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MARCH 1, 2010 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.
If you no longer wish to receive the electronic communications from Strandwood Elementary please use the "Safe Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the newsletter.
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A Message From The Principal
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 If you can read this, thank a teacher.....
"If you can read this, thank a teacher" was a bumper sticker that was circulating around the car bumper scene in the late 80s and early 90s when California was going through another budget crisis. Teaching jobs were few and far between, class sizes were going up and salaries were low.
As we go through another budget crisis in California and education is undergoing reductions and program cuts, we are fortunate at Strandwood to have a generous and hard working parent community. Our PTA funds six instructional assistant positions to help the first and second grade teachers implement reading approaches which have proven to help struggling readers to succeed.
We welcome:
Evelyn Barrera in B-4
Monica Medina Campos in B-3
Rosaisela Rodriguez in B-2
Gail Vasgerdsian in B-9
Roxanne Gambill in B-8
Each of these people brings unique qualities to the classrooms. As I walk around the classrooms I see them working with students in small groups or one to one. They are using highly engaging instructional strategies to instruct students in phonics, sight words and anything the classroom teacher has identified as a need through assessment.
The sixth position has just been opened to the public and in the next two weeks Lisa Keck and I will be interviewing and selecting an instructional assistant for her classroom. In true Strandwood collaboration, the primary teachers have been "sharing" their instructional assistants with B-5 which has given that classroom support four days a week as well.
At the end of this school year, we will be able to use classroom assessments and other tools to measure if this support has provided the targeted intensive prevention which was our goal. If the smiles on the faces of the students in the classroom when they are engaged in learning activities with these great assistants are evidence of the success, I'm confident we will have proficient readers at every grade level!
Thank you Strandwood community for trusting us and supporting our vision. |
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Match Found For Natalie !
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 A word from the "Hope For Natalie" website. "We have great
news that a match has been found for Natalie's transplant! Thank you so
much to all of you who have worked so hard for her drives, prayed for
us, spent your free time emailing your network of friends to come to
the drives, ordered kits to swab your friends, sent in kits, tested,
and supported us through the search.
We heard that Natalie's hometown drive at Gregory Gardens was
wonderful and 700 people came from all over the bay area (some from
Sacramento)to get tested and registered. Gregory Gardens families and
staff, you are all truly amazing people. Thank you so much for pulling
the community together and putting so much heart into helping us and so
many people in our situation. We know some of you got there at 7am and
didn't leave until 6:00 pm that day.
The Cal drive also went well too. Our friends and volunteers got 200
people tested and registered. We heard that some people actually
thought they were donating their marrow that same day and were ready to
do that. Wow.
Thank you to everyone who organized and helped with all the other
drives as well. If we haven't mentioned specific information from those
drives, it's just because we haven't heard the stories yet from those
drives. We are sure there are special stories there too. We feel so
lucky to have so many people support and carry us through this hard
time. We honestly would not be able to do any of this without you all." To read the rest of the Natalie Nakatani story click here. To read the Contra Costs Time story that ran yesterday click here.
Special thanks and congratulations to our own Strandwood mom, Maritza Ruiz Kim who was the Lead Volunteer for the drive. Great job Maritza!
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Box Tops For Webkinz
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 Congratulations to January's Webkinz winner, Talia Coshett with 377 Box Tops, wow! Great job Talia.
February's contest ends soon. Don't
forget to turn in your Box Tops to the office by Monday, March 1st for your chance to win a Webkinz!
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Special Ed. Study Recommends the Dismantling of Mt. Diablo School
District's
Special Education/Student Services Department
Principals to be Responsible for the Program Management of
Our Students
with Special Needs and 504 Plans |
The Mt. Diablo School District hired MGT of America, a consultant firm, to perform a study of their Special Education Services/Programs. The report has been received and recommendations include the complete dismantling of the Special Education/Student Services Department. Instead, there would be:
* One Director. * Three Program Specialists to train site staff. * ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) to be handled by the district legal counsel.
In addition to the increased responsibilities they have acquired due to
staff reductions, Principals would now be responsible for special
education/504 student services/programs.
Read the remainder of this article and the pro's and con's to implementing this study by clicking here. To read MGT's report please click here.
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Special Education Meeting
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SPECIAL NOTICE - The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for Special Education will hold their regular monthly meeting on Monday, March 1, 2010 in the Board Room at the district office. The meeting time has been changed to 6:00 p.m. in order to include enough time for a study session to discuss the special education study which was completed by MGT of America.
There will be a Special Mt. Diablo School Board Meeting on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at Monte Gardens in the Multi-Use Room. At this meeting, MGT will present their report with recommendations that may affect special education services in the district.
