Your Monday Morning Roadrunner from Strandwood Elementary

MAY 17, 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.

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In This Issue

A Message From The Principal

Strandgers and Copper Thieves

4th Grade Walk-A-thon

Reading Program Going to the Dogs

Turn IT Off Week

Strandwood Talent Show

PTA Coordinator Positions Open

Dress Code Reminder

State May Budget Revise is Out

Library Book Club

Cafeteria news

Beat The Fingerprinting Rush

New Summer Camps

FPHE Newsletter

Measure C Information

Free Congrats to Grads in Community Focus

KidFest 2010

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Dates, Times and Places

Flyers Available in the Office

A Message From The PTA President

End of My Term

My last PTA meeting as President will be in the upcoming weeks and this will be my last chance to write as President in the Roadrunner. So first let me say a big thank you. It has been a pleasure to lead such a great organization and be a part of such a great parent community (of which I of course will remain a part of for three more years). Over the last two years, when the PTA has called on the parents for support both with time and money, you all have come through in an unprecedented manner. We have raised over $250,000 in two years and have racked up approximately 40,000 hours in volunteer time. We have met the challenges of a decreasing school budget and have made significant efforts to ensure our kids get the opportunities we all want them to.

Second, a special thanks to the PTA board members. These have not been the easiest of times but it has been an honor to serve with all of you. Thanks to the administration and staff for also working so well with us. It is tremendous to see the great mix of people and talents working to achieve our goals.

Finally, I hope that everyone is encouraged to continue to participate. If you look at other schools, I think you will understand why everyone loves Strandwood so much. The broader the involvement, the more diverse the opinions, the greater the number of ideas what will keep us excelling!

Thank you, Sue

Strangers and Copper Thieves
In and Around Strandwood

Things To Watch For: This week a parent called me with a concern. While walking to school his student became aware of two men in a car he wasn't familiar with. His student returned home and the parent accompanied the student to school. On their way to school they didn't see the two men or their car. I encouraged the father to call Pleasant Hill Police which he did. He was assured that there were no reports in our community of any one approaching or bothering students. It serves as a reminder to us all to review with our children the safety precautions to take when walking or riding a bike if they are approached by a stranger or just feel uncomfortable.

Saturday Mrs. Lovitt and I came to school to work. Mrs. Lovitt informed me the lights were out in her classroom. We walked to her room, lights were off in the C Wing and further investigation lead us to discover the lights were off in the B Wing. We checked the circuit breakers and all were on for both buildings. As we walked between the B Wing and the C Wing Mrs. Lovitt looked up at the C Wing building and said "Does that always look like that?" as she pointed to two metal boxes on the side of the building with wires cut and pulled out! We contacted MDUSD Security. Security came out and discovered that the wires had also been cut on the B Wing. Electricians were called and by the time you read this it will be remedied. I'm sure the thieves came in the dark of night; I know I'll watch a little more closely late at night when I walk the dogs. Keep an eye on the school when you are out and about!

Photo courtesy of the Bargmann family.

Calendar
Click here to go to the Dates, Times and Places section.

Wacky Wednesday

The final Wacky Wednesday was Crazy Hat/Sunglasses Day. There were many great hats around Strandwood including those on Arianna and Jasmine S.

Great Show of Spirit Strandwood.

Fun Facts
Click on the fact for more information.

The band "The Red Hot Chili Peppers" were originally known as "Tony Flow and the Majestic Masters of Mayhem".

George H W Bush was once Director of the CIA.

Put On A Happy Face
For the next few weeks there will be a different "smile" photo in this space. Can you guess where that smile is located? Note, some photos might have been rotated. (Hint: You will really get a kick out of this one.)

4th Grade Walk-A-Thon

Attention fourth grade families: Walk-a-thon permission slips are due TODAY! Please be sure to turn in your fourth grader's permission slip to take part in one of Strandwood's rite of passage tradition...the Annual Outdoor Ed Walk-a-thon.

Permission slips are to be turned into your child's classroom. Information packets with the permission slips were sent home last week. You may download the permission slips here.

This will be our biggest Outdoor Ed fundraiser. We look forward to sharing this exciting tradition with our fourth graders!

