The Beehive
Issue 31 | 2019-2020
April 15, 2020
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From the Principal's Desk
Dear Blossom Hill Families:
I hope you and your loved ones are well and settling into a routine as we return from Spring Break.
As you know, the recent announcement from the State and County has extended the school closures through the rest of the school year. While we all desperately want to return to school, this updated news has confirmed that we need to continue to refine our Remote Learning Program for students. The LGUSD team of teachers, administrators, and staff has been working hard on developing skills and building capacity each and every day.
Just as you are trying to navigate the new reality of working at home, supporting a child with Remote Learning expectations, and striving to keep a sense of security in place during uncertain times, so are our District employees. Our teachers and staff also have families with children and loved ones to care for while implementing these new teaching experiences. I cannot overstate the respect, admiration, and appreciation I have for the Los Gatos Union School District community and our families for embracing these changes with patience, perseverance, and empathy.
Here is a review of our Remote Learning thus far:
- LGUSD Remote Learning Phase I: All teachers contributed lessons to a bank that was available for all students on our Remote Learning website.
- LGUSD Remote Learning Phase II: Teachers emphasized social-emotional connections over content. This provided time with a familiar face, practice opportunities on the remote learning platforms, and reassurance that we are all learning together--even in our living rooms.
LGUSD Phase III will officially begin on April 20th
- The plan will continue for all TK-5 teachers to use Zoom (or another similar platform such as Google Meets) to check-in with their class on a daily basis (on M, T, Th, F). These “live” check-ins will continue to focus on the social-emotional well-being of our students, but may also include some academic content.
- Wednesdays will remain open for district and site collaboration meetings and professional development. The regular schedule allows specialists and support staff to work around class schedules to provide students with more individualized instruction.
- The plan will also continue with teachers holding a minimum of 30 minutes of office hours per day (on M, T, Th, F). During the office hour times teachers will be available to their students to answer questions, offer additional social-emotional support, reinforce concepts, or provide direct feedback on work they have received.
- Phase III will also launch teachers into managing their own Seesaw Account (TK-2) or Google Classroom (3-5) to individualize the instruction for their own class.
- With the initiation of Phase III, teachers will begin to post at least one daily asynchronous mini-lesson video (offering direct instruction in any core content area) to support the learning experiences being provided to students. These videos will be posted five days a week.
At this time, the blended model with asynchronous instructional videos along with daily connections (4x weekly) best meets the needs of elementary-aged children. Equity and access, screen time, and balance remain top priorities for all stakeholders. The
LGUSD Remote Learning web page
continues to house a plethora of information. Here are a few links that you might find especially helpful to support your child(ren) during Remote Learning Phase III:
- Click here for a wide range of schedules that can be used to support students having a routine at home for academics and household chores.
- Click here for contact information to access District Psychologists and Counselors. We are virtually here to support our students!
- Click here for social emotional self-care resources to help your child(ren) navigate this unique time.
- Click here for information about the virtual libraries for students to visit daily
- Click here for a direct link to Mrs. Martin’s Art Blog where new opportunities are provided every week and student work is showcased.
In LGUSD, all remote learning opportunities to date have been presented as “optional” as a means to be mindful of individual family circumstances (i.e. health, childcare, workforce, etc.). My greatest hope is that each student engages in the assigned work to the best of his/her ability. Students will not be penalized for incomplete work and our staff will work diligently to encourage students to participate. Our collective expectation is that every student and family puts forth their best effort to complete the assigned work. Please continue to communicate any special circumstances with your child’s teacher.
In education together,
Lisa Reynolds, Principal
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Important Dates
April
4/22 - Earth Day
4/24 - Deadline to change shipping address of yearbooks in TreeRing (see instructions below)
May
5/3 - School Resumes
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The H&SC Calendar is Online!
Did you know that our Home & School Club Calendar is online? Click
here
to see our Google Calendar, which you can subscribe to.
