Dear Families,

We have had a very exciting week with more cold weather and an ice skating rink for a playground. The students have practiced being safe, as they walk around the slippery obstacles and navigate their way through the icy fields. The weather has us ready for the end of 2013 and the start of 2014. We want to wish you all a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

When our students return from vacation, they will be welcomed back to our school, their classrooms, and the opening of The Lab @ Ormondale. Starting in January our students will experience STEM activities, with the support of our STEM Coach Mr. Schneider. Our kick off activity will center on early programming skills and will present some collaborative learning opportunities. We are excited to start to using the lab and we are looking forward to all of the learning opportunities it presents. Thank you to the many volunteers who have helped prepare the lab for our students. We are still in need of a number of supplies. Here is a small list of items that you may find during your holiday vacation. If you would like to donate them, drop them off in the office. Supplies: cardboard tubes (wrapping paper, paper towels, toilet paper), all kinds of tape, wire, cotton balls, straws, legos, magna tiles, and small pieces of wood, cardboard (not boxes) or plastic. Mark your calendars, Friday, January 24th at 6:00 pm, for Science Family Night to see Science Experiments, Inventions, and a chance to experience The Lab @ Ormondale.  

It is the time of year that our least favorite bugs, head lice, begin to show up in schools. This year has been no different. According to the California Department of Public Health, "head lice, while a significant social problem, do not transmit disease to humans." Our goal is to keep the students and our school lice free, while supporting families who may have to deal with head lice. We do not allow sharing of hats or headwear and work with kids to minimize contact that could spread lice. If you are concerned about head lice or receive a notice that your child's class been exposed to head lice, it is recommended that you check your child's head daily, for a period of ten days. We have a number of resources available for families concerned with lice and our office staff and Nurse Abbe are happy to help.

Upcoming Events

Winter Concert

Our students and staff are preparing an amazing concert that you are sure to enjoy. The concert is set for Wednesday, December 18th from 8:30 am - 10:00 am.

Science Family Night

Join us for a fun family night, Friday, January 24th from 6:00 - 7:00 Pm, with our Science Fair, Invention Expo and The Lab @ Ormondale Open House.  

We are looking forward to seeing you all at the Winter Concert and celebrating our student's musical talents.   If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact me at kkeegan@pvsd.net or 650-851-1777.  Have a wonderful vacation.

Sincerely,

Kevin F. Keegan

Don't forget that Ormondale's Science Fair and Invention Convention is coming up January 22nd-24th. Family Science Night will be 6:00-7:00 on the last day of the Fair- Friday the 24th. Look for the Science Fair Brochures, or a digital copy thereof, to be coming your way next week!  

1st graders designing a cricket superhighway!

 1st Grade -   This month we are wrapping up our Solids, Liquids and Gases Unit with some memorable labs: We just completed an Ice Cream Phase Change where we lowered the temperature of ice by adding salt to it, and used this phenomenon to turn a liquid mixture into a solid- ice cream! We then collected evidence on our lab by eating the final experiment- it was delicious! During the third week of  December all the 1st grade classes will participate in a Bubble Festival in Science that will bring together all the states of matter to make fantastic bubbles of all shapes and sizes. Please contact your child's classroom teacher if you might be able to volunteer to help in Science the week of December 9-13th . It should be memorable!

2nd graders design some amazing new Dinos in Science- check them out in the Ormondale office!

2nd Grade -  The second graders are just completing our Pebbles, Sand and Silt unit

by taking a geologic side trip into the "Stories that Rocks Tell." We are doing this by learning about how fossils are made in the natural word- and by then making our own plaster of paris "fossils" during the week of December 9-13th. 

  The following week we will have a scavenger hunt to find the hidden fossils and each student had the chance to be a Paleontologist, and unearth the surprize hiding in the fossil they had found. Please contact your child's teacher if you can volunteer during either of these exciting, and very hands-on, weeks of Science!

Next up is a Physical Science unit called Balance and Motion where we will start out by learning some of the basic means of measuring, and exploring the benefits of having a standard means of measurement.

3rd graders pondering the parts of a crayfish

3rd Grade -   After completing our Structures of Life unit, and finishing up with our crawfish and snail observations, the third grade Matter and Energy unit is now rolling right along. This past week we have been exploring all different types of energy, and have tested out different energy sources (like the sun, motion, chemical, sound and heat) and contrasted these to stored energy (like in batteries, food and wood). In the upcoming weeks we are going to be exploring the properties of light: that what we see is reflected light, that light travels in a straight line, goes REALLY fast (!), and travels in waves of different lengths (which gives us colors, among other things!). This unit will continue until the winter break.

Ormondale Science         

December 2-20th

The kindergarten classrooms are collecting NEW pajamas for the Scholastic Pajama Program.  Pajama Program is a nonprofit organization that provides new books and new pajamas to children in need, many of whom are waiting and hoping to be adopted. Since 2001, Pajama Program has donated over one million pajamas and books to children nationwide.  There will be boxes at Ormondale to drop off pajamas in the office, library, and Room 5.  Kindergarten children will be coming to school in their pajamas on the last day of collection Friday, December 20th.  Make a child's holiday season bright!

Contact Sherry Andrighetto sandrighetto@pvsd.net

Here's What We Need:

*Brand-new pajamas in all sizes, from newborn to adult(Please do not donate used pajamas)

*Pajamas must be complete sets-a top and bottom or an appropriate nightgown

*Pajamas for all seasons, but especially for the winter months.

Incoming 6th Grade Information Meeting

There will be an informational meeting about the middle school program at CMS on Thursday, January 9 from 8:15 - 9:15AM in Room 102. All 4th and 5th grade parents are encouraged to attend to hear about middle school and the transition into 6th grade. You will also receive information about the success rates of our students when they graduate from Corte Madera and move on into high school.

