December 29, 2022
The Beehive
Special Winter Edition

2021-2022
Home & School Club President's Message
As we reach the end of 2021, I reflect on the many blessings of belonging to the Blossom Hill learning community.  I appreciate all the staff does to make our school a safe and nurturing learning environment for our children.  I am especially grateful for generous support from families.  The Home & School Club (HSC) has many purposes – we are a grant making organization, a volunteer organization, and a community building organization. In summary, we work to galvanize resources to help our students have the best possible experience at school every day.  We cannot achieve our goals without you.  

We build our community – and strengthen our hive – when we work together.  Each of you contributes to the strength of our community, helping our “hive thrive.” Your support for our students, staff and the HSC has been humbling.  Some parents have donated their time to help us restart many beloved programs on campus. Other families have made donations to the HSC, through our One Community LG (OCLG) Campaign, equipping our students and teachers with tools for success. You voted to pass Measure B, a critical funding measure to support our core teaching staff.  Thank you. I hope you know I am sincerely grateful for you as a member of the Blossom Hill learning community.  

This is our first “Special Issue” of the Beehive.  With 2022 knocking on the door, we want to take this time to look back on some of our accomplishments and dive deeper into activities and programs that are back on campus this school year.  By reading this “Special Issue,” we hope you learn something about the HSCBlossom Hill, and the community partners that support our students. Contributors to this newsletter include parents and partners from our learning community.  

We have accomplished so much together since we returned to school in August 2021, including: 
  • We returned to full on campus instruction! I never take for granted the efforts by administrators, teachers and staff to fully reopen in August, including hosting one of the few “In Person” Back to School Nights in the county.  Many thanks to Lisa Reynolds for her leadership. The staff continues to work diligently to keep our children healthy and safe throughout the school day.  HSC volunteers decorated campus and held welcome back activities, including Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd Grade Play DatesNew Family Welcome activities, and our highly attended Welcome Back Coffee.  
  • We reignited a culture of volunteerism. About half our parents signed up to volunteer with the HSC or in their child’s classroom.  Our volunteers supported the reopening of the libraryPotteryFun FridaysMath Night, and Book Fair. Our parents supported the Staff Appreciation Committee, allowing us to host Conference Week lunches for all staff. 
  • We fostered a culture of giving by donating to the One Community LG Campaign, passing Measure B, and by participating in the One Warm Coat drive, and the Charity Drive for the Diocese of Monterey’s Hispanic Ministries.  
  • We brought art to campus, engaging mural artist Morgan Bricca to create a series of six unique works of art that support our campus culture and values, encouraging students to “bee…”kind, helpful, playful, curious, joyful, and a bucket filler. 
  • We reestablished a campus culture of empathy, kindness, and inclusion by kicking off a new year of Project Cornerstone and hosting singer-songwriter Steve Seskin
  • Our children reconnected with community initiatives like Safe Routes to School and Red Ribbon Week.  We helped them learn about making healthy choices, traveling safely to school. We also hosted Bike Rodeos for the 3rd and 4th grade and Pedestrian Training for kindergarteners. 
  • We helped parents connect through community events, including the Ugly Sweater PartyMom’s Night Out at AthletaHSC General Member Meetings, the Halloween Hangout, and Heritage Night
  • The Yearbook Committee engaged students to create the “Just Open Your Heart” theme and submit art for the cover contest.  We hosted picture days in the MPR. 
  • We brought back many beloved parent-student events, including the Halloween ParadeWinter Music Concerts, and 5th Grade Heritage Night
  • We served the community by hosting a polling place for the November election and a Covid vaccine clinic for over 200 LGUSD students. 

This list is not exhaustive because you each do little things every day to strengthen our Blossom Hill Hive.  I am so proud to be a part of this learning community and to serve alongside Kristin HutchinsonJennifer ShapiroEllen FeitchmeirNika EsfahaniJean Choi, and Widya Junus on the Home & School Club board this year.  I am infinitely grateful for our committee chairs and volunteers, including Francine Shore, Ting Engelman, Meghan Stevens, Kathy Kwong, Jenny Meeske, Trista Bernstein, Amanda Caruso, Cat Leitch, Julie Reynolds, Jasleen Dhillon, Rachel Pandapati, Kelly Scullino, Caroline Zamansky, Jen Saban, Michelle Avlas, Amy Gregor, Christy Kersten, Szilvia Decoin, Nicole Duke, Bonnie Pang, Kerry Newlin, Ling Law, Missy Bottoms, Rebecca Escobar, Eric Dunstan, Doug Gregor, Suzanne Errecart, Elke Billingsley, Brenda Chiu, Peter Binkley, and Smita Jain Kanungo. You all make the magic happen.  Blossom Hill is a very special place. Have a very Happy New Year! I’ll see you swarming around our hive in 2022.  

