- Calling volunteers for Tam Valley Movie Night 2016
- "Screenagers--Growing up in the Digital Age" documentary
- Principal search
- News about student privacy court case
- From the principal
- Kiddo! news
- Important dates
- Newsletter submission guidelines, policies, and deadlines
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Calling all volunteers for Tam Valley Movie Night 2016
Help us put together Movie Night 2016! We are looking for committee members as well as volunteers for the event.
Movie night is set for
Saturday, May 7 this year and will be tons of fun for the whole family.
If you're interested, please email Liz at
archiepug@prodigy.net
Thank you!
Liz Brown and Megan Flatt
Tam Valley Movie Night 2016 co-chairs
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Documentary: "Screenagers -- Growing Up in the Digital Age"
Please join us for a special screening of Screenagers -- Growing Up in the Digital Age, co-hosted by Mill Valley Middle School PTSA and Tam High PTSA. $10 admission (click here for details and tickets).
Young people spend an average of 6.5 hours a day on cell phones, computers and other devices. That doesn't include the time they use screens for school and homework. This documentary explores how much screen time is healthy.
When and where: Wednesday, March 16 | 6:30 - 8 PM | Mill Valley Middle School Gym
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Principal search
As you all know, the search for our next Tam Valley principal is underway.
Interested in sharing your thoughts about Tam Valley's future or your perspective on a new principal? Please send your feedback
before March 18 to:
tvsearch2016@gmail.com.
All responses are confidential and names and email addresses will be redacted before responses are distributed to the hiring committee. Thanks for your comments.
Carson Buck
President, Tam Valley PTA
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News about student privacy court case
Congratulations parents! Your letters of objection had the desired effect. A federal judge has backtracked on the potential release of records for 10 million California public school students.
Judge Kimberly Mueller ruled the database will remain with the California Department of Education and not be released to the plaintiff. The CDE will then assist plaintiffs' attorneys in gathering information.
More information is available via the
San Jose Mercury News:
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_29590794/judge-pulls-back-from-calif-student-records-release
Carson Buck
President, Tam Valley PTA
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From the principal
The principal's office
It was a great experience to hear these students read so confidently to me during the past few weeks: Melissa Ferretty Aviles, David Keane, Evan Gougat, Emma Blodgett, Chance White, Zadie Garcia Rebel, Keely Everage, Ella Hilton, Morgan McLan, Sassan Javaheri, Ben Kernan, Amanda Mauzy, Hannah Tacusalme, Ada Holmes-Hidalgo, Katie Lowenstein, Jayna Schwarz, Ruby Roth, Molly Eisenberg, Juliet Bastian, and Owen Dasovich.
State testing dates
Mill Valley School District will administer the mandated California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) tests to third, fourth, and fifth graders on the following dates:
5th grade April 25-29 and May 2-6 (with science paper/pencil tests on May 9-10)
4th grade May 9-13 and May 16-20
3rd grade May 23-27, May 31-June 3 & June 6
I will give more explanation of the state testing in our next newsletter.
Osmo's in action
Tam Valley's fourth-grade class recently purchased a set of the Osmo device to use with iPads. The Osmo is an accessory that encourages the user to solve problems and game situations by using their spatial, motor, and interpersonal skills at once. Our students have found these extremely motivating and lots of fun as they reinforce previously taught concepts and stretch their reasoning.
Valentine Grams
A huge thanks to all the first through fifth graders who bought Valentine Grams at lunch for four days before the winter break. The Student Council earned $230 for their community service project. This project will be chosen by the students from the Lantern Projects (http://www.lanternprojects.org/). Tam Valley's Student Council has supported this organization for more than a dozen years.
Our Annual Book Swap, held on Dr. Seuss's birthday, was a huge success. Students were able to select a "new" book to enjoy and our generous book donations enabled Ms. Beuhler, Ms. Padilla, and the Project Give Back students to donate several boxes of extra books to
The Children's Book Project in San Francisco (http://www.childrensbookproject.org/ ).
Bravo to Tam Valley artists
The masterpieces of these students were selected to be displayed in the
Kiddo! Student Art Show at Mill Valley Recreation Center until March 30. Go take a peek.
Cece Sharp (K), Christian Castro Vonk (4th), Wesley Garton (4th), Emerson Meadows (4th), and Kaya Sorcher (5th).
