Weekly Message

1/10/2020

Dear Ocean Shore Families,

Happy New Year! 2020 has arrived! I have enjoyed hearing the stories from our children about their Winter Break adventures. It sounds like our Ocean Shore families traveled far, visited with families, enjoyed the snow or sunshine, or had restful time at home with family and friends. I was busy at home preparing our nursery for our little guy. I believe I have hit the “nesting” stage with full force! It has been fun!

NEXT WEEK! 1/16 GENERAL PTO MEETING! A very important meeting is approaching! I look forward to seeing you at our next General PTO Meeting which parents are required to attend. The focus of the meeting will be on student safety and wellness, along with an important business meeting. See you at 6:30 in the MPR!

Reflections From My Office:
Yesterday was a special day where we welcomed families and 5th graders to explore our middle school at Ocean Shore. Part of the day, known as “5th Grade Step Up Day”, introduces our middle school program to our current students who are exploring their middle school options in the district. During the school day, the 5th graders were invited to tour our middle school classrooms and hear from a panel of current middle school students. The event began by inviting the kids into the MPR where I explained the purpose of the event and shared a bit about how the middle school program works at Ocean Shore. 5th graders were very curious to know about things like the new lunch routine (they were excited to know they could eat outside everyday!).

We then walked our kids through the classrooms and concluded the day with a panel of middle school students. Students were excited to learn from some 8th graders that elective classes offered such as Spanish, band, Newscast/Podcast, Oceanography, creative writing, computer programming, peer mediators and being a teacher’s assistant. One 8th grader explained how much he has enjoyed being a peer mediator – an elective class led by our school counselor. He explained how much he was learning by working with younger students at recess in the Peace Garden to help them resolve conflict around topics such as who was fairly “out” at kickball. Most importantly, something unique to Ocean Shore is the ability for our middle school kids to take multiple electives in a single trimester as opposed to the same elective class everyday. They could be helping manage the Coffee Cart with our special needs class one day and be Teacher’s Assistant the next day!

The middle school kids talked to the students for over 30 minutes and answered their insightful questions. It was quite a sweet moment when you realize that nothing is more impactful than when kids teach other kids – something that Ocean Shore rests upon often. It was a great afternoon and as I explained to them, we love them all very much and hope they continue to call Ocean Shore home for their middle school years!

In the evening, we hosted a similar event for parents. Teachers such as Beccy and Natalie joined Seva and I to host a panel of current Ocean Shore middle school students and our stellar alumni of current high school and college students. Their insight was very valuable in how they shared that they felt their years at Ocean Shore prepared them to be successful in high school. They spoke about the leadership roles they readily assumed and the ways they felt they had an advantage over their peers by their ability to know how to collaborate with their peers and were unafraid to ask for help from their teachers. They explained how they never flinched when asked to give an oral report because this was “just something we always do” at Ocean Shore – having presentations and teaching opportunities embedded into every classroom.

I was in awe of not only what the alumni and middle school students shared but also how they shared it. They spoke with confidence and poise, and articulated how they felt they were given life skills that will transcend any curriculum. When we think about how we want to send our students into the “real-world” – equipped with the ability to be problem-solvers and peacemakers – I think we can give our Ocean Shore students a passing grade. With a society and world that is increasingly reliant on screens to communicate, it was refreshing to see that our students who are now in high school are able to draw upon successfully both the digital literacy and verbal communication skills requisite of the 21st century learner. While these intrinsic skills are nurtured during their formative middle school years, they also are equipped with the academic rigor allowing them to be advanced in their high school courses. The alumni proudly talked about how they were able to advance their math pathway, and were given opportunities in middle school to do math enrichment activities promoting their ability to accelerate and self-motivate.

II was exceptionally proud of the “product” our school produces – our students. I encourage you to talk with a few of our Ocean Shore alumni about how they felt they were incredibly prepared to be successful students – and future leaders of our world!

An Opportunity to Share Your Input! A Message From Pacifica School District:
As we develop a new three year Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), we first need to seek engagement and input from our Stakeholders. As parents/guardians are one of our main stakeholders, I would like to invite you to participate in Pacifica School District’s LCAP Family Engagement/Input Meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to first, provide information on what the LCAP is, how it is created and the goals and priorities it is intended to support. Second, it will be an opportunity to gather input from the parent/guardian community around how we support improved student achievement, student engagement, school climate and family engagement; and provide feedback on programs and services that meet the needs of the community.

Our hope is to get a minimum of 25 families from each of our schools to attend one of the two scheduled meetings below:
· January 24th at Sunset Ridge from 9:00 am - 10:30 am
· January 30th at Ortega School from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Child care will be provided.

Please RSVP at this link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYHZZafTgpFYGSOeMlQ9XbXnLEsw3gmZPppUaLjLG8pX8RFg/viewform?usp=pp_url

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From the Front Office:

Important Information for Families Registering a Sibling Into Ocean Shore Next year! YOU MUST ENROLL YOUR YOUNGER SIBLINGS with the Kindergarten Sibling / Priority Enrollment card! These cards should be turned in as soon as possible, and can be turned into Patricia. DUE DATE 2/3/2020. These are in the Pacifica School District Kindergarten Enrollment 2019-2020 packet. Please stop by the front office if you need a copy. If you have a child who will be 5 years of age on or before September 1, 2020, your child is eligible to attend kindergarten in the fall 2019. If your child will turn 5 between September 2 and December 2, 2020, please request the Transitional Kindergarten Enrollment Card.

Yearbooks are on Sale! Our middle school staff will be working hard to preserve your memories. Don't let these memories pass you by, order yours today online here: