|
Dear Ocean Shore Families, Hello! I hope you are ready to enjoy a nice weekend and are able to make it to Fog Fest! I will be out of town and am sad to miss this event. Please tell me all about it on Monday! Speaking of Fog Fest, your help is needed if you are able to help out! See down below in this message for more information! Reflections From My Office: I had the opportunity to visit the 5th grade team of students and teachers at Outdoor Ed. It was pretty magical to see them all in action and see the kids respond to this amazing opportunity. Today we welcomed back 5th graders as they were full of energy and eager to tell their stories from this past week at Outdoor Ed. Thanks to the efforts of our teachers and the Outdoor Ed staff, the kids had an extraordinary experience. I am grateful our students have this opportunity each year. The exciting part happens upon their return. It is nothing short of magical to see the differences in the kids when they arrive back to campus on Monday. I recall this from being a teacher when I went with my students on a similar trip. They are bonded, more confident and tolerant of one another. Many reasons contribute to why Ocean Shore kids come back in high school or years later to visit the campus they called home for so many years. They are drawn to the memories they made with their classmates. This week will no doubt be etched in their childhood memory bank for years to come, cherished as a reminder of the unique experiential educational opportunities provided to them at Ocean Shore. Here are a few pictures from my visit on Tuesday. Does it bring back memories to you?       Staff Makin’ Waves: This week at the District Leadership Council meeting, we started with a neat activity. Our Superintendent, Dr. Heather Olson, asked each one of my colleagues of principals and the executive cabinet members, to reflect on something we are proud of at our schools. It was great to hear about the things happening across our district, and I was eager to share about the work of our teachers. Having returned that day from Outdoor Ed, I shared my observations about the positive impact our teachers made on the kids. I beamed with pride for the team that was out in the woods with our kids. 4th/ 5th grade teacher Virginia was a great example of how she lives what she "teachers" to her kids. She walks the talk without a doubt! While we were on the beach, she shared with me her first experience as a student visiting Outdoor Ed for. It changed her life. This impacted her work as an educator to pursue science education, relating back to the experience of being inspired and feeling the pride of being a successful student outside of the confines of a classroom. To see how she advocates and seeks this experience out for her own students is totally inspiring. Patty, who has that wonderful way about her of making you smile no matter what - was positive and upbeat as always. I was amazed at how she was so present with her kids, despite several events like weddings to return to this weekend! It doesn't matter how many years she had attended Outdoor Ed - she was just as excited about being there this week as if it were her first time. Jonathan had some fun stories to share about his own experience as a kid at Outdoor Ed. Like the time he cut his finger while "whittling" a stick (back when that was part of what you did at camp!). Just like Virginia and Patty, he was as excited to be there with our kids as he has been every year. I was especially touched with how he handled a few students who needed some "TLC" at just the right moment. He knew exactly how to make them laugh and get excited about what they were learning. Natalie arrived to spend a few days with the kids as well. The anticipation of her arrival was what kept some kids smiling and moving along when they started to miss home. This speaks volumes about her impact and role with our kids! What a treat it was for me to see how our students are so fortunate to have such dedicated, energetic and compassionate teachers with them for a week. This will be a week the kids will never forget, and the way in which their teachers played such an instrumental role in making the experience possible for them - was an indelible part of the whole trip. Parents Makin’ Waves (Shared From a Parent to All Parents!): You may have noticed in this post our “Wish-List” posted on Amazon to stock current books in our school library. Several parents were incredibly generous to heed our call for books. A huge "Thank You" to the Tinari and Darah Katz families for their most generous donations of many books to our school library! We truly appreciate your help in our efforts to foster a love of reading in our students. We hope this love of reading lasts them a lifetime! Student Safety Updates: This week, parents, teachers, our Superintendent and myself gathered for a very productive round-table discussion on student safety. I look forward to more meetings this year, and invite anyone to attend! It was very productive to discuss relevant topics that relate to ways we can continue to help students feel safe, secure and happy at school. One document I want to share with you is our Big 5 Safety Protocol. This is the San Mateo County of Education protocol that is used across our county. I encourage you to print this out, place it on your refrigerator so that you can familiarize yourself with the different procedures we will practice this year to respond to various situations. These protocols are important to think about anywhere you are in the community, even outside of school. Big 5 Protocol Another great topic we discussed was how our school staff uses restorative questions to discuss conflict matters between students. This comes from trainings that our teachers have received on facilitating community circles from the Center for Nonviolent Communication. We thought this might also be a helpful tool for parents! While these questions are a guide that we apply accordingly, they are helpful to use when you are thinking about guiding children to learn from difficult situations, socially or between family members. I hope you can find it useful! Restorative Questions From the Front Office: Parents! Please Be Mindful of the Playground Use on Wednesdays After School! For our families with younger students who are dismissed before 1 pm on Wednesdays, you may not be aware that our middle school students are still on the playground after lunch until 1 pm. If you are waiting on campus after school between 