Melissa Crow, HSC President
Morgan's Murals
Of the many things we’ve accomplished as a Home & School Club Board this year, I am particularly proud of our efforts to brighten our campus with mural art. Many thanks to School Site Council Member Ling Law for helping us identify and engage Morgan Bricca from Morgan Murals to create a set of six ball wall murals unique to our campus. We tasked Morgan with creating a set of “bee” murals focused on our core values of kindness and empathy. What she delivered was beyond our expectations. Each mural was crafted from the perspective of a bee, traveling through a garden. Each mural has a specific story, color strategy, and progression. Messages included “Bee Kind,” “Bee Helpful,” “Bee a Bucket Filler,” “Bee Joyful,” “Bee Playful,” and “Bee Curious.” Students were able to engage with Morgan during class visits and at recess. I loved listening in as students asked Morgan questions about her process, color choices, subject matter, and how she could possibly paint murals that big! At times, she asked students what they’d like to see in the mural and quickly incorporated their ideas into the art. I have the privilege of seeing Morgan’s murals from Blossom Hill Park as my kids and I walk to school each day. Their impact is truly inspiring. The murals add beauty and contribute to our campus identity, reinforcing messages of kindness, empathy, inclusion and a learner’s mindset. They give the students a sense of pride and belonging and enhance the feeling of learning and fun on campus.  
To learn more about Morgan’s journey creating the murals, please visit her blog here

Melissa Crow, HSC President
Project Cornerstone
Project Cornerstone’s ABC Reader program has been a staple at Blossom Hill Elementary for many years. The program is divided into a three year cycle.  The first year is the Asset Year where the focus is on growing upstanders.  Upstanders are people who stand up for themselves and others.  The second year is the Building Year where the focus is on inclusion.  The third year is the Champion Year where the focus is on empathy and applying the skills that students have learned.

The 2021-2022 school year is an Asset Year.  Each month, parent volunteers meet with Lacy Milos, the Project Cornerstone leader at Blossom Hill, and Project Cornerstone Volunteer Coordinators Caroline Zamansky and Jen Saban, to read and discuss the story that will be shared with the students.  Parents are guided through the book and discussion questions that they then read to their assigned class at their scheduled time.  Students know that their Project Cornerstone/ABC Reader is a kind, caring adult who they can reach out to whenever they need support.  

The first Project Cornerstone book read in October was Have You Filled a Bucket Today? which emphasized our theme of the month, “Be A Bucket Filler - Share Kindness Every Day.”  This is a foundational book which introduces students to the idea that everyone has a metaphorical bucket which is filled when positive experiences happen.  Kindness is a quality that when we share it fills not only other people’s buckets, but our own as well.  Our buckets can also be emptied when negative experiences happen.  Students are taught about “bucket dippers” – people who try to take from other’s buckets to fill their own.  The third key aspect of our emotional buckets is the lid.  We can put a lid on our own bucket to protect ourselves from bucket dippers.

The second book read in November was Simon’s Hook whose theme was “Be A Free Fish – Don’t Take the Bait.”  Simon’s Hook’s goal is for students to recognize the choices they have in responding to teasing and bucket dipping behaviors.  Students learned five techniques to put a lid on their own buckets and protect themselves – do little or nothing, agree with the hook, distract, laugh at the hook, and stay away or ignore.  Simon’s Hook focuses on the behavior that is under your control – your own behavior, not the other person’s behavior.  This gives the students the power to choose how they react in difficult situations.  

