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Dear Ocean Shore Families, Hello! It was so great to see so many parents at our PTO meeting last night! Thank you for joining for an informative meeting. I appreciated speaking with you and introducing you to Barbara Ng, our interim principal while I am gone on maternity leave. It seems hard to believe that today is my last day at Ocean Shore before I go on leave! I will sure miss seeing the friendly faces of Ocean Shore while I am home. I look forward to visiting with my little baby boy once he arrives and will be coming back in June for the last few fun weeks of school! As a reminder, you can contact Barbara Ng with any questions, or our Vice Principal, Seva Steel who will be your administrator team. The school is in good hands! Reflections From My Office…Thank You Families for Teaching Me About Parenthood: In just a few weeks, I will become a parent for the first time. This has given me lots to ponder, and the fact that today is Valentine’s Day has me thinking a lot about love and parenthood. I want to take a moment to acknowledge how much our community has taught me about parenting. With all my years in education, I feel pretty confident about how to support children once they enter school. I have had a lot of experience working with families on how to support student success at home and school. How to help you child build successful study habits at home? This is my wheelhouse! However, when it comes to those early years – the first walk, trying new foods, waking up to a bad dream, fixing bumps and bruises, establishing bedtime routines – this is all new territory for me! I have lots to learn and know there will be many questions! But know that your steady example of parenthood as the Ocean Shore community has left an indelible mark on me. I want to thank you for teaching me along the way. I have watched the way you walk your kids to school, come to advocate on their behalf, held your child accountable for their actions at home, sent little notes in their lunchboxes, and showed up for conferences and meetings. All of these things speak to the way a parent loves a child. You have been a strong example to me on how to parent – in the most loving and supportive way. Sometimes this meant being firm while other times not. This careful balancing act has contributed to the well-rounded kids we see everyday at Ocean Shore. You have shown me that our children need parents at every stage of development; whether they are learning to walk, to read, or navigating the social landscape of a lunchroom as an adolescent. I have been observing and carefully taking in the way you love your children, and they way this is reflected in their demeanor at school. Their calm, confident and happy dispositions reflect the foundation you have provided them at home. All of these things have left a lasting impression on me as a future parent. Thank you for being such a good example! Flood and Construction Updates: Portable Classrooms Construction Work Begins: Over the break, the construction crew will begin working on our portable classrooms (our 6th grade classroom of Jessica/Beccy’s room, our RSP room and our music/band room). This work will continue into the week we return from break. Therefore, these classes will be temporarily displaced and operating out of rooms in our main building. We expect this to last for the week of February 24th. As the work progresses, we will update you on any extension of this timing. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as these portable rooms will be taking over the following rooms:
Please note: This means the art room, Patty’s breakout room and the MPR/Stage will be reserved for these classes. Please note that other activities planned to take place in these spaces should be relocated or moved into the general classroom during this time. Thank you for your cooperation as we try to minimize this impact on our students! The Library Is Open! We are excited to announce the completion of the library reconstruction. Our library will be operating again beginning on 2/24! The work is completed and our librarians worked quickly to put the books back together! Cabinets and Sinks Being Installed: Over the break, Belfour will be installing the new sinks and countertops in the classrooms. We also will have shelving and furniture built and returned to classrooms. This means that the remaining boxes of classroom materials from the storage pods will be begin to be brought back into classrooms. Teachers will be working with a crew from Belfour to unpack all of these items in hopes of getting our classrooms restored to full capacity as soon as possible! After School Access: We have appreciated having our campus vacated by students and families so that Belfour can get right to work. Please continue to abide by this practice during the week of 2/24 as they are still continuing to restore our classrooms. We expect to be able to begin after school access in March. Stay tuned for details! Weekly Flyers:    Dear Ocean Shore Families, Hello! It was another fun week at Ocean Shore! We continue to appreciate being back on our campus though we are still undergoing construction and transitions. I have loved hearing the stories and creativity that has come from The Great Flood of 2020 at Ocean Shore! Thank you for your ongoing support, flexibility and understanding! Our community has been so strong and resilient – this keeps us going! I look forward to seeing you next week Thursday, February 13th at 6:30 pm at IBL in the MPR for our General PTO Meeting! This is our makeup meeting from 1/16 (which was postponed due to the flood). At this meeting, we will cover some important topics such as updating you on our improved student reunification system in the event of a school emergency! Hope to see you there! (NOTE: We will not be facilitating parent breakout sessions due to the alternative location. We will resume this practice once we return back to the MPR at OSS!). Also, next week will be my final week at OSS before I go on maternity leave. I look forward to introducing you to Barbara Ng, our interim principal who will be stepping in for me while I am gone until June 1st along with our Vice Principal, Seva Steel. Barbara is a veteran Pacifica School District administrator and has spent time at our school. Barbara and Seva will be strong administrative team for Ocean Shore and know our kids will be in good hands! Reflections From My Office…More Flooding Updates: We continue to receive so much support and kindness from our community as we endure this next phase of reconstruction. Here are a few highlights from the week: Global Play Day: Classrooms took the opportunity to use the empty boxes that were storing some of their items for creative projects across all the grade levels! Middle school and primary grade students alike engaged in problem-solving creative play opportunities use boxes to create things! Thank you 7th and 8th Grade Parents for Teacher Appreciation Lunch! Staff were treated to a wonderful lunch from our 7th and 8th grade families in recognition of staff appreciation week (usually this occurs in May but was greatly appreciated this week!). While our staff lounge has chairs back, our counters, sink and