Crocker Highlands Weekly BulletinEcometro
Beth Rhine, Principal



525 Midcrest Road, Oakland, CA 94610
Phone: 510-451-5900
Wendy Ghorai/Nicole Radlow,
PTA Co-Presidents


www.crockerschool.org
September 13, 2010
In This Issue
Presidents' Message
Back to School Night
Music Begins
Spaghetti Feed
Caring Community
Walkathon
Noon Supervisor
Library News
Nutrition
Lost & Found
Label Fundraiser
Calendar
In August/September, the Crocker Community Celebrates...
RESPECT!
Tues, Sept 14
TB Testing 8:45 AM, MPR; reading Thurs, Sept 16, 8:45 AM
Wed, Sept 15
Back to School Night,
K-2nd 6:30-7:15, 3rd-5th 7:45-8:30, 7:15-7:45 Principal Get Together
Thurs, Sept 23
PTA General Meeting, 6:30-8 pm, Exec Board, 8-8:45 PM

Presidents' Message

Hello Crocker Families,
The school year has gotten off to a great start. We want to express a big thank you to Eric Ellisen, the Dad's club, and all the volunteers who helped with this huge, fun tradition that our Crocker Spaghetti Feed has become. A lot of work goes into coordinating this event and we really appreciate all the effort. If you were hoping to purchase a Crocker t-shirt or sweatshirt at the event - we are going to try to make that up to you by having a table in the Library on Back-to-School Night this Wednesday, September 15th. So please bring your check book or cash to the event this Wednesday evening and look for us in the Library. We'll be set up with the shirts before and after the assembly in the Multi-Purpose Room, along with PTA membership should you still need to join for this year.
We're very excited to have Mia Settles from OUSD district coming to Crocker to speak about the Oakland 5-year plan at our next PTA meeting on Thursday, September 23rd. Please mark your calendars for next week's meeting. Mia will be one of the first speakers so please make an effort to arrive right at 6:30. We have a lot of information to share: we'll hear about all the programs and fundraisers for the year, with special reports from the Equity and Edible Garden Committees on their plans for the new school year. We'll even get a quick run through on navigating our new school website, and much, much more. We look forward to seeing you there!

Be sure to have Sunday, October 3rd on your calendar for a fabulous Crocker Home Tour. It is an impressive event and a key fundraiser for Crocker. Besides, it's fun to get new home decoration ideas.
We are very excited to be your PTA co-Presidents this year. If you'd like to talk about something, please feel free to email us or stop us on the playground, whatever works best for you.
Wendy Ghorai & Nicole Radlow
Crocker PTA Co-Presidents, 2010-11, president@crockerschool.org

Back to School Night -- This WED, Sept 15

I look forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday, September 15, at Back to School Night. Because it is an adult only event, childcare can be an issue. Reach out to someone in the school community and either share childcare or offer childcare if you already have some in place. Back to School Night is the time for parents/guardians to find out what is happening in the classroom and it's important for everyone to be there. You will hear about the classroom curriculum, projects, field trips, and the expectations for the year. You will also hear about ways to support your child at home. It's also a nice time to meet other families and to make those community connections.

The schedule for Wednesday's presentations are as follows:

6:30 - 7:15 Primary Presentation (K - 2nd)
7:15 - 7:45 Whole School Assembly - Squeeze in! (in the multi-purpose room)
7:45 - 8:30 Upper Grade Presentation (3rd - 5th)

Please respect the teachers' time and agree to make this an informational, question and answer time about the content of the school year. If you need to hold a conference about your child, please contact your child's teacher via email, telephone message, or a note.

Music Classes Starting This Week!

Dear Crocker families and friends,
I'm so excited to be starting our music classes this week. Last year, we learned American History through song and dance. This year, our focus will be US geography through song, dance and instruments. The students will be learning songs from and about different parts of the country (we'll move to something more global later in the year.) We'll be working on basic musical literacy as well in what I hope are fun and creative ways.

I'm looking for maps and puppets! Do you have any interesting US wall maps you'd like to lend? I'm collecting road maps of the US as well. Puppets: I'm looking for animal puppets to represent the notes on the musical staff, so any animals that begin with the letters A through G would be appreciated.

You are always welcome to sit in on a class. I don't need any advance notice - just come and join in. If you'd like to be more involved in our music program, please let me know. I can use assistance in a variety of ways.
I'm looking forward to a great year and thank you the many ways you support our program.
Jill Rose
Vocal Music

Spaghetti Feed Wrap Up

On behalf of the Dad's Club, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was able to pitch in and help pull off a most successful event last Friday. We had great weather and a fantastic turnout. I especially want to thank our generous sponsors, without whom we couldn't do the event: Grand Lake Ace Hardware; Jetro Cash and Carry; Semi-Freddi's Bakery; West Coast Produce; and in particular Dave Larson and the Piedmont Grocery. This year, in addition to their usual donation, Piedmont donated most of the meat for the event! The Dad's Club is looking forward to a most productive and fun school year.
Eric Ellisen

Crocker Cougar Community Celebrates!

