Roadrunner Masthead
A Strandwood PTA Publication
JANUARY 13, 2014
Good Morning 
Every Monday morning 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 fliers 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 roadrunner@strandwood.org.

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In This Issue
Dinner Dance Auction
Get Ready to Run!
Nominate an Educator for a Chance at $1,000
December Box Tops Winners
Mad Science Coming Soon
Nutcracker DVDs
FAME Program Resumes
Common Core Night
Wine Drive Wednesday
Dates, Times and Places
Dinner Dance Auction 
Can you help with a donation??

Our Annual Dinner Dance Auction is rapidly approaching. We have reached out to over 600 local and national organizations and have already received a number of great donations. We have found, however, that the best donations come from within our school community. There are literally hundreds of ways to help: rental houses, timeshares, airline miles, professional services, baking, and gift certificates just to name a few. Click here for more ideas! 

If you are ready to donate or have questions, please click here. In order to be included, we need your donation by February 1, 2014. Thank you!!
Get Ready to Run!
Strandwood Girls on the Run Spring Program
Girls on the Run is a non-competitive, curriculum-based running program dedicated to educating and building confidence in girls grades 3-5. SIGN UP TODAY! Enrollment is first come, first served and registration forms are due online or in the school office by February 12th. Encourage your daughter to invite her friends to join the fun as well!

 

Enroll online at http://www.gotrbayarea.org/ or complete the registration forms (available in the office) and turn them into the office (attention Tina Ochoa).

 

Program Details:
DATES:   Feb 24 - May 10
DAYS:     Mondays & Tuesdays
TIME:    3:00 - 4:15pm
LOCATION: Strandwood Upper Grade Playground (Ball Wall)
COST: $150 (includes 20 lessons, t-shirt, water bottle, healthy snacks and registration for end of the program 5k run in SF!)

 

***NO GIRL TURNED AWAY - scholarships are available - obtain the scholarship application online or email tb-ochoa@att.net to request one.***

 

We look forward to another fun and successful GOTR program! If you are interested in helping with the program or being a running buddy, email Tina Ochoa.
Nominate an Educator for a Chance at $1,000!
 
Foundation for Pleasant Hill Education (FPHE) is sponsoring the 2014 Educator of the Year award to be given at Pleasant Hill's 43rd Annual Community Awards Night on February 18, and seeks nominees for the award. Through a separate FPHE fund established by a private donor, FPHE will award $1000 to the award-winning educator's school, and issue a generous gift card to the winner.

Please submit your nomination by January 27 to Martin Nelis at mnelis@ci.pleasant-hill.ca.us or mail to City of Pleasant Hill, 100 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill, 94523, Attn: Martin Nelis. Please carefully reference the nomination information/forms included at http://www.ci.pleasant-hill.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/10401. For questions or to receive FPHE newsletters, email contact@fphe.org.
December Box Tops Winners

TK - Jackson Chaknova
First Grade - Gabriel Caraballo
Second Grade - Johnathon Boyd
Third Grade - Ann Gornyitzki
Fifth Grade - Lily Nylund

 

Great job everyone!

 

Do you want to win an ice cream party for your class? Ms. Hoffman's class is currently in the lead. 

Remember...in order to get credit for your Box Top submissions you need to include your child's name, grade and teacher on the bag/collection sheet.    

 

This month's cutoff for Box Top submissions is Friday, January 31st

Happy Collecting!!!


Mad Science Coming Soon

Calling all agents, calling all agents! Step into the shoes of a
detective with Mad Science! Students will create, collect, and analyze evidence, and discover what skills are necessary as a crime scene lab
technician. Sign up today!!
 
Mad Science Secret Agent Lab
 
8 week session: Tuesdays Jan. 28th - March 18th
Grades K-5
3:00-4:00 pm
$104 per child
 
Registration begins Jan. 6th at http://register.madscience.org/mtdiablo/.
Search for 'Strandwood' under the tab labeled 'Search for Locations.'
 
Nutcracker DVDs
Did you miss out?

If you missed buying your 2013 Nutcracker DVD, Larry Logic Productions is still taking orders. DVDs of shows going back to 2010 are also available. Please contact Larry via email at LarryLogic@gmail.com or call 925-674-0700 regarding orders. Click here to access the DVD order form. 

