OTIS PTA OUTLOOK
Go OWLS!
 Fall Carnival is THIS Saturday!

 

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL FIND IN THIS WEEK'S EDITIONTOC

- Important School Dates
LETTER FROM PRINCIPAL HARRIS
- Addressing school culture, climate, and safety  
- Fall Carnival is Here! 
PTA CORNER
- Updates and news from the PTA,  Homework Survey and Box Top$ 
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT
- Birds & Bees Survey; Bullying Awareness & Prevention Workshop sponsored by Equity & Inclusion Committee 
- Upcoming volunteer opportunities
REMINDERS & LAST CALL
- If you missed it last time and deadlines hitting before the next Outlook
- News and events from around Alameda and AUSD 
THE REGULARS  
- Otis Directory, Otis 101, Facebook/Konstella Community, etc...
  OTIS SCHOOL CALENDAR - DATES TO REMEMBERCalendar
October 2017
October 16th - 30th
-Used Sneaker Drive
October 26th, Thursday
October 27th, Friday
- Teacher Collaboration Day , All Grades Dismissed at 12:30pm
-School Spirit Day:  Crazy Hair Day 
October 28th, Saturday
- Otis Fall Carnival , Otis Black Top, 11:00am-2:00pm
-Fingerprinting at Carnival 
October 30th, Monday
- Coffee Talk with Principal Harris , 8:30am-9:00am, round green tables on blacktop
-Last Day to submit Birds & Bees Survey
October 31st, Tuesday
-Halloween Day - remember: NO COSTUMES AT SCHOOL
 
November 2017
November 1st, Wednesday
-Soul Shoppe Workshop: Stop + Breathe: Taming Your Inner Dragon (kids only) 
-Reflections Deadline
November 3rd, Friday
-Substitute Teacher and Paraprofessional Information Meeting, 9:00am-12:00pm, AUSD Offices, 2060 Challenger Drive (free childcare provided for children 3+)  
November 8th, Wednesday
- Bullying Awareness & Prevention Workshop , 6:30pm-8:30pm, Media Center; Free Child Care in room 102
November 10th, Friday
-Veterans Day - No School  
November 15th, Wednesday
- Walkathon , Otis Blacktop & Krusi Park
November 16th, Thursday 
- Parent Information Night, Birds & Bees Survey Results & Discussion , 7:00-8:00pm, Media Center, Free Child Care in room 102
November 17th, Friday
-School Spirit Day: Flannel Day
November 20th - 24th
-No School - Fall Break 
 
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE OTIS DATES TO REMEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER AND BEYOND
SYNC YOUR KONSTELLA CALENDAR TO YOUR DIGITAL CALENDARS 
  • Sync your Konstella Calendar to your other digital calendars so you never miss a date at Otis!
  • Go to the "Frank Otis Calendar" on the main Konstella Frank Otis page
  • Click on "Sync to My Calendar"
  • Follow the directions to sync to your preferred calendar
LETTER FROM PRINCIPAL HARRISPrincipalLetter  
Dear Owl Families,

It's the end of October which means fun times ahead. We have crazy hair day THIS Friday, plus a minimum day with dismissal at 12:30 p.m. for all grades, and of course the carnival on Saturday! I hope to see you all there. Our very talented Kinders will be performing a song during the October 30th Monday Morning Assembly. The 30th is also our end of the month morning check in for parents/guardians. Bring a dollar for your cup of  Whoo Brew.
 
Students and teachers will attend the second Soul Shoppe workshop: Stop+ Breathe: Taming Your Inner Dragon on November 1st. More information can be found in the Wednesday envelope. We are wrapping up student leadership training this week. Peacemakers and Jr. Coaches will be out on the yard beginning Monday the 30th.
 
Have a great week! Go Owls!
Principal Tanya
UPCOMING EVENTSUpcomingEvents
OTIS' FALL CARNIVAL IS THIS SATURDAY!
October 28, 11:00am - 2:00pm
This is a great event so be sure to mark your calendars and come enjoy bounce houses, face painting, food, games, prizes, a Haunted House, music and MORE! Wear your costumes and get ready for a super fun day! 
 
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
11:00am - ALL Games + Activities + Food begin!
11:30am - Costume Parade led by the LMS Marching Band
11:45am - LMS Marching Band Performance
12:30pm - Music & DJ at the Krusi Park Gathering Space

TICKETS
All students who pre-ordered tickets will receive their tickets TODAY in the Wednesday envelope.  If you missed the deadline, don't fret - tickets will be available for purchase at the event. Cash only

HELP MAKE CARNIVAL A SUCCESS!
The Otis Fall Carnival is  100% volunteer-run and we need YOUR help. Sign-up to volunteer at Carnival, Donate Baked Goods, BBQ with Dads Club, Create Haunted House Magic, Lend an EZ Up Tent and More!  To volunteer at Carnival click here .
 
