Weekly Message

12/20/2019

Dear Ocean Shore Families,

It is Winter Break! Can you believe it? It seems like only yesterday it was Back to School Night or the first week of school. Unbelievable how fast time goes – especially at a school!

As we head into winter break, I wish you a wonderful, restful time to be with your family and friends. I know the kids (and staff!) are excited for some much-needed R & R! I’m looking forward to spending some time at home with my new husband and dog! We are beginning to prepare our house for the arrival of our little one in March! I will be busy!

Reflections From My Office:
On behalf of the staff at Ocean Shore School, Happy Holidays! I hope the winter break brings you rest and relaxation! We look forward to hearing the stories from the kids when they return!

A few reminders as we head into break for the holidays: School resumes Monday, January 6! The office will be closed during the break.

Thank you for your generous contribution to support the Winter Bazaar. We announced to the kids today the final count. This year our combined efforts brought in approximately $12,000! This will be split between our local Ocean Shore families in need and other community organizations that support disadvantaged Pacifica families. What a beautiful gift our kids gave to our community! As I have mentioned before, I am so inspired by the benevolence that runs deep in our school. From our kids to parents to former alumni, the spirit of giving to those in need is thriving. This comes with grand lessons for our kids that go beyond any textbook or test! We are fortunate to have such a generous community!

On a personal note: Thank you, Ocean Shore families. This time of year brings me pause to consider my gratitude for my “favorite things.” Your support and encouragement has helped foster our indelible bond between school and home. Our community is strong. I am most grateful to be a part of it.

There were so many fun events happening around school this week! Wednesday night, our 2nd and 3rd graders led a holiday sing-along for their families with the support or volunteers and staff like Natalie Abinante, Mary Abinante (Natalie’s mom!), and Cristin Fong (OSS parent volunteer!), and our amazing middle school student tech crew! In addition, there were many fun celebrations, theme days, a 1st grade harvest, a “gingerbread hunt”, and other exciting events. Today was our Wing Ding – a celebrated event that brings the whole school together. Our student band played songs, our music teacher Mark led the students in holiday sing-a-long, and some of our 8th graders performed a song and dance to the Dreidel Song! The whole assembly finished with a finale from our staff singing “Jingle Bell Rock” to the kids. This event is so fun for the students where they get to sing together from our youngest to our oldest. What a sweet memory to finish off 2019!

Here are some photos from the week to share!

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Staff Makin' Waves!

Staffing Updates for the New Year:

As we welcome the New Year, there are a few staffing updates at Ocean Shore to share with you!

Behaviorist Team: One of our behaviorists, Stephanie Symons will be taking a new assignment at a different school site. We appreciate her support for our Ocean Shore students!

Paraeducator Team: Recently, we welcomed Virginia Clements to our team of paraeducators who work with our students and staff! Virginia is helping in many different capacities with different classes and students.

Primary Music Program: We are transitioning our primary music program after winter break.   Marilyn Wells has concluded her long tenure of sharing her passion for music with Ocean Shore students, and now our primary students will be continuing their love of music with a new music program in January. Stay tuned for further details!

Your Principal on Maternity Leave! Many wonderful families have asked me about my plans regarding my maternity leave. I plan to stay at Ocean Shore as long as I can before my due date in early March. I look forward to returning on June 1st for the last few weeks of fun! Again, more details will follow as my departure date approaches!

Readathon Updates!
We announced to our students today the final counts from our Readathon Participation! Here are the results:

Top 10 Fundraisers: (eligible to choose from a menu of prizes)
Dylan Davis, Maya Dwares, Kali Acosta, Brayden Bedient, Abigail Butlin, Nikhil Krishnan, Peneolope Nah, Roshen Krishnan, Lotus Bedell, and Jackson Honiball.

Top Readers
Kaavel Basu, Scotty Allen, Emma Akmese, and James Miller

Raffle Winner of a Kindle!
Jake Caughman

Classrooms earning a Popsicle Party for reaching their goal:
Ally
Jennifer
Jonathan
Lily
Michelle
Natasha
Patty
Renee
Shelia
Virginia

WEEKLY FLYERS