Please mark your calendars to attend both of these very important meetings
CAC - Monday, March 1, 2010 6:00 p.m. Board Room, District Office
Special Board of Education Meeting Tuesday, March 2, 2010 6:00 p.m. Multi-Purpose Room, Monte Gardens Elementary School (school right next to the district office)
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Read-In-Day and Upper Grade Book Swap
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 Upper Grade Book Swap 2010
3rd - 5th grade
Wednesday, March 3rd
Don't forget - Read-In-Day is Wednesday.
Look for more information in the Monday folder.
Pajamas are encouraged.
Are you ready to swap?
Book collections begin Monday, February 22rd
to Friday, February 26th.
The Strandwood Upper Grade Book Swap is for grades 3-5.
Since 2001, it has been coordinated to coincide with the Strandwood Read-In day event. This event is usually scheduled for the first Wednesday in March.
All upper grade students participate. Each student is given a ticket for one book to pick out
at the swap automatically. Additional tickets are received for each book the student brings
in to "trade". Up to a maximum of 12 tickets. Tickets will be used for Book Swap only.
Here's how it works:
Bring in your used books to your teacher and receive a ticket for each book collected.
Books for trade need to be:
* 3rd through 7th grade reading levels only
* Chapter Books only
* No magazines or activity books please
* All books should be in good/enjoyable condition
Take a look through your books and see which ones you've read that others might enjoy
too and get ready to swap!
Thank you and please let me know if you have any questions.
Diane Kastell (686-4943) or dikastell@yahoo.com
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Dinner Dance Auction Is This Weekend
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Online Auction CLOSES this FRIDAY!
Thank you to everyone who has registered on cMarket - we have over 90 registered users. And it's still not too late, be sure to log on if you haven't already at www.strandwood.cmarket.com. Again, class projects and teacher experiences are only available online. Check the cMarket website for a list of NEW STAGGERED CLOSING TIMES for Friday.
It's PARTY TIME!
This Saturday is the Dinner Dance Auction event. Make sure you show up for Happy Hour at 5:30pm for drink specials from Tiki Tom. Also, be sure to show up early to sign up for all those great family parties (space is limited). What to wear? Fun and festive is the call...dress up or dress down just be ready to get down! Bon Viaggio! We are very excited for the event and can't wait to see you all there.
Program Book hand delivered to your doorstep (now that's service!):
The Program Book will act as your ticket. Everything you need to know about the event (times, auction items etc.) and more will be listed in your book. Be sure to bring it to the event. All Program Books will be delivered to your doorstep this week if you haven't already received it.
DDA Clean-Up Crew Update:
This will be a quick process - 30 minutes or less depending on how much help we have. The Dinner Dance Auction ends at 11:00pm and we have to be out by Midnight. We are simplifying life and taking ALL Items to The Jordan's House-Garage at 24 Pineview Court - located close to P.Hill Rd/Grayson/Gregory Lane. All are Welcome to stay for a Night Cap with The Jordans.
Even if you are heading to Mr. Lucky's, please consider dropping a load off at the Jordans first because they are close by. With limited time, and the party continuing, we hope to not double back to the Community Center for items. We have a few helpers, but a few more will be awesome! Contact Vangie for any questions at airevj@pacbell.net, or just jump in when we start loading things up. See You There!
Get your Raffle Tickets in by Friday!
Be sure to turn your raffle tickets in to the DDA box in the office by the end of school on Friday! Raffle prizes include a Tiffany Necklace, an I Pod Nano, and the Grand Prize of a One-Week Vacation Get-Away. You do not have to be present to win so be sure to get those raffle tickets turned in! If you need more raffle tickets please email Noga at nogakessler@yahoo.com.
For more info:
Click onto the DDA page at Strandwood's website at www.strandwood.org.
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Mt. Diablo Music Education Foundation
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Mount Diablo Music Education Foundation
and Pyramid Alehouse present a
Roaring 20s Mystery Event!
The adventure begins on Saturday, March 6 from 6:00-10:00pm at the Pyramid Alehouse 1410 Locust Street, Walnut Creek 94596 946-1520
Ages 14 and up - Ticket price $40 - includes food and a drink
Purchase tickets on www.brownpapertickets.com
More information can be found at www.mdmusicfoundation.org
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Music Foundation Needs Volunteers
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Mt. Diablo Music Education Foundation is in the midst of launching a fund-raising campaign that has great potential to raise the funds to reinstate 5th grade music for the 2011-2012 school year BUT we need help. I am looking for a school level rep to work with the Foundation in facilitating the successful implementation of our "Draw For Disney" an opportunity to make a contribution to the Foundation and in return get an opportunity to win a Disney vacation.
We would like to plan a strategy specific to Strandwood during the month of March and implement the donation process in the month of April. We are looking for individuals from Strandwood who could assist with this. I will update them on our plans and the role of Strandwood in our campaign.
Without the participation of each school we will not meet the goals of this campaign and our kids will be the ones, as well as those teachers without positions, who loose out.