remaining kitchen items are still sitting in boxes. This makes it difficult for our staff to have lunch so we were so appreciative of this effort! Continued Support from all of our Stakeholders on the Flood Project Management: This week was a very productive meeting between all of our specialists on our project. From our insurance providers, Belfour team and our school district administrators, our school has been very well cared for to ensure our project is completed with efficiency and accuracy. We have continued to see these folks on campus this week around the clock who helping us put things away and get our school up and running. Our primary goal has been getting our teachers materials and supplies back into the classrooms so that inconveniences can be minimized. The support from our district office and administrators has also continued to help us get items replaced and coordinate logistics! We have received strong support from our district every step of the way! ACE Hardware: The 7th/8th grade oceanography/clean up elective would like to thank Ace Hardware for donating buckets and trash grabbers. The original buckets (which Ace donated) and trash grabbers were lost in the flood. We were so grateful for this donation! Thank You Belfour for the Catered Lunch for Staff on Friday! Our Restoration Crew (Belfour) provided lunch for our entire staff on Friday as a thank you for our patience and thank you cards. They were so appreciative of the thank you cards our kids made for them for helping us clean our school. We heard their office has displayed these cards in their office on their bulletin board. How kind! Thank You to our Neighbor District Schools! We feel so grateful to be part of such a strong support of other schools in the district! Sunset Ridge staff provided us with morning treats for staff. IBL has offered their campus to host our PTO night next week! Today, Vallemar sent us a huge pile of cards made by students to welcome us back to Ocean School. What a great district with supportive schools! Take a look at the photos below. I love the smiles on our faces - including our drawings of the flood! Help Us Continue to Share our Kindness Stories: Share Your Stories of Kindness! Do you have a story to share about how our community has come together? Please share! I am collecting your stories to post on our website! We will archive these anecdotal moments to help us remember the kindness that was exchanged during the Ocean Shore Great Flood of 2020! Share your stories here: https://forms.gle/Dt6CtaKfKDa3hrqA8 Welcome to Ocean Shore, Kathy Portiera! We are thrilled to welcome our new Special Education Teacher to our team! Here is an introduction from Kathy: Dear All, It is my great pleasure to get to join the instructional team at Ocean Shore School! I look forward to getting to know one another over the weeks to come! In the meantime, I will share a few details about myself: I am a California native and have been in education for over 20 years. I have worked with every year level from Kindergarten through year 12. Originally, I entered the teaching profession working with students who accessed the general education curriculum; later, I chose to get my Master of Education in Special Education after my son, Michael, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Since that time, I have been joyfully working as both an Educational Specialist and a Department Coordinator domestically and internationally. After all of these years, I feel just as passionate and invigorated by this wonderful career as I did when I entered the profession! I value compassion and kindness above all else and infuse these qualities into every aspect of my teaching practice! I am simply overjoyed to get to live and work in Pacifica with such a warm and welcoming group of students, parents, staff, and community! With heart, Kathy Portiera Reminder About Valentine's Day! In a K-8 school, Valentine’s Day is a sweet celebration of friendship and kindness. I encourage you to remind your child that we want all of our students to feel included and recognized. Bringing valentines is a lovely gesture, especially when everyone receives it. Please be mindful and sensitive to our children with food allergies should treats be associated with Valentine cards, and get further direction from your child’s teacher regarding classroom protocols. I look forward to this sweet celebration! Weekly Flyers: Dear Ocean Shore Families, Hello! How great to see everyone back “home” on campus and around school! On behalf of all of our staff and students, thank you. Your support, flexibility, and understanding have kept us “afloat” over the last few weeks. The adventure of our flood damage has proven the strength of our community. Take a moment to reflect on my summary of what happened: Reflections From My Office…A Summary of the Flood: What started as a flood of rain water turning our school into a riverbed thanks to the failed storm drain turned into an opportunity to demonstrate the strength, resiliency and compassion of an entire community. So proud of this team that gave their all no matter the odds! Though our school was relocated for 3 days to another campus (thank you IBL!) while recovery crews put our building back together, kids were safe and happy - learning without skipping a beat. Remarkably – teachers worked with parent volunteers to pull together multiple field trips in a matter of days, parents rearranged busy schedules to help volunteer and chaperone, staff worked long hours day and night and our neighboring schools and district staff stepped up to help in every way possible. Walls and buildings don’t make the team… people do! Proud to be part of Ocean Shore School and our Pacifica School District! Share Your Stories of Kindness! Do you have a story to share about how our community has come together? Please share! I am collecting your stories to post on our website! We will archive these anecdotal moments to help us remember the kindness that was exchanged during the Ocean Shore Great Flood of 2020! Share your stories here: https://forms.gle/Dt6CtaKfKDa3hrqA8 Here is a quick recap a parent shared with me last week that I want to share with you! I wanted to give a shout out to all the parents who gave so much of their time for the field trips! I spoke with several today who had been on both days of activities and were exhausted. My husband rearranged his schedule so that I could go on one and although I didn't end up going, I know he was not the only one who was willing to help OSS in this way this week! (My daughter) came out of school on Wednesday, raised her arms and said, "We didn't learn ANYTHING today!" It was a fun week for her. I truly appreciate how enthusiastic the teachers and staff were in making this week happen. I feel so lucky to be a part of this community. Updates: “Pardon Our Dust” During Construction! What Next? We have entered a new phase of our Flood. We are thrilled to be back on campus, however it will be several weeks until classrooms are fully stocked and all damaged walls, floors and cabinets are replaced. During this time, there will be inconvenience. Your continued patience and understanding is greatly appreciated! I will continue to provide you with updates as they become