Good Morning
This is the last regular Email Blast of the school year. Look for Blast's throughout the summer keeping you informed of happenings around the campus, and district if necessary. We will check the strandwood_emailclub@hotmail.com address during the summer so drop us a line if you have any questions or comments. Have a great summer. |
Have A Great Summer
Wednesday is the last day of the school year. All Kindergartners will be released at 11:15 and all other grades will be released at noon. Enjoy your summer and we will see you in August.
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Moving Away?
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Attention
Kindergarten through 4th grade families!
Are
you moving out of the area or leaving Strandwood for any other reason (what
that would be I can't imagine!) please notify the school office as soon as
possible. We want to keep our information as current as possible!
Thank
you!
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Medications Pick-Up |
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If
your child uses any type of medication at school, please be sure to pick up
their medication, i.e. pills, inhaler, epipen, etc., by Wednesday, June 10th. All medication will be disposed of after
that date.
If you want or need
your child to use his/her medicine on the first day of school, please pick up a
Medication Form in the school office.
Mt. Diablo Unified School District policy regarding medication can be
found in the Parent Information booklet or on line @ www.mdusd.org. |
Jump Start Day
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Mark your calendars... Jump Start Day is scheduled for Monday, August 24th. For those incoming kindergarten parents, Jump Start Day is when you will get your teacher assignments, receive important information about the school year, join the PTA, sign up to volunteer your time throughout the year, purchase Strandwood spirit wear and more. Look for Email Blasts over the summer with important announcements.
Volunteers are needed to help with Jump Start Day on August 24th and Packet Stuffing Day sometime in late July or early August.
If you can volunteer or have any questions or comments please contact Jeff Eide at jeidevp@gmail.com.
Thanks |
Lost and Found and Library Books
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Please look around the house or in your backpacks and vehicles for any library books that you might still have. All library books must be returned by Wednesday.
Parents, please check the lost and found by the cafeteria (MU) for missing clothing, lunch boxes, backpacks and other assorted treasures. All clothing not claimed is donated to charity.
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Site Council Ballot
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Voting ends tomorrow afternoon for next years Site Council members. To view and print the ballot click here.
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Photo courtesy of the Bargmann family.
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Calendar
Click below to go directly to the Strandwood web site calendar.
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Fun Facts
The Netherlands has a whole museum
devoted to cigarette lighters.
It is considered bad luck to mention the play Macbeth by name in a theatre.
In the early 20th Century, the mentally insane were infected with malaria as a treatment for their medical condition.
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WHAT IS IT?
This is a close up of an
object. What is it? The Answer is at the bottom of the
page.
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Strandwood Computer Class
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The after-school computer class finished its first
session recently. In the class, students from the 2nd through 5th grades
learned how to build Web pages. You can check out some of the cool projects
students created at www.strandwood.net. Watch
for more classes in the fall!
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From Liz Kim, Principal
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Saving
Sweetness... *
The
end of every school year is an amazing array of activities to celebrate the
accomplishments of the students, the hard work of all the amazing teachers we
have at Strandwood and marvel at all the energy our parents put into this
school every day. As I reflect back on the 2008-2009 school year we have
accomplished so much as a school, to mention a few - Kindergarten Make a
Difference Day that transformed the front of D-1 and D2; a hugely successful
Dinner Dance with great entertainment, food and fun; yet another awesome
Nutcracker Performance; a Make a Difference Day for the whole school that added
brick work and trees; an Eagle Scout project that provides us with a nice paver
patio on the primary playground; and 564 students who will move to the next
grade level each an individual and each prepared to take the next big step.
We
face many challenges in the fall, we will miss those who will be moving on to
other locations and life adventures and we will dearly miss the 5th
graders moving on to Pleasant
Hill Middle School.
With each challenge there comes an opportunity to pull together as a community
and rise up to ensure that the 2009 - 2010 school year is just as successful.
In the fall, we will remember all the sweetness that the end of this
school year and know we will be celebrating our successes at the end of next
year with just as much pleasure. Have a great summer.