Project Cornerstone readings will continue in 2022 with five more stories.  In January, parent volunteers will be reading Mr. Peabody’s Apples.  The theme is “Words Matter – You Have the Power to Stop a Rumor.”  February’s book is Recess Queen, focusing on the theme of the “Power of Kindness and Friendship.”  Trouble Talk, with the theme of “When You Have an Open Heart, Anything is Possible,” will be read in March. “Sometimes It Takes Just One Person to Inspire Another” is the theme of the book One, to be read in April.  And the last book of the year will be The Empty Pot.  The final theme is “Be Honest - The Truth is Best, Even When It’s Not Easy.”  By the end of the Asset Year, students will have many tools in their tool kit to help them understand that their reaction is under their control, to help them make good choices, to help them fill their own and other’s buckets, and to be upstanders when they see bucket dipping behaviors.  

Founded in 1999, Project Cornerstone is a community initiative led by YMCA of Silicon Valley.  The project’s mission is to provide students with the support of caring adults to develop 41 “Developmental Assets” that have been identified by researchers at the Search Institute in Minneapolis, MN.  These assets outline the positive experiences, relationships, skills and values that children need to grow into thriving adults.  The assets include both external assets (i.e. relationships and opportunities provided by supportive families, schools, and communities) and internal assets (i.e. social-emotional skills, values, and commitments).  Youth who have high asset levels are more likely to make healthy, positive choices.  A list of all 41 assets can be found here.

Jennifer Shapiro, Project Cornerstone Reader & HSC Parliamentarian
Assemblies, Assemblies!
The Home & School Club is proud to partner with Principal Reynolds and the staff at Blossom Hill to bring live assemblies back to campus this year. We kicked off our 2021-22 assemblies on September 1 when singer-songwriter Steve Seskin visited campus. Steve’s assemblies focus on kindness, friendship, empathy, inclusion, and overcoming challenges. This assembly set the tone for campus culture this year. While Steve is known among students for his song titled “Don’t Laugh at Me,” he also wrote a special song for our learning community titled “Be the Source of Someone’s Joy.” The song focused on each student’s personal power to share light and joy with others. Steve will return later this year to conduct a song writers’ workshop with our fifth-grade students. You can learn more about Steve Seskin here

In the second half of the school year, the Home & School Club will sponsor an “Extreme Science” assembly with David Hagerman and “Be Seen and Heard” assembly with Victor PaciniDavid Hagerman’s assembly will accompany our Science Fair programming in March. More information about David's recent appearance on America's Got Talent and his Extreme Science assemblies can be found here. Victor Pacini provides annual, age-appropriate training to help children identify sexual and other abuse. More information on Victor and his programs can be found here.

Melissa Crow, HSC President
Students always enjoy hearing Steve Seskin sing "Don't Laugh at Me."
Everyone is looking forward to the live Extreme Science Show by David Hagerman.
The Halls are Alive…with the Sound of Music!
December is my favorite month. It started with an excuse to drink eggnog daily, continued with my excitement for gift wrapping and decorating a holiday tree. This month, my highlight has been the music concerts in Blossom Hill Elementary. From the 3rd grade musical "Journey into Outer Space", I learned about naming all planets in a creative way (much easier from what I learned in the Dr. Seuss book). I experienced the enjoyment of my 4th grader learning ukulele (Liesl always wakes up 10-min earlier on Thursdays to tune her ukulele and looks forward to music). I was privileged to attend the 5th grade band concert and was impressed by the variety of instruments that upper graders have mastered. 

I am thankful for the opportunity for my children to learn various music instruments as part of their school curriculum. I am grateful that my children get to be part of a choir and music group which have helped them build friendship and empathy. The music program highlights the best of the partnership between the Home & School Club, the Los Gatos Education Foundation and the Los Gatos Music Boosters. The organizations jointly fund this program – available to all students – through donations raised during the One Community LG Campaign. I am grateful for parents in our community who continue to show their support for a robust music program at LGUSD.  

Widya Junus, HSC Co-Treasurer
Books, Books, and More Books!
My favorite place to be on Blossom Hill campus is the library.  Why?  Because we are so fortunate to have an amazing librarian at Blossom Hill – Amy Grespan. Every classroom attends library once a week to listen to a story read by Mrs. Grespan.  Her book choices coordinate with holidays from Halloween to Diwali as well as important character-building themes such as the importance of protecting our environment and how we can help others.  While she is entertaining the students with her engaging range of voices, parent volunteers are busy checking in returned books and reshelving the books.  Parent volunteers from each class are key to the library check in and check out process as well as maintaining the organization of the shelves.  After Mrs. Grespan’s story, students browse the shelves, ask for recommendations and check out new literature to take home.  Mrs. Grespan inspires and encourages our student’s interest in children’s literature, nourishing a life-long love of reading. Thank you Mrs. Grespan and all of our library volunteers!