available each week. I encourage you to reach out to myself or your child’s teacher with any questions! Our goal continues to be to provide our students with the least disruptive environment, despite the challenges of construction. What If My Child Still Has Missing Materials or Jackets? Many of the classroom materials that were boxed up for storage could include jackets or clothing left in the classroom. If your child is missing items still, here are several options: Check our Lost and Found! It is currently overflowing with items - many of them from the day the flood. Items were stored in bags during the construction of the week we were away, and are now hanging to be returned to families. Wait Until the Boxes Are Returned to the Classroom: Some clothing may still be in the boxes in the storage pods. All of these items will be returned to classrooms later this month when the shelves and cabinets are restored. It is likely that your child’s missing item will be part of these things. Instead of having the crew unpack all of the boxes in the storage pod to find one personal item, we ask that you wait until all items are returned so that we can prioritize the workforce to get all of the school fully operational. If You Are Missing An Essential Item: If you are unable to wait several weeks to have the personal item retrieved due to an emergency, please let me know. We will work with the team to help retrieve this item. What Do the Classrooms Look Like? Classroom materials, furniture, rugs and supplies were boxed up and are currently being stored in the storage pods on our black tops. This is because most countertops and many classroom cabinets, cubbies and bookshelves were damaged. While they are being replaced, most nonessential classroom items will be stored in the storage pods. This week, teachers have worked with the recovery crew from Belfour to retrieve items they need over the next few weeks. Classrooms are configured with furniture and items in place so that students are safe and teachers can continue instruction with necessary items. In the coming weeks after school hours, the Belfour crew will be working to refinish walls and install missing countertops and cabinets. Which Classrooms or Rooms are Available? All of our main classrooms are open and restored for students. Some of our special rooms are also ready for students, such as our science lab. The MPR and cafeteria are fully operational, as our most breakout rooms (however materials in breakout rooms are still in storage). Other rooms such as our library, computer lab, art room, some offices, and workrooms are still being repaired and not available to students yet. After School Access: Please help us get our construction underway by vacating campus when the students are dismissed at 3 pm! All after-school events have been cancelled or postponed for the month of February. This is because the construction crew begins working on our campus as soon as students leave at 3 pm. We will be providing you with updates on when meetings and other events have been either rescheduled and held offsite or postponed to March. Please note, this also includes all After School Enrichment Programs. How Can Parents Help? Are There Fundraising Needs? No fundraising needed at this time but help around classroom needs, projects and field trips is especially helpful! So many gracious parents have offered to help our school be restored! Fortunately, we are working through our insurance company to replace all items that were damaged in the flood, including the personal property of teachers and all school items such as classroom rugs and furniture. If you wish to help, please contact your child’s teacher about specific classroom needs such as volunteering opportunities. If families wish to give a monetary donation, funding donations can go directly to the PTO. Weekly Flyers:  Dear Ocean Shore Families, My weekly message to you on Fridays has taken on a new meaning today! In light of such an eventful week, I find this time to reflect and update you particularly meaningful! Please read carefully for my reflections from the week and very important updates regarding our return to campus on Monday! I also hope you are able to enjoy your weekend, and hopefully attend the Jazz Fest on Saturday! See details below! With Gratitude: I just cannot say this enough… thank you, Ocean Shore. My pride to be part of this community- has provided such comfort, hope, and peace of mind. The entire Pacifica community has “circled the wagons” around Ocean Shore in our time of need. The care and concern that has been extended leaves me speechless. Our Ocean Shore family and the greater Pacifica community is a very special place. This week demonstrates this on many levels! As you often hear with disasters, in light of such tough circumstances, the outpouring of kindness is such a demonstration of humanity has kept us all going! Reflections: Each day has been a gift to witness memorable moments. I can’t wait to share them with you!
MEMORABLE QUOTES:
These moments are just the tip of the iceberg. Share your stories of benevolence with me! It is inspiring to share! Updates: We Return to OSS on Monday 1/27 for our normal schedule! We are very excited to return home Monday with our students! Though the classrooms and hallways will still have work to be done, the building will be clean, safe and ready for students to return. Many classroom materials will still be stored and our teachers have made arrangements for modified lessons given limited supplies. What is happening inside the building? What will it look like? While we have been away this week, a large team of specialists from Belfor Property Restoration has been working to get our school operational for students. A team of 55 crewmembers have been working daily from 8 am to 8 pm! The efficiency of this team has been mighty impressive! Classroom items have been cataloged and carefully stored in one of the large 30 pods outside of campus. Inside, many of the walls and cabinetry are being reconstructed due to the water damage. Items inside cabinets have been stored while they rebuild. Carpets been replaced and new area rugs will be coming to replace the older ones damaged with water. Many people have asked which classrooms were impacted. While some sustained more damage than others, almost all of the rooms required some level of repair. We were thankful that the MPR and kitchen sustained limited damage! This is wonderful because our gorgeous wood floor in the MPR was mostly preserved and part of the original building. Classrooms have been prioritized with need and use in the order of which the repairs will be completed. Belfor Property Restoration has an amazing team of project managers, property specialists and trades specialist. When we return on Monday, the school will still not be completely ready. Classrooms will be functional with desks, flooring (including new carpet) and some materials. At the end of the school day, staff will be asked to leave when the students leave so that construction can resume in the afternoon and evening. The cabinets will need to be installed. It may take several weeks to have the school resume to the previous state. How Can I Help Prepare My Child for Returning to Campus: I