From the Principal’s Desk
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Dear Blossom Hill Families:
Thank you for attending our first ever round of virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences. The strong Home/School partnership forged throughout our learning community is a key factor in supporting each student’s happiness, social/emotional well-being, and academic success.
The faculty and I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our parents for pairing Conference Week with Staff Appreciation Week. The amazing team of Kristin Hutchinson and Melissa Crow combined their extraordinary talents and creativity to coordinate and adapt this thoughtful BH tradition to the novel circumstances created by the pandemic. Your kindness filled our buckets! Thank you for the delicious treats, beverages, lunches, decorations, and inspiring messages.
I am excited to share that we are gearing up to kick-off our five pilot programs this upcoming Monday, November 9th. All elementary sites are participating in this initiative to practice safety protocols and explore different strategies that can be replicated in the future when we return to in-person instruction. Thank you to Mrs. Kopecky, Mrs. Despars, Ms. Higgins, Mrs. Payne, Mrs. O’Donnell, and Mrs. Mastroianni for participating in this four-week program. In addition, Mrs. Kriege, Mrs. Bennett, and Mrs. Nast have been working tirelessly to prepare for bringing students back for specialized instruction. In turn, loads of appreciation goes to Mrs. Sheehan, Mrs. Adams, District Nurse Sheila McConville, and Health Clerk Gillian Ward for attending to the endless details involved in communication and supporting students, families, and staff. A special shout-out also goes to our team members who have trained in the safety protocol required to serve as Gate Greeters: Jo Venezia, Susan Gilmour, Natalia Dal Porto, Kent Kappan, Amy Grespan, Ana George and Fran Mastroianni. It truly takes a village and we are fortunate to have such a talented and committed team.
On the facilities front, the District has hired Eichler Associates to complete a commissioning of all of the HVAC systems throughout the District. They have measured every room and provided recommendations to meet the appropriate amount of ventilation for each space. Recommendations included repairs, filters, and adjustments to the energy management system. At this time, all of the repairs have been completed and district staff are working with Eichler to have them recertify that all rooms have been repaired and meet standards.
And finally, solar and field modernization projects continue to move forward at all district sites. These innovative projects are funded by the North 40 developer fees and available tax incentives. At Blossom Hill, the first meeting to collect community input was held last Monday. I am pleased to share that we received important information and feedback from both past and present BH parents. A second meeting will be held this upcoming Tuesday, November 10th at 4:00. Registration is preferred. Please register by clicking here.
Plans for each LG school will be presented to the LGUSD Board of Trustees at the November 19th Board meeting. If you have questions, please contact Terese McNamee, CBO, at tmcnamee@lgusd.org.
In education together,
Lisa Reynolds
Principal, Blossom Hill School
Phone: 408.335.2100
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November
- 11/2 - 11/6 - Conference Week*
- 11/5 - LGUSD Special Board Meeting, 4:30pm (online)
- 11/4 - 11/11 - Yearbook Cover Contest Entries Due*
- 11/4 - 11/11 - On Your Honor Lending Library Book Drop Off*
- 11/9 - 11/20 - One Warm Coat Drive*
- 11/10 - BH Facilities Planning Meeting, 4pm (online)**
- 11/11 - Veteran's Day - No School
- 11/18 - School Picture Day*
- 11/19 - LGUSD Board Meeting, 6:30pm (online)
- 11/23 - 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break - No School
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*Scroll down for more details on these events.
**See details above "From the Principal's Desk"
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If you need a yard sign or want to send a picture of your child with their sign for our bulletin board, please email Jennifer Shapiro at president@blossomhill.org.
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IMPORTANT SCHOOL CONTACT INFORMATION
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Office:
408-335-2100
Attendance:
408-335-2145
Office Hours:
7:30 am - 4 pm
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Need some good news? Each week, check out the Wednesday morning announcements (found in your child's Google Classroom). Enjoy Mrs. Adams' special Blossom Hill song, fifth graders leading the Pledge and telling the "buzz" at Blossom Hill, important messages from Mrs. Reynolds, and funny dad jokes from our custodial staff. The Blossom Hill Good News will put a smile on your face.
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Terraces Halloween Outreach a Success!
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Thank you to all of the students who made cards and pictures for the residents of the Terraces. Over 100 cards and pictures were given to the residents who were very touched by this act of kindness. We are so proud of our Honeybees for "Beeing Kinder than Necessary!"