The library is not only supported by the Home & School through volunteers, but also by our book fairs.  During conference week in November, our library was host to the Scholastic Book Fair.  Students, teachers and parents shopped the great selection of books from early readers to chapter books to nonfiction titles and more.  Our Scholastic Book Fair raised approximately $6500 that Mrs. Grespan will use to add new titles to our library as well as replace some well loved titles.  Thank you to Book Fair co-chairs, Francine Shore and Ting Engelman, as well as Amy Grespan, for organizing our fall book fair.  Be on the lookout for next book fair in the spring!

Jennifer Shapiro, Library Volunteer Coordinator & HSC Parliamentarian
Ting Engelman, Francine Shore & Amy Grespan at the Book Fair
Amy Grespan taking advantage of a beautiful day to read outdoors to a 5th grade class.
Heritage Night
Heritage Night returned to Blossom Hill! Each year, the fifth-grade students have an opportunity to learn about their family history during the Heritage Project. Over a period of a few months, my fifth grader was able to research our family history, create a family tree, a family crest, make a family recipe, assemble a family history scrapbook, and find “artifacts” representing family traditions. Students presented their work to their classmates and to parents during the Heritage Night evening event. 

My fifth grader enjoyed learning about our ancestor who traveled the Oregon Trail and ultimately settled in California during the Gold Rush. I had so much fun learning alongside my fifth grader and felt like the Heritage Project helped our family grow closer. 

I was so impressed by the creativity and determination of the fifth-grade teachers to make sure Heritage Night could be held safely. Many thanks to Loretta O’DonnellLaurey ValentineTeresa Bonner, and Stephan Joanides. Their thoughtful planning gave the fifth-grade parents an opportunity to celebrate their child and their child’s classmates. Fifth grade parents were allowed to visit their student’s classroom and learn about the unique history, cultures and traditions of each students’ families. Due to COVID concerns, families were assigned a “shift” to keep crowds limited and allow for distancing in classrooms. As I circled my student’s classroom, each student articulately and confidently talked about their personal heritage. Heritage Night truly celebrates each student’s individuality while honoring the collective diversity and global reach of our students and their families. 

Melissa Crow, HSC President
Students mapped where their families originated and where they moved to in the United States before settling in California.
Cooking a traditional family dish, like these Angel Rolls about to go into the oven, is a fun and delicious part of the Heritage Project.
Meet Mr. Jerry
Kindergarten families have been especially fortunate to have Jerry Falek coming in to work with our kiddos on creative movement and spatial awareness. Mr. Jerry’s workshops focus on creative movement, providing children with the opportunity to use their bodies expressively and address the needs of kinesthetic learners. The workshops teach body awareness, balance, the aesthetics of movement, and the basics of movement. More importantly, they offer our children a non-competitive, non-athletic activity in which they can feel strong and confident in their bodies. Creative movement also contributes to a child’s development by teaching concentration, awareness of self and others, and discipline.

On Fridays this fall, the children have been asked to wear their comfortable clothes and shoes and move their bodies working on stretches, postures, and dances to express themselves through movement. The Home & School Club is proud to partner with our kindergarten team to help bring this awesome program to the classroom. My kindergartener beamed when I asked her about Mr. Jerry and his classes. She was quick to tell me, "I like doing the stretches with Mr. Jerry and dancing to Jump, Jump, Jump Jim-Joe and Old King Glory On The Mountain." She continued “I also like pretending to be a balloon and inflating and deflating my body using my breath and ‘Bowing to the King and Queen.’” She was eager to show me the moves she has learned and is singing the songs through the house regularly. It is obvious the joy and confidence Mr. Jerry's program has brought her and I’m certain her fellow kindergarteners would agree!

