The Springer Buzz!

Our Mission

At Springer Elementary School, we will provide a safe and supportive environment that engages, inspires, and nurtures all students’ emotional and academic needs in order to become empathetic, productive global citizens and lifelong learners.

In This Issue: March 30, 2018:

• Principal’s Message

• News and Announcements
• Parent Education Opportunities

Quick Dates for your Calendar:

• Wednesday, April 4; 6:30-7:30pm: Blach Elective Fair For Parents and 6th Grade Students
• Thursday, April 5: Open House; Click here for flyer
• Friday, April 6: Minimum Day, Dismissal 12:15pm
• April 9 - 13: Spring Break, No School
• April 23-27: Read-A-Thon
• Friday, April 27, 9:30-11:00am: 6th Graders Walk to Blach Campus tour
• Friday, April 27, 2:00pm: Jr. Olympics Pep Rally Grades 4-6
• Saturday, April 28, 8:00am - 4:00pm: Jr. Olympics, Grades 4-6
• Wednesday, May 23, 7:30am: Volunteer Breakfast
• Monday, May 28: Memorial Day: No School
• Wednesday, May 30; 7:00pm: Springer Singers Spring Concert
• Friday, June 1; 8:30-12:00: Student Field Day
• Friday, June 1: Minimum Day; Dismissal 12:15
• Thursday, June 7: Last Day of School, Dismissal 11:15am
• LASD 2018-2019 Calendar

Principal’s Message

Dear Springer Families,

Today was Spirit Day- come dressed as your favorite character.  Dorothy arrived with Toto, Skippy Jon Jones was there (my son’s favorite character too), Thing 1, and Thing 2 even showed up.  Super heroes, Harry Potter and many more characters came to life today.  The students and staff showed true school spirit. 

Art Show & Open House

Come join us next week at our Open House on Thursday,  April 5th from 6-8pm. Our CSMA Art Show will be on display in the Multi from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm come enjoy your child’s creativity.  At 6:30pm to 7:30pm all classrooms will be open for you to celebrate your children’s learning. We look forward to seeing you and your child(ren) during Open House.  

Happy Easter & Happy Passover to everyone celebrating!  Enjoy your weekend with family.

Mahalo,

Lynn Boskie

Reading Corner

Reading Corner: Developing Skills Across Grade Levels

As students progress through grade levels, they will build on the reading skills and strategies they have learned in previous years, with the goal of deepening their understanding of more and more complex texts. This gives students a familiar foundation upon which to apply new strategies as they learn them. It’s so much fun to walk into different classrooms at Springer and hear students at all grade levels using similar language—albeit in very different ways. This is true for almost all reading skills, including thinking about character (mostly in fiction) and finding the main idea (usually in nonfiction).

• Students are asked to think about characters in stories across all grade levels. Our readers in kindergarten learn that they can think about how a character in a story might be feeling by looking at the illustrations. First and second graders continue this focus and begin to look at how a character’s feelings can change over time. By third grade, students use the term “trait” to describe how a character behaves most of the time. Fourth and fifth graders examine how a character changes over time, and they consider how a character is complicated. Sixth graders take this analysis even further by examining a main character’s less likeable sides, and by considering the different forms of pressure that might weigh on a character.
• When we look at nonfiction, students in all grade levels are asked to focus on what a text is trying to teach the reader. Our primary readers work to become experts on a topic in order to teach others something about it. Third and fourth graders learn to identify main ideas and details and take notes to highlight what’s most important. They also begin to synthesize by putting together information from different sources. Fifth graders continue this work in more complex texts with complicated (and sometimes hidden) central ideas that often weave throughout a text. Our sixth graders continue this work by finding central ideas in longer and even more challenging texts, which often require students to revise their theories as they read.

No matter your child’s grade level, you might ask about a characters in a story or the main topic/idea in nonfiction, and you’ll be able to see how the conversations become more sophisticated over time.

Springer Auction

Congratulations Springer!

Together we raised $100K for Springer School. Thank you to all who came out and showed their Springer Spirit!

If you couldn't make it, it's not too late! Many community parties, exclusively for Springer students and parents, are still open. Please check out our OPEN PARTY LIST and contact the host listed to join the party.

Questions?

springerauction@gmail.com

Requesting Volunteers For Art Show

Hello Springer Parents!

I'm looking forward to our Open House art show again this year on April 5th. We have several new projects to feature this year. I can't wait to showcase what your students have done!

I need parent volunteers who can help in one or both of the following ways:

One parent per class-- Mounting and labeling artwork:

One volunteer from each class who can take artwork home (sometime between March 19th - 23rd) to mount and label before the show. I will include directions and samples.

One or more parents per class-- Hanging the art show:

One or more Volunteers from each class who can help me staple the artwork to our black display boards. Volunteers can drop in and help for any amount of time between 8:30 am - 4:00 pm on Wednesday, April 4th and possibly again at 8:30 am on Thursday, April 5th until we finish.

Please email me directly if available.

lmartinez@arts4all.org

Thanks for your help!

