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Star Newsletter 09/09/11
| Springer Star Newsletter September 9, 2011 | ||||||||
| In This Issue | ||||||||
Letter From the Principal News and Announcements Time and Talent Student Activities | ||||||||
Letter From the Principal | ||||||||
| Music Begins at Springer Wednesday, Sep 07, 2011 By Wade Spenader This week marks the beginning of the music programs here at Springer. This is great news. The positive impact of music instruction/appreciation, the benefits to the development of the brain, and the direct correlation to music instruction and learning in other academic subjects is well documented. One only needs to Google it to be overwhelmed with the amount of studies supporting the importance of music in schools. While most schools in the state have had to cut music and other enrichment in these dire economic times, PTA and LAEF have ensured that our students receive music instruction across all the grade levels. Below is a quick summary of the two music programs, Starting Arts (K-3rd) and MuPE' (pronounced Moo-Pay) for 4th-6th graders. Starting Arts: While Starting Arts is new to Springer this year, it is not new to Los Altos School District. A number of our schools have been using this program for enrichment instruction and have been very pleased. Springer will utilize Starting Arts' vocal music program for 18 weeks (each K through 3rd classroom will receive 30 minutes of instruction per week). The instructor, Mrs. Diana Torres Koss, utilizes vocal music teaching that includes music appreciation, rhythm, melody, and movement- all tied to the California Standards for Music. All of this culminates in a Music Performance (Spring Sing) to be held on March 9th. Starting Arts is made possible thanks to Springer's PTA. MuPE: Thanks to contributions to LAEF, the district's instrumental and vocal music program is back for 4th through 6th graders. Building on the music theory that was learned in the primary grades, our music instructors (all credentialed music teachers) provide one hour of instruction each week to our students (30 minutes on Monday, 30 minutes on Friday). Springer welcomes the district's new music teacher, Ms. Brianna Jorgensen who joins the team of Mrs. Roberta Robertson, Mr. John Beeman, and Ms. Corrie Dunn, and Mrs. Cindy Fletcher. Music instruction begins on Friday. | ||||||||
News and Announcements | ||||||||
| LASD Newsletter This week’s newsletter is at: http://www.lasdk8.org/PDF_Files/Current_School_News.pdf For highlights of what’s in it, see the end of this section! | ||||||||
| LAEF: PTA & LAEF working together! Do you ever wonder why both the PTA and LAEF are raising money for our school? Here’s what each organization does with the money: PTA: funds school-specific expenses such as buying teaching supplies, playground equipment, computers, etc. LAEF: uses it to avoid class size increases and cuts to library hours, and to maintain LAEF-funded art, music, PE and science. Both organizations are critical to our children’s education! The Ambassador Program at Springer has been established by LAEF representatives who are experts on both sources of funding and are great resources. If you don't know who your Ambassador is, ask your teacher or contact LAEF representatives Leslie Bosset or Brooke Schiller. Make your tax-deductible donation online today - Donate Now! www.laefonline.org | ||||||||
| Springer Back to School Form: Did we mention the free lap at the Walkathon? If you haven't already, please complete the online Back to School form. As of this writing, 240 of 380 families have done so. Our goal is for 100% of all families to complete the Back to School form, so we are extending the deadline by another week to Friday, September 15. If you use the form to sign up as PTA members, you'll receive one Springer directory and a free Walkathon lap for of your Springer students. Begin now. Password: stars10. | ||||||||
| Khan Academy Information Meeting On Thursday, September 29 at 8:45am, Springer will host a Khan Academy Coffee. This meeting will provide information and answer questions about the Khan Academy math program that will be used to supplement instruction in all 5th and 6th grade classes this year. Khan Academy, together with Los Altos School District, has been receiving national attention because of its innovative approach to math instruction. Alyssa Gallagher, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, will be our guest speaker, informing us about this exciting new tool to further our students’ engagement and knowledge of mathematics. While this meeting is designed with 5th and 6th grade parents in mind, all parents are invited to attend. This event is in lieu of the September “Coffee with the Principal”. The meeting will be held in the multi. See the flyer | ||||||||
| Family Dinners Out Raise money for Springer simply by enjoying dinner out with your family and friends! Springer receives 15-30% back from the restaurants when you dine there on selected dates. Takeout orders apply as well! Listed below are the participating restaurants for September:
Flyers are available in the school office, Abracadabra and on the Springer website. Questions? Contact Linda McCartney at LM28476@yahoo.com. | ||||||||
| Picture Day is coming! September 21st, 2011 – see the flyer for more details. | ||||||||
| Springer STAR submissions: If you’d like to submit an item for the Springer Star newsletter, please note that the deadline for submissions is Monday noon for inclusion in that week’s edition. As a reminder on how to do it, send a text-only blurb to our newsletter editor at springer_star@yahoo.com. If you like, you can also include a (PDF) flyer. | ||||||||
| LASD Newsletter Highlights • Los Altos Parent Preschool Accepting Applications • AAU Basketball Tryouts • Surviving the Application Process: A Practical Guide to the College Transition • Partners for New Generations Looking for Mentors and Tutors • Scottish Country Dancing • Mindful Schools Presents Mindfulness Fundamentals • Upcoming SELPA 1 CAC Event • Los Altos Hills Art Exhibit • 10th Annual Book Arts JAM • Mountain View Teen Center For more information on any of the above, please click on the link! http://www.lasdk8.org/PDF_Files/Current_School_News.pdf | ||||||||