FINGERPRINTING
 
There will be Live Scan fingerprinting services provided at Carnival this Saturday, Oct. 28 . Click here to sign up for an appointment and to learn more about the fingerprinting process.   
 
If you need financial assistance to cover the Live Scan fee, please contact PTA President, Beth Aney ( beth.f.aney@gmail.com ) or Principal Harris.
PTA CORNERPTACorner1 


PTA STORAGE NEEDED
The PTA is losing its storage container (located on the blacktop by the basketball courts) to free up precious space on the blacktop, so we have to empty it out very soon. Much of what we keep in there is Carnival booths and amazing Haunted House props. We need to find a new home for these things or let them go. Because so many of these items are part of what makes our Carnival unique, we're hoping that someone in the Otis community has some spare garage and/or storage space we can use for free or very low cost. If you have space - or know of space that is available - please let PTA President, Beth Aney, know right away ( beth.f.aney@gmail.com ). We would love to find these pieces a home after Carnival on 10/28.

MINI-GRANT APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE
The PTA is offering mini-grants to students, parents, teachers and staff 
for specific purchases, projects or activities that will benefit or enrich the Otis community. Grants will be awarded in amounts between $20-$500.  The deadline to submit an application is November 30, 2016.  Click HERE for the application form and instructions.   
 
Questions?  Please contact Beth Aney at beth.f.aney@gmail.com.  

AUSD Parents/Guardians
HOMEWORK SURVEY
Due October 31st
 
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Last spring, AUSD formed a Homework Workgroup to review the current homework policies and practice in the district. As part of their process, the Workgroup is surveying students, parents/guardians, teaching staff, and site administration about their homework experiences and beliefs. The Workgroup will use the results of the surveys to guide their next steps which will include focus groups at school sites and, potentially, drafting recommended policy revisions to be presented to the Superintendent.
 
It is very important that we have as many parent/guardian responses as possible so that the results of this survey represent the collective voice of Alameda families. Please take a few minutes to respond to the following survey. Your individual responses will be kept confidential and results will only be reported as a group - by grade span or overall. Thank you for your support in this important process.  
 

If you have more than one child in AUSD schools, please feel free to fill out separate surveys for your homework experiences specific to each child.

READY, SET, CLIP!!
 

The Box Top$ for Education collection has begun!
Each class has received a collection container for Box Top$ for Education coupons. Please find and bring in Box Top$ which we submit for cash for the school. The containers will be in classrooms until Dec 11.
 
What are Box Top$ for Education? 
They are a fundraising opportunity that appear on many brand-name products that you already have around your house. Click on their main page to see what they look like.
 
Which products exactly?
Click here for a complete  list. Annie's products are on the list, as are General Mills Cereal (that's Cheerio's!), some office supplies, Kleenex tissues, trash bags and many more products.
 
What do you need to do?
Cut along the dotted line and bring the little rectangles in to the classroom. (If there are multiple box tops together, don't cut them out individually, just leave them attached to one another.) Tell your friends and family to start clipping too! This is a fun and easy way for friends and family near and far to help raise money for Otis!
 
Why should you participate? 
While your individual contribution may seem small, together we have raised $1,000 or more in past years from this program. Really! All of these little rectangles really add up.

The class that collects the most Box Top$ gets their name on the Box Top$ trophy and gets to choose a prize that can be used in their classroom.
 
Still have questions? 
Email Box Top$ Coordinator, Claire Legas, at clegas@aol.com and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks! And get clipping.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTProgramHighlight  
 
BIRDS & BEES SURVEY
Last Day to Submit is Monday, October 30
 
Otis Elementary has the opportunity to partner with Bird and Bee Education to explore how we may bring sexuality health education curriculum to students, families, and staff.  We want to know how you feel about bringing these curricula to our community - your voices and opinions matter!  

Instructions for taking the survey online or on paper went home last month. We hope to hear from each and every one of you to inform this important and sensitive discussion. All responses are anonymous. Only the final survey results will be shared and discussed.  

To take the survey in English:

用中文進行調查

Para tomar la encuesta en Español:

Để lấy bản khảo sát bằng tiếng Việt:

Paper copies were sent home to those families who requested them. Extra copies can be found in the front office.  Please return paper surveys in the envelopes provided to your teachers or the box in the main office.  You can also download extra paper copies of the survey and letter of explanation here:  Explanation LetterEnglishEspanolChineseTiáng Viet

If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback, please contact Ronit Matabuena-Lev at ronit@BirdandBeeEducation.com.  