Award winners
Each year, as part of its ongoing effort to promote the ideal of public service in our town, the Redwoods Retirement Community sponsors an annual "Celebration of Service" ceremony in which it recognizes one teacher and one student from each Mill Valley school. I am happy to announce that Mrs. Kate Kellman, fourth-grade teacher, and Brendan King, fifth grader, will be honored in April. Mrs. Kellman also will be recognized at the Marin County Office of Education's Golden Bell Awards in May.
Kate was nominated for these awards by her colleagues and the principal for the way she goes above and beyond to reach each student. She has been on the cutting edge in using technology to promote learning, and is a wonderful collaborator at our school and throughout the school district.
Brendan is a well-respected leader among his classmates, serving as Student Council President and as an "official mentor" to peers under the supervision of Jason Mountsier, School Counselor. He stands out as a student with
empathy, integrity, and resilience.
A Touch of Understanding
On Friday, February 26, Tam Valley fourth graders participated in an annual disability awareness program through A Touch of Understanding (ATOU), sponsored by the Tam Valley PTA. The ATOU program is designed to educate students about the challenges associated with disabilities and foster acceptance and respect. During the "hands-on" portion of the program students used wheelchairs and mobility canes, wrote in Braille, handled braces and artificial limbs, and participated in a mirror-writing activity to understand the frustration of a learning disability. In the classroom portion, they met ATOU volunteers with disabilities who shared their insights in overcoming adversity with humor and honesty.
Leslie DeDora, Executive Director of ATOU characterized Tam Valley in this way: "
We travel to more than a hundred schools each year and see such a variety of settings in which our precious young children spend their days. Tam Valley is by far the one I would have chosen for my own children in and grandchildren. Your classrooms and all are filled with creativity, empathy, respect, and pure joy!"
For more information about this amazing organization, please visit their website:
http://www.touchofunderstanding.org
Many thanks to Stephanie Plante and so many parents for providing the teachers and staff with an amazing Italian lunch on March 2. We loved the décor, food, and Italian music in the background. What a treat!
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Kiddo! news
See your student perform
Mar 25: Grade 3 Hallway Art Show Begins. Runs through May 12, and in MPR too!
Kiddo! Night at the Giants is May 10.
Tickets go on sale in March.
Got Photos?
Kiddo! volunteers need more awesome high-res photos for this year's Spring Newsletter. Email
emilycookson@mac.com
if you can help.
See student art around town
Stop by and see great student art at the Mill Valley Community Center, March 1 - 31.
Art show at Marin Theatre Company, March 9 - 31; reception for the artists on March 14.
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Important dates
March
3/7-3/11: Kindergarten student-led conferences
3/11: Progress reports go home
318: Cabaret, 7 PM (Grades 1, 3, 5 plus 5th grade finale)
3/19: Cabaret, 6 PM (Grades K, 2, 4, 5 plus 5th grade finale)
3/23: PTA meeting, 7:15 PM, school library
3/31: Kiddo! dance performance, MPR:
Fourth graders at 8:45 AM, fifth graders at 10:00 AM
April
4/1: Kiddo! music performances:
12:45 PM: Bass,
O'Toole, Padilla, Alderson, Cover
1:55 PM: Croy, Shapiro, DeCelles, Kellman, Patler
4/5 Parent volunteers appreciation breakfast, 8:00 AM, MPR
4/11-15 Spring break, no school
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Newsletter submission guidelines, policies, and deadlines
- The newsletter is normally published by the Tam Valley PTA one of the first Wednesday of each month.
- Articles submitted late will be included at the discretion of the editor. TV PTA reserves the right to edit all submissions.
- Submit articles by email (unformatted in Word attachment or pasted into email) to editor Michael Mauzy at tamvalleynewsletter@gmail.com; include your name and phone number with all submissions. April's submission deadline is Friday, 4/1.
- No commercial, sectarian, or partisan ads or attachments or material critical of any individual or group are allowed.
- No advertising is permissible. Notices of sign-ups for sport, scouting, or other similar kid-related events are allowed.
- No copyrighted material will be printed without author's consent.
- All content is reviewed by Principal Gail van Adelsberg (gvanadelsberg@mvschools.org).
- Community news is published as a service as space permits. Tam Valley Elementary School and the Tam Valley PTA do not endorse the organizations or the content of pieces published in this publication.
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