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: February 9, 2018:

• Principal’s Message

• News and Announcements
• Parent Education Opportunities

Quick Dates for your Calendar:

• Saturday, February 10: Father Daughter Dance
• Wednesday, February 14, 8:45: Valentine Day Parent Coffee
• February 19-23: Winter Break, No School
• Wednesday, February 28; 7:00-8:00pm:Blach Transition Parent Information Night; Blach Multi; Parents Only
• March 5-9: Spring Book Fair
• Wednesday, March 7, 5:00-7:30pm: Book Fair Family Night
• Thursday, March 8; 8:45am: PTA Meeting, Staff Room
• Thursday, March 15: Minimum Day; 12:15 Dismissal
• Saturday, March 17, 6:30-10:30pm:Springer Auction
• Thursday, March 22: STEM Expo
• Wednesday, April 4; 6:30-7:30pm: Blach Elective Fair For Parents and 6th Grade Students
• Thursday, April 5: Open House
• Friday, April 6: Minimum Day, Dismissal 12:15pm
• April 9 - 13: Spring Break, No School
• Friday, April 27, 9:30-11:00am: 6th Graders Walk to Blach Campus tour
• Saturday, April 28, 8:00am - 4:00pm: Jr. Olympics, Grades 4-6

Principal’s Message

Dear Spring Community,

• Lost and Found

         It feels as though winter has left us even though the ground hog indicated we would have six more weeks of winter.  The sun is out and students are leaving their clothing in our lost and found.  Please check out the lost and found before next week Thursday, February 15th.  On Friday, February 16thall left over items will be picked up and donated.

• Junior Olympics

Coming Soon!  - Junior Olympics! 4th-6th grade students around the district will be kicking off training just after February break. You are all welcome to join us for a short Pep Rally on April 27^th at 2:00pm in the Multi. Reminder that all student athletes should be wearing/have with them a pair of closed-toed shoes for training. The day of friendly competition and personal best is Saturday, April 28. This will be my 11^th Junior Olympics.. Can’t wait to see you all there! The Opening Ceremony, complete with a 1984 Olympic torch, begins at 8:00am sharp. Each LASD school comes out to represent their school.  This will be my 11^th Junior Olympics.. Can’t wait to see you all there!

Have a fabulous weekend,

Lynn

School Safety - Text Messaging Service

As our world is ever changing and the need to be prepared for all emergency situations is important when providing a safe environment for our school community.   We practice safety drills once a month in the case of fire/earthquake and staff is trained to be prepared in all emergency situations.

One avenue that you as parents can help is by Opting in to receiving text messages about important school information.  This would enable us to communicate with you efficiently and effectively.

•  You can participate in this free service just by sending a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our school’s short code number,

67587.

•  You can also opt out of these messages at any time by simply replying to one of our messages with “Stop”.

•  School Messenger is compliant with the Student Privacy Pledge TM, so you can be rest assured that your information is safe and will never be given or sold to anyone.

•  Please note that your cell phone number must be in Powerschool (our student information database) for you to receive text messages from us.

Valentine’s Day Parent Coffee

Wednesday, February 14th

8:45 am

Springer Staff Room

Show your love for Springer and come chat with us over coffee on Valentine's Day. This is a great opportunity to connect with other Springer parents and to get your questions answered about PTA at Springer.  If you have ever had an interest in joining the PTA Board or just finding out ways to get connected, this is your opportunity!  Everyone welcome!

Reading Corner

Reading Corner: When a Reader Gets Stuck on a Word

            As we read, we use a variety of strategies to figure out and understand unknown words. In addition to using what we know about letters and sounds, we can think about what makes sense in context, and also if a word sounds like what we would expect to read. Students can use all these approaches to solve words in different reading scenarios. If your child is reading to you and is stumped by a word, there are different strategies to try depending on the situation.

• What makes sense? Thinking about what makes sense can be helpful for our earliest readers, particularly if there is a picture to help. You might remind your child to check the picture to help figure out a tricky word. This also works when readers can make predictions about what’s coming next in their reading. I might get wet in the “rain,” a character in a story who is moving away might feel “anxious,” and a book about polar bears might describe the icy “environment.” Reminding a reader to think about what makes sense can help them use clues to solve words.
• Check the letters. What sounds can they make? Do you see any words or parts you know? If a word follows a predictable spelling pattern, students can start with the sounds they know and then crash the parts together. C-A-T. Pl-ay.  Words can seem overwhelming as they get longer, so it can help students to use a finger to cover parts of the word in order to focus on one chunk at a time. “Fantastic” is much easier to read if it’s broken into “fan” “tas” and “tic.” Covering up a prefix or suffix can also help the reader look at the main part of a word. You might also ask if a student sees any words inside the tricky word. “Myself” looks a lot easier once you have found the “my.” Many letters and combinations of letters make multiple sounds, so readers can also try other sounds the letter(s) make.
• What would sound right? Readers can also use what they know about the way English sounds to help them solve or correct challenging words. To read the sentence, “Last night I readthis book,” we have to think about what sounds right in order to figure out how to pronounce “read.” Readers sometimes can anticipate what type of word will come next just based on what we expect to hear.

Happy reading!

Springer Auction

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

March 17, 2018, 6:30-10:30pm

Crowne Plaza Cabana, Palo Alto

Theme: Disco Fever!

$65/person, buy your ticket online or bycheck

Reserve babysitting at Abra

The auction team is still looking for tech

gear donations and sports tickets. Let us know if you can help!!!

springerauction@gmail.com

Springer’s Father Daughter Dance February 10

Springer's Father Daughter Dance is happening on February 10th in the Multi!

6:30-10:00pm

Your daughter will remember this special night dancing with her dad while the DJ was spinning tunes and there will be a photographer on hand to capture it.

Reserve your space now! emailjennifer@jwangmd.com

Father/Daughter $100  additional daughter $30 make check out to "Springer PTA" memo father/daughter dance please place checks in front office cubby labelled Auction.

All proceeds benefit Springer School.

Student Ambassador Program

The Springer Student Ambassadors program is looking forward to expanding our program by adding new members.  It is open to fifth and sixth grade students.  SSA members will continue to work with community service projects and promote school spirit.  Please remember that there is a time commitment, generally weekly meetings and participation in service or spirit events.  Applications can be picked up from Ms. Williams in Room 11 or Mr. Conte in Room 12.  All applications must be turned in by 1:45 on Thursday, February 15.

Springer STEM  Expo Is On March 22, 2018

Please register by March 2

If you’re interested in becoming a Guest Reviewer, contact Ms. Craddock (jcraddock@lasdschools.org) or simply fill out this form: Springer Expo Reviewer 2018

  For all details and information on the STEM Expo go to tinyurl.com/lasdstemexpo.

LAEF

We invite you to join us as we recognize the realtors in our community who participated in our  Honor Roll of Realtors program this year! Since 1995, LAEF and MVLA education foundations’ Honor Roll of Realtors program has brought real estate experts and philanthropy together in support of our public schools. This year we raised over $102,000 for quality education for TK-12 students in Los Altos public schools!

Find out who is on the 2018 Honor Roll of Realtors at

laefonline.org, and when the time comes to contact a realtor, select one of these professionals committed to a strong school community.

Donate to LAEF today and help us raise an additional $700K to reach our goal of $3.7M by April 27th. Gifts of any amount are appreciated. Learn more & make your tax-deductible donation today at

www.laefonline.org.

Selpa Events

Local Resource Guide For Learning Challenges

Do you need help finding summer camps to fit your child's needs? Recreational opportunities that are accepting and inclusive? Therapists, advocates, tutors? Please check out SELPA1CAC's Local Resource Guide! atwww.selpa1cac.org ortinyurl.com/localresourceguide. We are always interested in updates and additions;  let us know how we can make the Guide for useful!