SAVE THE DATE!   
On  November 16  from 7:00-8:30pm we will have a Parent Information Night to share the findings of the survey and discuss the best ways to respond and support our Otis community. Free childcare will be available. Please join us!
 
The Otis Equity and Inclusion Committee presents:

BULLYING AWARENESS & PREVENTION WORKSHOP
presented by the Anti Defamation League of San Francisco
 
  Wednesday, November 8th
6:30-8:30 pm in the MPR
(6:30 Committee Reports; 6:50 Workshop starts)
Free Childcare in Room 102
 
Did you know that October is National Bullying Prevention Month? Do you know the true definition of the term "bullying"? 
 
Across the nation and here in Alameda, many students are targeted on the basis of their race, religion, social class, sexual orientation or other aspect of their identity and that some of the most serious cases of bullying that occur in schools are the result of bias based on these aspects of identity. Name-calling and bullying, like other bias-motivated behaviors, have the potential to escalate into more serious incidents of violence if they are unchecked.   
 
Otis school staff and the PTA are working hard to reflect on the classroom and school culture and ensure that we are engaging in best practices when it comes to creating respectful school environments that foster inclusion and effectively address the intersection of bullying and bias. The large body of credible research on effective responses to name-calling and bullying concurs that schools and other educational institutions can best address these behaviors through ongoing, comprehensive plans that include both intervention and prevention strategies and engage all people in the school environment: students, educators, school staff, families and other community members.
 
Please join us on November 8 to learn more and help make our Otis community a better place for everyone. Below are links to some interesting articles about bullying:
VOLUNTEER CORNERVOLUNTEERCORNER 
 
 
SUMMER SCHOLAR PIZZA PARTY A SUCCESS!
 
Our Summer Scholar Pizza Ice Cream Party was a total success -- we are so proud of all of our 167 Summer Scholars for their hard work and dedication...and we are thrilled we finally had the chance to celebrate and honor the kids last week.
 
The smiles on their faces as they came to the party in Krusi Park and were greeted by cheers and applause were priceless.
 
A big thank you to all of the parent volunteers who helped to make the party a success.  Thank you Rebekah Balboni for countless hours of your time going through packets, writing up awards and coordinating prizes; Jennifer Chin for the fun party music; Bonnie Merritt for the food; Katie de Vries for the good ideas on the fly; Uyen Vuong  for the non-dairy options: Neveen Acero for the food preparation;  Gabriella Badilla for holding down the fort and early organizing; Bettrietta  Kime for serving and for the water en masse; Stephanie Farnham, Tomoyo Combies, Matthew Wong, Lisa Freitas, Lauren Wilkinson, Kaori Bae, Sarah Wilson Fry, Kashiko Casseres and Cindy Miner for keeping the food flowing; Casey Phinney for helping with the Kinders; Mr. Haddon for his yearly contribution of a water cooler; to Otis D. Owl for bringing extra magic to the party; Erica Kolodny for help getting the word out; Beth Aney for helping with last minutes; and an extra HOOT HOOT Hooray for Inbal Graham for overseeing the Summer Scholar program! To all who contributed - here's to our kids!
 
 
 
UPCOMING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 
RemindersREMINDERS
MAKE-UP PICTURE DAY IS TOMORROW
Thursday, October 26th
 
Our picture day
ID is #BY417103Q0.
*Late orders after Picture Day are still available to order online at orderschoolportraits.com.
 
Pictures will be taken from 10am - 1:30pm in Room 116
 
Please Note: Students requesting a retake MUST bring their original picture package to the camera on picture day. 
USED SNEAKER DRIVE ENDS MONDAY
October 30th
 
It's not too late to bring in your old, unwanted, worn out athletic shoes! The  Go Green Committee is collecting them to be donated to Nike's Grind Project where old worn-out shoes are turned into playgrounds, running tracks & more! Visit the Nike's Grind Project website here .  
 
DONATION BIN CAN BE FOUND OUTSIDE OF THE MAIN OFFICE. 
 
Questions? Contact Alyx Karpowicz at alyxbrun@hotmail.com.   
 
REFLECTIONS
Last Day to Submit is Wednesday, November 1st
 
 
November 1, 2017 is the deadline for students to enter artwork in Reflections. Categories include Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Musical Composition, Photography, Visual Arts, and a Special Artist Division. Reflections is sponsored by PTA, and students who participate at Otis will have their artworks reviewed for possible participation at regional, state, and national levels. For more information, please visit https://otis-alamedausd-ca.schoolloop.com/reflections .
  
LOST & FOUND IS OVERFLOWING!

Is your student missing a jacket or two or three? The Lost & Found is overflowing so be sure to check for any missing items. The Lost & Found is located across from the school office - you can't miss it!!
 
All unclaimed items will be donated at the end of November.  
 
