Pacifica Wednesday Weekly

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January 31, 2007

IMPORTANT CALENDAR DATES

If you have items to add to the calendar, please e-mail the date and time along with a description to calendar@pacificaschool.org  

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

We are having a rash of kids arriving at school already sick. This spreads the illness further. Please only bring your children back to school when they are 100% better. Remember our policy is that children need to be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. Please refer to page 11 of the PCCS handbook for the complete sick child policy and a list of illnesses that require a doctor's note. Also remember to call the office and let us know if you are keeping your child home and the reason. We need this information for attendance purposes. 

Thanks and Be Well! 

AFTERCARE CLARIFICATION

Some questions have come up about aftercare, the end of school, and kids signing themselves out and hanging out in front of the school. Here are some clarifications of school policies on these topics. 

·         School ends at 3:10. There is a 10 minute grace period for pick up. Please do not pick up your children until they are released from class (even if it is PE). 

·         Aftercare begins at 3:20. All students not picked up or in the direct supervision of a parent at 3:20 will be signed in to aftercare. This ensures that all students have adequate supervision.  

·         Students who sign themselves out MUST leave campus between 3:10 and 3:20 (unless parents have made other arrangements with staff for the student to stay during aftercare). 

·         Students who sign themselves out may not wait in front of school for pick-up due to concerns for student safety and our desire to be good neighbors. Students waiting for pick-up MUST remain on campus. 

·         STUDENTS MAY NOT SIGN THEMSELVES OUT OF SCHOOL AND THEN RETURN DURING AFTERCARE (unless they have a safety problem on the way home). This is a safety/liability issue. Students who do this must meet with a parent and either the Director or Administrator within 24 hours.  

·         All students signed into aftercare must be picked up by an authorized adult. That adult must come onto campus and sign the student out with the supervising aftercare personnel. 

·         Please do not call to have your child come out to the front of school. Aftercare personnel will not release a student until an adult comes in to pick him/her up.

Waivers are available for special circumstances in which children might need to take the bus or walk home at the end of the day.

If you have any questions please check in with the office. 

VOLUNTEER HOURS FORM REMINDER

I would like to remind all families to please fill out the "Volunteer Hours" form that was placed in your family mail box by February 9th. Place these forms in the Parent Participation envelope on the bulletin board in the front entry way. If you haven't been logging your volunteer hours then now is the time to do it!!!!!  If you haven’t found a way to fulfill your volunteer commitment please email lisag@pacificaschool.org, call your classroom parent participation liaison (on your roster) or check in with staff to see what their needs are. 

PARENT PARTICIPATION WORKSHOP

I would like to encourage all families to attend a Parent Participation workshop with Chrys Massey-Rhodes. These workshops are a necessity for parents volunteering in the classrooms and are extremely helpful for volunteers in any capacity. The workshops are a great way to reinforce understanding of Pacifica’s philosophy, get questions answered, and prepare you for working with kids the "Pacifica Way." The next workshop will be this Thursday February 1st at 3:20 pm. Topics to be discussed are Conflict Resolution and Classroom help. Watch your Wednesday Weeklies and the website for future dates. 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!

Thank you to all families who work so incredibly hard sewing, baking, running errands, building, painting, cleaning, organizing, typing, copying, calling, chaperoning field trips, researching, and sharing your special talents with the kids. Your participation is noticed and appreciated (especially by the kids)!!!!

Parent Participation Committee 

PLEASE HELP US THANK OUR DONORS

Individual donors and corporations have been so generous to us over the past few months. We need as many thank you notes from children (and parents too, but especially children) as possible. Please support your kids in writing or drawing 1-2 thank yous from the list below if they are excited about using any of the items that have been funded for the school. When donors receive this kind of feedback they are much more likely to donate again. 

For Guitars (acoustic and electric): make thank yous out to "Dear Donor" 

For Computers make thank yous out to:
Dear Mr. Peevery
Dear Mr. Hsu
Dear Bank of America
Dear 3rd Graders
Dear Donor
Dear Mr. Graves

(Separate notes -- pick any one you like) 

For digital cameras:
Dear Donor 

For art supplies (wire, clay, acrylic paints and canvases):
Dear Donor
Dear Bank of America (separate notes) 

For playground balls and jumpropes:
Dear Donor 

For Math Wrap Ups and special blocks for math learning:
Dear Donor 

Please place notes in the Ward family mailbox and I'll take care of the rest. 

Thank you for the thank yous!

Cheryl Ward 

PARENT PARTICIPATION REMINDER

We’re extremely concerned about a decline in parents meeting their commitments to participate in the classroom. We really need our parents to proactively perform their assigned functions for our teachers and our students. Please make sure to arrange for a substitute if you’re not able to keep your commitment to provide classroom support. This is of utmost importance, because our teachers make their plans based on the kind of support they expect in the classroom. 

HELP NEEDED FOR NEXT TEACHER/STAFF APPRECIATION DAY

We’re looking for anyone who can spare a little time this coming Teacher & Staff Appreciation Day (Feb. 9) to help with clean-up in the afternoon. In particular, simply taking home used food containers to clean and return would be a big help!  

I also want to mention how appreciated this day is by the recipients! Thanks so much to everyone who has brought food, artwork and cards. It makes this day really special for our hard working teachers and staff.

- Penina Finger 

CLASSROOM UPDATES 

2/3/4 Group:

We're continuing our focus on civil rights in 2-3-4. We're also fully entrenched in our poetry unit.

Students are writing and analyzing poetry focused on the self. Stop by tomorrow to check in on our new poetry bulletin board.

Students are working on decimals and continuing our construction unit during math. The whole school is welcome to visit our room to see the pictures of structures we constructed with 7-8 on Thursday, as well.

Don't forget we have a parent meeting on Thursday at 5:00 pm.  It is going to be held in the K-1 room (the Blue Room). We are holding it there so we have more space for all of our parents and our kids to be there together. The meeting is important for all parents and kids to attend, because it kicks off our new discussion on field trips and their limits, homework, and upcoming curriculum. We expect every family to attend. We understand, however, if you are unable to. In this case, we expect you to thoroughly read the minutes that are placed in your box that will describe, in detail, the information that you missed.

The 2-3-4 team wants to let you know how much we enjoy working with your kids. The connections we have formed this year have been truly amazing, and we are so excited about the beautiful work we will be able to produce in the upcoming months.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principle. - Mahatma Gandhi

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