Happy Mother's Day!

5/5/2022

Dear Ocean Shore Families,

Quote of the week: " When you have teenagers, it's important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you." --Nora Ephron (writer & filmmaker)

Dear Ocean Shore Families,

What can I say about being a mother that hasn't already been said more eloquently and more humorously by other people? I used to tell parents during back to school nights that children are the greatest inconvenience. They upend your life in every way imaginable. Suddenly, life is full of excess bodily fluids, inexplicable crying, and sleepless nights. And the stuff! My "babies" are 18 & 21, but I distinctly remember the drama involved in leaving the house. The checklist changes as they age from diapers, wipes and snacks to various types of gear (sports, music, drama, surfing) and, well, wipes and snacks. It still seems strange to me that I can leave the house with just my purse.

Motherhood is also incredibly humbling, especially when you are also an educator. There is sometimes the assumption that because you deal with children for a living, and are knowledgeable about child development and educational milestones, that you will be more successful as a parent or that your children will be expert readers or well-behaved in class. Yeah, not so much, at least not for me. When I was president of the Pacifica Mothers Club, I wrote a monthly column for our newsletter on different aspects of motherhood. I joked that if I ever put those essays into a book, the title would be, "You're a Better Mother than I am." The pandemic certainly didn't make parenting any easier and blurred the line between home and school in ways that we are still coming to terms with. The bottom line is that parenting is exhausting, but also exhilarating, stressful, but also joyful, expensive, but also priceless. Are there things I wish I'd done differently? Sure. But I also wouldn't trade a second of my time as a mother for anything in the world.

Happy Mother's Day to anyone who is mothering children: mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, school staff members, coaches--everyone!

Cheers!

Jeanne

School Business:

Playground update: You might notice that the parent parking lot is open again. Construction will be on and off for a while due to the fact that the playground structure is in transit. I do not have any information about when it might arrive in California. If workers are on site, the cones will be put out and the parking lot will be off limits for that time period. Thank you for your flexibility. Things went very smoothly last week for the most part!

COVID reporting: We had all negative testing pools on Wednesday! If you or a family member test positive, please email Ayesha Siddiq, asiddiq@pacificasd.org

2022-2023 School Year - Intent to Return Survey link
Please help us prepare for the next school year by confirming your child’s enrollment. Please do so by completing the survey asap. The office will soon start making phone calls to confirm enrollment and student services will begin reaching out to families on our waiting list. (Eighth grade parents do not need to complete the survey).
PSD Intent to Return Form

Open House: We will be having a "live" open house on Thursday, May 26th. We are staggering start times by last name. Families with last names from A-L will attend from 6:00-6:45 and those with last names starting with M-Z will attend from 6:45-7:30. Families with multiple last names can pick their time.

Oceans Week Training: If you are attending one of the beach trips during Oceans Week, you must attend the training this Saturday from 10:00-11:00 in our Science Room.

Spring Auction: Ocean Shore's Spring Auction is still active. This auction has a lot of special items. The spring auction of 2020 was canceled due to Covid and we are now able to put those amazing baskets and much more up for auction. This bidding process will be online; however, baskets and items are available for viewing in the main hallway. 25% of all proceeds from the auction will go to Ukraine Relief Efforts.

PEF: Pacifica Education Foundation (PEF) is hosting its virtual 2022 Donation Days on May 11-13. As most of you know, PEF raises much-needed funds to support the elementary music program, middle school band, SPARC Poetry, and other programs that benefit Pacifica School District students and staff. PEF is excited to reach out to all district families to ask for participation in its Donation Days.

Fliers: May Lunch Menu, Terra Nova Band Concert (5/12), Spring Auction, PEF newsletter & Donation Days, San Mateo County COVID testing/Vaccination information, Portuguese and Spanish translations of my letter.