“Mr. Jerry” has a Bachelors from Carnegie Mellon and a M.Ed. in Special Education from American University. He performs as a storyteller, and teaches performing and visual arts throughout Central California in K-12 schools. A central focus of his work is the social and emotional needs of children, especially those who are seen as marginalized, special needs, or high-risk. He has also partnered with organizations like Stanford Children’s Hospital, Children’s Discovery Museum, Montalvo, and NUMU of Los Gatos to provide youth focused programs. You can learn more about Mr. Jerry here

Kristin Hutchinson, HSC President Elect
Mr. Jerry engages the students in Mrs. Kopecky's class to work collectively to build a rocking boat with their bodies.
Mr. Jerry also uses music in his work with the kindergarten students. (Please note that the above picture was taken pre-COVID.)
LGEF Innovation Grants
The Los Gatos Education Foundation offers Innovation Grants to staff across the district. Parent contributions to One Community LG Campaign make the LGEF Innovation Grants possible. The grants are pilot programs designed to encourage innovation and creativity in the classroom. Innovation grant applications are due in early October and recipients are announced later that month. For the 2021-2022 school year, LGEF’s Innovation Grants team received 41 applications requesting $55,150 in funding. LGEF was able to fund 28 grant requests, including 4 at Blossom Hill and 2 cross-campus programs that benefit Blossom Hill students. In total, LGEF awarded $23,472 for approved grants and helped facility $2,800 for Kimochis to assist all elementary school campuses with Social Emotional Learning programs. 

This year’s innovation grant requests seemed to focus on major themes, including: Social-Emotional Learning, Diversity and Inclusion, Innovation in STEAM curriculum, and clever approaches for student engagement.  Innovation Grant recipients at Blossom Hill included: 

Kindergarten Team – Expanding class libraries with more take-home books focused on SEL, so the youngest students can learn these critical social emotional skills in class and also with their families at home.

Kelly Rhine and Laura Bassani, 4th grade – Integrating Social Emotional Learning and reading strategies. Mrs. Rhine and Mrs. Bassani are purchasing student copies of Sarah Weeks’ novel Save Me a Seat, a book about a boy who is adjusting to school in the US after immigrating from India for his father’s corporate job. Students will read the book and have group discussions about the book’s themes of friendship, acceptance, diversity, and our own assumptions. 

Teresa Bonner, 5th grade – Running a Book-a-Day program. Ms. Bonner reads a picture book to her students daily that relates to their curriculum, recent social situations, or provides historical context. The picture-book format stimulates conversations and helps build connections in the classroom, and Ms. Bonner wants to bring the Book-a-Day program to other teachers in the school.

Wendy Ottinger, 4th grade - Purchasing Gizmos, by Explore Learning to run STEAM simulations in grades 3-5. Gizmos are interactive math and science virtual labs. Over 400 Gizmos aligned to the latest standards help educators bring powerful new STEM learning experiences to the classroom. 

Fran Mastroianni, District Math Specialist – Using Innovation Grant money to continue running the “Problem of the Month” challenge. Students can solve a challenge math problem for their grade. Correct responses are submitted to a monthly prize raffle. 

Doug Gregor, LGEF Board Member
Kimochis are a family of cuddly critters with big emotions that help kids grow and transform by dealing skillfully with their feelings.
Students have opportunities in Gizmos to not just act like scientists and mathmaticians, but to be actual scientists and mathmaticians.
Safe Routes to School
Safe Routes to School (SR2S) is a national program, encouraging students to walk and bike to school. The Los Gatos Safe Routes to School program was spearheaded by volunteers back in 2006. In 2016, SR2S became a 501(c)3 nonprofit with support from local schools, Town, City and County. Together we envision a collaborative community that supports all students using people power in traveling to and from school in Los Gatos and Monte Sereno and creating a healthier and more livable environment.

Locally, SR2S works with the Town of LG, Monte Sereno, LGUSD Administrators, Home & School Clubs, Los Gatos High School and Hillbrook School to provide education, support and incentives to increase the number of students that walk and bike to school.