Your Outdoor Ed Parent Coordinators: May Hanecak, Lea Harrington, Mindy Simpson, Lorie Tuey and Cindy Turner.

All Ears Reading Program

Some of the students at Strandwood were on the news recently. They participated in Tony LaRussa's All Ears Reading Program, a special canine assisted reading class. The children read once a week for about 15 minutes to a trained dog. The program is on-going here at Strandwood and we are the first school that the program has been to. All Ears Reading is the first to have scientific results proving that reading to dogs help kids read better!!! Currently, the program is scheduled to return in the fall.

To read the article and watch the video, shot exclusively at Strandwood, please click here.
The video is to the right of the page.

Turn "IT" Off Week Starts Today

Children today may hear this familiar refrain from their grandparents: "We had one television set and it was black-and-white, and we all gathered around for our favorite weekly program."

Things are quite different for children today, with television and other screens that lure us during much of our free time. Joining the national effort to remind families to turn off the TV, Strandwood is participating in Turnoff Week or "Turn IT Off". "IT" includes all screens and emphasizes balancing electronic media usage and engaging in creative, off-screen activities.

The national campaign is sponsored by the Center for Screentime Awareness, and they have dropped "TV" from their "Turnoff Week" slogan. Many would agree that TV is now an equal or lesser draw of the many screens that attract schoolchildren (and some grown-ups), keeping them away from doing other things.

The computer calls us to check email, do research, Facebook, and play games. Then there is the Wii, the DS, XBox and various other video games that can keep kids from being outdoors, doing imaginative play, reading and from meaningfully interacting with people.

A deliberate effort to keep at least the television off for a week may be a good thing. As reported by the Kaiser Family Foundation, eight to 18 year-olds spend over seven hours per day on entertainment media. This includes TV, music/audio, video, cell phone and computer games.

Studies show that having any rules or limits to television usage at home serves to lessen overall screen time. Did you know that if you watched the national daily average of four hours of TV, then by age 65, they would have spent a total of nine years of their lives in front of the television."

Turn "IT" Off Week reminds us all that if electronic media is playing too large a role in our lives and having a negative effect on schoolwork or behavior, then a digital detox may be in order.

Strandwood Talent Shows

The annual Strandwood Elementary Talent Show will be held on two nights this year to accommodate all the acts. Come watch all the Strandwood talent perform on Friday, May 21st and Saturday, May 22nd. Both shows start at 7:00 pm.

PTA Coordinator Positions Open for Next Year

Many of the 2010-2011 PTA Event and Program Coordinators positions are filled but many remain open. The following is a list of the open positions. If you would like more information on the duties or would like to volunteer please email us at strandwood_emailclub@hotmail.com.

Open Positions in Hospitality:
Back to School Coffee, Community Outreach, Honorary Service Awards, Spring Open house and Staff Appreciation Week.

Open Positions in Communication:

Membership and Superintendent Liaison

Open Positions in Programs:
Reflections, Assemblies, Turn Off Electronics Week, Gardening and Make A Difference Day

Other Positions Open:
Nominating Committee and Babysitters

Next week we will have a complete list of Vice Presidents and the coordinator positions.

Dress Code Reminder

It's raining, it's pouring, no now it is 80 degrees and the sun is shining!

After last week's downpour on Monday it is hard to believe beautiful weather is here 90% of the time! On warm days thoughts go to summer attire. This is just a reminder to check out the Strandwood Dress Code on the inside of the blue Strandwood Communication folder. We expect students to follow the dress code.

Not included in the current Strandwood Dress Code: no spaghetti straps or thin straps (fewer than 2 inches it the general consensus from staff) for girls' attire. We will be including that next year in our Dress Code. We will ask that girls do not wear spaghetti straps or thin strips on tops or dresses this year. We will ask them to put on a sweater, jacket or provide them with one from our ample supply in the office.

We recognize it is a challenge to shop today with Miley Cyrus , Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez on TV setting fashion trends for our young girls.

As a staff we will make a commitment to model the Dress Code as well. Thanks in advance for your support and cooperation!

