Your Monday Morning Roadrunner from Strandwood Elementary

NOVEMBER 2, 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. Do you have any comments about this Roadrunner or suggestions for future Roadrunner articles or features? Drop us a line at strandwood_emailclub@hotmail.com.

In This Issue

Message From the Principal

Dinner Dance Parking Spot

GATE Meeting

FAME for November

Fall Planting Day

After School Computer Class

Senior Reading Program

Calling all 4th Grade Parents

It's Movie Night Time

Strandwood Fingerprinting Appointment

Attention Field Trip Drivers

Great American Fundraiser

Kindergarten Pre-Registration

Race to the Top

Strandwood Dinner Dance Auction

Support Strandwood With eScript

Resource Guide

Are you Smarter Than a Ghost or Goblin

Dates, Times and Places

Flyers Available

Message From the Principal

I confess...I do not like writing! Ironic for someone who once upon a time in high school wanted to be a journalist, a career path dreamed of due to the perceived romance of the job I suspect as well as, the facts that my favorite high school teacher was Mrs. King, English teacher, I loved to read and the young can be naive.

After many years of mandatory essays, research papers, and most recently parent newspaper articles I don't like to write! I put it off to the last possible moment (sharpening pencils, returning emails, phone calls, straightening out those ever growing piles of paper, saying yes when asked "have you got a minute?")! I procrastinate and I therefore miss deadlines. No excuses.

This month I want to take a moment to thank our parent community for a grand fall costume (aka Halloween) parade. It is one of the events every year that I look forward to as the principal of Strandwood. I love the excitement of the students as they talk about what their costume will be, their interest in what I will be dressed as, the music, and most of all the sense of community. I look forward to the creativity of the costumes and the wonder of the not yet Strandwood students as they watch the parade. I look forward to seeing the innocence of childhood and joy of life evident on their faces. It was fun to see the creative use of face paint to accompany Spider Man costumes, Buzz Light Year costumes, and the others. The original costumes are always amazing to me as a non-seamstress. A public thank you to Vicki Martin for making my awesome cupcake costume!

Finally, thank you to the parents and students who respected the "no masks, no weapons", I appreciate it. Same expectations next year. (FYI I have balanced my checkbook, paid bills, ate lunch all while writing this article - generally avoided finishing this in a timely way on this beautiful Sunday - the first of November!)

DDA Parking Spot

OK, we know the parking lot can get full early but please don't park in the stall with this sign.

Every year, this reserved parking spot is auctioned off during the Dinner Dance Auction. If you would like to own this special spot for a month next year make sure you attend the Dinner Dance on March 6, 2010.

Photo courtesy of the Bargmann family.

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

FACT or NOT?

The items below may or may not be facts. It's up to you to figure that out.

The world's first light bulb factory used bamboo in its products.

No one survived the "Hindenberg" airship explosion and crash of 1937.

Egg tempera is a type of paint rather than an omelette.

WHAT IS IT?

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

GATE Meeting

Dear Parents of GATE Students:

We will have a parent information meeting on Tuesday, November 3rd, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the school library.

Our outcomes for the meeting are to:
� Provide you with information about this year's program
� Survey parent interest in field trips for our GATE students
� Update parents on our district GATE program

We look forward to your participation! Mrs. Kim

FAME for November

In November's lesson students are introduced to the art form of ballet. Our wonderful Strandwood website has a page dedicated to FAME and the individual lessons. Click here and view the artwork used in November as well as listen to the music, Waltz of the Flowers from the Nutcracker Suite (by Peter Tchaikovsky 1840-1893).

For a full length version (6 min) of Waltz of the Flowers and a video history of Tchaikovsky click here.

Fall Planting Day

Make a Difference for Strandwood

Come to our Fall Planting Day Join us on Sunday, November 8 1:00-4:00, at Strandwood. Help plant, weed and beautify our school. Bring shovels, rakes and wheel barrels.

We will have 4 main projects, throughout the school. Please email if you would like to know more about each project or just come and join us on November 8. We hope to see you there!! Noga Kessler: nogakessler@yahoo.com

After School Computer Class

Want to learn how to create Web pages or write in a blog? Students can have fun learning new media skills in the fall after-school computer class that starts November 10. For details and to sign up, visit: http://www.strandwood.net

Senior Reading Program

The PTA-sponsored Senior Reading Buddy program starts in November. On Wednesdays, Senior Citizens come to the library to read one-on-one with students from all grade levels. We need parents to chaperone students between their classroom and the library. Please contact Jennifer Wygal if you can help on Wednesdays anytime between 9 and 11 a.m. - we can use your help even if it's just for a five-minute pickup or dropoff. Call Jennifer at 324-3656.

