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Quote of the Week: "What a long, strange trip it's been!" - The Grateful Dead Dear Ocean Shore Families, Wow, it's really the end of the 2020-21 school year, and what a year it has been. As I said to the graduates and their families yesterday, the pandemic has taken a lot out of us, but there have also been positive takeaways. We were reminded that we have to be resilient and adaptable. We were forced to think outside the box and to learn new technologies and new ways of interacting, teaching and learning. We struggled to deal with the after effects of the flood, the ongoing pandemic, and the deaths of two beloved teachers. We endured and made the best out of horrific circumstances. We managed to find ways to honor Sean and Patty, through the amazing Dia de los Muertos altar for Sean, and the musical fundraiser that raised money in Patty's name. Next school year, we will discuss plans to honor them in a more permanent way on our school site. When I think about losing Sean and Patty, the loss of our play structure pales in comparison. However, it is still a significant issue and one that I'll be focused on over the summer and during the next school year. Our district office knows what a priority this is for Ocean Shore, and I have been meeting with our bond project manager and our facilities manager to come up with some solutions for our upper field and for the school yard until the new play structure is put in place. I should have updates to share with the OSS community before school starts in August. Parent letters and report cards will be mailed next week, and our office staff will be working through Wednesday, June 16th. I'm sure I'm forgetting something! In any event, I am thrilled to be returning as Ocean Shore's principal next year and look forward to remaining in this role for many years to come. Have a wonderful summer and I'll see you all on August 18th for our first day of the 2021-22 school year. Cheers! Jeanne Staffing Updates for the 2021-22 School Year: We are so sorry to have to say goodbye to Seva Steel. We are grateful for her contribution to our school and she will be dearly missed. We honored her at the final PTO meeting and at graduation. As she told our 8th graders yesterday, after 13 years at Ocean Shore, she is graduating. It is hard to imagine Ocean Shore without her! Sarah Scarfe, our speech therapist will also be moving on. She has had a positive impact on many of our students, and we wish her well! Our counselors and speech therapist positions are still being assigned, and we are in the process of hiring our new 4th/5th grade teacher. We are also still trying to find a full-time teacher for our special day class. However, I am also excited to announce two new members of our team. Erika Patterson is transferring to Ocean Shore from Ortega School and will be teaching 2nd grade. We are so happy to welcome her as a teacher. She is, of course, an Ocean Shore parent, and is not new to our family. Erika brings a wealth of teaching experience and already knows our program, so she is ready to dive right in. Stephanie Lucas will be our new 3rd grade teacher. Like Erika, Stephanie is familiar with our program, having student-taught with our beloved Patty McNally. Her energy and enthusiasm, coupled with Renee's almost twenty years of teaching experience, will ensure that our 3rd grade program remains strong. Shout out of the week goes to our 8th grade graduates, families, and teachers, as well as to our 7th grade students and parents, all of whom worked together to make our 2021 graduation a success! It was a beautiful, albeit windy, day and the student and staff speeches were funny and uplifting at the same time. Even though we only had one rehearsal, the kids did a fantastic job. Ocean Shore's staff is so proud of them, and we wish them all the best as they move on to high school. A second shout out goes to Cristin Fong, Ana Brenner, and Sara Kuenstler who put together an amazing virtual talent show. I want to personally thank them for all of the time and energy that they spent on this project. Of course, my shout out includes our talented kids. I am always impressed by their creativity and spirit! School Business Chromebook Collection: We will be collecting chromebooks, hotspots, and chargers in the library on the following dates/times: June 11th from 11:30 am-2:30 pm; June 14th from 8:00 am-12:00 pm; June 15th from 2:00 pm -6:00 pm. Chromebooks can NOT be kept over the summer. If the library is closed, please bring the chromebook and charger (or hotspot) to the main office. Please note that the main office is closing early (2:30) on June 11th. Vaccinations available for 12-15 year-olds! Please go to SMC Health's website for more information or call your pediatrician. Get those kids vaccinated asap! https://www.smchealth.org/vaccine-clinic-calendar. Also, incoming 7th grade parents, remember that students cannot start school with out TDAP and Chickenpox boosters. Ocean Shore parent and author, Christopher Swiedler, published a book for 11-13 year olds with HarperCollins called IN THE RED in 2020, and this year has a second book coming out called THE ORPHEUS PLOT. You can read a bit about these books at https://christopherswiedler.com. To celebrate the publication of the second book, they are having a launch party at the Chabot Space Center in the East Bay on June 20th. The full write up is at: https://christopherswiedler.com/2021/05/the-orpheus-plot-launch-party/ and a flier is attached below. When we are able, I'm hoping to invite him to campus to do an assembly or an author talk! Additional Fliers attached for: PSD Summer Lunch Distribution, Care Solace Counseling, Boys and Girls Club Summer Camp as well as other local camps, and the ThinkBridge Summer Program. 
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Jeanne BellingerPrincipal of Ocean Shore. Check back here for weekly updates and messages from the principal. Archives
June 2022
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