Schwarzenegger Lays Out Bleak California Budget
Article from the Contra Costa Times

Here is an article from the Contra Costa Times regarding Governor Schwarzenegger's latest budget proposal. As more information regarding the impact on education becomes available we will pass it on to you.

"SACRAMENTO, Calif.-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday called for eliminating California's welfare-to-work program, one of the deep cuts he proposed to close a $19 billion budget deficit in the coming fiscal year.

Slashing the welfare program would affect 1.4 million people, two-thirds of them children.
In releasing his revised budget plan, the Republican governor laid out the most severe cuts to health and welfare programs since the state tumbled into recession nearly three years ago. He said cuts to government services over the past few years have done away with the "low-hanging fruit."
"We now have to use the ax to eliminate some of those programs," he said.

The Republican governor announced his revised budget plan for the fiscal year that begins in July, as the state's 12.6 percent unemployment rate ranks among the highest in the nation and tax revenue remains low. In April, personal income tax was $3 billion less than projected, which wiped away earlier revenue gains."

To read the remainder of the article click here.

Library Birthday Book Club
By Laurel Burns, Librarian

The Library is no longer accepting Birthday Book Club members for this school year. I would like to thank everyone who participated throughout the school year. The library added 102 books to the collection as a result of the Birthday Book Program.

Cafeteria News

Thank you to all who supported the lunch program this year. Due to the end of the school year approaching, there will be no more credit issued for lunches as of Monday, May 24th. Please make sure your child has money on their account or please pack them a lunch.

Any funds remaining on your account will be carried over to next year. 5th graders will have the excess monies refunded. For questions on refunds or carry over balances please feel free to email me.

Thank you,
Sandy Reeder, Cafeteria Manager

Email - StrandwoodCafe@mdusd.k12.ca.us.

Beat The Fingerprinting Rush

If you are thinking of volunteering next year, and haven't been fingerprinted, you should consider making arrangements over the summer to get that done. If you wait until the beginning of the school year there is usually a long wait period. New kindergarten parents, you should have received a fingerprinting form with your information packet on orientation night last week.

Click here to view and print the fingerprinting form.

To get your clearance to work with the students you need to call the district personnel office at 682-8000 x4153 and make an appointment. It is advisable to do this after receipt of your evidence of negative TB test. There is a $32 charge for the fingerprinting.

New Summer Camps Added Weekly

As summer approached, new summer camps flyers are being sent tot he office and offered on-line. Check the "In The Office" section at the bottom of the newsletter for current offerings.

FPHE Newsletter

The Foundation for Pleasant Hill Education's current fundraising has exceeded $25,000. For a review of the 2010 Annual Campaign and some great articles, including one on Pleasant Hill Middle School, check out their 1st quarter newsletter.

To view the newsletter please click here.

Measure C Information

Measure C vital to schools in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District
An Article by Kish Rajan and Jenny Reik

"There are few things more important than maintaining quality schools. They provide better-educated students, well-prepared workers for tomorrow's leading-edge industries, improved property values and safer communities.

Our local school district, Mt. Diablo Unified, has provided great local education for decades, but today it faces significant challenges. Continuous state budget cuts over the past three years have taken a serious toll on our local schools.

Measure C won't solve every problem facing our local schools, but it will provide critical support to local students when state funding is increasingly unreliable. It will go a long way toward helping local students meet today's and tomorrow's challenges.

Measure C will add classroom instructional technology and upgrade science and computer labs. Improved technology will enhance advanced classes and elementary instruction in math, science and language... " To read the rest of the article please click here.

Community Focus Offers Free " Congrats to Grads"

Our wonderful local paper the Community Focus is going to have a free "Congrats to Graduates" section for text only in their June and July issue. So if you or your friends have/know kids graduating, please check out this fun opportunity. Below are details and deadlines (the June deadline is Today).

Congratulate your graduate in the Focus! Submit 35 words of text (max) for FREE. If you want to include a photo ( 1 MB min. size req.) there is a $25 fee. We need the info by this Monday 5/17 (at the latest) for the June issue and June 11th for the July issue. Email text and/or photo to: publishers@pleasanthillcommunityfocus.com

2010 KidFest