Why is SR2S important for your student?  
Fewer cars on the road equals safer streets and cleaner air. Students who walk and bike to school get more exercise and develop a sense of independence. Safe Routes’ public engagement program encourages the “Six E’s,” including: 
  • Encouragement (Walk and Bike to School weeks, Honeybee Bar Code program)
  • Education (3rd and 4th grade Bike Rodeos, Kindergarten Pedestrian Training)
  • Engagement (Local projects, social media, general community outreach)
  • Evaluation (Tracking student mode of transportation through the Honeybee Bar Code program)
  • Enforcement (Liaising with LGMSPD and Crossing Guards)
  • Engineering (Liaising with town on crosswalk, bike lane and other safety initiatives)

To learn more about SR2S, please visit www.lgsaferoutes.org or contact Program Lead Wendy Riggs at wriggs@lgusd.org or Blossom Hill campus lead Peter Binkley at saferoutes@blossomhill.org.

Melissa Crow, HSC President
Students learn important bike safety skills at the Bike Rodeo.
Kindergarteners practice pedestrian safety with Mr. Bush, Mrs. Riggs, and Mrs. Reynolds.
Fun Fridays
During Fun Fridays parent volunteers offer open-ended games and art projects to students during recess. Funded by the Home & School Club, the Fun Fridays program was designed to give students creative and collaborative recess activities once a week. It is rewarding to see the students’ creativity and excitement each week. It is heartwarming to see their smiling eyes while they sign in to play.

In the last three months we’ve witnessed so much kindness and inclusion among the students who participate in Fun Fridays. They learn to speak up for each other, include new friends, explore and make connections. Many students come to Fun Fridays to enjoy a creative outdoor space during recess to express themselves in new ways. Some students are very excited when we offer service projects, like making winter themed cards for the seniors living at The Terraces. 

It has been inspiring to see the strengths each parent volunteer has to share. From rethinking how to set up a craft when the grass was too wet, to how to best set up the yard games so the kids have space to be creative – it is clear our parent community wants each student to have a positive experience! The volunteer parents at Blossom Hill Elementary sure know how to put the “I” in Kind and — if I can take that a step farther — the “I” in Individuality. We all bring our strengths to the table every time we enter the school space to help teachers and programs to run, and the kids benefit from seeing those diverse strengths working together. I am so grateful for the support of our parent volunteers! 

We are also grateful for Mrs. Sheehan, Mrs. Adams, Principal Reynolds, the facilities and yard duty staff. They are patient and encouraging. They have supported the return of Fun Fridays, helping to make the school day just a little more special.

Amy Gregor, Parent Volunteer & Fun Fridays Chair
Students made cards to welcome refugee children being resettled locally.
There are many fun craft activities for students during Fun Fridays including this fall leaf craft.
Bee Connected
I love volunteering in our school library. In October, I observed something very special during Ms. Higgins’s first grade library time. Mrs. Grespan, the librarian, had just finished reading the kids a book, and in typical first grade fashion, every single student either had their hand up or started making connections to the story aloud (e.g., “I am going to be a cat for Halloween!” “I am going to be….”). 

I felt so lucky that day to be a volunteer in the library to witness Mrs. Grespan and Ms. Higgins in action! Mrs. Grespan read a book that helped the children think about the relationship between their school, family and community. She created a space where the children could express their thoughts. Then Ms. Higgins masterfully transitioned the students to the next activity by directing them to “show each other if you have made a connection!” With that prompting, the students mimicked Ms. Higgins by looping their thumb and index fingers together to make a finger chain with their own hands. The students’ eyes were sparkling and looking all around at each other and the Teachers. Each student felt “heard” even though they weren’t using words. 

Like many teachers on staff, Ms. Higgins helps the students use the “connection signal,” a non-verbal expression to show they connect with what is happening in the classroom. Starting in Kindergarten, our staff works deliberately to help our students make connections – linking what they learn in the classroom with their family, friends, community and the world. While the upper grade students don’t make finger chains, they are encouraged to identify connections all around them. This supports the district’s work to develop critical thinking in all of our students, one of the six attributes outlined in the LGUSD Student Success Profile. As parents, we can reinforce a sense of connection, by showing loving support, helping them recognize connections between school, activities, books and the world. Instead of just saying “good job” when they complete a task, we can recognize the connections across assignments, subjects and personal activities. By helping our students make connections, we can help them be more confident scholars and empathic citizens.  

Amy Gregor, Parent Volunteer & Fun Fridays Chair
The Buzz About “The Hive”
The Hive is Blossom Hill’s adult only spring social. It traditionally includes a Silent, Premier, and Live auction, raising tens of thousands of dollars for Blossom Hill’s Home & School Club. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, we have not been able to hold The Hive in person for the past two years, but good news, we are planning on bringing it back this year!

