|
|
Paw Prints
| | Loma Vista Lions
Paw Prints
Fall 2007 Edition
From the Principal’s Pen – Eric Snedeker, Principal
Home School Collaboration -
As teachers and educators, we are frequently asked the question, “What is the most frustrating aspect of your job?” The answer is often, “Dealing with Parents.” Parents are not some creatures from another planet who don’t want to cooperate with the schools. We must try to stand in the shoes of parents when working with their children and remember that parents know their children better than anyone and are with them many more hours a week than the teachers. Parents are the most important teachers of the child. On the other hand, teachers are experts at knowing and teaching curriculum. We need to remember that the main goal of parents and teachers is to help the child be as successful as possible academically and socially.
A lack of effective communication too often causes a lack of cooperation between parents and teachers. Providing parents with a copy of school and classroom expectations, routines, and schedules, is the first step to effective communication. Inviting parents into the classroom, making positive phone calls, and sending email messages and notes before problems occur, establishes positive communication. Teachers often blame parents for unacceptable student behavior, while parents often blame teachers for not giving their child needed help. Yet, both parties want the best for the child. We all want children to be successful at school.
Students at Loma Vista School have wonderfully supportive parents who value the importance of school. It is essential to view parents and teachers as a team, working together toward a common goal. We must strive to work together, as an integrated, sustainable system of support for students, parents, and teachers. Having parents as cooperative partners is very beneficial to a child’s progress.
Thank you for your continued support and involvement in your child’s educational program at Loma Vista School.
(For further information on communicating with your child and your child’s teacher, please read the attached excerpt from Best Behavior: Building Positive Behavior Supports in Schools.)
http://www.chicousd.org/__dept/schools/School_Accountability_Report_Cards.html.
Classroom News
Christine Holden in Room 1
Happy Fall! It seems as if the school year has just started. It’s now hard to believe that the holidays are right around the corner!
We have culminated the beginning of the fall season with many fun activities such as pumpkin paste painting and apple tree handprint making. Our students enjoy these fun and messy sensory-art activities and it is so enjoyable to see them really “get into” their work! Truly, it has been a joy to get to see all of the students and staff interacting with each other. We are so fortunate to have such experienced hands-on teachers. The children we work with are so beautiful—they are so easy to love!
Keep us in mind when cleaning out your garages. Our classroom could really use a small playhouse, beanbag chairs, and rocking toys for the indoor play area. We can always use plastic grocery bags, art supplies, and simple puzzles.
We hope your families share lots of love, laughter and happy memories during the holiday season.
David Hanley in Room 3
Room 3 welcomed three new students the first month of school. We are also doing weekly field trips to C.O.V.E. in Paradise with one of our students. We have another student who spends 90% of his day at Pleasant Valley High School. Go Vikings!
With the good weather, our class has walked the Marigold track many times to prepare for the Special Olympics in the spring.
Our good friends in Room 10 keep the laundry coming, so our students have job security in that vocational profession! We also do shredding for the entire school. New customers are welcomed!
Dates to Remember
Nov. 19-23: Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 21–Jan. 4: Christmas Holiday
Jennifer Childs in Room 7
With fall in full swing, we are in the middle of our fall unit. A couple weeks ago we visited Book Family Farm where we saw mini horses, cows, pigs, goats, ducks, sheep, and chickens as well as scarecrows! The kids loved all the animals and picking their own pumpkins.
Our upcoming units are Fall Harvest, Winter Wonderland, and New Years fun.
Please remember to send extra clothes as the weather begins to get wet. We try to play outside as often as possible, so the kids may jump in a puddle on the way in or out.
We are always in need of: Card stock, glue sticks, white school glue, flour, salt, cream of tartar, used board books, seasonal story books, and group board games.
Thanks for all your support!
Aaron Sauberan in Room 8
“When you’re happy and you know it, clap some blocks!”
That’s what we do in Room 8! We have adapted the traditional song and instead of clapping hands, we clap blocks, or touch our noses, etc. Using well-know songs in new ways gives children the opportunity to practice new skills in a comfortable setting. Our students have also enjoyed singing very quietly and then singing very LOUDLY. Some children want to have the opportunity to be loud, so create an acceptable time to be so! It can be so much fun.
