Dear Las Lomitas Families,

Last week's Dance Festival was wonderful! Hats off to the Linda McGhee, Carol Hedges and Allison O'Brien for coordinating and teaching all the dances, and to the children for keeping their gift a surprise! You all truly touched my heart. I will remember this special event forever.

As we head toward summer, I get a lot of questions about supporting learning during the vacation. The following is an excerpt from an article by Mary Mastain, former member of the International Reading Associations' Parents and Reading Committee. I hope you will reflect on her "checklist" and consider how you may be able to incorporate opportunities for learning at home.

A Parent's Checklist

How many of these things do you do to encourage your child to listen, speak, write and read?

1. I take time to talk with my child every day.
2. I take time to listen to my child and answer his or her countless questions.
3. I sing and/or recite rhymes to my child.
4. I read something (newspaper, magazine, book) every day, showing my child that reading is important.
5. My child and I have library cards (the best of all credit cards).
6. I take my child to the library regularly. We both select books to read by ourselves and aloud together at home.
7. Together we look at books and magazines, each of us talking about what we see and read.
8. I ask my child to tell me a story or to describe something he or she has done or seen.
9. I often write down what my child tells me and read back the "story" exactly as it was dictated to me.
10. My child has his or her own bookshelf (or a box or a drawer) to hold books.
11. I take time to read aloud to my child each day as often as my child will listen to me, or asks me to read to him or her, and I encourage all members of my family to do the same.
12. My child watches carefully selected television programs, and I limit screen time so there is at least equal time for reading.
13. I praise my child's efforts and accomplishments so that he or she will have self-confidence and zest for new learning experiences.

I look forward to seeing you all at Open House on Thursday, May 28th. The Art Show in Cano Hall opens at 6:30; classrooms open at 7:00.

Until next time,

Sue Sartor

Principal

May is Allergy Awareness month!  In the United States, 1 in 13 children are affected by food allergies, many are life-threatening.  Food allergy reactions occur when the body's immune system mistakes a harmless food protein for a threat and attempts to attack and rid the body of the intruder.  This can lead to a serious medical emergency called anaphylaxis, which is life-threatening and needs to be treated immediately!

As a school and a community, we need to be aware of the potential dangers of food and other allergies.  In addition to food allergies, anaphylaxis can occur in people who are allergic to insect stings, medications/drugs, latex (found in things such as balloons, gloves and other common everyday items) and, in rare instances, can also have an unknown cause or be exercise-induced after ingesting an allergen.

Please remember to always check with your teachers or the school nurse before sending treats or food-based projects to school.  Safety is our priority with all of our students!  It is also important to teach children the importance of not sharing food with their classmates and to wash their hands before and after eating to prevent possible exposure to allergens.

For additional information, please check out the Food and Allergy Research and Education site (F.A.R.E at http://www.foodallergy.org/home) and check out their Allergy Awareness month newsletter:  http://www.foodallergy.org/document.doc?id=384

• Innovative instruction and class activities
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• Learning and applying new vocabulary
• Composing effective topic sentences, strong content and descriptive paragraphs

Dates/Times:

Early-July (July 6th - 16th) 1:30 PM or 4:00 PM

Mid-July (July 20th - 30th) 1:30 PM or 4:00 PM

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For more information see http://www.qwertyed.com/education-services/summer-services/summer-writing-workshops/young-writers-workshops/