Calling All 4th Grade Parents

Calling all 4th Grade Parents. Do you know how to rope some cattle? How about trappin' beavers? Anyone up for loading wagons? These and more questions will be answered at the Sutter's Fort meeting.

We are rounding up our 4th grade parents for a parent only informational meeting on November 9th, at 7pm in the Strandwood Library. See y'all there!

It's Movie Night Again

Strandwood students and families are invited to attend a free movie showing of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder on Friday, November 13th at 6:15 pm in the multi-use room.

Popcorn and water will be provided. Please bring a blanket, pillow or low chair so that everyone will be able to see. Space is limited to the first 225 people to sign up via e-mail to freemovienight@gmail.com. If you are able to help with set up, sign in, popcorn or clean up, please indicate so in your e-mail.

Strandwood Fingerprinting Appointment

We are confirmed for fingerprinting parent volunteers from Strandwood Elementary on Tuesday, December 1 from 4:30 PM - 8:00 PM at the Mount Diablo Unified District office. We have five spots filled but have room for 14. Please let Sue Noack at smargriet@comcast.net if you can attend. We will schedule an appointment every 15 minutes beginning at 4:30 with the last one at 7:45.

Please remember you must have a TB test that is less than 60 days old. Please bring $32 in cash (exact change please) or money order - no personal checks..

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Attention Field Trip Drivers

Those parents who drive on field trips must provide the office with a completed Transportation Certification and Authorization form and a current copy of their automobile insurance every school year. These documents are thrown away at the end of the year and not carried over from year to year.

There are also insurance minimums that must be maintained. For a list of those, and a copy of the TRANSPORTATION OF STUDENTS IN PRIVATELY-OWNED VEHICLES form please click here. Fill it out on line, print it and bring it to Gayle in the office along with a copy of your current insurance coverage statement. Do not bring your evidence of liability card unless it shows all your coverage limits.

* Note - The insurance requirements are in addition to the TB and fingerprinting requirements.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Great American Fundraiser

IMPORTANT NOTICE!! Your Fundraiser items are on their way!

Dear Parents and Guardians, Your student will be receiving his/her fundraising products on Thursday, November 12th. Please make arrangements to have your student picked up that day if they have a large order. Some boxes may be too heavy for students to carry.

(Please note we have NO STORAGE available at school for any cookie dough that was not picked up. Please pick up the merchandise on THIS DAY ONLY. If you are unavailable, please make arrangements for a neighbor to pick up your order on your behalf).

Kindergarten Pre-Registration for 2010-2011 School Year

Pre-registration of children eligible for kindergarten in August 2010 will be conducted in all Mt. Diablo Unified School District elementary schools on a first-come basis starting Tuesday, February 2, 2010. The hours of registration will be 9:00 - 11:00 am and 1:00 - 3:00 pm.

Click here for more information. Click here for more information in Spanish.

Race To The Top

California State PTA supports Race to the Top application

PTA members encouraged to attend events to learn more. As a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the U.S. Department of Education has established a competitive grant program of $4.35 billion for education reform. These funds will be provided to selected states to improve student outcomes and graduation rates, close the achievement gap and ensure student preparation for college and career. This is the largest pool of money for education reform in U.S. history. Four key areas are targeted:

Standards and assessments

Effective teachers and leaders

Data systems to support instruction

Turning around struggling schools

For more information click here to visit the California State PTA article.

Strandwood Dinner Dance Auction

Planning is well underway for the 13th Annual Dinner Dance Auction on March 6, 2010 - but we need your help. The decorations committee is in need of empty Chianti bottles (the bottles with the raffia) and corks, so start collecting NOW! Also, room parents and party planners

- please start taking pictures of class events so that we may have a wide variety of photos for our auction slide show. Kelly Gallagher will be collecting photos on disk or flash drive. Check out our website for more Auction information, include a FAQs page, list of important dates and class project ideas. If you have any questions or would like to submit a donation for the auction, please contact Lea Harrington (harringtonlea@yahoo.com) or Cindy Turner (pcturner@sbcglobal.net ).

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