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Weekly Wisdom
Reynolds's Roundup
Our Reynolds's Round-up week #1 theme was "Keeping as fit as can BEE". We heard about all sorts of inspiring ways our Blossom Hill Bees are staying fit and healthy! Some have been trying indoor parkour (mind the furniture!), obstacle courses, or creative online workouts. Some are practicing backyard basketball/soccer/jump rope/trampolining, the list goes on. Most of us have been able to enjoy simple walks, runs, and bike rides with our families. We especially loved the ballet practice video that Bilge O. shared. We are glad she can continue to dance from the safety of her home.
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Zoom PE
To help us all continue to be the fittest we can BEE, our very own PE teacher Mr. Mee will be starting Zoom Fitness, for grades K-5 from
8:30-9:00 am
beginning
Wednesday, April 22
. Zoom Fitness will continue every Wednesday from 8:30-9:00 am for the duration of the school year.
Here is the ZOOM meeting link:
https://zoom.us/j/93066052456?pwd=Y055RUI1cnY2UTFqUVQrYVBHd05xZz09
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Next up:
Week #2 "Best Hive at Home" - make a fort and share the photos, plus a description of why your fort is special. Make sure to tidy everything away when you have finished playing:) Here's one Miss Miki's family made to inspire you.
Important School Contact Information
Office: 408-335-2100
Attendance: 408-335-2145
Office Hours: 7:30 am - 3:30 pm (currently closed)
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Feed Our Heroes is a campaign, led by our Los Gatos Education community, to supply free meals to local healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus.
The campaign has already raised money for over 2,200 meals, but more are needed. All meals are sourced from Los Gatos restaurants, providing local businesses much-needed support during these tough times.
A simple meal at the end of a long shift is well-deserved thanks to our healthcare worker’s dedication and service.
We hope you will join us and contribute to Feed Our Heroes.
All donations are tax-deductible and 100% of the funds go towards purchasing meals.
Feed Our Heroes fits alongside #FeedTheNeed BayArea, another local initiative led by the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce. #FeedTheNeedBayArea provides meals for the most vulnerable Los Gatos citizens (seniors, displaced workers, low-income families), while Feed Our Heroes supports healthcare workers. Both campaigns are worthy of your support.
Organizations supporting Feed Our Heroes:
Education
• Los Gatos Union School District
• Los Gatos High School
• Los Gatos Education Foundation (LGEF)
• New Millennium Foundation (NMF)
• Los Gatos High School Home & School Club
• RJ Fisher Middle School Home & School Club
• Blossom Hill Elementary Home & School Club
• Daves Avenue Elementary Home & School Club
• Lexington Elementary Home & School Club
• Van Meter Elementary Home & School Club
• Los Gatos Parent Nursery School
Business and Community
• UBS Financial Services
• Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce
• G2 Anesthesia
• Los Gatos United Soccer Club
• Y Guides Blossom Hill
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YEARBOOK Shipped to your Home!
Good News! Now you can have the yearbook shipped to your home!
Already Ordered the Yearbook?
:
These orders qualify for Ship-to-Home for FREE. Please follow the instructions on how to update your order to include your address
by April 24.
(Otherwise, any orders without an updated home address will be distributed at school when the next school year begins.)
For step-by-step instructions, please click
here
.
Not Yet Ordered the Yearbook?:
Please order your yearbook
here
and enter your address at checkout.
- Order by April 24 – Ship to Home with a special shipping fee of $2.99 (flat rate)
- Order after April 24 – Ship to Home with TreeRing’s standard shipping fee starting at $7.99
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CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!
It is time again to recruit volunteers for the 2020-2021 school year. Each position could be filled by one person or by two or three volunteers working as a team. If you are interested in volunteering in any other areas, please contact Jennifer Shapiro at
[email protected]
and we will find the perfect role for you.
Home & School Club Committee Chair Positions
Parent Directory Chair
–
FILLED!