New 4th and 5th Grade Progress Report Information Meeting

It's been over a year in the making...Our new 4th and 5th grade progress report will be rolled out at the end of January. Our new report is common core standards aligned and was thoughtfully created by our staff to provide parents and students with tangible feedback regarding learning and application of our new standards. More specific information will be shared after New Year's about when and how parents will receive mid-year reports on student progress. Two informational meetings have been scheduled for Tuesday, January 14 8:15-9:00am and Thursday, January 16 from 3:15-4:00pm. Both meetings will be in Room 102. We hope you are able to attend one of the meetings.

Reflections

As we approach winter break and reflect back on the past five months, I am so pleased with what our students, parents and staff have accomplished together so far this school year. Our staff has put amazing energy and skill into the transition to common core instruction and integrated learning and we continue to push ourselves to best meet the needs of our creative and curious students to develop their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.

In the future, you will continue to see more and more amazing "thinking work" with reading, writing and math, STEM, differentiation, service learning, creative expression and Project-Based Learning infused throughout our instruction. It is energizing work that could not happen without incredible parent support. Thank you for your volunteerism, generous financial support and the time, energy and effort you give our students and staff each and every day. Moving forward, we will work to continue and strengthen our instruction together as our common core journey continues. I look forward to what the remainder of the school year brings for our students. I hope all Corte Madera families have an enjoyable and safe holiday season and I look forward to seeing our Panthers back at CMS when we return in January.

Michael Corritone

Principal

"Respect for ourselves guides our morals;
respect for others guides our manners."

Laurence Sterne

This month at CMS, we are focusing on Respect. Students are being asked to describe how their families show respect towards one another and also to define what respectful behavior should look like at school. In addition, they are asked to share a time when they have been disrespectful at either home or in school and to discuss and reflect as to what triggers disrespectful behaviors in kids.

Also, during FLEX time this month, we will be talking to the students about Service Learning opportunities. Nurturing connected, contributing global citizens is a focus area of our Strategic Plan and exploring service learning options is a key component. On Monday, we had an assembly for all middle school students to remind them about the importance of Service Learning. We invited a speaker from Free the Children http://www.freethechildren.com to explain their organization and also empower students to care about local and global issues. Students will have the opportunity to work directly with a liason from this organization and will also be guided by their FLEX teacher in understanding the value of Service Learning. Our hope is that some students will become interested and passionate about a certain cause and will be inspired to take action. We will follow up again in January with our yearly all school assembly from Budd MacKenzie- Founder of Trust in Education (TIE) http://www.trustineducation.org. For years, many Corte Madera students and staff have taken part in Service Learning projects that directly benefit this cause.

CMS Student Activities and Information

- 4th/8th grade Buddy Activity Tuesday, December 17th at lunch.

- Holiday Door Decorating Contest taking place in 4/5 classrooms and FLEX classrooms- winner to be announced on Thursday, December 19th.

- CMS Music Assembly Thursday, December 19th after lunch.

- All CMS Lost and Found will be donated during the holiday break. Please make sure to stop by the CMS lost and found and look for missing items.

- Open Enrollment Transfer Requests for the Sequoia Union High School District are due January 17, 2014 by 4 p.m.

- Private high school transcript requests and recommendation forms need to be turned into CMS Office Manager Kathy Hoskin as soon as possible. There is a $25 processing fee for each "family" of schools your child is applying to.

- In January, we will be offering a Bridge Club after school on Mondays, from 3:15-4:15 at CMS. This is for 5- 8th graders and is a free program. The advisor will be CMS teacher, Justine Hedlund, and there will be instructors from Silicon Valley Youth Bridge teaching students how to play bridge! Please email me if your child is interested in joining this club.

- We will be offering a new elective- "STEM" (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathmatics) starting 2nd semester, January 21st, for 7th grade students. Our STEM Teacher on Special Assignment, Curtis Schneider, will be teaching this course and students will be solving many design challenges that incorporate all facets of "STEM". Units may include robotics, building a crystal radio, and students will be collaborating, designing, creating, and working in teams. We are very excited to be offering this course, so please email me if your child is interested in enrolling in this elective. It will take place during 6th period on B days and we will be getting more detailed information to the students over the next couple of weeks.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy holiday season!

Go Panthers!

Kristen Shima

Dean of Students

The STEM Fair once again is upon us, and I'm sure we're all excited about seeing the great projects the students produce. Our CMS Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fair will be held from Jan 8th - 9th , in the MUR. A science reception will be on Thursday evening, Jan 9th, from 6-7:00 p.m. All projects need to be taken home on Thursday evening. Projects advancing to the County Science Fair will be announced that evening.

Project drop-off will be on Tuesday, Jan 7th from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. in the MUR. Please check the science fair brochure/website for the project drop-off form. This will ensure that all students are credited with the correct project.

All students are encouraged to participate in this exciting event. Science Fair is a wonderful way for students to use the Scientific Method to answer a question, or exercise their problem solving and critical thinking skills by making a great invention. Please review the STEM Fair brochure (available online) with your child to review safety precautions and other information.

"But how can I help and support my child in this endeavor?" you may ask. I'm glad you did! We need parent volunteers to help the science department judge our wonderful projects for submission to the County STEM Fair. If you'd like to help judge, please contact any member of the CMS science team: Ms. Brown (bbrown@pvsd.net), Ms. Diehl (tdiehl@pvsd.net) or Ms. Burrows (sburrows@pvsd.net).

Thanks in advance for your always-appreciated support.

CMS Science Department