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Friday, February 26, 2021 Quote of the week: "Everyone needs more than anyone can give right now. " Radio commentator on National Public Radio (KQED) Dear Ocean Shore Families, The above quote says it all right now. We are 11 months into distance learning and all of us are exhausted: parents, students, teachers, staff--everyone. I had seven Zoom meetings on Thursday, finally ending at 8:00 pm, and I know I'm lucky because I love my job. I have many friends and family members that have been laid off or have seen their business shrink to almost nothing. We all need more than anyone can give. Thankfully, there really is light at the end of the tunnel. California is finally ramping up its efforts to get teachers vaccinated. If all goes as planned, we will be bringing students back on campus in a hybrid model. I have received many excellent questions from families, most of which I don't have the answers to yet. There is general information about the hybrid model on the Pacifica School District website's home page: https://www.pacificasd.org/. I encourage you to take a look. As plans become more specific, and as we figure out return dates, the district office will share information that applies to all of the school sites, and I will share information that applies specifically to Ocean Shore. As everyone knows, Ocean Shore does things a little differently, and I'm sure we will have aspects of our hybrid model that are unique. In lieu of our usual Open House in May, we will be doing a second "Back to School" Night at the end of March. I'll have that date in my next letter. Hang in there, everyone. You are doing a better job than you think you are, I promise! Take care, Jeanne Shout out of the week: This week's shout out goes to Jessica & Beccy's 6th grade YDL class. I visited Jessica's ELA class and enjoyed listening to students discuss the process of persuasive writing and find evidence to support claims about various characters. I was impressed with their engagement, enthusiasm, questions and comments. The ability to write persuasively is an important skill and one they'll need in high school and college. Of course, I pointed that out to them. I also couldn't resist jumping in and pointing out some evidence that I noticed in the short story they were reading, "Raymond's Run, " by Toni Cade Bambara. I'll never stop being an English teacher. Luckily, Jessica and the sixth graders were gracious and put up with my interruptions! School News & Community Information Come join The DLG (Diversity Learning Group) Virtual Book Club! The DLG Book Club aims to promote community discussion focused on the DLG vision “to instill an understanding on the value in acceptance and respect for one another’s differences so that we can grow as a society.” Come join us on our inaugural discussion circle for our new book! When: Monday, March 8th, 2021 Time: 7pm-8pm Book: "Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America" By Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain Reading Discussion: Part 1 - 3 Zoom: https://fhda-edu.zoom.us/j/6489556005 "Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019" collects the work of 90 writers — historians, poets, journalists, novelists and activists — to tell the stories of Black Americans, from the arrival of the White Lion, which brought enslaved people to the colonies in 1619, to the Black Lives Matter movement. https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/02/18/four-hundred-souls-book Note: Consider supporting locally and purchasing the book from Florey's Book Co. Free and Reduced Lunches: School lunches are free to all students now through the end of the school year. 2. If your family is having financial hardship at this time, please fill out a free/reduced application before March 10. This will allow for the following benefits: Your children will receive free/reduced meals when the 21-22 school year begins through September at which time you will re-apply for the rest of that school year if you need to. You will also receive money in the form of an EBT card which you can use to purchase groceries. A PDF of the application is attached. Special Education Informational Town Hall Meeting: Julie Carrillo will be hosting a town hall meeting on Thursday, March 18th @ 7:00 pm to discuss the differences between special education services, 504 plans and SST (Student Success Team) supports. Please see the attached flier.
Friday, February 12, 2021 Quote of the week: "Pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everyone off is a piece of cake." --Unknown Dear Ocean Shore Families, The Pacifica School District Board meeting this Wednesday was an intense experience. After listening to public comments from parents, considering input from the school district administration, and from the unions, our school board members voted to approve the Hybrid learning plan and also voted to not implement that plan until staff has been vaccinated. We had Ocean Shore parents speak on behalf of both sides of the argument. Some advocated bringing kids back to school asap, and others supported waiting until most staff have received both doses of the vaccination. All of our parents spoke eloquently and presented their positions rationally and respectfully. I was reminded again why this school community is so special. However, I did not envy the school board members. Whatever their decision, a large part of the Pacifica community would be disappointed. Now that they've voted, and we know the conditions for our return, we will continue to prepare Ocean Shore for hybrid learning so that our classrooms and our staff are ready to go when we get the ok. I'm optimistic that the vaccination process will speed up, and I am hopeful that we might have some of our kids back in the building for the last few months of the school year. I promise to keep you updated on our progress to reopen school, even though some of you will find the updates disappointing. We might not all agree on the timeframe and conditions for returning to school, but we can find common ground in our love for Ocean Shore and for this community. Happy Valentines Day and Happy Lunar New Year! Take care, Jeanne Shout out of the week: All of our teachers have been putting together vibrant lessons to celebrate Black History month and the Lunar New Year. This week, I'd like to give a shout out to our 4/5 classes. Sandy and Marguerite's 4th and 5th graders are currently reading Sounder and The Watsons go to Birmingham respectively, and will be doing a research project in March focusing on important contributions of Black women. Jonathan's class is studying the quilters of Gee's Bend, Alabama, and the kids are making designs to make "quilt collage" with whatever scrap paper and fabric they may have at home. Virginia dove into Lunar New Year and has sent home materials for multiple projects as well as bubble rap so they can mimic the sounds of firecrackers during their virtual celebration today to kick off the Year of the Ox! School News & Community Information February Break: There will be no school the week of 2/15/21-2/19/21. School will resume on 2/22/21. Chromebooks: The District has additional chromebooks. If you do not already have a Pacifica School District device and would like one, please email our Library Media Tech, Barbara Bualat at bbualat@pacificasd.org to arrange the pick up of a chromebook. A loan agreement will need to be signed by a parent/guardian. San Mateo County Library: Please see attached fliers for information about free events sponsored by the SMC Library, including a Lunar New Year Celebration. Happy Year of the Ox! Stanford Children's Health: Please see attached flier for important information about scoliosis.