have included pictures below for you to see the progress and encourage you to share with your family. Talking to your child about the progress and that some parts of their classroom will look different may help them prepare when they return. It is important to talk to your child, and let us know how we can best support them emotionally. On Monday morning, I will explain how our school is being restored, and teachers will guide them through a restorative circle as s class to start the day. Here are a few resources you may find useful: https://wvde.state.wv.us/healthyschools/documents/QuickBriefonRecoveryAfteraFloodforTeachersandParents.pdf https://weather.com/news/weather/video/talking-to-your-kids-about-flooding Drop Off for Monday: Where Should My Child Go In the Morning on Monday 1/27? PLEASE HAVE STUDENTS STRAIGHT TO THE MPR! Parents - please help us by dropping your student. Please limit parent access into the MPR, which is very small to only students. It is more difficult for the restoration team with extra people on campus. Students will report directly to the MPR upon arriving to campus - just as we would for a rainy day. Students should not play on the playground until later in the day when we have more staff. Please help us limit the foot traffic in the school during this restoration time! Pick Up for Monday: Our pick up times and schedule will continue as usual! Plan to pick up your child outside of campus where you normally would meet them. Regular day schedule will apply! Will Lunch Be Available at OSS? YES! We will have full access to our cafeteria and MPR for eating. Your child may order a lunch as usual or bring their lunch. What about After School Activities? CAMPUS WILL CLOSE AT 3 pm! Immediately following the last student being sent home, all staff will be leaving the campus so that the construction can continue on campus. The earlier we are off the premises, the quicker the team can get to work to finish the reconstruction efforts! Therefore, ALL AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES will be postponed or cancelled until March. Updates will be sent should this change or if activities will be held offsite. What About After School Enrichment Programs (ASEP)? Due to the flood, the start date for ASEP is delayed. Registration will be announced once a start date is determined. You can still access the site to view classes, but registration will not be possible until a start date is determined. Thank you for your patience. How do I get in touch with the office or school over the weekend? We expect our office to be operational on Monday with phone and Internet service. You may contact Ocean Shore School on the phone or emailing your teacher. Please note - staff have been asked to remain off campus for the weekend while the crew continues to work. Backpack Retrieval or Instruments? Our restoration crew will be working on Monday and Tuesday to retrieve these items and dispose of food/liquid left behind. We hope to have these returned as soon as possible with your child or available for families to pick up. Student Medications: All student medications have been transported back to Ocean Shore (we have had them stored at IBL while we were on site). Please let us know if your child requires new medications. THANK YOU! I will send updates as they become available! Please do not hesitate to contact me or our staff with any questions! Your understanding and support has been greatly appreciated! Kindly, Julie Carrillo Principal, Ocean Shore School Pictures from the Day of the Flooding! Look at our Main Hallway!Pictures from a Fun-Filled Week at IBL!Pictures of the Restoration Process Going On at Ocean Shore!Hello Ocean Shore Families!
Please read below for updates and reminders! Please note – WE WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE ANY EXTRA CHAPERONES ON OUR TRIPS and appreciate the amount of parents who have already volunteered! (See below for details!) Please note: These updates are also posted on our PTO website at https://www.osspto.org/principals-space THANK YOU! We were SO happy to have the kids arrive today. This is what makes us feel at home – having all of us together. As I explained in my announcements to students this morning, Ocean Shore is more than a building (as our teacher Alice wisely shared with staff earlier this week!). We are a school family no matter where we are! All in all, today was great fun! Our staff facilitated a magical day for our kids in light of the circumstances. It was successful day where kids engaged in various activities from art projects, journaling, math games and music. Tomorrow and Friday will continue with wonderful learning opportunities for our kids despite being off campus! Our friends at IBL have been so welcoming and accommodating. The support we have received from our school district has been invaluable. Our Superintendent Dr. Olsen has been at Ocean Shore to meet kids and then rode the shuttle bus with them over to IBL! The kind encouragement from families has kept us going. CHAPERONES (NOT DRIVERS) STILL NEEDED FOR FIELD TRIPS: We have been able to secure transportation from parent drivers or buses for our field trips tomorrow and Friday, but still need chaperones to help teachers on these trips. Below is a list of specific classes that need extra chaperones. Even if your child is in a different class, we would love you to join us if you can. Please email me or any of the teachers or field trip coordinators below if you are able to join us! Juli’s 2nd Grade Class: (3 Chaperones for Friday) Renee’s 3rd Grade Class : (2-3 chaperones - Thursday) and (2 chaperones - Friday) 7th and 8th Grade: (2 chaperones – Thursday) and (2 chaperones - Friday) EARLY DISMISSAL TOMORROW AT 2 PM FOR ALL STUDENTS! In an effort to minimize traffic pick up congestion at IBL, please plan to pick up your child at 2 pm. Our shuttle will continue to transport students back to Ocean Shore for those students who are attending after school care or for those who walk to Ocean Shore school. BACKPACK PICK UP: We apologize for the cancellation of the backpack pick up today and appreciate your understanding of this effort. We have been working with the Specialist Team at school. Currently, their main focus has been getting our school prepared to open doors to students on Monday. To retrieve all of the student backpacks was going to take too much time away from the crew that is endeavoring to open the school on Monday. If you have an emergency need or your child has great distress about retrieving their backpack, please let me know. As more details become available to me, I will share them with you. Expect to hear more updates from me; I welcome your questions. Thank you for your ongoing support! Kindly, Julie Updates for Ocean Shore Families- January 21st