Help your child be more inde-pendent in the bathroom. Please dress them for school in bottoms that they can push down and pull up independently. Not only will they be more independent, this will also decrease the time they spend in the bathroom away from the classroom activities.
Kelly Waldo-Barr in Room 9
In our class, we are currently on the letter “J.” We use the Zoo-Phonics program and the animal for “J” is Jerry Jellyfish.
This week a new boy named Gabe will be joining our class. The students are learning their ABCs, counting 1-10, and writing their names. We are looking forward to
the Fall Feast on 11/16!
Jill Hilton in Room 10
In September, Room 10 held their First Annual “Tea Party” for the students’ Moms and Grandmas. It was a great success—lots of good conversation, delicious refreshments, and delightful décor. The wearing of vintage hats was also a big hit. Approximately twenty-five people attended as well as random guests who dropped in for “tea and crumpets.”
Teri Briggs in
Innovative Turtle Room
Fall has been a major topic of discussion in our room. We are talking about what fall "looks like" and "feels like"--so many things are changing. We have been singing songs and reading books about nuts, squirrels, leaves etc.; examined leaves of all colors, textures, shapes; played with and sorted nuts of all kinds; discovered the wonder of all our best local acorns from different trees; and produced masterpieces at our art centers using the amazing colors of fall. Building with blocks and Legos continues to be a favorite activity as well as drawing and writing! We had several days where our courtyard was full of falling leaves and children spent hours sweeping, raking, scooping, dumping and dancing in the leaves. We look forward to talking more about harvest, scarecrows, family celebrations and the "wonder" of the potato.
Play group has been working and playing very hard. The playroom has been a pizza parlor, McDonald’s, ice cream shop, haunted house, a construction zone and a costume shop. We continue to play together, sing, read books and learn how to be the best friend we can be, and how to work together as a team, solving problems and including all of our friends. Play group staff and children continue to have the most fun learning, creating and exploring the social world.
Denise Katsikas in
Innovative Fish Room
It seems like school just got started and here we are already at the Thanksgiving break. We have covered so many fun and interesting units starting with learning about our friends and their families and moving into Fall with its beautiful leaves, apples and pumpkins. We had a very fun activity day that included noodles and Jello to squish with our hands, popcorn, turkey headbands and a cool, dark, and SCARY gym complete with glow lights!
We always welcome visitors. Just give us a call ahead of time and come join your child to share in their active school day.
CUSD Budget News
For a number of reasons including declining enrollment, increases in employee costs and incorrect income projections, CUSD has $400,000 deficit this school year. Not correcting the problem now will mean we will be $2.5 million in the red next year. If we can’t find solutions, the State of California will appoint people to come into our district, cut programs and staff, and bring our budget into balance. The bottom line is that we are spending more than we are making each year.
Just as overspending doesn’t work in your own household budgets, it is unacceptable for our district. We need to make some changes, and do it quickly. We have in place a budget committee that is coming up with suggestions to correct this problem. We are considering ways that we could become much more efficient in terms of staffing while still honoring contracts with our employee groups. It is possible that some shifting in classroom assignments for the 2007-08 school year will be taking place.
If you have ideas we could use, please email them to jcombes@chicousd.org or you may use our confidential budget tip line at 891-300 ext. 200. This problem affects all students, parents, and staff in our community. Please help be part of the solution.
HEALTH ALERT
Recent media news has all of us concerned about the potentially serious outbreaks of skin infections caused by the MRSA bacteria.
Possible symptoms:
1) Sores that look and feel like “spider
bites” but ore NOT spider bites.
2) Red painful bumps under the skin
such as a boil or an abscess.
3) A new cut that is swollen, red, hot
to touch and filled with pus.
4) Irritated skin that is painful.
Remember to do the following:
1) Have any suspicious looking area
checked by your doctor.
2) Frequently WASH your hands.
3) Avoid skin-to-skin contact with
anyone if there is any drainage.
4) Keep all cuts, scrapes, and wounds
covered with a bandage until well-
healed. | |
|
|