Last year, Crocker Highlands, along with several other OUSD elementary schools, adopted the Caring Schools Community (CSC) Curriculum. This curriculum is a research-based program developed to help schools build classroom community, school-wide community, and improve academic achievement. This year, we are tying "Crocker Cougar Community Celebrates" Program to the Caring Schools Community.
The Crocker Cougar Community celebrates 8 community words. For 2010-2011 the words are: Respect, Cooperation, Self Discipline, Acceptance, Compassion, Responsibility, Perseverance and Friendship. In each classroom, a community meeting will be centered around the word of the month, engaging students in what it means to show respect or be cooperative, etc. The teachers will ask students for examples that the children have witnessed of other children demonstrating the "community word of the month."
Part of the CSC program are cross-grade buddies. Each month, buddy classes will have an activity to do and will have their pictures taken. Pictures of the students will be posted on the bulletin board next to the office to "celebrate" the word .There will also be an assembly to celebrate the word and to introduce the next month's word. The Crocker Cougar will likely make appearances at each of these assemblies. By the end of the year, every child should have his or her picture up on the bulletin board and a "paw print" award.
September is "Respect" Month. Please take the time to talk about this word with your child and what it means. Ask your child, "How do you show respect-to yourself, to others at school, to the community, to the environment?" Examples are posted in each classroom. Some examples are, "I treat other people the way I want to be treated." "I follow my classroom's and school's rules." "I recycle and never litter." "I am quiet during work time so others can learn." "I shake the other team's hand when we lose." "When I win a game, I am a good winner and do not boast or taunt." "I raise my hand while I wait my turn to talk." "I say 'Please' and 'Thank you.'" "I take care of my body by eating healthy and exercising." "I work to solve problems without name calling or bullying."
If you have any questions, please contact Liz O'Brien at lizobrien@pacbell.net.

Crocker Walkathon -- Saturday, Oct 30

SAVE THE DATE! The Crocker Highlands Walkathon is coming up at the end of October on Saturday, October 30th. This is a fun and profitable fundraiser (where all the walking is done by the kids!) for Crocker and we need a few more volunteers in key positions:
* Volunteer Coordinator - to organize all the wonderful helpers on the day of the event
* Hard Walk Cafe - provides the food and drink for the walkers
* Course Coordinator - sets up course and oversees those volunteers
* Classroom Trackers for 2nd and 4th grade - collects forms from the kids and motivates them to win parties for the classes with highest participation
If you are moved to participate in this really fun event, it's a great opportunity to learn more about the school and work with other parents and the kids.
Please contact Kirsten Williams or Liz Borowiec, Walkathon Co-chairs at
walkathon@crockerschool.org

Noon Supervisor Needed!

We are looking for 1-2 noon supervisors, who love working with children, enjoy being outside, and are able to handle large groups of students. The job would be for about 2 hours a day/5 days a week at approximately $10/hour. Interested parties need to get finger printed.

If you are interested, or know someone who may be interested, please email Beth Rhine at elizabeth.rhine@ousd.k12.ca.us and post the application to edjoin, www.edjoin.org.

Thank you!

Beth Rhine

News from the Library

We are fortunate to have a wonderful library at Crocker with more than 10,000 books, as well as computers for students to use, and online research tools provided by OUSD and the Oakland Public Library. Many of you already know that Crocker classes visit the library once a week. During library visits, students check out one book at a time and must return their book in order to check out another. The library is also open to 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders during lunch recess three days a week.
Students are welcome to stop by the library after school to return or check out books. I'll be open from 3:00 - 3:15-ish daily. Remember this time is for book exchange. If your child is waiting to be picked up, they need to wait outside on the yard or in the office.
If have questions or would like to help out in the library this year, contact me directly (lisa_a_hobbs@yahoo.com) or talk to your child's teacher. I'll be in the library Tuesdays through Fridays.
Thanks, Lisa Hobbs

Nutrition Information

Hi Crocker Parents,
Please take a look at the new Health/ Nutrition Bulletin Board near the entry of the school. Every month your kids will be introduced to exciting and healthful nutrition information. There will be a Harvest of the Month, Fruit and Veggie Trivia Question (where your kids can test there produce knowledge), Produce Facts, and much more healthy tidbits to help our kids grow-up healthy. I will also be connecting the Edible Garden and P.E. with learning about Nutrition.
Please check out these two articles to help kickoff a happy and healthy school year for our kids, and ideas to Host Healthier School Celebrations Throughout the School Year and Crocker Healthy Snacks.
Thank you,
Donna Ricketts-Ajike

Lost & Found is Full Already!

Believe it or not, the Lost and Found is already piling up! Several items were left in classrooms after the last day of school in the spring; if you still can't find that sweatshirt that has been missing for 3 months, please take a look!
For those of you new to Crocker, welcome! The Lost and Found is located just inside the double doors to the right of the play yard water fountains (if you are facing the fountains). Please check the Lost and Found regularly. You will be amazed at what you can find!
Also, look for notices in the bulletin and yahoo groups as to when I will donate items - the Lost and Found fills up quickly and I clear it out about once a month. Last year we lost 16 lawn bags of clothing! The good news is that we were able to donate these clothes to OUSD schools in need and a few other charities dealing directly with children. Even though we love to give, lets try to get that lawn bag number down a bit this year.

PLEASE label your child's clothing and lunchbox TODAY - just take five minutes and go through the closet. Clothes that are labeled almost always find their way home. A sharpie pen works fine; first initial and last name is the best. There is also a small fundraiser for buying labels below and there are also many websites that sell iron-on labels if you really want to get fancy.
Thanks,
Deb Collard

Label Fundraiser

Help support Crocker and keep track of your child's items at the same time! If you order labels from www.CHES.labeldaddy.com (school code:CHES), twenty percent will be given back to Crocker. We will use the proceeds to pay for playground equipment for all students.
Flyers were sent home with your child last week. Samples are available to view in Ms. Eng's room.