Save the date for Saturday night April 30, 2022. The event will be held at the Toll House Hotel in downtown Los Gatos in their beautiful outdoor courtyard. Since many of the local businesses that have historically donated auction items are still recovering from the pandemic, we will not be asking them for donations as in years past. The primary focus of this year's Hive will be strengthening our amazing school community by getting parents together to socialize and meet new friends. However, we will still welcome any donations that our parents may have to offer, including tickets to sporting events or concerts, stays in vacation homes, or any other experience you have a connection to that would make a good auction item. 

Ticket sales for Sign Up Parties for the following year will also be sold at The Hive. A “Sign Up” Party is a smaller event where a group of parents get together to plan and pay for hosting a themed party and then all of the tickets sales for that party go to Blossom Hill's Home and School Club. An example of this is the Ugly Sweater Holiday Party that was held at the beginning of December. Around one hundred parents attended, raising over $7,000 for the school all while having a great time reconnecting and meeting new people. 

The Hive committee is looking for new people to join them, so if you have an interest in event planning, would like to be a Sign Up Party host or have an auction item you would like to donate, please contact hive@blossomhill.org. The Hive is so much fun and is a vital fundraiser for the school, so we especially need parents of younger families to get involved to carry on the tradition of The Hive!

Ellen Feitchmeir, HSC Vice President
The Ugly Sweater Holiday Party was a great kick off to many more Sign Up Parties to come.
How Your Blossom Hill Student Benefits from Your Support of LGEF (and One Community LG)

The Los Gatos Education Foundation (LGEF) was founded by parents in 1982 in response to a state budget crisis which threatened sudden cuts in teaching staff. Because of the state funding structure, Los Gatos schools receive less per student from the state and federal government than other, similar schools. LGEF helps “fill the gap” by funding teachers and staff that help educate the whole child. Learn more about what LGEF funds here. Since its founding in 1982, LGEF has contributed over $16 million to Los Gatos schools.

Today Los Gatos Education Foundation (LGEF) is a 501c3 non-profit organization that raises private funds through annual giving campaigns from parents, businesses, and community members, to support all LGUSD campuses. Parent contributions to LGEF fund essential teachers and staff at Blossom Hill. At Blossom Hill, parent contributions provide: Art (Ms. Anderson,) Library (Ms. Grespan), Music (Ms. George, Ms. Ancheta, Ms. Krijnen, and Mr. Miller,) PE, (Mr. Mee, Mr. Kappen, and Ms. Yanoni,), and our K-8 Counselor, (Ms. Henry).  

This year, LGEF made two changes to how parent contributions support our students and schools. First, LGEF aligned parent funding with positions that reach EVERY student on campus, so that all students benefit.  This is why we encourage all families to participate in our annual One Community LG campaign. Second, LGEF now fully funds each position, so that the parent contribution makes a significant impact. These changes are a part of the long-term strategic planning for LGEF and LGUSD, and were also designed to provide clarity on what is funded by LGEF, and what Measure B Parcel Taxes support. More information on the LGUSD Strategic Plan can be found here.

For the 2022-23 school year, LGEF is excited to be able to contribute two more staff who will work at Blossom Hill, including a second Art Teacher and a STEAM Teacher. These positions will be funded if LGEF meets fundraising goals in the 2021-22 school year. Adding these two positions doubles the time Blossom Hill students spend in Art. The STEAM Teacher will work with all the classroom teachers at Blossom Hill to incorporate specific STEAM learning into the existing curriculum. Both positions reach every student at Blossom Hill. LGEF also promotes continuous innovation in classroom teaching through our Innovation Grants program, described in the article by Blossom Hill Parent and LGEF Board Member Doug Gregor.   

Lastly, LGEF is honored to partner with the Blossom Hill Home & School Club in a variety of initiatives, including the One Community LG Campaign. Together, we work to fund critical programs such as music and art through complimentary grants. To learn more about the One Community LG initiative, please visit www.onecommunitylg.org.