"With the new day
comes new strength and new thoughts."
Eleanor Roosevelt
*
Saving Sweetness by Diane Stanley and G. Brian Karas (with thanks to Mr. Brown
for letting me borrow this!)
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From Sue Noack, PTA President
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PTA's Busy End of School
While everyone has been busy with end of School events, the PTA as well has been busy. As you have read in previous articles, we had a record fundraising year and we were lucky to have excesses from previous years as well. With the massive budget crisis facing the state and the Mount Diablo School District we thought it an appropriate time to use some of this excess but also save some for next year. Here is a list of things approved by the PTA in no specific order:
The following positions will be paid for by the PTA in the 2009-2010 school year
** Site Tech I ( position currently held by Dina Oakes)
** Instructional Assistant for Science
** Instructional Assistant for Reading
** A part time Instructional Assistant for the Computer Lab
** A part time Instructional Assistant for Art
** Six document cameras and five LCD projectors which will allow each classroom to have this
technology
** An annual subscription for Accelerated Reader
** An annual subscription for Ed1Stop
** Workbooks at various grade levels including Bell Works, Quick Word and Cursive Books
** A Smart Board for the Computer Lab which in large part is paid for by the Fund-A-Need drive
at the Dinner Dance Auction
These items were all discussed at length and many were from staff prioritizing their needs for next year. With the drastic recent cuts the Board also discussed what else we could do to address the issues facing Strandwood. While Measure D did not pass it was heartening to know that Pleasant Hill has a community would have passed one. Consequently, the Strandwood community will be hearing from a newly created committee. It is the committee's goal to have people donate what they otherwise would have paid as a parcel tax to the Strandwood PTA. The funds will be used to provide Instructional Assistants that will work in the rooms affected by the larger class size changes. I hope you all will consider this and continue to support this great school in the fantastic manner you always have.
Have a great summer. I look forward to seeing many of you over the summer and look forward to seeing everyone refreshed in the new school year.
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Keep your Mind Active in the Summer
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Here are some tips on what kids can do to help them retain what they have learned over the summer break.
Use the Internet. Parents can have their children explore Web sites that contain information about a child's interests.
Go to area attractions. The Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland or SF Zoo, local Museums such as the Lindsey Museum in Walnut Creek (Google "Bay Area Museums" for more choices.), the Lawrence Hall of Science and other spots offer educational programs and the opportunity to explore.
Take a trip. Children can research a place you plan to visit, discuss its history and make a photo display or write a journal about the trip.
Learn a language. Studies have shown that children pick up foreign languages faster than adults. A foreign language class or software could be a good summertime activity.
Visit the library. Local libraries offer summer reading clubs and other youth activities.
Go to concerts and watch TV. Theater performances, concerts, movies and educational television can offer more learning opportunities.
Follow the news. Parents can get their children interested in current events and have them put together a newscast or newspaper.
RBI arithmetic. Take your child to a ball game or watch one on television and talk about sports statistics and the math used to calculate them.
Plan home activities. Learning opportunities can include tending the family garden or exploring your family tree.
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Attention 5th Grade Parents
With Children Attending PHMS Next Year
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 Due to the budget
cuts that the District has had to make, the Staff at PHMS want to give you a "heads up" about next school year and how you can
help.
Several teachers are hoping to have parent volunteers come into the classroom, help with copying or in the Library. In addition, we always need help with campus supervision at lunchtime.
We want to say thank you in advance for your helpful and willing attitude to pitch in and help our school in this difficult time. Look for more information at Back to School night in September. |
Toast of Summer
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The Foundation for Pleasant Hill Education (FPHE) is very pleased
to announce that the Chamber of Commerce's Toast of Summer event on June 20
will benefit Foundation for Pleasant
Hill Education. Support
the schools in Pleasant Hill by attending with friends and enjoying some of the
finest food in Pleasant Hill on a perfect summer night.