Lisa Martinez

Yearbook

Hello Springer,

This year, every student will receive a yearbook.  

You do not have to order or pay for one. Please read that again -- Every child will get a yearbook at the end of the year.  

Help us make this year's yearbook picture filled and send in pictures. We are using a new yearbook vendor (memory book) and their uploader tool is quick and stable. Instructions on how to upload are below.  

Pictures that are needed:

*Classroom parties/field trips

*Walk-a-Thon

*Springer Gives Back

*First Day of School

*Around campus

Here is how you can submit photos online:

   • Go to: https://images.memoryebooks.com/login

   • If it does not automatically log you into the site, enter username: 410253677

   • Browse to select the photo(s) you wish to upload.

   • Enter information about the photo and provide contact information in case the staff needs additional information.

   • Click "Save Details".

It's that easy! Submit your photos today! The last day to submit photos is 04/13/2018.

If you have any questions about the yearbook, please email me at: ybspringer@gmail.com

Thanks and please send your pictures!

Rachel

SELPA News

Wed. Apr. 18, 2018, 7-9PM, Santa Rita Elementary School, 700 Los Altos Rd, Los Altos

Taking Care of You: Mindfulness and Parenting with Challenges With Dr. Linda Lotspeich, Child Psychiatrist and Clinical Professor. Parenting a child with disabilities can lead to difficult emotions and stress. The practice of mindfulness, including meditation, can reduce stress, improve self-esteem and allow you to better manage these emotions.  Learn to move from coping to living a more meaningful life in the present moment, while still planning for the future.  Click here for English flyer. Click here for Spanish flyer.

Parent Chat

Are you concerned about the emotional well being of your child? Come to Parent Chat, peer to peer support for parents of teens. Click here for English flyer.  Click here for Spanish flyer.

Let's Talk

 A chance to ask questions and share ideas, resources, and support with other parents of students with IEPs, 504s, learning differences, mental health challenges, etc.

All are welcome, participants must respect confidentiality.   

Mon. Apr. 16, 2018, 7PM-9PM, Los Altos Library Click here for English flyer.  Click here for the Spanish flyer.

 A Note From The District Nurse

Pertussis Booster for Students in 6th grade:

Students currently in 6th grade must have proof of a Tdap or Dtap (Pertussis or Whooping Cough) booster given after their 7th birthday (after 10th birthday is recommended) in order to begin 7th grade in August of 2018. Please provide a copy of your child’s immunization record to your school office as soon as possible!

Please refer any questions regarding this requirement to our District Health Assistants:  Suzy Gough 302-1448 and Sandy Anderson 302-1449.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Health Services Staff

LAEF

Double your Donation

LAEF still needs to raise $329,548 between now and April 27^th to fully fund our 2017-18 grant to LASD, which will be presented to the school district at Junior Olympics.  

Every dollar you give by April 27th will be matched by The John and Liane Davila Foundation, up to $10,000.  They have generously offered this challenge to inspire you to help us reach our goal of 100% participation from every LASD family.

Let's all work together and fully fund teachers and staff for STEM, arts, literacy, wellness, and personalized learning for the 2017-18 school year. If you have yet to donate, now’s the time!

Donate at www.laefonline.org or drop off a check in your school office.

#MarchMatching

If you've made a donation to LAEF this school year, thank you! Be sure to take the next step and request a company match, if you have not done so already. Request your match now and, if your company is in our #MarchMatching tournament, your match might help them win!  We appreciate matches from all companies, whether they are in the tournament or not! All contributions to LAEF will help us reach our goal of $3.7M.

Become A Living Classroom Docent

Become a LIVING CLASSROOM docent... share your love of nature with kids!

It's time to plant tomatoes, dissect flowers, and make yummy pretzels from the wheat the students planted last Fall!  If you like all those things and more, please consider becoming a Living Classroom docent!  Living Classroom is looking for docents to help deliver hands-on garden-based lessons to the students of the Los Altos School District.  No experience necessary as we provide all the training needed!  Our Spring Docent Training will take place at the LASD iLearn Studio (201 Covington Road, Los Altos) from 9-Noon on Monday morning, March 3/26.  Please click HERE to view our Spring Training Flyer.  Apprentice-style training also available to those who can’t make our Monday morning trainings.

Questions? Email us at livingclassroom@lasdschools.org or call (650) 947-1103.  For more information about Living Classroom, please visit our website at www.living-classroom.org.

Parent Education Opportunities

Through an enriching presentations from local and national experts on topics of interests to parents, faculty and staff, the MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series seeks to contribute to the academic, physical, and emotional health of our students.  All events are free of charge and are for parents, faculty and staff in Los Altos and Mountain View public schools.  For a schedule of upcoming presentations, please click here.  

How Submit an Article to the Springer Buzz

If you have an article to submit to the Springer Buzz, please send it to the editor at springer.buzz@gmail.com by noon on Monday for inclusion in the next edition.  Late arrivals will be included if possible but can’t be guaranteed!  All flyers must be in either WORD or PDF format, accompanied by a brief summary of the activity in the email.