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Principal's Message
Greetings Fairmeadow Community,
Students and staff kicked-off the first two weeks of 2018 with effort, enthusiasm, and motivation at Fairmeadow; our classrooms are alive with energy and curiosity!
The two recent earthquakes in California serve as a somber reminder of the eventual large earthquake that will shake our region at some point in the future. Should a significant earthquake occur during school hours, we have a comprehensive plan for how we would respond to keep our students and staff safe. On Friday, January 19th we practiced a full-scale emergency drill to simulate and rehearse our response if a serious earthquake should strike at school. For students, this included duck and cover procedures in classrooms and evacuation to the blacktop for attendance taking for each classroom. While students remained with classes on the blacktop, our school staff practiced many roles of our emergency response teams including search and rescue, injury transportation, first aide, food and water, sanitation, and communication. The drill on Friday proved successful, and while we hope that we never have to initiate this process during a real emergency, regular practice helps to increase our preparation and safety.
If there was a serious emergency during school hours, you would undoubtedly be anxious to see your child, and to return home with family. Our student release station is located adjacent to the main office, and we request that parents gather there to complete the check-out process. We will only release children to adults specifically named on student emergency contact information registered with the school, and adults must have a form of identification in order to check-out a child during a declared emergency. Please take a moment to check your emergency contacts in Infinite Campus, and to discuss a reunion plan with your family. Thank you to the 20+ parents who came on Friday to help us simulate the student release station!
In other Fairmeadow news, author Matt de la Peña and Illustrator Loren Long presented to 1
st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students last Wednesday
. Celebrating the release of their new picture book,
Love
, Mr. de la Peña and Mr. Long read their story aloud to captivated students in the MP Room. Mr. de la Peña also shared about his experience falling in love with poetry in college, about the inspiration for the many books he's written, and about the 104 revisions that he completed to get the story
Love
to its published version. Mr. Long reflected about his career in art, including the story of how he came to illustrate Barrack Obama's book,
Of Thee I Sing
, and he also shared about the creative process required to illustrate a book of pictures from a simple manuscript. The students were clearly impressed and inspired by their work and their reflections, a wonderful complement to make their learning in writing and art feel even more relevant and important!
Please consider joining me for January's Principal's Coffee this Wednesday, January 24th from 8:45 to 10:00 am in the Fairmeadow MP Room. This month we will discuss learning mindset, and the many simple ways parents and educators that can encourage a growth mindset among our children. I will also answer any questions you may have about our school safety plan. Please note the special Wednesday date!
With appreciation,
Grant Althouse, Principal
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Barron Park Luncheon
Barron Park Elementary recently lost a valued member of their faculty to an unexpected death. The community is grieving the loss and Fairmeadow would like to provide a luncheon on Thursday, January 25th to help Barron Park teachers and staff.
If you would like to contribute a dish or other item to this luncheon, please click here. The theme is Comfort Food. Think warm, soul-soothing, homey dishes like soup, chicken pot pie, spaghetti, and mac and cheese. Or anything else you'd like to contribute! You could also bring one of the desserts or salads.
The dish doesn't need to be homemade, store-bought is fine too!
Items should be brought to the staff room in the Fairmeadow main office by
11 am
on
January 25th
and they will be transported to Barron Park. If you can help with transporting the food or help clean up afterward, please sign up.
Thank you so much for coming together and taking care of the teachers at Barron Park.
Any questions? Contact Alena Villari or Nadia Priestley.
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3rd-5th Grade Ice Skating Party
Wed, Jan 24, 5:30-7:30 pm, Winter Lodge, 3009 Middlefield Rd
Please join us for our annual ice skating party! The 3rd-5th grade party is this Wednesday! If you haven't already, please purchase your admission ticket ($20 charged by Winter Lodge) before Wednesday as we need an accurate count for pizza. You can drop it off in the office or pay online
. We need volunteers help as well. Signup here.
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Staff Luncheon
Hello 2nd Grade Families!