School resumes tomorrow at Ingrid B Lacy School- specific class details from teachers Hello Families! Thank you for your continued support as we navigate the challenges from our flooding damage. I am so grateful for our team of staff, district and community members who have responded with strength, creativity and resolve! We are humbled by the overwhelming offers of support from so many families, other district schools and staff, and the level of coordination from our district office. Furthermore, there is a highly skilled team of specialists working who have the expertise and ability to get us back into our beloved school as soon as possible! After touring campus today, I found comfort in seeing the efficiency of the crew’s work, which even includes nightly feeding routines for classroom fish and turtles! Today, our staff met for a very productive meeting which provided heartfelt reflection and planning time to consider our next steps collectively. Most importantly, we are eager to greet the kids tomorrow with the best support and care we can provide. Our staff is excited to use this opportunity to bond as a school community and explore our neighboring surroundings with field trips. Great care and attention has gone into making the next 3 school days meaningful and memorable! Compassionate, hard-working, and caring educators are the professionals who will be tending to our kids - and I am proud to be on their team! I will be providing you with updates as they become available to me. Many of your questions help guide the feedback I provide so please feel free to reach out with any questions. Updates: What if my child’s backpack is still at Ocean Shore? We are working with the Recovery Team at school to retrieve these items. Tomorrow at 2 pm (1/22), families will be able to retrieve essential items from backpacks outside of Ocean Shore School. Food and liquids that were left inside the backpacks will be disposed of before return (that would be quite a science experiment!). There will be district staff and Recovery Team specialists available at Ocean Shore at 2 pm to help families claim these items. Please note that if your child has a backpack they do not need until we return to campus next week 1/27, they are encouraged to keep it at Ocean Shore School. However, we do understand that this can provide comfort to our students and want to get these back to our kids as soon as possible. How do I drop off my child at IBL? Please enter the drop off and drive all the way to the north of the drop zone near the gymnasium. Students will enter in the gym. Look for familiar Ocean Shore staff faces. Shuttle Transportation for students Attending TTT/City Day Care Before/After School: What if my child is attending TTT or City Day Care? We will provide a:
Can My Child Order Lunch? Students are encouraged to bring lunches at home if possible. If your child needs to buy lunch, they will be able to do so at IBL using the same food services account you child currently has at Ocean Shore. For students who receive free and reduced lunch, we will be providing lunches for all 3 school days. Lunches will be coming from the cafeteria at IBL. Students who are ordering lunch will be escorted by staff to the cafeteria. Teachers will take a lunch count at the start of day, as they would any other day. On field trip days, brown bag lunches will be provided for those who require lunch provided. What if my child needs medication which is at school? Medications that were stored at the main office at Ocean Shore have been temporarily relocated to IBL. A classroom at IBL is designated as our temporary office for medical and health needs of students while we are there. If your child has a new medication needed, please let our office know so that we can maintain it at IBL as we would at Ocean Shore with the proper documentation. What If I need to contact school during the school day? How do I get in touch with my child? Our main office line has been transferred to receive calls at IBL. Please continue to use our main office line at 650-738-6650 as you would at Ocean Shore. What If my child is absent or needs to be picked up early / dropped off late? Contact our office line at 650-738-6650 or email your child’s teacher if you know in advance that your child will be absent. In addition, please fill out the permission slip link (emailed to you in a separate link) if your child is NOT attending by checking the box they will be staying home instead of attending school. Can I come on campus with my child or volunteer? If you would like to help us with the instructional program, please volunteer to drive or chaperone a field trip on Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday, the staff have planned structured activities to connect and help students process the flooding. Students will be working in classrooms or participating in structured staff-supervised activities. Volunteers are not needed on Wednesday unless your child’s teacher has prearranged this with you. Field Trip Permission Slips for Thursday and Friday: I will be sending each grade levels electronic field trip permission slips. This will come in the form of an email with a link. Your immediate response is greatly appreciated. Please complete these forms ASAP (by 5 pm on 1/22/20) to help us coordinate the trips given our circumstances. When can we get into Ocean Shore? Ocean Shore will be closed to all staff and families until 1/27/20. During this time, we appreciate your cooperation to remain off-campus to allow for the crew to work as swiftly as possible. On Monday, January 27th, students will report to the multipurpose room at 8:00 am. Please stay tuned for further information later this week about our return to Ocean Shore. Can my child participate in an independent study and work at home this week? We have worked hard as a team to make the best of a difficult situation and plan meaningful activities that will help students return to routine, process the event, support the OSS curriculum and have fun with their friends and community. We are not in the position to develop independent study plans for students this week. THANK YOU! Thank you again for your support! Expect to hear from me with more updates as they become available. As I told our teachers today - we can do this Ocean Shore! Ocean Shore is bigger than just a building. Our collective force is strong! Kindly, Julie Dear Ocean Shore Families,
As you have heard from our Superintendent Dr. Olsen, Ocean Shore School will be operating at another location due to flooding damage. In an effort to get you with information as soon as possible, I have compiled some updates for you. Please note that more information will be forthcoming and I encourage you to check your email and the PTO website for all updates. NEXT WEEK: We will be operating out of Ingrid B. Lacy Middle School (IBL) next week Wednesday 1/22 - Friday 1/24 located at 1427 Palmetto Ave, Pacifica, CA 94044. Regular minimum day schedule will apply on Wednesday 1/22. Early dismissal time at 2 pm for ALL students will apply on Thursday 1/23 and Friday 1/24. I had an opportunity to meet with a team of staff on Saturday to brainstorm ways to make our upcoming week productive, engaging and responsive to our students who may feel uncertain about the events related to the flooding. Here are a few updates for your reference. Ocean Shore will be operating out of IBL, which is a neighboring school and a larger facility. We are grateful for the swift response of our district partners to help us find a safe and efficient place for our kids to learn! Updates and Questions You May Have: Wednesday (Minimum Day): Student Support Day Wednesday will be a day devoted to responding to our