The Hive Co-Chairs
– These committee chairs are responsible for planning and executing our spring auction. This fun event is a great team job. Co-chairs oversee the event night planning and run the online auction, as well as coordinating the procurement of auction items. Contact:
[email protected]
Laminating Committee Chair
–
FILLED!
No Cost Giving Chair (
Box Tops, eScrip, Nob Hill Liaison) – This chair is responsible for our two Box Top collections and for encouraging participation in No Cost Giving programs. Contact:
[email protected]
Facebook Manager/Web Content Chair
– This chair maintains the Blossom Hill Home & School Club website as well as posting important events and information on our Facebook page. This job is done at home on your own schedule. Contact:
[email protected]
Beehive Editor Chair
– This chair collects articles from our community and publishes our Wednesday weekly newsletter, the Beehive, using Constant Contact. This job is done at home on your own schedule. Contact:
[email protected]
Safe Routes to School Co-Chair
– This committee co-chair is needed to help supervise Honeybee Bar Code scanning on Mondays from 7:45am to 8:10am, assist with Walk, Bike and Roll to School weeks and Third Grade Bike Rodeo, and other special event weeks. Contact:
[email protected]
CASA Liaison Chair
– This committee chair is responsible for organizing Red Ribbon Week at Blossom Hill with the support of CASA. This includes decorating the school with ribbons and hanging banners, as well as distributing wristbands and flyers to teachers. Contact:
[email protected]
Parenting Continuum Chair
– This committee chair is needed to represent Blossom Hill in organizing opportunities for educational enrichment for parents, including movie nights and speakers to address the challenges facing parents today. Contact:
[email protected]
Yearbook Co-Chair -
This committee co-chair is responsible for overall content and development of the yearbook. The tasks include: organize the annual Yearbook Cover Contest, communicate with teachers and parents about the content and photos to be collected, work with printing vendor and meet the deadlines. Most of work can be done at home on your own schedule. Contact:
[email protected]
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EARTH DAY, APRIL 22
Next week people celebrate Earth Day all around the world. In this difficult and challenging time, it is even more important to protect our health, and for that we must protect our planet's health, too.
Here are some Earth Day activities and ideas that you can do at home with your family:
1. Plant a tree, flowers or vegetables in your garden.
2. Go for a walk and look for interesting plants or animals.
3. Try to use less electricity in the house.
4. Reduce food waste by optimizing grocery shopping and cooking.
5. Build some art and crafts from recyclable items.
6. Grab a pair of binoculars and go birdwatching.
7. Try to compost in your backyard, or collect all vegetables and fruit cuts and put it in your yard waste bin instead of the regular trash can.
8. Go through your closets and see if there are any items that you can donate. Clothes, toys and small household items are always needed.
9. Take shorter showers and maximize your laundry load in your washing machine to reduce water.
10. Use Earth-friendly cleaning products throughout your house.
11. Eat less meat.
12. REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE whatever you can!
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The H&SC Thanks This Week's
Sponsor Spotlight
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It’s not too late to bee-come a Community Sponsor! For more information on this program, click
here or email
Debbie Bluestone at
[email protected].
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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.
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Blossom Hill Elementary School
16400 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos, CA 95032
Phone: 408-335-2100 | Fax: 408-356-0887 | Attendance Line: 408-335-2145
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Blossom Hill Home & School Club
Contact and make submissions to The Beehive editor, Christi Zenteno, at
[email protected]
.
The Beehive is approved by Principal Lisa Reynolds and the H&SC Board to provide pertinent information weekly to the Blossom Hill community.
*The Beehive newsletter is written exclusively to provide the Blossom Hill community with school information. Articles, information, calendars, etc. may not be duplicated or re-printed in any manner without the permission of the Home and School Club or the Blossom Hill school administration.
STAY CONNECTED -
visit the Blossom Hill H&SC Facebook page!
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