The staff luncheon this time is on
Thursday, February 1st
and is being hosted by
2nd grade families
. These monthly luncheons give us a chance to show our appreciation for all that the Fairmeadow staff does for our children. It allows the entire faculty and staff (60+) to come together over a meal and they really enjoy it and look forward to it. The theme is
World Cuisine
.
Please consider signing up to contribute food to the luncheon. In addition, we need a few people to come to the luncheon to help with set-up and clean-up.These jobs do not take long.
Your food item can be: homemade dumplings, take-out pad thai, store-bought
California rolls, or French macarons from a bakery, etc... we want a variety. However, please, no raw fish! :)
Click here to sign-up to contribute a dish or help out!
If you have trouble accessing the Google doc, please email
Sachiko Messerian
with the dish you want to bring.
Is your child not in 2nd grade, please click here to see a list of staff luncheons scheduled for this school year.
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After School Programs Posted
Winter/Spring after school programs have been posted to the Fairmeadow PTA website.
Information and signup sheets available here or click here for a summary of the offerings.
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Superintendent's Weekly Message
We will re-post Karen Hendricks' Weekly Message here
each week, in case you missed it on her previous Infinite Campus email to you.
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The Smart Talk: Internet Safety
Tue, Feb 6, 6 pm, Gunderson High School, 622 Gaundabert Lane, San Jose
(6 pm refreshments, 6:30 pm program)
What you
hope
your kids (elementary, middle, and high) are doing online isn't always what they're
actually
doing. Join us to learn how you can use The Smart Talk to get on the same page with your kids and establish an open conversation about digital safety. This is a
FREE event
. Sponsors include National PTA, State PTA, and Sixth District PTA.
RSVPs (appreciated but not required):
[email protected].
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Special Education Workshop: The ABCs of the IEP
Tue, Jan 30, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon, Sobrato Center, 350 Twin Dolphin Drive, Redwood City
Do you have questions about your child's IEP? Would you like to know how to advocate for your child's special education rights? Ms. Karis Daggs, an attorney with OCRA (Office of Clients' Rights Advocacy) will be our speaker. Hosted by Opening Doors PTA, the Palo Alto CAC for Special Education, and PTAC. Cantonese and Mandarin translation available. Register here.
For questions or to carpool, contact
[email protected].
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How Does Sugar Affect Your Health and What You Can Do About It
Wed, Feb 7, 6:30-8:30 pm, SDC Room, District Office, 25 Churchill Ave
Join us for an educational night on sugar. Learn how sugar came to be ubiquitous in everything we eat, and became a number one health issue due to its harmful effects on the human body. As parents, you will also get some great tips on how to combat sugar in your household and diet, and reintroduce great nutrition to your kids. Patricia Caldera, Ph.D will be presenting on behalf of the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation and Dr. Lustig education program dedicated to changing our views of processed food with the purpose of ending food related illnesses and promote good health. We encourage parents to bring their children.
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Engaging in Your Child's Education
Please join
Instructor:
Anjani Sarma for a free
class specifically for families with English as a Second Language who have children in the Palo Alto Unified School District.
This is an
interactive
class with topics that include: Navigating the PAUSD website, conducting a parent/teacher conference, and utilizing Infinite Campus (IC) and Schoology. **Families with intermediate English proficiency preferred.** Free childcare ages 2-12.
Mandatory testing
: Please contact instructor to sign up for testing. Classes will be Tuesdays and Thursdays (7-8:30 pm) for seven weeks (January 16-March 1) at Palo Alto High School.
Class limited to 15 students on a first come, first served basis. There are currently spaces available.
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Stanford University & City of Palo Alto Comp Growth
There is a significant project from Stanford University that will be coming upon PAUSD that may require your attention -- Stanford University's growth and expansion proposal and its impact within our city and school district. Stanford plans to add more academic and support facilities, housing units, childcare center, and facilities to its camp, adding approximately 9,000 people to our area. Your comments regarding the significant environmental effects of this project and the adequacy of the Draft EIR are welcome. The public review period for this Draft EIR ends on Feb 2, 2018. Click here to see the Draft EIR and instructions for making comments.
