January 9, 2008 
 

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  

ANNOUNCING PRE-SCHOOL PLAY GROUP AT PACIFICA!

What: An on-going weekly play group for the siblings of Pacifica students and their care givers.

Why: To build the Pacifica community, practice NVC, and chat about parenting in a casual, supportive setting.

Where and When: Wednesdays, 9:15 - 10:00 am, in the outdoor classroom.

Please feel free to contact Jen Velazquez - jcvelaz@ca.rr.com or 310-559-9540 or Sahira Traband - sahira@pacifcaschool.org or 310-842-3704 for more information. 

HELP NEEDED FOR SCHOOL INFO MEETING & TOUR THIS THURSDAY

The Enrollment Committee is looking for a parent to greet and escort visitors for tomorrow's (Thursday, January 10th) Information Meeting and Tour.  If you can spare a half an hour from 10:00 - 10:30 a.m., it would be a great help.  Please contact Heidi, heidi@pacificaschool.org, if you can help. 

PARENT MENTOR NEEDED FOR STUDENT COUNCIL

The Student Council is still seeking an adult who would be willing to help facilitate the group. The commitment requires about 1-2 hours per week on campus. It is a wonderful way to support and engage with our students, while fulfilling our school's mission to give students a voice. (It also helps fill parent participation volunteer hours!) If you are interested in learning more, please contact Sahira Traband at sahira@pacificaschool.org. 

TEACHER APPRECIATION/EARLY RELEASE DAY THIS FRIDAY

ED NOTE: This news item was an error! Your editor apologizes profusely for any inconvenience publishing this item may have created!! Published here only "for the record"!

Please remember to pick up your kids by 12:45 pm this coming Friday, January 11th, and to bring your choice of breakfast, juice, snacks or lunch, paper plates, paper cups and utensils to the office at drop-off or pick-up time to celebrate our teachers.  

TAPE RECORDERS NEEDED!

We are working on a reading project in the 1-2 class and needs tape recorders. If you can donate any recorders that use standard cassette tapes, please let Erika know (erika@pacificaschool.org). If you have any cassette tapes to donate, please leave them in the Gonzalez family box. Used tapes are ok. 

BE CREATIVE!  BE RADICAL!  BE OUTRAGEOUS!

On March 1st, we will hold our Art Party fundraising event and auction. We need everyone to think outside the box about ways we can make this event an enormous success. So, please think about who you know or where you frequent and ask what they can contribute to our event. Be bold! Organizations like to give to non-profits and ours is an admirable one. Call! Ask!  

Think also about what you might contribute: do you have a beautiful piece of pottery that you just don’t use? Some art you invested in but never hung? Maybe you have a talent or skill you could share for auction!  

Need suggestions?

• Know a bit about wine? Offer a wine-tasting event at your house!
• Like to sew? Offer to design a special frock! Or even tailoring services!
• Know some great local hikes? Offer a guided adventure!
• Like to cook? Offer a special family or group dinner!
• Know how to surf? Offer to teach a novice!
• Like scrap-booking? Offer to create a memento out of photos!

Here is your chance to look at the opportunities and abundance around you and find ways to bring them to our community. So, be daring! Be audacious! It’s for a great cause! 

MEET YOUR COUNCILPERSONS!

In our continuing series of introductions to your council members, this week, please meet Erika Gonzalez, co-chair of the Fundraising Committee: 

“I grew up in the South (NC, VA, SC, MD, GA), settling in Atlanta, where much of my family still lives. I went to an amazing, progressive, constructivist, project-based school in Atlanta, from grades 8-12. I loved it there and did a teaching internship in a 1/2 classroom with an amazing teacher. I moved to Philly for college and went to Manhattan afterwards, to teach first grade. I left after a year (apparently I can’t ‘make it anywhere’) to come to LA and explore the second career field that intrigued me: TV production. I had taken time off in college to work in production and loved it. I worked on some random game shows for a few years (met Heidi, Brennen’s mom), spent a year wrenching on cars (met Stephanie, Kayvan’s mom), and got a call back to education, running supplemental programs for LAUSD. When that grant ran out, I taught English at Kaplan International School until 2005. I then took a position with Walden University, where I am currently getting my masters in Education. It’s been a great learning experience. 

Along the way, I met my amazing husband in a salsa class and we danced together for years, though not so much these days. We live in Inglewood and have two sons: Felipe, 6, in first grade and Diego, 4, who is in a bilingual pre-K at another LAUSD school. I had thought for years that I would have to start a charter school to get project-based learning for my boys, but one day Stephanie said, ‘Looks like there’s a school near me. Let’s check it out.’ The rest was meant to be.”