AMERICANISM ESSAY CONTEST 
 
The Alameda Elks are running the Americanism Essay Contest again this year. All 5th-8th graders are invited to submit an essay for a cash prize. Last year a prize of $100 went unclaimed because there were only TWO submissions.  Please encourage your child to put together 300 words and see how they do! Deadline to enter is December 15. See contest details here .

OTIS COMMUNITY & BEYONDBEYOND
Alameda Parents and Guardians:
- Are you considering re-entering the workforce?
- Are you looking for a part-time job that is truly meaningful?
- Are you seeking an easy commute and a child-friendly schedule?

Consider Becoming a Substitute Teacher or Paraprofessional with AUSD!
Join us at a recruitment workshop tailored for parents and guardians  
Friday, November 3, 2017 from 9am - 12pm 
AUSD District Office - 2060 Challenger Drive 
Free childcare! (Ages 3 and above) 
More information see the FLYER HERE and  REGISTER HERE
 
Sponsored by AUSD and Alameda PTA Council  
Alameda Girls Softball Association
 
 
AGSA is the  only  youth sports league in Alameda with a primary focus on development of girls in sports. 

Registration for the 2018 Spring Recreation season is open from October 15 through December 31. New and returning players should register NOW! Added bonus is that all games are played at the fields at Krusi Park!
 
For more information and to register, go to www.alamedagsa.com.
 

BEYOND "EVERYONE BELONGS HERE"  
Creating Positive School Climate
November 15, 6:30-8:30pm at Alameda High School

Recent bias-related incidents in our community have led families to ask what AUSD is doing to promote inclusiveness and create positive school climates. In this workshop, community members will learn about AUSD's responses to hate speech and explore strategies for both reducing and managing these occurrences. Please join us! Everyone belongs in this important community conversation. See this flyer for more information.


Alameda Island Aquatics - October 30 - November 17
 
Alameda Island Aquatics will offer a 3 week Fall Novice Program for 6-11 year olds for a flat fee of $75.  Practices will be held at the Encinal Swim Center. Prospective swimmers should know backstroke, freestyle, and torpedo. The program will begin Monday, October 30th and run through Friday, November 17th. There will be two classes: 4:30 - 5:15 pm, and 5:15 - 6:30 pm. For more information, contact Lisa Cuenca at membership@alameda.org. Click here to see the flyer.  
The Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AA-NHPI) Disability Awareness Project "Making the Invisible, Visible Breaking the Stigma,"
Saturday, October 28, 2017 from 10:00am-2:00pm
Maya Lin Elementary School, 825 Taylor Street in Alameda.
 
The purpose of the Summit is to raise visibility for those living with disabilities, differently-abled and mental health conditions and those with lived experiences in the AANHPI communities. In doing so, we hope to break the stigma which exists in our cultures, which we will do so through sharing of stories and facilitation of discussion groups.
 
For more information and to register, visit this Eventbrite page.
ARt YoWZA
 
Need Childcare during the holidays? ART YOWZA offers an exciting visual arts program that supports the development of new creative skills. We empower kids ages 5-11 to think and use their imaginations.  Our 2017-2018 School Holiday Camps include themes such as Halloween Hoopla, Wild Tigers, Clay Pets, Flying Cupcakes, Pirates & Parrots, Big Dreams, Sculpture Wow, Rainbow Dragons, and more. Our goal is to open the door to each child's unique skills and creativity with sculpture, drawing, cartooning, design thinking, innovation, mixed media, and painting. Partnerships with animal, nature, and humanitarian non-profits are seamlessly folded into the curriculum to empower young artists to share their gifts with under-served communities. For more information, contact Rebecca Stees at  fun@artyowza.com.
   
Did you know Otis is part of the Sports Basement Basementeer program? You can get 10% off your purchase at Sports Basement and Otis gets 10% back.  
 
Become a Basementeer here   
THE REGULARS TheRegulars 
STAY CONNECTED 
STAY INFORMED 
 - The Otis 101 is a helpful resource and reference guide to all things Otis.   
 
Archived Outlook Newsletters
 - The Outlook Newsletter is archived in both Konstella's "Files & Links" and on the Otis Website PTA Page.
OUTLOOK CONTACT INFORMATION
PRINCIPAL: TANYA HARRIS
EDITOR: NEVEEN ACERO
PTA PRESIDENT: BETH ANEY
OUTLOOK EMAIL: OTISOUTLOOK@GMAIL.COM
QUICK LINKS TO OTIS SCHOOL
To contact Otis PTA Outlook, please send an e-mail to  otisoutlook@gmail.com, or hit reply to this newsletter. These emails will go directly to the Editor's personal in-box. 

Thank you, 
Outlook Editor