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Auditions for iSing's 2018-19 Season
iSing, a local nonprofit girl choir, will be scheduling audition days for new singers in the coming months. We are particularly interested in hearing girls who will be entering 1st-4th grade in Fall 2018. We are also happy to hear girls in 5th grade and above, who can sight-read music and who are devoted to singing. Please let your friends know! Feel free to forward this link to the auditions page on the iSing website on to any friends who may be interested.
For more information visit
iSingSV.com
or contact
[email protected].
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Parents Place Summer Camp Fair - Preschool-Elementary-High School Families
Sun, Jan 28, 10 am - 12:30 pm, Parents Place, 200 Channing Ave
It's already time to start planning a great summer for your kids! The Parents Place Summer Camp Fair is a unique opportunity to engage with more than 20 summer camps, located on the Peninsula and beyond. This event connects you with multiple regional and independent summer camps, including sleep-away camps and special needs camps, in one convenient location. Make a personal connection with camp staff, explore the variety of flexible options, and discover how to maximize your child's summer camp experience. Fee $5 per family.
Summer Camp Panel Discussion before the Fair is from 910 am
.
Moderated by Parents Place Director Karen Friedland-Brown, camp directors will discuss
"Solving the Summer Camp Dilemma: How to schedule your child's summer and find the best fit for your family.
" Fee $15 (includes admission to fair). Register here.
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That Makes Me So Angry! Child Anger (Preschool/ Elementary)
Tue, Jan 23, 6:30-8:30 pm, Parents Place, 200 Channing Ave
Children get angry in a split second, often leaving parents in total bewilderment and turmoil. We will explore anger, ways to help children regain control of themselves, triggers that precipitate the anger, and typical responses to the anger. With Jenny Ward, MFA. Fee: $45. Register here.
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Discipline 101: Power of the Positive (Preschool/ Elementary)
Wed, Jan 24, 6:30-8:30 pm, Parents Place, 200 Channing Ave
During this workshop, you will learn how to use positive discipline to teach your children inner control, nurture their strengths, motivate them to cooperate, and build their self-esteem. With Cynthia Klein, BA. Fee: $45. Register here.
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Mindful Motivation: How to Motivate Your Child From the Inside Out (Preschool/Elementary)
Tue, Jan 30, 7-9 pm, Parents Place, 200 Channing Ave
Wouldn't it be nice if your child cooperated for the sake of it and not for the carrot at the end of the stick? In this workshop, Rachel Sklar, MSW, will share her unique system for motivating children from the inside out. You'll learn the top three ingredients you need to raise a self-driven adult, plus you'll get practical tools for helping your child stay confident in any circumstance ... all without promising cookies or taking away screen time. Fee: $45. Register here.
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Afternoon Adventure
Wed, Jan 24, 3:30-4:30 pm, Children's Library, 1276 Harriet St.
International Puzzle Day - January 29 is International Puzzle Day, so we will be celebrating in the library by putting together puzzles as well as making some in the Tree Top Room. Registration required. Grades K-5 only.
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Ongoing Stanford University Brain Study on Executive Function Skills
Looking for children ages 7 and up with a diagnosis of ADHD or with no diagnoses to participate in a study exploring changes in brain function in response to a novel neurofeedback training. Participation involves 6 sessions of neurofeedback training and 2 sessions of behavioral assessments. Contact Lindsay Chromik (650-724-2939) for more information or to enroll. For general information regarding participant rights, contact 1-866-680-2906.
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| Archives and Publication Guidelines |
Fairmeadow eNews is a publication of the Fairmeadow PTA. Previous editions of eNews can be found at the
eNews archive
page.
Please see the PTA website for the eNews Publication Guidelines.
If you have any questions or would like to make a submission, please contact
Christy Moision
, Fairmeadow's eNews editor.
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| Jan 24 |
3rd-5th Ice Skating Party |
| Jan 25 |
Principal's Coffee |
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