Your Monday Morning Roadrunner from Strandwood Elementary

SEPTEMBER 7, 2009

Good Morning

Every Monday, Email Club members receive important information regarding upcoming events and communications from The PTA and Strandwood staff via the Roadrunner. The Roadrunner also provides links to important flyers and new items on the school website. The deadline for submitting your article is Thursday at 5:00pm. All submissions should be sent to strandwood_emailclub@hotmail.com.

In This Issue

Happy Labor Day

From the PTA President

Fridays are Spirit Days

Biking to School

Jump Start Day

Student Donation Program

New Lunch Recess Schedule

Flip Flop Party

H1N1 Screening Tool

A Message from the Superintendent

Class Ring Found

Parcel Tax Talk

MDUSD Superintendent Search

Are you Smarter Than a 5th Grader

Dates, Times and Places

Flyers available in the Office

Happy Labor Day

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

From the PTA President

Our first General PTA meeting is this Wednesday, Sept. 9th at 6:30. It will be held in the library and everyone is welcome (babysitting is provided). The primary focus of the meeting will be approval of a budget for the upcoming year. If any of you missed Back-to-School Night or haven't gone yet, one of the things I mention is our challenging budget for this year. With double the spending on instruction staff and support, it will be key to spend the money we raise wisely and effectively. Needless to say it will be important to have successful fundraisers as well. We are off to a great start with a record breaking Jump Start Day. Over $31,000 was raised through Student Donations and other contributions. Thanks to all of you.

The other key piece to our first meeting will be to ensure we get volunteers for any open coordinator positions. We have numerous experienced coordinators who are looking for a person to shadow them this year and then take on the job next year. It's a great way to get involved and I hope many of you will consider them.

For those of you who have not been to a PTA meeting before, each of the VPs (Hospitality, Communication, Ways and Means and Programs) will be giving updates on activities that are forthcoming. In addition, Mrs. Kim always gives updates as to what is going on at the school.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible. For those of you who can't make it to this meeting, we hope to see you at a future meeting!

Correction: The communication folders note a Nov. 15th meeting. The meeting is actually Nov. 5th.

Photo courtesy of the Bargmann family.

Calendar
Click the calendar below to go directly to the Strandwood web calendar.

Fun Facts

In Biltmore, North Carolina, the mansion built by the Vanderbilt family has 255 rooms.

Telephone services in the United States stopped for a minute during the funeral service for Alexander Graham Bell.

The surface area of an adult's small intestine is equivalent to a standard size tennis court.

WHAT IS IT?

This is a close up of an object. What is it? The Answer is at the bottom of the page.

Fridays are Strandwood Spirit Days

Every Friday, show your spirit by wearing your Strandwood spirit wear or blue or yellow clothing. Look for the schedule of monthly Wacky Wednesdays (or whatever day is chosen) coming soon to the Roadrunner.

Biking to School

30 1st Graders

Riding your bike to school? Don't Forget: Wear a helmet. Follow road safety rules. Lock your bike to the bike rack! Look for information regarding the Ride to School and Bike Safety Days next week's Roadrunner.

More Jump Start Day Thank You's

In addition to the parent volunteers mentioned last week, I would like to thank our Office Staff, Gayle Ruhlen and Laura Curtis, Principal Liz Kim, Custodians Manny Rivera and Joaquin Salazar and Cafeteria Supervisor Sandy Reeder and her mom, Joan Gaustad for their assistance at JSD. Thank you everyone!

If you have any comments or suggestions regarding JSD please email me at JEideVP@gmail.com.

Jeff Eide

Student Donations

Were you waiting until you received your child's teacher assignment before donating to the PTA Student Donation Program? Click here and scroll down to the donation form. Fill in the blanks and print that page only. You can drop off the form with a check to the PTA basket in the office. Thank you for your contributions. For those that contributed to an unknown teacher, we will be directing the funds to your child's teacher.

Lunch Schedule Changes

By Jeff Eide

By now, those of you with children in 1^st through 5^th grade have heard that the lunch schedule has changed. Those grades now go to recess prior to lunch.

This change has led to some logistical challenges that Mrs. Kim and the noon supervisors (me included) are working though. There are two simple things that will help us.