I appreciate your efforts in assisting with this request for help, I can not do this without you and our parents.Please feel free to call me at 925 381 8943 with questions about the program or leads. You can also share my information with any parent who is interested. THANK YOU!!
Carolyn Diggs
Mt Diablo Music Education Foundation College Park Feeder Representative
925 381 8943 |
Wacky Wednesday
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The next Wacky Wednesday is March 10th and will feature the ever popular Crazy Hair Day. Mark it on your calendars now.
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Next Chess Class Starts March 10th
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 Chess is fun and can be learned quickly and easily. Studies have found that chess helps improve test results in reading, science, and math, and produces growth in critical cognitive skills. Beyond academia, chess influences social behavior including self esteem, respect for others, patience, and good manners. And did we mention it's FUN!!
Boards and sets are provided for our classes. The minimum class size is 10, maximum is 20. Enrollments are accepted in the order received. We will call only if the class is full and we cannot accept more enrollments. For siblings, the first child is full price, additional siblings are half price. Also, some reduced fees are available to low-income families upon request.
Enroll or read about the Berkeley Chess School at www.berkeleychessschool.org. There are also green colored fliers in the office with an enrollment form in case you wish to mail it in.
Join us for this 8 week session from March 10th to May 5th (no class on April 7th).
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FPHE Comedy Improv Night
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The Foundation for Pleasant Hill Education and Club 50 present
the final celebration of FPHE's Annual Campaign: A night of improv!
Featuring comedy troupes: Trapped in a Rumor and A Touch of Zen
What could be better than raising money for Pleasant Hill schools while laughing at comedic improv?
Family Friendly Shows:
Saturday, March 20, 4:00-6:00 pm
Sunday, March 21, 2:00-4:00 pm
PG-13 Show:
Saturday, March 20, 7:00-9:00 pm
Cost: $8 per person. The entire $8 will go to FPHE. Pay at the door (cash or checks payable to FPHE),or pay by PayPal at www.fphe.org.
Reservations required - two ways to reserve tickets:
Call Club 50 Fitness: (925) 938-5050 or make a reservation by paying with PayPal at www.fphe.org. Make your reservation today; seats are limited.
Location: Club 50 Fitness - 609 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill (Next to Kelly Ann's Day Spa)
Arrive 30 minutes before the show to enjoy complimentary appetizers and wine/beverages.
FPHE thanks Club 50 Fitness and both improv troupes for donating their time and talent to benefit our schools.
Help Schools Thrive - Give $55
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Make A Difference Day March 27th
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 Make a Difference this Spring!
Spring into action on Saturday, March 27, and help beautify California Distinguished School Strandwood Elementary!
Come help us rouse our gardens from their longer winter slumber and restore our campus to its springtime glory. Spare a few hours between 9:00 - 5:00 for our gardens, for our school, for our children!
Contact Belinda at brcsullivan@sbcglobal.net to sign up to help.
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Strandwood Talent Show
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| Come and light up our school and light up the night with your talent in the Strandwood Talent Show! Save these dates: The talent show this year is scheduled for May 21st and and 22nd at 7pm. Pre-views will be Wednesday, April 15th after school. More info to come soon. |
| Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? |
1st Grade Question - Which one of the following does NOT have seeds?
A) Peach B) Apple or C) Carrot
2nd Grade Question - Is Mexico a country or a continent?
3rd Grade Question - Columbus sailed the ocean blue in what rhyming year.
4th Grade Question - How many pounds in one ton?
5th Grade Question - True or False? Cockroaches have inhabited the earth for more than 250 millions years ago.
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Dates, Times and Place |
March 3rd - Read In Day
March 3rd - Upper Grade Book Swap
March 3rd - Field Trip - P-4 - Water Treatment Plant
March 4th - PTA General Membership Meeting - 6:30 in the library. Free babysitting provided.
March 5th - Spotlight Assembly
March 6th - Strandwood Dinner Dance Auction .
March 9th - School Site Council Meeting - 3:15 in the library
March 10th - CRAZY HAIR DAY
March 10th - Field Trip - P-2 and P3 - Water Treatment Plant
March 12th - Field Trip - 2nd Grade - Percussion Discussion
March 17th - March 24th - Library Book Fair
March 25th - DARE Graduation
March 26th - Report Cards sent home
March 26th - Principal Pizza Lunch - Blue slips must be turned in by February 24th.
March 27th - Make A Difference Day
Check all the calendars on the Strandwood website by clicking here.
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In the Office
Flyers regarding the following items are available in the office this month. You can also click on the link, if there is one, to go directly to that site. | Return To Top
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| Answers |
Are you smarter then a 5th grader?
1st grade - Carrot
2nd grade - Country
3rd grade - 1492
4th grade - 2000
5th grade - True
What is it? Wooden coat hanger
Fact or Not? (If underlined, click for more information) 1) Fact | |
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