Friday, February 5, 2020 Quote of the week: "I'm not an early bird or a night owl, I am some form of permanently exhausted pigeon." --from a Pinterest post of funny motherhood quotes Dear Ocean Shore Families, I have writer's block this week. Usually, something comes to me. I'll be prompted by an event, see an interesting quote, or experience something that I think is relatable. I think, like most of us, I'm just a little tired. Actually, I'm a lot tired. I'm guessing I'm not alone. We are in the eleventh month of this pandemic and all ready for life to go back to some kind of "normal". On days like today, I try to find humor wherever I can. I usually don't find it on Pinterest, but I did today. I often find it on YouTube when I'm procrastinating. I scroll through Saturday Night Live commercial parodies, Seth Miller monologues, or The Daily Show clips. We all know we feel better when we laugh, and studies show that laughter has both short and long term positive effects on the body. The famed Mayo Clinic backs me up. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456 We have lots of school news, so please take the time to read the flyers and announcements. Next week, many of our classes will be celebrating our first virtual Valentines Day and have valentines and other treats going home and fun activities planned for the end of next week. Have a wonderful weekend, and try to"find the funny" in your life. I promise you'll feel better if you do. Cheers! Jeanne Shout out of the week: Jennifer Mitchell hosted another online dance party on Monday night that was open to all K/1 families, adults and siblings. Some full-year distance learning first graders participated, and were happy to see their classmates. Jennifer took music requests and played everything from Harry Styles to The Mandalorian theme music (which is very hard to dance to). Izzy and Lila, Jennifer's daughters, joined, as always. They all danced, and then Jennifer read a story to settle things down. I can't wait until we can all dance again in person, but in the meantime, I'm deeply grateful that Jennifer is willing to host this during her precious free time in order to build community with our families and provide a fun opportunity for kids to connect with each other. School News: TK and Kindergarten registration for new families is due by 4:30 pm on Wednesday, February 10th. Please let any friends and neighbors know. The kIndergarten lottery is on Friday, February 12th. February Break: There will be no school the week of 2/15/21-2/19/21. School will resume on 2/22/21. Chromebooks: The District has additional chromebooks. If you do not already have a Pacifica School District device and would like one, please email our Library Media Tech, Barbara Bualat at bbualat@pacificasd.org to arrange the pick up of a chromebook. A loan agreement will need to be signed by a parent/guardian. EAT team: If you are interested in helping out in the outdoor learning space of the garden, please email jonelle.matt@comcast.net or vszczepaniak@pacificasd.org, or just join us: in the garden Sunday, February 7 between 10 and 1 (you do not have to stay the whole time - also adults only) or via Zoom Monday, February 8 at 6:30 (again you do not have to stay the whole time). Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84816396584?pwd=UnhZN3JiQmZqKzlSU2RQODYxVHpXUT09 Meeting ID: 848 1639 6584 Passcode: 1MwrRe- If you are interested in helping sand, prime, and paint some wood letters to decorate the school, please email Virginia vszczepaniak@pacificasd.org DLG (Diversity Learning Group) Virtual Book Club: This Monday, 2/8 @ 7:00 pm. If you missed the introduction meeting but still want to join in, Adults and 7/8th grade readers are welcome. Please see below plan and next meeting zoom details. The book club aims to promote community discussion focused on the DLG vision “to instill an understanding of the value in acceptance and respect for one another’s differences so that we can grow as a society.” Zoom link: https://fhda-edu.zoom.us/j/6489556005 How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. - This book is described as taking readers through a widening circle of antiracist ideas – from the most basic concepts to visionary possibilities - that will help readers see all forms of racism clearly, understand their poisonous consequences, and work to oppose them in our systems and in ourselves. Return to School Update: There has been talk recently about learning hubs opening on a few school campuses in Pacifica. A learning hub is a small group (5 or 10 children) of targeted students, who are invited back to campus by the principal to be supervised by classified staff as they work remotely. There is no direct instruction or tutoring. This is really just a safe space to work for our most vulnerable students. Currently, we do not have appropriate staffing at Ocean Shore to support a learning hub. I'm hoping that we will be able to arrange this in the near future, but we don't have a plan in place right now. Yearbook 2020-21: Please see the attached flyer for information. Care Solace Mental Health resource: Please see the attached flyer with details. This is an online resource available to all families, staff and students in our school district. Care Solace matches families with mental health professionals that accept their insurance plans or that have sliding scale fees for families without insurance. Flocking Fundraiser: The 8th grade is still trying to raise money for whatever type of graduation that ends up being possible. Please take advantage of the flocking if you are able and interested. It is a fun way to surprise someone for their birthday (I'm looking at you, Jason McArthur, Happy 50th!) or to provide a silly pick-me-up for a friend or family member. Please see the attached flyer. Meal Distribution updates: Please see the attached flyers for information about the February Break and updated information for food distribution throughout Pacifica. February is National Children's Dental Month: Please see attached fliers in English and Spanish concerning dental health from Smile California.
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Jeanne BellingerPrincipal of Ocean Shore. Check back here for weekly updates and messages from the principal. Archives
April 2021
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