Weekly Message

9/20/2019

Click Here for Week of 9/23 Dolphin News!

Dear Ocean Shore Families,

Hello! What a wonderful PTO meeting last night! It brings me such pride and joy to see our community in action. It was great to hear from all our parent and community groups that support our school. As I shared last night, the way our kids are supported by these groups can be compared to a wheel on a wheel on bike. Each group – PTO, PEF, DLG, EAT, school site and district supports, etc… all represent the spokes of the wheel. The outside tire is our collective efforts to provide the Ocean Shore experience. And at the center, integral to the integrity of the wheel, is the “bolt” - our children. Each spoke provides an essential role for every child. As evidenced by last night, our partnerships are strong and mighty! What a privilege to be part of this journey with you!

Reflections from My Office:
Last night, families and teacher facilitators had powerful conversations about the struggles and victories of supporting literacy at home. Parents swapped best practices with one another about what works for their child at home. I noticed many parents taking notes and sharing ideas with one another. That was awesome! People asked intriguing questions such as, “How do I compete to get my child to read a book with video games and You Tube?” Or, “My child has a learning challenge with reading. Is it alright for them to listen to an audio book once in awhile?” How refreshing to hear such honest and purposeful conversations. People shared success stories about how they used their time spent driving in the car to listen to a book or podcast together, and then discuss it. Or, how some families read together – long after their child had already learned how to read. Check out this article that was used in one of our sessions last night – posted HERE!

As I was leaving last night, I had a great conversation with Virginia – our 4th/5th grade teacher. Despite a very long day of facilitating her session for parents and teaching kids all day, at 9 pm she was as jubilant as ever. She was so grateful for the opportunity to talk with parents and answer important questions – knowing the power that comes from family engagement with literacy. Beaming from ear to ear, she said, “I just love nights like this. Our parents want the best for their kids and it is so great to work together to support them.” I felt her excitement and it motivated me! The commitment from our community is so strong and so inspiring! This left me feeling pretty great for my drive home to Half Moon Bay last night. Thank you for this inspiration!

Every Child Represented:
Last night we launched a goal. It is our school goal to have EVERY CHILD represented at our next family education night – the Kickoff for Readathon! Every single child deserves this and we hope you are willing to help us reach this goal. Encourage one another to attend and find ways to help families join. Any family member can attend with their child!

Why Should You Go? Our teachers will be working with families and children for a 30 minute workshop where we guide you through questions that can be used to discuss a piece of literature. Families will gather together and practice so that when you leave, you can feel confident about how to best support reading practices at home. Come to the Readathon event to learn the “how to” when we ask you to be reading every night, every family, for every child. Remember the importance of recording this practice at home with your child’s Reading Log or homework agenda – and celebrate the success of using it daily!

When: OCTOBER 1st: (2 sessions being offered!) If you can only attend in the morning, come to school at 7:45 am – 8:15 am (MPR). If you can join for the evening, come for dinner at 5:30 pm (pizza fundraiser) for dinner, 6:00 – 6:30 (workshop)and then 6:30 – 7:30 (Classroom visits). See the flyer below!

Click Here for the PTO General Meeting Powerpoint Notes