Toast of Summer is an enjoyable evening of fine dining and fabulous
wine/cocktails set in the lovely setting of the plaza surrounding Pleasant
Hill City Hall. The ticket price of
$95 is all inclusive. No additional purchases are required throughout the
evening.
Tickets are available at the following locations:
- Online at www.fphe.org
- The Chamber of Commerce, 91 Gregory
Lane, #11, PH (within the Two Worlds Complex) (687-0700)
If you have questions,
please email generalinfo@fphe.org |
 Firecracker Fun Run Benefits Strandwood
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The Pleasant Hill Fourth of July Commission has announced that the Firecracker 5K Fun Run will again be a part of this year's Fourth of July Celebration. All proceeds from the run will be donated to Pleasant Hill schools! Better yet, every runner who registers will receive a T-shirt and can designate what Pleasant Hill school they would like their registration fees to be donated to! Last year, the Fourth of July Commission awarded Strandwood Elementary over $1,000. This is a great opportunity for parents and children, friends and neighbors to raise money for our school.
Fleet Feet Sports, the Rotary Club of Pleasant Hill, and Allied Waste are generously sponsoring this year's event which will begin at 8am and makes three laps of the parade route in downtown Pleasant Hill. Same day registration and the start of the race will be in front of Fleet Feet Sports on Crescent Drive.
On-line registration is now in operation and can be accessed by visiting the Fourth of July Commission's website at www.PHJuly4.com and click on the "5K Run" tab. By registering on-line, individual runners and families will receive a break in registration fees from $5 to $15. Don't forget to mention Strandwood so a portion of your fees come back to the school.
What a great way to kick off the Fourth of July and to help our school!
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From The Editor
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As your newsletter editor, my goal has been to increase
interest in your weekly publication. I've tried to do that by including notices
about most everything that was happening around, or that directly affected, the
Strandwood campus. I've increased the use of photos and tried to make the newsletters
more visually appealing. In addition I continued features like "Fun Facts" and "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader" and added "What Is It?" where you guess what the close up photo is. I hope everyone, young and old, has enjoyed
these features. If you have any suggestions for next year please feel free to email me.
In this challenging educational climate we will try and kept you
informed of state and local decisions that might affect the school. With
the help of the staff, PTA coordinators and other contributors we hope to continue
increasing the amount of information presented to you throughout the year.
Next year the PTA will maintain a weekly communication, called
the Roadrunner, in the same format, and day, as
the current Monday Email Blasts. The Email Blast will only be used to
communicate important last minute happenings or special events that were not
included in the Monday morning Roadrunner. There are no specific days the Email
Blast will be published. Both publications
will be in electronic format. A very limited amount of print copies will
be available in the office.
If you have any submissions, suggestions or comments I would
love to hear them. Please email me at Strandwood_emailclub@hotmail.com.
I will be checking the email all summer.
Thank you, Jeff Eide
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Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader
1st Grade Question - What did Wynken, Blynken, and Nod sail off in?
2nd Grade Question - If you add 9+8+7 and then subtract 19, what is your total?
3rd Grade Question - What animal makes a loud slapping noise on the water with its tail when frightened?
4th Grade Question - T or F? Stems transport water to other parts of the plant through photosynthesis.
5th Grade Question - The chemical symbol "Au" stands for what element?
Bonus $10,000,000 Question - How many cubic feet of dirt is in a hole 2' x 2' x 2' deep?
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Dates, Times and Places
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The 2009-2010 school year calendar has been approved and is on the MDUSD website. Click here to view that calendar.
This is it folks, the last 2-1/2 days of the 2008-2009 school year.
June 10 - Last Day of School - Dismissal Times: Kindergarten, 11:15 Grades 1st - 5th, NoonAugust 24th - Jump Start Day
August 31st - 2009-2010 school year starts.
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In the Office
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Return To Top
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Answers.
1st Grade - A wooden shoe
2nd Grade - 5
3rd Grade - Beaver
4th Grade - False
5th Grade - Gold
Bonus Questions - None, there is no dirt in a hole! Have a great summer :-)
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What is it? Matchbook
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