students emotional needs given the flooding episode on Thursday and need to relocate temporarily. We recognize such changes can be traumatic for our entire community, and we intend to address this as as staff and with our students. Staff will be working on Tuesday to anticipate strong emotions students may be experiencing. Extra counseling support from our district will also be available. I encourage you to communicate with myself or your child’s teacher if you have specific situations you would like us to be aware of for your child. Wednesday will continue to be a minimum day (please adhere to our normal minimum day schedule for start and departure times). Thursday and Friday: Field Trip Days and Instruction at IBL On Thursday and Friday, many classes will use this opportunity to do something we love to do at OSS and do very well - go on field trips! Our teachers are currently working to create meaningful experiences for our students with the amazing educational resources we have in our community nearby! Stay tuned for more details as our teachers and field trip coordinators plan these logistics. Please note our staff will be moving quickly to coordinate these events, and your cooperation and responsiveness to turn in forms quickly will be greatly appreciated. THURSDAY/FRIDAY - EARLY DEPARTURE FOR STUDENTS GRADE K-8 at 2 pm (Kindergarten will be dismissed as they normally would at 2 pm). This will help us minimize traffic congestion and confusion during IBL’s dismissal time at 3 pm. Staggering our dismissal time will help ease this congestion. Start time (8:22) will remain the same for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. IBL classes start later in the morning, allowing our students to arrive first. What If I can’t transport my child to and from IBL (because my child walks to school or attends after school care)? We will be running shuttle services for students to be transported from OSS to IBL before and after school. This will include students who attend TTT or CIty Day Care. TTT and City Day Care will remain open and in operation as their facilities will not be impacted by the flooding damage. What if I can’t pick up my child by 2 pm on Thursday and Friday? We will have supervised activities for students in the gym at IBL for students who are not able to be picked up at the 2 pm departure time. How do I reach the office of Ocean Shore next week? We will be operating a mobile office on site at IBL during the entire 3 days we are housed at the gym. Specific location is to-be-determined but signs will be posted on Wednesday 1/22 indicating where this will be located. Our office will be functioning as it would on site to track attendance, early sign-outs of students, medication/ health needs of students, etc… How do I reach my child’s teacher? Teachers will be available via email as they will continue to be working offsite for the duration of next week. You may also coordinate with you Ombud and field trip coordinator regarding specifics of your child’s class schedule. I am also available via email for any questions. How will my child know where to go at IBL on Wednesday? Be ready to look for the familiar faces of your Ocean Shore Staff team who will be staged around IBL campus to help students walk to the gym. Classes will have designated spaces or classrooms. Can I walk my child onto campus? Unlike Ocean Shore with three different drop-off locations, IBL has one main drop off spot. Most students walk onto campus without parents as parking is very limited. We encourage families to drop off their child in front of the school where they will be met by Ocean Shore staff who will walk them to the gym. Space in the gym will also be limited, so extra parents in the MPR creates added management needs for our staff. If your child is apprehensive about walking onto campus, let us know so that we can be sure to help them. How do I get to IBL? IBL is located close to Ocean Shore at 1427 Palmetto Ave, Pacifica, CA 94044. Maps of the campus at IBL and how to get there will be made available on Tuesday. Stay tuned for more details! How can you help? We Need Drivers for Field Trips! We welcome your help to transport our students on field trips! If you are a cleared driver, please reach out to your child’s field trip coordinator to let us know about your availability next week Thursday and Friday! We would love your help! Closing Thoughts: While this flooding and subsequent damage has been devastating, I have full confidence in our community’s ability to respond with strength, poise, and care for our ability to respond. Our collective goal is education continuance in the light of these circumstances. This provides our school an opportunity to come together with our creative approach to offer students valuable learning opportunities! We are school that thrives on thinking-out-of-the box and experiential educational experiences. Field trips are our thing, and teachers are experts at this kind of thing! My mom often refers to the famous saying… “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” Our school will be working to create “lemonade” for our kids and a memorable experience for them! Thank you for your patience, understanding and support. Please stay tuned for updates as I will be working to update you as soon as possible. Kindly, Julie Principal, Ocean Shore School Dear Ocean Shore Families, This was one interesting week! Thank you again for the support and understanding given the unusual flooding yesterday. I appreciate the emails of encouragement and your feedback. We will continue to welcome this input! As I write this, the cleaning and recovery specialist team has been working at our school to continue to survey the damage and continue the cleaning process in all efforts to open school as soon as possible. Work has been progressing at a steady pace. As the process continues over the weekend, I will keep you updated on any changes. Reflections From My Office: Yesterday was a quite a day, wasn’t it? When an emergency happens – like the flooding yesterday - it gives you lots to reflect upon. I thought of ways we could improve our process, wonder how we could respond to events in the future, and anticipated our next actions. And in these cases, you are often overwhelmed by the ways in which people care for one another. I kept coming back to this in my mind – and what gave me the greatest sense of gratitude – was the small yet powerful moments of people helping others. At our impromptu staff meeting held after the last student was picked up yesterday, we reflected on those moments. Teachers shared stories of how incredible our students and parent volunteers responded, and recognized each other for helping in the time of need. For instance, some of our 8th grade students immediately jumped in to help younger students by reading books to them in the MPR waiting for families to arrive. Teachers went out of their way to help the maintenance crew redirect the water to help protect the classrooms. Students helped teachers put rugs on tables to prevent water from reaching them. Our Vice Principal Seva quickly thought on her feet as she safely directed students and staff to the MPR in a calming, reassuring way. Parents who came to pick up children asked how they