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Dear Ocean Shore Families, Happy Friday! I hope you had a wonderful week. This time of year brings such precious childhood memories. I hope you were able to enjoy every minute! I am so proud of our community for representing our school at the PEFathon last weekend! WE WON THE GOLDEN SHOE AWARD! This award is given to the school that has the most participants. Way to go, Ocean Shore! Reflections From My Office: This was a week of “firsts” at Ocean Shore, for me especially. It was my first time to experience the festive costume parade, our first “POD” day, and the first time our school facilitated the Outdoor Classroom Day. It was en epic and memorable week! What I am reflecting on today is the value of these experiences for our kids that was conveyed in less overt ways. One such example was our first POD day. At Ocean Shore, there is a tradition of having several POD days throughout the year. Students are assigned to a POD or “family” of students represented from each grade level. Each classroom becomes a one-room schoolhouse. Students from kindergarten to 8th grade spend time together with different teachers. Teachers carefully design activities for the students that will be fun and productive across all of the ages. As I walked around on Halloween, I was so inspired. I noticed kids working in pairs and small groups, older students helping younger ones. The littlest ones eagerly accepted their guidance as they were in awe of the bigger kids. Each activity had a greater value attached to it because of the quality of collaboration across ages, and the reciprocity of skills being exchanged. Older students gain leadership while younger ones learned from their example of servitude. It is not uncommon to see seasonal celebrations in classrooms. Most schools host such fun activities like building skeletons or creating an art project with fall leaves. What is uncommon is to see the collaborative spirit between these age groups in such a deliberate manner. The laughter exchanged, the memories that were made between the big and little buddies made the activity that much more memorable. The intentionality to give our students such experiences is what sets Ocean Shore apart from other schools. It was fun for me to see our teachers lead a whole group of students across all the grade levels. Our middle school team having fun with the primary grades and vice versa. This also reflects how our teachers are committed to these experiences. As I walked around the playground this morning, I was asking students what they liked about the Outdoor Classroom Day. This was a special activity that our staff planned led by our kindergarten teacher, Jennifer. Students were led in different academic tasks outside, in effort to emphasize the importance that learning happens everywhere and is not limited to a building. They worked in the garden, did Poetry on the blacktop, read books under the trees, ran across the field, sang music and played “drums” with wood, created art and stories at outside tables, played math games and so much more. Again, they were paired with their buddies. One 6th grader reflected on the day when I asked him if he enjoyed the Outside Classroom Day. His response was priceless. He said, “It was a lot of fun. I was tired afterwards. I was like, a dad all day! I helped my little buddy, especially on the 3-legged races. He was like my little kid. It was pretty fun. Being a dad is hard work!” Here was a message from one of our teachers to the rest of the staff. I think it shows how supportive they are of one another and the students. I wanted to share it with you: “It was amazing watching all the students on the playground during the Mindfulness Activity!! So calm and peaceful..... I was really happy with the attitude and behavior during the day. It is not easy moving that many kids!!!! Also a special "shout out" to some of our Upper-Grade Students who helped the Music/Art Team set-up and cleanup. They did above and beyond!! Finally, THANK YOU JENNIFER for giving us an opportunity to try something new!” Here are a few images from the day! Staff Makin’ Waves: We are so fortunate to have Seva at Ocean Shore. As our Vice Principal, she wears many hats and does it all with a smile. Her abilities as an instructional leader and the magic she has with kids are some of her many qualities that add such strength to our team. She talks with students, conducts district assessments, and has a constant positive and upbeat personality. Seva is the perfect ambassador for our school as a role model for our kids, staff and parents alike! Parents Makin’ Waves (Shared From a Parent to All Parents!): Beccy Howarth (a parent and OSS teacher) did a great deal to help facilitate the 6th grade field trip. She was in Calistoga for two nights and three days as a parent chaperone, though she took on added roles like keeping the kids busy "fireside" (or “flashlight side!”) with a fun game that lasted over an hour! After this trip, stayed for two more nights (2.5 more days) to get her class through the same experience! She is a dedicated parent and staff member! From the Front Office: Halloween Candy Donation: Our Winter Bazaar is in the planning stages. Teacher Juli is asking for donations of your extra Halloween candy. Her students will turn them into holiday gifts, with the proceeds going to support a number of community