Time and Talent | ||||||||
| Share your time and talents with Springer! The Volunteer Interest & Availability Form will come home this week in every child's Friday folder. We always need people to help out, and we have fun and rewarding jobs for all interests and time constraints! Our goal is to receive a completed form for every Springer family. We'd prefer that you complete the electronic version of this form, but if completing the hard copy is easier for you, we'll be collecting them in the office. Tell us about your interests and availability, and help us to make the most of our collected talents! | ||||||||
| Living Classroom Highlights: You've heard about the Living Classroom, but do you know what happens in the lessons? Maybe you have a child in second grade. Do you know that they learn about producers and consumers this year? One great part of their hands-on learning involves planting wheat in the school garden this fall, and watching it grow through the winter. In the spring, they harvest, thresh, and grind the wheat berries. With the flour they grind (and a little bit of store-bought flour to boost their grains), they make pretzels that get baked for them to eat! From start to finish, they get to see the whole process and gain an understanding of what it takes for us to grow and eat grain products. All of this is taught by Living Classroom docents with parent help. If you'd like to participate, please contact your child's teacher, or reach Mike Sanderson in the district office <msanderson@lasdschools.org> to attend docent training that will be held on Mondays over the next 8 weeks. Kathy Stiles and Denise Massone can help to answer questions, too. We hope to see you in the garden! | ||||||||
| Los Altos History Museum's "Train Days" - Volunteers Needed for September 17th and 18th! Do you like trains? Do you like to help others? Are you a fifth or sixth grader? Please help us at the Los Altos History Museum's "Train Days" event! The event itself is great fun, filled with five different model train layouts, complete with steam, lights, sound and intricate scenery. We are looking for students to punch "tickets" at each station for either a 2 or 4 hour shift on 9/17 or 9/18. Please contact Denise Massone at dee04@sbcglobal.net if you are interested. | ||||||||
Student Activities | ||||||||
| Math Olympiad - Sports for the Mind! Interested in fun, innovative, and challenging math problems? Starting later this month, Springer will host after school Math Olympics for Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grade students. More details will appear in future editions of the Springer Star - stay tuned! | ||||||||
| Run4YourLife Starting Tuesday, Sept 13! Run4YourLife is a lunchtime FunVisor opportunity for children of all grades to run or walk and earn personal awards for their accomplishments. This year's Springer destination is Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park. Questions? Please contact Jenni at JLTellefsen[at]yahoo.com. | ||||||||
| WoW - Did you used to walk or bike to school? Springer is a “Walk or Wheel” school. We encourage all children to walk or wheel their way to school. Help make walking or wheeling a way of life for our children. Get your Wow Tag today in the school's office! Then register at www.boltage.org and you are ready to go. Our solar-powered boltage reader, called the Zap, is near the lunch tables and when children pass under the Zap, it reads the unique identification number on the child's tag and tracks the walk or wheeled trip to school. Join us September 21, on our first ever school wide WoW Wednesday. Grab a friend, and walk or wheel to school that day and start to make a change! WoW: Exercise, a cleaner environment, and a safer school campus. | ||||||||
| Springer Singers is back on Monday Springer Singers is a great way to get your kids singing and dancing with their Springer friends. The chorus is open to Springer kids in grades 1-6 and will practice on Mondays after school until 3:30. The first practice will be in late September. Applications are available in the office. Completed applications and payment are due by September 20. See flyer | ||||||||
| Mandarin Chinese Language After School Program for grades 1-4 This program has been developed specifically for children by Yan Shi, a Springer parent! The class is designed as an introduction to the Mandarin language and will be offered to students in grades 1 – 4. New registration deadline: we will accept registration until September 9th. Tuesdays and Thursdays, September 13 – November 8, in the Springer library. Grades 1-3: 2:30-3:30 pm Grade 4 : 2:45-3:30 pm Tuition costs: $320 ($20 per class: includes materials) See the Flyer for more details. | ||||||||
| TGA, Premier Junior Golf Returns for Another Session. TGA is the only national at-school, after school golf enrichment program. TGA provides ALL equipment so students need to bring nothing but a smile to each class. Students learn all aspects of golf, from swing fundamentals to the game’s rules, etiquette and life values, while advancing through a 5 Level Program. The TGA program helps build life values through educational concepts that include Math, English, Science, and History. Students starting in the Yellow Level will receive a TGA Hat, TGA Hat Pin, and a TGA Workbook. The class is held in a fun, safe and nurturing environment that builds confidence, focus, motor skills, and self esteem. Classes for Springer School will be held on at the school on Tuesdays at 2.30 on Feb. 1, 8, 15, Mar. 1, 8, 15, and 22 (no class 2/22). The cost is $139.00 for 7 weeks and students will be grouped by age and ability levels. For more information please visit us at www.golftga.com/peninsulavalley or call us today at (650)898-8064. |
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4/28/25 8:10 PM