Deborah Weinstein, LGEF Director
Community Sponsor Program
Our Community Sponsor Program allows the Blossom Hill Home & School Club to partner with community businesses to support the many programs and activities funded by the Home & School Club. Businesses benefit from spotlight articles in the Beehive and from our community members supporting these locally owned businesses. Thank you to our Community Sponsors for the 2021-2022 school year:
Since 1947, our families have been residents of Los Gatos and K-12 students. Our focus has always been on how we can give back to this wonderful place in which we live, go to school, and raise our families. The betterment of our surroundings and the connection to our community is at the forefront of our thoughts and efforts. Hall & Burnett Orthodontics is the lead Community Sponsor for One Community LG and all of the LGUSD Home & School Clubs as well as LGEF and Los Gatos Music Boosters. For more information please visit www.lgortho.com.
Kumon Math and Reading Programs are designed to advance your child’s comprehension and appreciation for learning – providing an edge throughout school, but the lifelong benefits often go far deeper. Kumon is an after school enrichment program offered in math and English. Whether students are seeking an academic challenge or need help catching up, our individualized programs allow them to advance at their own pace through daily practice, instilling in them a passion and desire to learn more.  For more information please visit https://www.kumon.com/los-gatos.
Los Gatos Roofing has a long and storied history of service in the Bay Area, spanning over 115 years. Gary Radonich, original owner of Los Gatos Roofing, and his son Cameron, represent the 4th and 5th generations to be part of the Los Gatos community and are proud to continue to serve in the future. Los Gatos Roofing is dedicated to providing our customers with the absolute finest quality of work by continuously innovating and providing superior roofing craftsmanship while staying on the leading edge of roofing expertise. For more information please visit https://www.losgatosroofing.co.
Los Gatos Elite is the best gymnastics, ninja, and aerial arts experience in the bay area! Our facility is clean, air-conditioned, and conveniently located on Los Gatos Blvd. We specialize in classes, birthday parties, and camps for kids! For more information please visit https://www.losgatoselite.com.
Los Gatos Little League's mission is to develop fundamental baseball skills, while positively reinforcing lessons in teamwork, respect, and sportsmanship, both in victory and in defeat. Registration is open now for the 2022 season and we'd love to see more members of the LG community participate next season. For more information please visit www.lgll.org.
No Problem Pools has been serving the Bay Area since 1999. Having a pool in your backyard opens up many opportunities for you and your family to create memories that will last a lifetime. Add a personalized touch of elegance, tranquility, and luxury to your space. No Problem Pools offers building, remodeling and maintenance services. For more information please visit http://www.noproblempools.com.
The West Valley Red Hawks Lacrosse Club is an independent, non-profit youth sports organization and a 501c(3) corporation. The Club was established in 2004 to bring the sport of lacrosse to boys and girls in Los Gatos-Saratoga-Campbell-San Jose area. We have established lacrosse programs for boys and girls in grades 1 through 8. We accept new lacrosse players at every level, and offer competitive A-Level teams at 14U, and 12U most seasons. Red Hawks families come from across the South Bay, including Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell and San Jose. Free introductory classes are being offered this January. For more information please visit https://www.redhawkslacrosse.org.
Blossom Hill Vision Statement 
(Abilities and skills we expect our students to acquire and take-out into the world) 
All students will have the necessary skills to become enthusiastic, life-long learners and productive, empathetic, respectful members of society. 
Blossom Hill Mission Statement 
(What we need to do as a school community to ensure this happens) 
The Blossom Hill School community takes pride in providing an enriched standards-based curriculum in a safe, nurturing environment. We strive to appreciate an awareness of students’ developmental needs to help them progress towards independence. 
Blossom Hill Elementary School
16400 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos, CA 95032
Lisa Reynolds, Principal | lreynolds@lgusd.org
Phone: 408-335-2100 | Fax: 408-356-0887
Attendance Line: 408-335-2145
Blossom Hill Home & School Club
Melissa Crow, President | president@blossomhill.org  
*The Beehive newsletter is approved by Principal Lisa Reynolds and the H&SC Board and is written exclusively to provide the Blossom Hill community with pertinent, weekly school information. Articles, information, calendars, etc. may not be duplicated or re-printed in any manner without the permission of the Home & School Club or the Blossom Hill school administration.
Submissions can be made to The Beehive editor, Jennifer Shapiro,