charities. Change in the Dominos Pizza Delivery: We have been informed that Dominos Pizza has been cancelled from our lunch menu. They were unable to provide timely delivery service or consistent products. Another type of pizza product will be served on the November menu in place of the days we had Dominos. Please contact the school or district if you have further questions and we apologize for any confusion. Please see the memo from the District Child Nutrition Supervisor in the Weekly Flyers below. School Safety Update: From Safe Routes to School: Thursday, November 15 is our first Lower Your Carbon Footprint Day! We have one a month from now on. On these days, we try to get as many students as possible to come to school in any way other than a family car. Walking, biking, skateboarding, carpooling, busing, dancing, skipping, whatever. Students who do this will get a reward in the yard before school. Please Lend Your Voice: Safe Routes to School brings us Y-Bikes and Lower Your Carbon Footprint Days. In the past, the district has received some support for infrastructure as well. Two years ago, Pacifica had such a good response rate that we got some extra funding! Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Your feedback allows us to adjust Safe Routes to School (SRTS) education and encouragement program features to best meet the needs of each individual school. Your feedback will also be shared with decision makers throughout the county who can address infrastructure issues regarding safe walking and biking. This survey will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. LINK TO ENGLISH SURVEY - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/1819_English LINK TO SPANISH SURVEY - https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/1819Spanish Spanish Blurb about survey: Gracias por tomarse el tiempo para completar esta encuesta. Su participación nos permite ajustar la educación y el fomento en el programa Rutas Seguras a Escuela para cumplir mejor con las necesidades de cada escuela. Sus comentarios también serán compartidos con autoridades que pueden abordar cuestiones de infraestructura sobre de caminar y andar en bicicleta con seguridad. La encuesta no tomará más de 5 minutos en completarse. 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: Save The Date & Register Today: Winter Gala!
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:
From the Environmental Action Committee: Hi all, there will be a garden day on the first Sunday of every month, which is next on November 4th, from 10-1pm. Looking forward to getting my hands in the dirt and do some winter clean up! Other project will be finishing the fence boards to keep the mulch in and routing an additional hose caddy to the north side of the garden. If your class needs work attending to the beds, please let me know and we can plan for that! I would also like to announce that the EAT (Environmental Action Committee) will meet every first Monday of the month from 6-8pm in the library. Items on the agenda are -composting -greening/landscaping the school -grant writing -greening the Kinder Yard, -eco-literacy NEXT WEEK HAPPENINGS! Monday, November 4th: EAT Meeting 6 – 8pm in the Library.(See details above) Tuesday, November 5th: Picture Retake Day! Friday, November 9 MINIMUM DAY: CONFERENCES BEGIN UPCOMING EVENTS: THE FALL BOOK FAIR IS COMING! SUPPORT YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARY AND GET YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING DONE EARLY! Dates open: Thursday, November 8th – Thursday, November 15th PURCHASE BOOKS and support our Library. Our Library gets a percentage of the book fair sales. Every dollar spent is important as it goes directly to the purchase of library materials! Teachers will also have book wish lists if you would like to gift a book to a classroom. HELP RUN THE BOOK FAIR - Volunteers Needed! We need help with: Set up - Wed. November 7th from 8:00 a.m.- to completion 2-hour shifts: 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. all days (Thurs. 11/8 through until break down) Break down - Thursday, November 15th from 3:00-5:00 p.m. If you are able to help, please sign up on the sign-up sheet in the Parent Hallway. Thank you very much for your support in building great readers!! WAYS TO HELP OUR SCHOOL AND GAIN VOLUNTEER HOURS Middle School Elective Coordinator We are looking for a parent volunteer to coordinate the middle school elective assignments. If you enjoy puzzles, this is a job that can be done at home. Each trimester the 7th and 8th grade students get to rank choice electives. It is a puzzle to assign each student to various elective slots throughout the week. This trimester ends Nov 16th and the middle school teachers need assistance to get the students organized into their various electives before the next trimester begins. If you are interested in earning hours at home, this may be for you. Please contact Jonelle.matt@comast.net to apply or ask questions. Looking for Extra Hours on the Weekend? WE are looking for some simple construction work to help build a cart on wheels for our psychomotor class mats. Cost of materials will be provided. Anyone interested should see Patricia in the office. Weekly Flyers: Comments are closed.
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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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