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Preparing our Children for Tomorrow’s Headlines
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A workshop for parents and guardians of Elementary to Middle School children
Free - Thanks to your One Community LG donations
Date: Thursday, Nov 12th 2020
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm
Where: On-line (See zoom link below)
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A global pandemic, wildfires, political elections, and school re-opening are just a few hot topics in the headlines today. Hearing and engaging in the conversations around these things can have us all feeling a little anxious. Are you prepared to effectively talk with your family about these current news events?
Parenting Continuum is hosting a 90-minute workshop with Common Sense Education and Project Cornerstone on tips and techniques to prepare our children for tomorrow's headlines. You will leave this highly interactive session with:
- Strategies for better communication with your family using the research-based Developmental Assets framework to help children and teens gain skills needed to make good choices, take responsibility and become independent and fulfilled adults
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For more information on the Developmental Assets framework, go to: https://www.ymcasv.org/ymca-project-cornerstone/developmental-assets
- Tips and techniques for navigating potentially sensitive topics with elementary and middle school children in a complex media environment
- Greater confidence as a parent or guardian to acquire healthy mind habits and digital citizenship- how to use technology in a safe, responsible and effective way
Come to this session to ready yourself as a parent/guardian, improve your family relationships & dynamics, and help create a calm and supportive home environment where children can become their best.
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Picture Day
Wednesday, November 18th
How will this work?
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Before Picture Day:
- Parents must complete a COVID health form to be emailed to each family in advance.
Picture Day:
- Bring your student(s) to campus during your slotted hour to your assigned gate (see schedule below).
- Turn in your COVID health form at the check-in desk.
- All students (and anyone accompanying them) must wear a mask.
- Parents will wait at the exit gate for their child(ren).
- We will take your students’ temperature and ask them to use hand sanitizer.
- Each student will receive a photo card to give to the photographer.
- The photographer will take two shots, one with a mask and one without.
- All photos will be taken in front of a green screen.
- Sibling photos can be taken at the same time.
- Students will exit campus through the designated exit gate.
After Picture Day:
- Every parent email address we have on file will receive an email with a link to view/order photos.
- The link may be shared with other family members (grandparents, etc.).
- You will select a background for your students’ photo.
- Photo packages will be mailed directly to your home and should arrive before the winter break.
Make up Picture Day: January 7, 2021
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On Your Honor Lending Library
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Dear Parents,
Do you have any gently used children’s books you would like to donate and share with others? Would you like to borrow some new books for your children to read? Then please, help us, help our school, and help our students by creating an "On Your Honor Lending Library." Drop off any books you want to share in the book bin that is in front of the office from November 4-11th. ( It will be checked on the weekend. ) These books will not be returned. As soon as we have organized the donated books, we will let you know when they will be out, so your children can come select books to take home and enjoy. This is on your honor, so enjoy them as long as you would like and place them back in the return book bin at school when you are done with them. They will be cleaned and returned to circulation for others to enjoy. Thank you for helping us put books in children’s hands. Also, thank you to those parents who have already donated books.
Lending Library Committee
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Hicklebee's Virtual
Book Fair Coming Soon!
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Mark your calendars for the 2020 Hicklebee's Book Fair. This year the Book Fair will be virtual and run from November 3oth to December 11th. Check back in the coming weeks for the link.
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One Warm Coat Drive - November 9th-20th
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This year Blossom Hill Elementary will again team up with One Warm Coat to hold a coat drive and we need your help!
Did you know, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, an estimated 40 million Americans are unemployed? Prior to the pandemic, 1 in 8 American households were already living in poverty. In every corner of the United States, families are struggling – and the need for warmer clothing, combined with increased utility costs, will make the winter months more challenging for those with already-strapped budgets.
From November 9-20, stop by the office to drop off gently worn coats. You can also drop off coats during your grade's materials pick up/drop off day. All coats collected will be donated locally to our neighbors in need.
We hope you will support our coat drive and help us warm our neighbors in need. You can learn more about One Warm Coat by visiting their website at onewarmcoat.org. Thank you for your consideration!
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Project Cornerstone
Lesson #2 - Giraffes Can't Dance
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Theme: Love Who You Are—
Dance to the Beat of Your Own Drum
Social and Emotional Learning Message
(Self-Awareness)
The focus of this book is to help students recognize that they have personal power and can choose to take control of their response to challenges. Everyone is unique! By noticing, naming, and celebrating talents and abilities, we tap into the power of positive thinking and learn to treat each other with respect, acceptance, and sensitivity.
