Dear Parents/Guardians: 

This nation will remain the land of the free

only so long as it is the home of the brave.

Never forget those who have served!

Jesus said, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend.” Today is Veteran’s Day, a day that we set aside to remind us how important it is to never forget or take for granted the price of freedom. We can never thank our military men and women enough for their courageous service to our country and its people. If you are fortunate to have this Veteran’s Day off, I hope you are able to enjoy the day with family and friends! When our faculty and students assemble on the yard tomorrow morning to begin our week together, we will offer our prayers in honor of all military personnel who unselfishly serve our country and its people.

Peace and Blessings,

Crystal Pinkofsky

Principal

ANNOUNCEMENTS

COMING SOON--APOSTLE’S ATTIC!!

If you have a long list of names on your Christmas shopping list, you are in luck!! Our much anticipated Apostle’s Attic will be happening this weekend, November 15th – 17th, in the JCPC. Once you step inside you will find yourself surrounded by an abundance of wonderful treasures—awesome fashion items, beautiful Christmas décor, holiday crafts, home furniture, garden decorations, toys, games and books! Delicious food and beverages will be available for you to enjoy while you shop. Make some plans to stop by and get “lost in the moment” any of the following days/times this weekend.

FROM OUTREACH CONCERN COUNSELING

The following information is being shared with you from Outreach Concern, our school’s counseling program. 

Each day, millions of children go to school with more than their books, pens and iPads. Many come with emotional backpacks crammed with issues, concerns, and questions that influence and impact their daily success. Some enter school with a healthy sense of self-discipline their parents helped develop, allowing them to tackle challenges successfully. As a result, they make good decisions and progress academically, socially, and emotionally. Too many others, however, come unprepared due to insufficient support, direction, and as a result, manifest negative responses, a lack of direction and an inability to control their behavior, impacting their performance.

So today, it’s no surprise, parents need a helping hand. That commonly heard statement, “We’re all in this together” may be a comforting slogan but in itself, doesn’t provide the support or direction to deal effectively with what a parent is “in” or what to “do”. One answer, outlined in Dr. Capaldi’s book, 21st Century Parenting: A Guide to Raising Emotionally Resilient Children in an Unstable World, is to recognize the importance of a parent/teacher/counselor partnership. Teachers need parents, parents need teachers and students need the significant adults in their lives, providing direction and support that can support them in feeling safe, secure and competent.

Sometimes a parent or teacher just “being there” isn’t enough for a child; there may be a need to help recognize challenges and coordinate everyone’s efforts to a successful outcome. This is where counseling and behavioral intervention support can provide all players with the support and reassurance they need so everyone achieves their goals and expectations.

Why counseling? Let’s move away from that antiquated idea that the only people who need to speak to counselors are ones who have serious emotional problems. Counseling can provide direction for children, adults and families when all are experiencing challenges impacting their life. They provide the support that parents need, reassure them they’re doing a good job, support teachers who may need to embrace a different direction, provide a student direction in improving their performance socially, emotionally or academically.

An answer to consider during these difficult times, should you need additional support with your child, student or family, is Outreach Concern, Inc. Outreach Concern is the no-cost school counseling program provided at your child’s school. Our services are focused on impacting a child’s academic, social and emotional success, supporting the performance parents and teachers expect from their children and students. If you feel the need to utilize any of our services, you’d be impressed with the impact they can have on your child in terms of supporting their success both at home and in school.

Our services are designed to provide additional support to students whose learning is impacted by emotional intelligent factors, such as the inability to manage emotions, resolve conflicts, engage in successful school relationships and demonstrate academic success. Our goal is to partner with you, and your child’s teacher in providing success and direction toward accomplishing short- and long-term growth, improving grades, attendance and decreasing disruptive behavior.

The Outreach Concern program and its services are free. Our goal, like yours, is to work in partnership with all the significant people in your child’s life to affect a positive change, supporting their ongoing success. If you feel the need to speak to one of our supportive counselors, making a referral is simple. Visit the Outreach Concern website at www.OutreachConcern.org and sign a parent consent form at the bottom of the website home page, and one of our counselors will contact you immediately.

OUTREACH CONCERN CRISIS HOTLINE: 1-800-4-CONCERN (426-6237)

FROM NURSE ANDERSON

As we continue to move forward this school year, we would like to remind you about some important information related to the health and safety of our school community. Nurse Anderson received the following guidelines from the Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health, and she requested that we share the guidelines with our community. 

• Please don’t send your student to school with a fever. A fever is anything higher than 99.8 degrees, without medication.

• Please assess your child for symptoms of RSV. These symptoms include fever, respiratory congestion, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, chills, headache, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms.

• For students with symptoms of conjunctivitis (“pink eye”), if there is significant yellow or mucus discharge, or if the eye is watery to the point that it needs to be frequently wiped or cleaned, and it affects their ability to see or participate in school, the student should stay at home until the symptoms improve.

• Any student absent with a contagious disease MUST be re-admitted by a doctor or the School Health Office. He/she must have a doctor’s note stating that he/she is no longer contagious. 

• Upon the student’s return to school, you must write a note to the homeroom teacher and School Nurse for readmission to class. A short explanation is sufficient. 

• Any student who is absent for THREE DAYS OR MORE due to illness must be readmitted with a doctor’s note. A note from the doctor may be waived if you have kept in contact with the School Health Office throughout the student’s illness.

We have recently had some students who were sent to school with unreported fevers, coughs, sore throats, etc. It is imperative to the health of everyone (students, teachers, and staff) that you monitor your student’s health each day. We are asking our faculty and staff to monitor their health as well. Please do your best to help us keep our community healthy, especially as we navigate toward the holidays ahead.