoom Link

Did you know... Abby Wilkinson has gone skydiving over The Great Barrier Reef!! 

Keeping with the theme of the Great Barrier Reef, one of our staff members got a flesh eating bacteria while snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef in Australia! Luckily it was caught early and all of her limbs remain intact. Who do you think it is?

What makes you unique??: If you haven't already, please add an interesting fact here: Unique Fact

Coming Up This Week:

Tuesday, 10/18: Rori off-site in the morning. PBIS Team Meeting at 2:20pm in room 4. 

Wednesday, 10/19: Brooks Off-site in the morning. SSP Meetings by Invitation Only. Skate Night 5:30-7:30.

Thursday, 10/20: PACK Assembly at 9:15am (Cooperative). Secure Drill between 10:15-10:30 (I want to make sure all students are back in class from recess.)

Friday, 10/21: Flag Salute and Raffle at 7:45am.

Fun Fact of the Week:

Sunday, October 9

 

I know this time of year is tough. We have been in school longe enough to be exhausted, October brings crazy, I mean candy, and the next break is so close but so far away. Rather than focus on all of the tough things, let's make this a great October filled with positivity and excitement. Maybe you try something new to change your focus and recharge your passion and enthusiasm. If you have some ideas, please share them. That being said, if you need a break or extra support, please let me know. 

Speaking of recharging and refreshing, we are going to revisit out PLC norms and goals. At the next PD, we will talk about the Essential ELA Standards and we want to make sure our PLC's are dialed in and focusing on the work for our students. We also want everyone to be comfortable with the Essential Standards before we begin doing the same work for the Math Standards. 

Some of you may have no idea what I am talking about and that is OK! We are simply going to start with a PLC Self Assessment to determine where we are right now. Please take this self-assessment this week as a PLC. Rori and I will be around the following week to talk about it. 

PLC Self-Assessment

Staff Meeting: For our staff meeting on Tuesday, wear comfy clothes!! Christi is going to have us play one of her PE games and it could get intense!! On that note, wear comfy clothes on Wednesday too for Walk to School Day. 

Here are some upcoming events in October:

Did you know... Candi Terry has read 310 books in the past 4 years and she made sure I knew that did not include the books she reads to the kids in the library. I got lots of good guesses this time. Thank you!!

This week's unique fact is that one of our staff members has gone skydiving over The Great Barrier Reef!! Who is it?

What makes you unique??: If you haven't already, please add an interesting fact here: Unique Fact

Coming Up This Week:

Tuesday, 10/11: IEP Day and Staff Meeting at 2:20pm (Wear comfy clothes).

Wednesday, 10/12: Walk to School Day! SSP Meetings by Invitation Only and Dine Out at Rubio's. 

Thursday, 10/13: PTC Meeting at 2:30pm.

Friday, 10/14: Flag Salute and Raffle at 7:45am.

Fun Fact of the Week: