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IMPORTANT DATES
JANUARY 30
Middle School to Tech Museum
Note: 6:30am Departure
Grade 4 to Cline Winery Mission Exhibit
FEB. 3
Minimum Day
Mother-Son Event in AC
FEB. 7
Grades 2 & 3 with San Francisco Opera
FEB. 15
Grade 2 to Asian Art Museum
Outgrown uniform sale
FEB. 17
Showcase 9:15am
FEB. 20
NO SCHOOL
FEB. 21
Parent's Association Meeting 6:30pm
FEB. 22
Liturgy
Dress Uniform
FEB. 27
Dr. Thompson Speaker Series Presentation 6:30pm
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Grade 6 Travels to Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum & Planetarium
 Architecturally inspired by the Temple of Amon at Karnak, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose houses the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts on exhibit in western North America -- including objects from pre dynastic times through Egypt's early Islamic era.
Report from Mrs. Walthard:
The trip was a culmination to our Egyptian study called, "Death Masks, Mummies, and Tombs Oh MY!" We completed the simulation where students were placed in nomes (ancient Egyptian cities), studied the history, pharaohs, religion, and geography of the region. Their assignments and projects scored travel points to help sail them down the Nile. This year students also created individualized study plans, where they chose 5 questions/areas to individually dive deeper into. I was so impressed with their learning! The docent at the museum commented that she had never had a class so well versed in the Egyptian culture and history! It was a proud moment as a teacher.
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Mother/Son Dodgeball Party Set For This Friday!
Sign and send in your form today to join the fun this Friday right after school (12:30 p.m. Minimum Day). The day will start with a pizza lunch, followed by games for all ages and then dessert before finishing up mid-afternoon! Fun, convenient and only $10 per mother-son pair! Thank you to the Grade 2 and Grade 7 parents for hosting this event and next month's Father-Daughter event.
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Grade 4 Breaks New Ground with Trout Farming
 Our 4th grade is fortunate to have two full time teachers this year, Mr. Kuschner and Mrs. Coffey, for their 22 students. The small student-teacher ratio has enabled them to add exciting new projects including their recent DNA analysis with scientists from the Buck Institute and the new Trout Farming experiment that began this week.
Mr. Kushner attended a professional development workshop last year put on by the CA Fish & Game Dept. who provided the complete curriculum including how the experiement fits in with California State standards. A tank has been set up in the school science lab and the trout eggs arrived on Thursday. Over the next 8 weeks grade 4 (as well as all the other science classes) will watch the eggs hatch and monitor their progress with a variety of experiments. This curriculum combines science, vocabulary and language arts as the first project the students completed was a life cycles wheel detailing the life stages of the trout. Stop by the science lab and take a look!
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Presentation Team Begins Practicing for Science Olympiad
A group of almost a dozen students from grades 4-6 have begun meeting weekly after school on Wednesdays at 3:30pm with Mr. Kushner, Ms. Gallagher and Mrs. Mitchell to practice for the Sonoma County Science Olympiad in April. Each week the group does one or more experiments, similar to those they will encounter at the competition. Next month, the official team members will be identified and the rest of the team will serve as alternates.
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Time Magazine recently ran a cover story about teacher-parent relations which featured a sidebar by our next speaker Dr. Michael Thompson, entitled, "Making The Most of your Parent-Teacher Conferences." His tips are summarized below but the full article sidebar can be read here.
Making the Best of Parent-Teacher Conferences: Eight Steps to Success for Parents
1. Focus on building a mutually respectful alliance that will support your child's journey through school.
2. Show up. Research shows that students do better academically when both parents attend conferences and PTA meetings. A parental no-show sends a message to a child that maybe school isn't such a high priority, or perhaps that they aren't.
3. Leave your old school baggage at home. We all have memories of teachers and classes that made us miserable. It's important to set those aside and approach your child's teacher as a peer and partner. The respect you show a teacher is contagious.
4. Use a report card as a tool, not a centerpiece. Turn any review of grades or other evaluations into an opportunity to ask what's working and what's not for your child, and the teacher's observations.
5. Tell the teacher what you know about your child as a learner. When you articulate your concerns and wishes, it alerts a teacher to something important about your child's life.
6. Go beyond grades. Ask about your child as a citizen of the classroom. How your child functions with other people is going to make a big difference in later life.
7. Ask what you can do. Ask how you can support your child's success without micromanaging or rescuing him or her from mistakes and the valuable lessons they offer.
8. Trust your child's development. Try relaxing a little and having faith in your child in your child's journey through school.
Click here to register for Dr. Michael Thompson's important presentation to parents on Monday, February 27th at 6:30pm.
Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Community, Friendship, Social Power in Childhood
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aYearbook Family and Small Business Ads
If you would like to buy a full, half or quarter page ad in the Presentation School yearbook to honor your child(ren) or to promote your business, those ads are due in two weeks time. Order forms should have come home with your child but there are additional forms available in the office. You can upload images or you can provide us with a sheet with the ad laid out and we will scan it in for you. |
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Calling All Photos For The Yearbook!
Deadline is fast approaching!
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Season Two Sprit Squad Signs Ups Going on Now!
Students in grade 5-8 wishing to join the Spirit Squad to cheer on our upcoming 7th and 8th grade girls basketball teams should submit their registration forms to the office this week! Boys welcome too! Practices start Feb. 1. Cost is $35 (but no cost to squad members who enrolled in season 1).
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Help Needed In School Garden
The Garden Committee is planning events to prepare for planting. The first event will be the building of cold frames. Middle School students and their parents are invited to participate in the construction project. If you are interested and are available February 11 and 12, we have 10 spots available - reserve by emailing Ms. Fischman. Other projects include Earth Day celebration, Garden Docent positions, harvest celebration and many other opportunities to get dirty! Contact Lisa Atwood or Cindy Studdert for more information on how you can be involved.
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Spelling Bee Preparations Begin
The 4th-6th grade school Spelling Bee was held on Wednesday. Students in each grade competed to be the finalists in the school-wide bee, getting one of the two spaces representing our school in the annual regional Spelling Bee in March. Congratulations to 4th grader Justine Broadman and 6th grader Layla McDermott who will represent Presentation School at the competition.
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Dine & Donate Night at Papa Murphy's Pizza is the first Wednesday of every month! Many thanks to the Walthard family for the generous donations of 30% of sales to Presentation families that night each month. Next one coming up is: Wed. Feb. 1st! See you there!
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SCHOOL NEWS:
Middle school parents... please remember that the departure time for the San Jose Tech Museum field trip Monday morning is 6:30am from school.
Uniforms: As the children are growing and you are purchasing new uniform items, please remember that skorts, pants and outwear are to be purchased from either Classic Design or Land's End Presentation list. Any questions, please contact your child's homeroom teacher. You will find the uniform policy in the Family Handbook.
Lunch: Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to help with lunches. We still need After Care volunteers. Please contact Mrs. Wallace or Ms. Amy if you are interested and would like more information regarding responsibilities.
8th Graders: SVHS is offering an "Incoming Freshman Information Night" on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 6:30pm at Altimira and on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 6:30 pm at Adele Harrison. Charter and private school students are invited to attend either evening. If you have questions, please call 933-4030.
Admissions: Watch the mail for your re-enrollment contract, coming soon. If you have an incoming K student, see Admissions Director Beth Fox right away for an application.
COMMUNITY NEWS:
Sonoma High is offering a chance for current 8th graders to learn more about the high school's Career Tech pathways and electives on Friday, February 3, 2012 from 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Students are to meet in Pfeiffer Gym at 11:15 a.m.
8th grade parents -- The Sonoma Teen Center is offering free financial literacy classes for teens. The first class on "Money Management" will take place on Feb. 11 from 10 a.m to 12:30 p.m. at the Teen Center. This workshop will cover checking accounts, overdrafts & overdraft protection, debit cards, credit cards & understanding interest charges, building and safeguarding credit history, preventing identity theft, creating a budget, comparing bank services and selecting the bank best for you. The second class on "Savings/Loans" will take place on Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Teen Center and will cover savings accounts, college savings plans, US savings bonds, CDs, money market accounts and auto/college/small business loans. The last of the three classes will be a "Bank Visit" to 202 W. Napa St. on Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at West America Bank. Teens will tour the bank, and learn about teller work, money handling, customer service, new accounts and lending and careers in banking and finance. Best of all, all three Financial Literacy Classes are FREE. Transportation will be provided to the bank visit. Pre-registration is necessary, space is limited with a maximum class size of 30 and a minimum is 5. To register, email classes@Svteens.org or call 707-939-1452 and leave a message. www.svteens.org.
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