I had the privilege of drumming with many of the 6th graders this week while I was covering a class, and it was one of the highlights of my tenure. John Muir Laws graced both campuses on Thursday and many students shared their journals and experiences. Friday night was a busy evening out at the Corte Madera Back to School BBQ, followed by the celebration of our new telescope over at Ormondale.

The State Board of Education approved the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) last week. This means the standards that many states have already adopted for science will also be covered in California. It's important to note that these are not "Common Core" standards, as the Common Core folks trademarked their work in Math and Language Arts and said they would not add other subjects. The National Science Teachers Association and others designed the NGSS and they were piloted and reviewed nationally. The one thing unresolved is whether middle schools will integrate the three areas of science (earth, life, physical) or keep them separate with single subjects taught in different grades. We'll wait to see what happens with that.

PVSD would like to invite interested district parents and teachers to attend Challenge Success's fall parent education event on October 4th at 7pm at Stanford's Memorial Auditorium.  This year's keynote speaker is Daniel Pink, author of 5 books, including New York Times best-sellers A Whole New Mind, Drive and To Sell is Human.  Pink will be joined by Madeline Levine and Denise Pope, Challenge Success cofounders, for an interactive discussion about the meaning of success and how families and educators can help youth thrive in the fast-paced world in which we live.   

Challenge Success, which is housed within Stanford's Graduate School of Education, is dedicated to promoting a broader vision of youth success.   It brings together research from education, psychology, and medicine to help schools and families raise children who are good people, who are truly engaged with learning and who are comfortable in their own skins.   Challenge Success believes balanced kids, not stressed-out over-achievers, will become the healthy, resourceful, thriving adults who will positively impact our world.

PVSD has secured 30 tickets to this event, and they are available FOR FREE to the first 30 district parents or teachers who sign up.  Contact Nicole Cota at  851-1777 x2572 to reserve a ticket.

Perhaps you haven't heard of one of our new staff members. Todd Patterson is currently the Guidance Counselor at Ormondale, filling in for Lisa Vaughn while she is out on maternity leave. Todd is credentialed as a School Counselor. In addition, Todd is registered as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) intern. He has experience in implementing School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Programs, participating in SST, IEP and 504 meetings, instructing classroom lessons, running targeted group and individual counseling, and facilitating social skills programs. Todd's current role includes planning Character Education curriculum at Corte Madera School and providing intensive mental health services for identified students.

Please join Todd and I as we meet with the Learning Differences Advisory Group (LDAG) for its first coffee of the year - Wed. October 2nd from 8:30-9:30 am at Corte Madera, Room 102. LDAG is an amazing support group for parents. If you have some free time, please join us. You'll be exposed to conversations and services that may benefit your own children, or others you know. We want to be proactive in our support for ALL OF OUR CHILDREN, so help us do this work.

Read, read, read to your children. I will too. Right now we're reading a book I learned about while watching 4th/5th grade teachers in a coaching session on "Reader's Workshop." I continue to learn how we all continue to be our children's first and best teachers. Hope you all have a great week.