First, please make sure your child's name is visible on the outside of Lunch their lunchbox. Since they can't take their lunch with them to recess they are placed in bins when they leave the classroom. These bins are moved to either the multi-use room (grades 1 and 2) or brought out to where they line up in the playground after recess is over. Lunch boxes look alike and some are identical. If your child's name is visible on the outside of the lunchbox or bag that would help us distribute them.

Second, if you send your child with cash for lunch, please enclose it in an envelope with their name, classroom and teacher written on the outside. If your child does buy lunch we encourage pre-paying. You can put money on their lunch card using cash, credit or debit cards. If you stop by the office they have the necessary form. If they bring cash to school it has to be placed somewhere while they are at recess, usually in the hands of the noon supervisors and that particular supervisor might not be around when the childs lines up to leave (in that case we do pass the money off to another noon supervisor). Obviously, this is a greater problem in the lower grades.

This is still a work in progress and it will take a few weeks to work out the kinks. In the yard and at lunch we are seeing positive results. Thanks for your cooperation and patience.

Flip Flop Lemon Drop Party

Ladies, join us for our Flip Flop Lemon Drop party. There are 15 spots left for this fun Dinner/Dance Auction item. Leave the kids with Dad, put on your cutest flip flops and join us for great food, delicious lemon drops and fun prizes! (Sept. 12, 7:00 - Strandwood PTA $20)

Hosted by Bargmanns, Binghams, Martinellis, Monroes and Roartys. Contact Katie Roarty at kmroarty@comcast.net or 944-2432.

Flu Symptom Screening Tool

The MDUSD has many new information sheets regarding the H1N1 virus. Click on the titles to view more information on prevention tips, the procedures the school is taking to help prevent the spread and a home screening tool for parents, which is shown below.

Prevention Tips
H1N1 Flue Procedures
Flu Screening Tool for Parents (shown below)

Influenza-like Illness Symptom Screening Tool for Parents and Caregivers

Parents and caregivers should use the following questionnaire to assess the health status of their child on a daily basis.

Does your child have:

1. Fever (100F or greater)
2. Sore Throat?
3. Cough?
4. Nasal congestion?
5. Runny Nose?
6. Extreme tiredness?
7. Body aches?
8. Muscle aches?
9. Vomiting?
10. Diarrhea?

SHOULD I KEEP MY CHILD HOME?
� If you checked "yes" to fever AND one of the other symptoms, keep your child home. No one should return to school until they have had no fever for 24 hours without use of fever-reducing medicine, even if they feel better. If you have questions about your child's health or symptoms, call your child's healthcare provider.

� If your child has been diagnosed by a healthcare provider with a different disease, such as strep, follow your healthcare provider's recommendation and school policy for when to return to school.

WHAT SHOULD I TELL MY CHILD'S SCHOOL?
� If you checked "yes" for fever AND one of the other symptoms, tell your child's attendance office that your child is home with influenza-like illness.

� If your child has been diagnosed by a healthcare provider with a different disease, such as strep, tell your child's attendance office.

A Message from the Superintendent

The first week of school is barely done, but there is much happening in your school district.

Superintendent Search - Leadership Associates will conduct an additional public forum on September 23 at 7 pm in the Board Room of the Dent Center, 1936 Carlotta Drive, Concord. Jim Brown will provide an update on the status of the search and solicit additional thoughts on the characteristics needed for Mt. Diablo. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the meeting.

President Obama Speech - The Mt. Diablo Unified School District supports the President's address to students on the importance of education to be broadcast on September 8. Schools may show the speech either live or at a later time.

Read the entire message from Superintendent Dick Nicoll by clicking here.

Found - Class Ring

A school class ring was found on Monti Court, just behind the south entrance to Strandwood. The ring is at least 20 years old, and the initials inscribed inside are too worn to read. It shows a small amount of "road scratching" on one side, so it apparently has not been in the road for very long. It might have been dropped by one of the parents attending Jump Start Day.

If you think this might be yours, call Duncan Sandiland at 682-6625 and describe the color, stone, year and school in order to claim it?

Parcel Tax Talk

Dear Parents:

The CUES committee has been meeting throughout the summer to discuss pursuing another education parcel tax for the Mt. Diablo School District. It is clear that it is not a matter of if, but more a matter of when we will pursue another parcel tax. Many believe this spring will be our best opportunity. We need to gear up now in order to launch a campaign that can be successful. The most important part of the process is building the structure and recruiting the teams that will manage the small army of volunteers needed to get the job done!