12:40 and 1 pm, please help us by directing your child away from the big playground. This playground structure is reserved for students in grades 6 -8 who are still in school and enjoy using the playground equipment. For safety reasons, when the older students are using the structure during their assigned lunchtime, we ask that our younger students play on the kindergarten structure while being supervised by their parents. The school does not provide supervision outside of the school day students, which includes younger students and/or younger siblings (toddlers or preschool children). This also includes minimum day schedules. We will ask you to relocate to another play area if your younger child is playing on the structure during this time. Thank you for helping us all share the playground so that our students can stay safe and happy! Amazon Wish List for Books for our Library! A new wish list for books for the Ocean Shore library has been added. These are books we would love to add to our collection. Parents can search for "Ocean Shore School Library" from their Amazon account. When they have located us, the list "OSS Library Wish List" will be accessible. Thank you for helping us keep current and interesting books in the hands of our students! OSS Amazon Wish List From the PTO Corner: Ocean Shore PTO Corn Booth Volunteers Needed September 29 & 30. Have fun at Fog Fest and earn hours while raising money for Ocean Shore PTO! We are still seeking volunteers to work in the corn booth at the Fog Fest this weekend. No sales experience needed. If you can say “Hi” with a smile and ask how many corns and how many lemonades, you’re perfect for the job! Take a look at the time slots to see which one you can sign up for. When you do decide, please email Sam Leon at samleon@gmail.com Corn. Booth SAT. Slots Open 11:30-1:30. 1 1:30-3:30 3 3:30-6. 1 Sun. 9:30-11:30 1 11:30-1:30. 1 3:30-6:00 3 More From Fundraising: The Silent Auction Golden Ticket Parking Spot bid sheets for the months of November, December and January are posted on the fundraising board in parent hall until Friday. Go place your bids! READATHON! Welcome to Ocean Shore School's 10th Annual Readathon! Theme: Wild About Reading! Let your imagination run WILD! When: October 1st thru October 31st Why: To raise money for field trips while building literacy skills How:
 From the Diversity Leadership Group Corner: The Diversity Leadership Group invites parents and caregivers to a discussion of school culture. The DLG supports Ocean Shore's commitment to kindness, inclusiveness, and respect for diversity in our community. Join us in the library on October 4, from 6-8, to share questions, concerns, and ideas for upcoming school-wide events such as International Literacy Day, Indigenous Peoples Day, and Ability Awareness Week. If you’re unable to attend the meeting, feel free to leave comments in the DLG parent folder. Do you speak another language? Would you like to share a picture book story read in that language to a classroom of students, and then share a little something about your culture or the culture of your language or why you speak this language…? The Diversity Leadership Group is recruiting volunteers to do short 15 – 20 minute presentations in a classroom or a few classrooms to celebrate International Literacy Day. We are going to celebrate it all week long the first week of October with the first week of the annual read-a-thon. Please email jonelle.chase@comcast.net if you want to know more or want to volunteer to present. From PEF Corner: SUPPORT PEF! The Pacifica Education Foundation (PEF) is taking education to new heights. They completely fund educational programs which exceed California’s core school standards; which our district budget cannot accommodate. Simply, PEF funds, advances, and protects a higher quality education for OUR students. Learn more, here. PEF SPONSORED PROGRAMS: - Elementary School Music Program - Middle School Band Program (Music Matters in Pacifica - MMIP) - Middle School Computer Science Program - Elementary School Slam Poetry Program (SPARC - Stage Performance + Rhythmic Culture - Poetry) - Professional Science Curriculum Development & Training For Teachers (Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)) Learn more, here. GIVE BACK! PEF gives our children an enriched educational experience. Give back to PEF and don’t forget your employer-sponsored donation matching too! Give back or donate here. UPCOMING PEF EVENTS: - PEFATHON: Mark Your Calendars - Oct. 28th - Run & Walk to support our school! Races for all ages, Fitness Fair, Awards, Prizes and much more! See the attachment on this newsletter; or click here. -http://www.pacificaef.org/givingNEW MEMBERSHIP PLANS: Membership provides you tickets and/or discounted access to fun annual family events, supporter decals, and much more. Learn more, here. - LISTEN & LEARN: PEF Ambassadors will be onsite at PTO events. You can volunteer to help us here. HOW CAN I HELP? - Volunteers needed, here. - Like & Follow PEF on Facebook, here. - Reach Out to our PEF Ambassadors, below:
NEXT WEEK HAPPENINGS! Picture Day is October 4th! Don’t forget to your student with a smile on Thursday next week for picture day. DLG Meeting October 4th 6 -8 pm in the OSS Library! Join for a meeting discussion about school culture. All are welcome! UPCOMING EVENTS! Monday, October 8th Join the E.A.T committee for their monthly meeting on garden and campus beautification! Meeting will be in the evening (exact time TBD and location to follow). EASY WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY AND GAIN VOLUNTEER HOURS: NEED HOURS OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL HOURS? OUR ROBOTICS TEAM NEEDS YOUR HELP! OSS is fortunate to have a volunteer coach our Robotics team, which meets on Friday after school. Due to popular student demand, we are in need of additional help from volunteers to help supervise. Could you help? If so, contact David Bradley at dbradley@pacificasd.org . Any and all help is appreciated! Do you have a truck? Our PE coordinator for the primary grades, John Lyons, is looking for your help to transport field hockey goals! Could you help him transport some goals from IBL to Ocean Shore? This would be a great way to support the school and gain hours! Contact John at seelyons@sbcglobal.net. Weekly Flyers: Comments are closed.
|
Jeanne BellingerPrincipal of Ocean Shore. Check back here for weekly updates and messages from the principal. Archives
June 2022
Categories |
RSS Feed