F.A.M.E Program Resumes
What your kids are learning this month!
This month, K-5 classes will have their third FAME (Fine Arts Mini Experience) lesson of the school-year and learn about a famous composer and a famous artist. Six times a year, parent docents in this PTA program teach interactive lessons in the music room, complete with sets, costumes, and props.
 
This month, we will teach kids about Francisco Goya and his beautiful painting "Maja Clothed" (circa 1800). Docents will explain that the model in the painting is in the famous reclining "odalisque" pose, frequently used by painters throughout history. Students will learn about the technique of texture and many interesting bibliographic facts about Goya. Students will also learn about the famous composer Edvard Grieg who wrote the dreamy and relaxing "Anitra's Dance," which was background music to the play Peer Gynt, written by Henrik Ibsen.
 
Students will contrast the piece to other styles of music, such as waltzes and marches, and learn about the musical terms legato and staccato, and how different instruments use these styles to make the piece interesting and dynamic. Ask your children about FAME after their lessons later this month! Look for future installments of FAME lesson descriptions in the Roadrunner! 
Common Core Night for K-5th grade Parents
Tuesday February 4, 6:30-8:00 PM at the Pleasant Hill Library
Find our what Common Core really looks like in the classroom and get answers from educators. Teachers will be sharing Common Core aligned mini-lessons in Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.  
Parents will have an opportunity to take home curriculum materials to support Common Core learning at home. Please join us.










 

Help earn Strandwood money by clicking on the image below to do your online shopping!

Amazon








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Collect Box Tops for our school! Click here to find out how.




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Click here to sign up for eScrip. Earn money for Strandwood just by shopping at the stores you already patronize! 
Wine Drive Wednesday

Got WINE?

If you have any leftover wine from the holidays, we would love to take if off your hands! Please participate in our Wine Drive Wednesday, January 15th on Monti Circle and Westover before school (look for signs!). Each bottle donated will enter your child into a drawing for a Powell's gift card!

 

Ticket Sales Coming

On Monday, February 3rd, the oldest child in your family will be sent home with an envelope containing all auction information. Inside you will find your ticket order form, and all other vital information related to the evening. Please keep it in a handy place! Tickets will be available at an "early bird" price of $60 between Feb. 3rd-11th. Starting Feb. 12th, each ticket will increase to $65. You can purchase tickets by check or online at www.strandwood.org using PayPal (there will be a small service fee for ordering online).

 

Donations and Sponsors

Without the generous donations of goods and services, and our monetary sponsors, this event would not be possible. Last year, we raised over $75,000 because of all the incredible contributions we received from our community. If you have a relationship with a business that you think would like to help out Strandwood, please let us know. We are most successful in attaining a donation when we have a personal connection. Donation letters and forms are available here. Print out a few and keep them with you. Your hairstylist, mechanic, or chiropractor may all be willing to help. Remember that it is good advertising for them, too!

  

Sign-Up Parties

Even though our auction is on March 8th, the parties keep going all year! You know Strandwood loves a reason to get together! We already have some of our favorite sign-up parties in the works, but do you have an idea for your own party?? How about a poker party, cookie decorating class, tea party, 80's flashback party, Great Gatsby dinner.... These parties make up some of the largest part of our auction income and are a great way for kids to be together and for adults to take a break and meet new families! Co-host with a friend or a few families and plan together! Please contact Blanca Nelson with questions or to volunteer.

 

Volunteer!!!

Want to get involved, but don't know how? Contact one of the Auction Chairs, Molly McCabe or Marcie Colbath. We are eager to get folks involved and can't do it without your help! The auction is a lot of fun and a great way to meet people!

Dates, Times and Places
January 15 - Wine Drive on Westover and Monti Circle before school
January 15 - Career Day: Dress up as your chosen future profession!
January 20 - MLK Birthday - NO SCHOOL
January 27 - Teacher In-Service Day - NO SCHOOL
January 31 - Box Tops Due
January 31 - Read & Dream Logs Due





 



 
View the calendar on the Strandwood PTA website by clicking here.  
Visit the Strandwood Elementary School website by clicking here.  
dates