A Strandwood PTA Publication
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OCTOBER 18, 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 PTA and school websites. 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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A Message From The PTA PresidentBy Martha Alexander
| There are numerous PTA programs coming up at Strandwood. I know that you will be getting dates and times from the calendar and flyers, but the upcoming events are noteworthy of another reminder!
Book Fair starts Friday October 22, 2010 from 3:00 - 8:30 p.m. If you are new to Strandwood, parent volunteers turn our Library into a magical bookstore. It is a wonderful opportunity to explore with your child what books he/she would like to read, while at the same time supporting our Library. All profits are used to purchase books for Strandwood's Library. The children LOVE the Book Fair, so stop by and see what it is all about. There is also an opportunity to purchase books for your child's classroom.
Fall Fest is also on Friday October 22, 1010. This is an annual event that is one of my favorites. It is all about a community coming together to celebrate. Look for details in the flyers and around campus. It is going to be a blast. As you have undoubtedly heard there is a pie-eating contest (who can eat a small pie first). I was informed today that I have been entered in the contest !!!!!! So bring it on! You do not want to miss this event!!!!
Parent Education. Our first Parent Education will be on Thursday, November 4, 2010, before the PTA meeting. Preston Jones will be talking about Stranger Danger at a student assembly that same day, and then is coming back to campus to talk to parents about the same topic. It is an opportunity for you to hear what your child(ren) heard during the assembly and also obtain information about methods to keep your child(ren) save. Babysitting will be provided. We will be taking RSVP's so we know if we need to set up in MUR, or the library. Then, starting in January, 2011, we will have a Parent Ed night once a month. Information will be coming soon on the upcoming topics.
PTA meeting is also Thursday , November 4, 6:30- 8:30 immediately following the Mr. Preston's presentation. We have had a great turn out for PTA meetings and hope to see a lot more new faces. 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.
Nutcracker, production is already under way. This is a spectacular holiday favorite at Strandwood. The date for your calendar is Saturday, December 4, 2010, time will depend on your child's classroom. More information will be coming soon, so stay tuned!
I look forward to seeing you in the upcoming months as our Strandwood community of families comes together to celebrate.
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Photo courtesy of the Bargmann family.
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Calendar
Click the image below to go directly to the monthly Strandwood PTA web calendar.
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On This Day in History
OCTOBER 18,
1851 - Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" is first published as "The Whale" by Richard Bentley of London.
1867 - United States takes possession of Alaska after purchasing it from Russia for $7.2 million. Celebrated annually in the state as Alaska Day.
1925 - The Grand Ole Opry opens in Nashville, Tennessee.
1954 - Texas Instruments announces the first Transistor radio.
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An Interesting October Fact
| October, 2010, has something that occurs once every 823 years (or so I'm told). This month has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. An extra weekend, wow.
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Strandwood's Gardening Committee Small Project Planting Day By Noga Kessler |
Just a reminder that today, Monday, October 18, from 8:15-10:15, the gardening committee will be planting Native and Drought -Resistant plants in the main courtyard area, in front of the office. If you would like to join us or find out more about the gardening committee, please come on Monday or email Noga at nogakessle@yahoo.com.
Please remember to bring your gardening tools and gloves when you come.
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Nutcracker News - Principals Casted
and Important Permission Slip Dates By May Hanecak
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Congratulations on everyone who auditioned for a principal part. We have an incredibly talented group of students here at Strandwood! It was truly difficult for the judges. We had a record number turn out for the 5th grade principal roles (31students for 12 roles) as well as 3rd grade Claras (16 students for 3 roles). We encourage all 5th graders who auditioned and did not get a principal part to select one of the many other volunteer roles available (Sugar Plum, Chinese Acrobat, Battle, Backstage etc.) - we have parts for any 5th grader who would like to be in the production.
Introducing the Nutcracker 2010 Principal cast:
Clara: Sarah F., Kailani D., Anna S.
Nutcracker: Trevor G., Meagan N., Maya M.
Drosselmeyer: Courtney T., Grace L., Ethan T.
Rat King: Sophia H., Mindy W., Dominic H.
Mamma Mouse: Sophia L., Zoe N., Jayna J.
Important Permission Slip dates:
Tuesday, Oct. 19th - 4th & 5th grade volunteers permission slips are due in the office.
Monday, Oct. 25th - K-3 Permission slips will be sent home.
Friday, Oct. 29th - K-3 Permission slips due in classrooms.
Questions? Please contact Diane Kastell (dikastell@yahoo.com or 686-4943) or May Hanecak (may_hanecak417@yahoo.com or 934-6828).
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Fall Fest 2010
| Strandwood's Annual Fall Fest will be Friday, October 22nd from 5-8pm. Come hungry and buy dinner for the kids at the Taco Truck. FREE carnival games, face painting and much more will be available for the entire family. The Book Fair will also be open in the library, so plan to do a bit of shopping.
Carved pumpkins for the Pumpkin Carving Contest and Cakes are due in the MUR on Friday between 2:30 - 4pm. Applications for the Pie Eating Contest are due to the office no later than Thursday morning. Fifteen contestants from each category will be randomly drawn. If you need a copy of the entry forms, click here.
What can you do to help? Donate a cake or cupcakes to the cake walk and bake sale. The more treats we have, the more opportunities for the kids to play and win. |
Scholastic Book Fair is Coming Soon!
By Katie Roarty
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Our theme - "Here's to Our Heroes! Reading Saves the Day!"-celebrates all types of heroes, from the ordinary to the extraordinary, inspired by a love for books. So come by to support the super student in your life and the Strandwood Library! Our hours are:
Friday, Oct. 22nd - 2:50-8:00pm - open during Fall Fest event
Monday, Oct 25th - 2:50-8:00pm 
6:00-7:30pm - Raffle/Popcorn/Hot Choc. Night: Get a raffle ticket for a chance to win $20 in books! The winner will be announced at 7:00pm and again at lunch on Tuesday. Need not be present to win. Popcorn and Hot Chocolate will also be served by 4th grade Girl Scout Troop #31125.
Tuesday, Oct. 26th - 2:00-8:00pm
11:40am-12:40pm - open at lunchtime for 3rd-5th grade
2:00-2:50pm Shop without Students
6:15-7:15pm Story Time with Mrs. Kim, Mrs. Burns and Mr. Brown!
Wednesday, Oct. 27th - close at 2:00pm
8:10-9:00am - Shop without Students
11:00am-2:00pm - Last day of Book Fair
See you at the library!
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5
| GET WIMPY - Jeff Kinney's newest book is scheduled to go on sale November 9th. The book fair is offering an exclusive paperback edition of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The ugly Truth. Each pre-order benefits our school. Click here to view and print the order form.
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Fine Arts Mini-Experience at Strandwood
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 Welcome to FAME for the 2010-2011 school year. FAME is a six-year cycle of fine arts lessons that focus on one artist and one composer for six lessons throughout the school year. Because no lesson is repeated throughout the six years, students never get the same FAME lesson twice. This is FAME III out of VI.
This is FAME's fifteenth year at Strandwood! We are thrilled to have enjoyed strong administration, staff, PTA and parent support throughout that time.
FAME takes place on Tuesdays throughout the month. If you're interested in observing, please contact your child's teacher for their schedule. Parent visitors are always welcome. If you don't know what FAME is all about please click here for a great article about the program.
FAME - Lesson III, Week 1
ART: Woman with Dog (Young Girl by Window) by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)
MUSIC: The Children's Corner "The Snow is Dancing" by Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Want to listen to the music? Click here.
Students compare the characteristics and imagery of Impressionist art and music as they study the lives and works of American artist Mary Cassatt and French composer Claude Debussy. Color, and the concept of warm and cool colors and the color wheel are discussed as students view Cassatt's Woman with Dog. They also learn about Impressionism in music and how Debussy changed the musical landscape with his work.
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Accelerated Reader Home Connect
| You can use Renaissance Home Connect as a way of monitoring and
encouraging your child's reading practice. We are confident that
you'll find it to be a valuable tool for monitoring your child's
progress. Research confirms that parental involvement in a child's
education is a strong predictor of student achievement.
Please use the following
link to login: Renaissance Home Connect. By logging on from their home computer, students and parents can:
* See progress toward reading goals.
* Conduct book searches using AR Bookfinder
* Review results on AR quizzes.
* View number of books read, words read,
and quizzes passed.
* Sign up to receive Email alerts when your student completes a quiz.
* And much, much more.
Click here to view the Parents Guide to Accelerated Reader. Thank you for
your involvement in your child's education.
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School Board Candidates Forum
| Pleasant Hill Education Commission presents
2010 Mt Diablo Unified School District
Board of Education Candidates Forum
Wednesday, Oct 20, 7-9 pm
Pleasant Hill City Hall
Council Chambers
100 Gregory Lane
Meet the candidates running in the upcoming November election for MDUSD Board of Education and get answers to your questions regarding their positions and qualifications in this discussion moderated by Contra Costa Times Political Editor Lisa Vorderbrueggen.
Questions chosen to be posed to the candidates by the moderator at the event will be a mix of those prepared in advance from community input and those submitted that evening.
Participating candidates include: Brian Lawrence, Linda Mayo, Roy Larkin, Cheryl Hansen and Jeff Adams.
The forum will be re-broadcast on Comcast Channel 26 on October 22 at 5:00 p.m. and October 24 at 7:00 p.m.
To send your questions in advance for consideration, please email: j_reik@comcast.net
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Education Notes
| The Sunday Contra Costa Times had some interesting articles regarding education. In case you missed them, here are links to the articles.
Sunday Perspective: Why aren't our teachers the best and the brightest?
Sunday Perspective: A Manifesto on how to fix our schools.
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Mountain Lion Spotted in Pleasant Hill
| The Pleasant Hill Police department issued this important message for the community last Tuesday evening. **There has been a confirmed mountain lion sighting in the area of
Bramblewood/Stonehedge Dr in Pleasant Hill (near the Martinez border). The animal was seen walking in
the area, the area backs up to the open space which most likely it came from.
The animal has not threatened anyone or acted aggressively. Please be advised to
use caution in this area."
They believe the mountain lion returned to the open space later that evening. For the KTVU coverage of the sighting click here. For more information about mountain lions please click here.
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Dates, Times and Places
| October 18 - 29 - Red Ribbon Week
October 19 - PTA E-Board Meeting
October 19 - Field Trip - 4th Grade to Lawrence Hall of Science
October 22 - October 27th - Book Fair
October 22 - Fall Fest
October 22 - Principal Pizza Lunch
October 26 - Field Trip - 1st Grade to the Mangini's Pumpkin Patch B-4 8:45 - 10:00
October 26 - Field Trip - 1st Grade to the Mangini's Pumpkin Patch B-3 12:30 - 2:00
October 27 - Opera A la Carte Assembly - 9:00am
October 27 - Field Trip - 1st Grade to the Mangini's Pumpkin Patch B-2 & C-4 10:30 - 11:30
October 29 - Strandwood Halloween Parade
View the calendar on the Strandwood PTA website by clicking here.
View the calendar on the Strandwood Elementary School 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. | |
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