could help, and stayed around to help inform other parents. This morning, I met a large group of teachers who arrived (without being asked!) to help families retrieve important items left behind by our students. When I met with other district administration, principals and teachers, I was overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from our neighbor schools. They offered to help put up bulletin boards, replace books or help in anyway possible. Despite the unfortunate circumstance, seeing such acts of kindness brought me great comfort! Next week, I will be sending you further updates regarding our feedback and reflections on our reunification process. Stay tuned! From the Front Office: NOTE: PACIFICA SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD MEETING 1/22 WILL NOW BE HELD AT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OFFICE: The PSD Board meeting was going to held at Ocean Shore School. Due to the recent flooding, the meeting will now be held at the School District Office. After School Enrichment: The After School Enrichment Program is starting up again in February, and enrollment begins at 7:30PM on Thursday, January 23rd. Please go to this site to view classes and to enroll. The purchase option will be available at 7:30PM Sharp on January 23rd. IMPORTANT: The URL has changed, and you will need a PayPal account even if you are paying by credit card. https://www.ossasep.store/ An Important Message About an Upcoming Opportunity to Share Your Input! Dear Parents/Guardians, As we develop a new three year Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), we first need to seek engagement and input from our Stakeholders. As parents/guardians are one of our main stakeholders, I would like to invite you to participate in Pacifica School District’s LCAP Family Engagement/Input Meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to first, provide information on what the LCAP is, how it is created and the goals and priorities it is intended to support. Second, it will be an opportunity to gather input from the parent/guardian community around how we support improved student achievement, student engagement, school climate and family engagement; and provide feedback on programs and services that meet the needs of the community. Our hope is to get a minimum of 25 families from each of our schools to attend one of the two scheduled meetings below: · January 24th at Sunset Ridge from 9:00 am - 10:30 am · January 30th at Ortega School from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Child care will be provided. Please RSVP at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYHZZafTgpFYGSOeMlQ9XbXnLEsw3gmZPppUaLjLG8pX8RFg/viewform?usp=pp_url Kindergarten Sibling Registration: Important Information for Families Registering a Sibling Into Ocean Shore Next year! YOU MUST ENROLL YOUR YOUNGER SIBLINGS with the Kindergarten Sibling / Priority Enrollment card! These cards should be turned in as soon as possible, and can be turned into Patricia. DUE DATE 2/3/2020. These are in the Pacifica School District Kindergarten Enrollment 2019-2020 packet. Please stop by the front office if you need a copy. If you have a child who will be 5 years of age on or before September 1, 2020, your child is eligible to attend kindergarten in the fall 2019. If your child will turn 5 between September 2 and December 2, 2020, please request the Transitional Kindergarten Enrollment Card. Yearbooks are on Sale! Our middle school staff will be working hard to preserve your memories. Don't let these memories pass you by, order yours today online visit: If you have any questions contact tanyaguido@comcast.net Weekly Flyers:    Dear Ocean Shore Families,
This is an update regarding our flooding incident today at school. Thank you for your cooperation as we dismissed over 400 students today, and for being supportive and understanding on a very unusual day! I hope you are warm, dry and comfortable at home. Please read below for some important updates and details from today. SCHOOL CANCELLED TOMORROW 1/17! PTO MEETING CANCELLED TONIGHT 1/16 Update: SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED TOMORROW 1/17 for all Ocean Shore students due to the flooding. We plan to resume school as normal on Wednesday January 22nd (school was already scheduled to be out of session for students in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and staff development on 1/20 and 1/21). PTO GENERAL MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR TONIGHT 1/16 at 6:30 pm AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED! Stay tuned for details regarding the makeup date. What Happened: Due to a storm drain backup, we started experiencing excessive amounts of water coming into the building. We moved students from the classrooms into the MPR and initiated our student reunification process, as it was determined that we could not continue the school day due to the flooding. Fortunately, our students remained safe and relatively dry in the MPR. Our staff - as always – was responsive, caring and attentive to swiftly respond to our student needs. Currently, maintenance crews and recovery specialists are working to assess and respond to the damage. There was water on most classroom floors and in the hallways. The Pacifica School District Director of Facilities, Maintenance and Operations worked quickly with our insurer to bring in a recovery specialist firm to assess the damage and begin cleanup. They will be working through the holiday weekend to prepare our school to open on Wednesday. We appreciate the offer of help to clean up from the community, which might be useful once the initial wave of cleaning is complete. Standby for further details! What Next? (If Your Child Left Valuables at School): Students were instructed to leave their belongings such as backpacks in the classroom. If your child has belongings that are needed urgently, you can come by school tomorrow 1/17 between 8 and 9 am to pick up their belongings. Staff will retrieve these items for you. All other nonessential items will be left until Wednesday when students return. (Lunches should be considered a nonessential item at this time). Why We Are Limiting Entrance into the Building: We appreciate your cooperation in understanding that due to safety needs, we are not allowing parents and students to enter the building as the crew attends to the facility needs. Staff will be working offsite tomorrow. Thank you for your patience and understanding in ensuring that our students were safely reunited with their families. This is not always a quick process, but ensuring that students are safely accounted for is our primary concern. We appreciate your support with this process. We will be collecting your feedback in efforts to improve our practice. We welcome the feedback! If you have further questions, I can be reached via email. I want to thank you again for your understanding given the circumstances to wait in cold, wet weather for your child. Many parents offered to help which was greatly appreciated! I look forward to being in touch and thank you for your partnership! Kindly, Julie Carrillo Principal, Ocean Shore School Dear Ocean Shore Families, Happy New Year! 2020 has arrived! I have enjoyed hearing