Mon. Feb. 12, 2018, 7-9PM,Los Altos Library

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.

Click here for English Flyer.  Click here forSpanish Flyer.

Tue. Feb. 13, 2018, 7PM-8:30PM, Los Altos Library

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. Hosted by the Mental Health Subcommittee of SELPA 1 CAC.

Click here for English Flyer.  Click here forSpanish Flyer.

Safe Routes Improvement Projects

When: Monday, Feb 12, 6:30pm Open House, 7:00pm Complete Streets Commission Meeting

Where:  Grant Park Community Center, Rooms 2 and 3, 1575 Holt Ave., Los Altos

Hosted by: City of Los Altos Public Works Department and Completes Street Commission

• City staff will provide a brief history of the project.
• Engineering consultant, CSG Consultants, will provide the concepts for proposed crosswalk and intersection improvements
• Residents can gather info, voice support for, and concerns about, the proposed improvements
• Featuring improvements on/at the following streets/intersections:
  • Los Altos/West Portola Ave
  • El Monte Ave
  • Covington Road/Riverside Ave
  • Springer Road/Fremont Ave
  • Grant Ave/Morton Road
  • St. Josephs Ave/Deodara Drive

See flyer for more info.

Raising Digital Citizens

Interested in learning more about how to raise Digital Citizens?  Take a look at  is what happening in your neighborhood.

Parenting in the Age of Social Media  @ Blach Middle School on 2/27  7pm-8:30pm

Connecting Families  online information- “Connecting Families is designed to support and empower families in raising kids who think critically, participate responsibly, and behave ethically in their online lives.”

 STEM Career Day

STEM Career Day Events at Egan and Blach

LASD & LAEF are excited to kick off the 2nd STEM Career Day Events at Egan and Blach Jr. High Schools this spring. STEM pervades every part of our life and STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy, and enables the next generation of innovators. We believe that exposing our students to different aspects and careers in the STEM fields inspire and spark a passion for learning.

We are looking for parents, grandparents or anyone in our community who would like to share their knowledge. If you are interested in presenting at Egan on March 19 and/or Blach on March 20, please contact Karen Wilson, STEM Coordinator atkwilson@lasdschools.org or Anjana Nagarajan-Butaney, LAEF Board member atanjana.nagarajan1@gmail.com

 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

Springer Singers Spring Session

Does your child love to sing? Then Springer Singers is where you want them to be.

Springer Singers is a fantastic way to get your kids singing and dancing with their Springer friends.

The Springer Singers are open to all Springer students.

New singers welcome!

If you participated in the winter session you are still enrolled. Next session begins January 22 & 23

New to Springer Singers in Grades 1 & 2: Mondays 2:45-3:30

Returning Singers in Grades 2 - 6: Tuesdays 3:00-3:45

Springer Multi

Applications available in the office. Please complete form and return with payment (scholarships available) to participate.

Questions? Contact Heidi Rockett atrockettland@comcast.net

Synopsis Tech Challenge

Attention 6th Grade Students and Parents!

All LASD 6th Graders are invited to submit an application for the 2017 Synopsis Silicon Valley Science & Technology Challenge

What: Synopsis Silicon Valley Science & Technology Championship

Science and Engineering competition for middle school and high school students

Who: Students in Grade 6 only-no exceptions

Where: San Jose Convention Center

When: Thursday, March 15, 2018

Please click here for more information.

Join us for the Tech Challenge!

What: Tech Challenge

Team Design Challenge for students that introduces and reinforces the scientific process with a hands-on project geared to solving a real world problem.

Who: Students in Grades 4-12 only-no exceptions

Where: The Tech Museum, San Jose

When: April 28, 2018 – Please note that this is the same day as Junior Olympics.

Please click here for more information.

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 atspringer.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.