the stories from our children about their Winter Break adventures. It sounds like our Ocean Shore families traveled far, visited with families, enjoyed the snow or sunshine, or had restful time at home with family and friends. I was busy at home preparing our nursery for our little guy. I believe I have hit the “nesting” stage with full force! It has been fun! NEXT WEEK! 1/16 GENERAL PTO MEETING! A very important meeting is approaching! I look forward to seeing you at our next General PTO Meeting which parents are required to attend. The focus of the meeting will be on student safety and wellness, along with an important business meeting. See you at 6:30 in the MPR! Reflections From My Office: Yesterday was a special day where we welcomed families and 5th graders to explore our middle school at Ocean Shore. Part of the day, known as “5th Grade Step Up Day”, introduces our middle school program to our current students who are exploring their middle school options in the district. During the school day, the 5th graders were invited to tour our middle school classrooms and hear from a panel of current middle school students. The event began by inviting the kids into the MPR where I explained the purpose of the event and shared a bit about how the middle school program works at Ocean Shore. 5th graders were very curious to know about things like the new lunch routine (they were excited to know they could eat outside everyday!). We then walked our kids through the classrooms and concluded the day with a panel of middle school students. Students were excited to learn from some 8th graders that elective classes offered such as Spanish, band, Newscast/Podcast, Oceanography, creative writing, computer programming, peer mediators and being a teacher’s assistant. One 8th grader explained how much he has enjoyed being a peer mediator – an elective class led by our school counselor. He explained how much he was learning by working with younger students at recess in the Peace Garden to help them resolve conflict around topics such as who was fairly “out” at kickball. Most importantly, something unique to Ocean Shore is the ability for our middle school kids to take multiple electives in a single trimester as opposed to the same elective class everyday. They could be helping manage the Coffee Cart with our special needs class one day and be Teacher’s Assistant the next day! The middle school kids talked to the students for over 30 minutes and answered their insightful questions. It was quite a sweet moment when you realize that nothing is more impactful than when kids teach other kids – something that Ocean Shore rests upon often. It was a great afternoon and as I explained to them, we love them all very much and hope they continue to call Ocean Shore home for their middle school years! In the evening, we hosted a similar event for parents. Teachers such as Beccy and Natalie joined Seva and I to host a panel of current Ocean Shore middle school students and our stellar alumni of current high school and college students. Their insight was very valuable in how they shared that they felt their years at Ocean Shore prepared them to be successful in high school. They spoke about the leadership roles they readily assumed and the ways they felt they had an advantage over their peers by their ability to know how to collaborate with their peers and were unafraid to ask for help from their teachers. They explained how they never flinched when asked to give an oral report because this was “just something we always do” at Ocean Shore – having presentations and teaching opportunities embedded into every classroom. I was in awe of not only what the alumni and middle school students shared but also how they shared it. They spoke with confidence and poise, and articulated how they felt they were given life skills that will transcend any curriculum. When we think about how we want to send our students into the “real-world” – equipped with the ability to be problem-solvers and peacemakers – I think we can give our Ocean Shore students a passing grade. With a society and world that is increasingly reliant on screens to communicate, it was refreshing to see that our students who are now in high school are able to draw upon successfully both the digital literacy and verbal communication skills requisite of the 21st century learner. While these intrinsic skills are nurtured during their formative middle school years, they also are equipped with the academic rigor allowing them to be advanced in their high school courses. The alumni proudly talked about how they were able to advance their math pathway, and were given opportunities in middle school to do math enrichment activities promoting their ability to accelerate and self-motivate. II was exceptionally proud of the “product” our school produces – our students. I encourage you to talk with a few of our Ocean Shore alumni about how they felt they were incredibly prepared to be successful students – and future leaders of our world! An Opportunity to Share Your Input! A Message From Pacifica School District: As we develop a new three year Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), we first need to seek engagement and input from our Stakeholders. As parents/guardians are one of our main stakeholders, I would like to invite you to participate in Pacifica School District’s LCAP Family Engagement/Input Meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to first, provide information on what the LCAP is, how it is created and the goals and priorities it is intended to support. Second, it will be an opportunity to gather input from the parent/guardian community around how we support improved student achievement, student engagement, school climate and family engagement; and provide feedback on programs and services that meet the needs of the community. Our hope is to get a minimum of 25 families from each of our schools to attend one of the two scheduled meetings below: · January 24th at Sunset Ridge from 9:00 am - 10:30 am · January 30th at Ortega School from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Child care will be provided. Please RSVP at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYHZZafTgpFYGSOeMlQ9XbXnLEsw3gmZPppUaLjLG8pX8RFg/viewform?usp=pp_url Click HERE for our Weekly PODcast! From the Front Office: Important Information for Families Registering a Sibling Into Ocean Shore Next year! YOU MUST ENROLL YOUR YOUNGER SIBLINGS with the Kindergarten Sibling / Priority Enrollment card! These cards should be turned in as soon as possible, and can be turned into Patricia. DUE DATE 2/3/2020. These are in the Pacifica School District Kindergarten Enrollment 2019-2020 packet. Please stop by the front office if you need a copy. If you have a child who will be 5 years of age on or before September 1, 2020, your child is eligible to attend kindergarten in the fall 2019. If your child will turn 5 between September 2 and December 2, 2020, please request the Transitional Kindergarten Enrollment Card. Yearbooks are on Sale! Our middle school staff will be working hard to preserve your memories. Don't let these memories pass you by, order yours today online here:  Weekly Flyers |
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