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The goals for this lesson are:
- Students will explore how they can use their positive personal power in a way that benefits both themselves and others.
- Students will learn how positive actions, words, and behaviors can make a big difference in how others feel.
The following questions go along with the Cornerstone video:
Pause 1:
1. What do you notice Gerald is good at and what is a challenge for him? (He is good at standing still, eating, his neck is long and slim; he can’t run very well, he falls down, he’s clumsy, he has skinny legs)
Pause 2:
1. Do you think Gerald showed courage as he started to walk toward the dance floor? (thumbs up yes, thumbs down no)
2. Why do you think it took courage for Gerald to walk onto the dance floor? (he’s clumsy, he knows he can’t dance well but he still wanted to try)
3. How did Gerald respond to the hurtful words of the other animals? (he agreed, he felt sad, he left the dance, he felt alone)
Pause 3:
1. Who supports Gerald with positive words? (the cricket)
2. How does the cricket help Gerald feel better about himself? (gave him support, lets him know it’s okay to be different, tells him he needs a different song, helps Gerald change his thoughts about himself
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Don't Miss Out on The Harvest Festival Fun!
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- Design a new Harvest Festival game!
- Participate in the Harvest Baking Showcase!
- Show off your costume in the (virtual) Halloween Parade!
Visit the Harvest Festival 2020 website for more information.
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We hope that everyone had a great Red Ribbon Week. In summary of the week, our theme was "Bee Brave, Bee Healthy, Bee YOU!" We focused on the five pillars of health: getting quality sleep, reducing or managing stress, maintaining a healthy diet, getting enough exercise, and connecting with others. You can find all of our tips at the Home & School Club website (https://hsc.blossomhill.org/red-ribbon-week-2020.html). Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's tips were in the last issue of the Beehive. Here are Thursday and Friday's tips from last week:
Thursday’s Tips: Getting Enough Exercise
Red Ribbon Week is all about "Beeing Brave, Beeing Healthy and Beeing You!" The fourth pillar of health is to get enough exercise. Every day it is important for us to move! While we decorated the school we got some great ideas just by watching the super amazing parents around our very own neighborhoods! We saw:
- A family walking their dog by riding skateboard. Even the grown up helper was on a skateboard!
- A family wearing helmets and riding bikes.
- A grown up running while a child biked alongside.
- A couple walking to the park with yoga mats.
Here are some games that you can try at home!
- "Everyone is a coach" where everyone gets to be the coach and get the family moving with the activity of their choosing. Kids will love “coaching” their parents and siblings.
- “Fit Deck Shuffle” where you assign an exercise to each suit in a deck of cards (i.e. spades are jumping jacks, hearts are squats, diamonds are push ups, and clubs are sit ups.) Shuffle the deck, draw a card, and then do that exercise to match the value of the card (a 2 of clubs would be 2 sit ups, a 8 of spades would be 8 jumping jacks). Face cards can equal what ever you want them to equal.
Friday’s Tips: Connecting with Others
Today is the last day for our Red Ribbon Week. We hope you have found these tips helpful. The fifth pillar of health is "connecting with others."
Our global pandemic has created barriers for people to connect socially. Today we are going to highlight a few ways we found to connect to others in a safe manner since having social connections is a way that people of all ages stay healthy.
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Have a family dance party to kick off the weekend! If you are lucky enough to have a kindergartner now at Blossom Hill Elementary you may be inspired daily with this Jack Hartman song. We love it in our family, and we hope that kids and adults of all ages can let loose: It’s a Beautiful Day. Another song that may be inspiring some of our Blossom Hill Families is this song, by Queen, for the students in the upper grade chorus (Thank you Mrs. Milos!): You're My Best Friend.
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Acknowledge feelings. It is hard to be away from certain friends or activities during this time. Here is an article that has tips for how to help a child cope: How can I help my children connect with others during the coronavirus pandemic?
- Send flowers or a hand-written note to a friend or someone you care about. (If your child doesn't write, simply sending a drawing or a handmade paper snowflake in an envelope will be well-received by friends and family!
- Technology can be helpful. Try a zoom call with friends or family around a theme. Bake a pizza or cookies together through technology.
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Please read more about CASA and Red Ribbon Week at casalg.org and redribbon.org.
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The first place blue ribbon goes to our CASA Liaison Amy Gregor for a fantastic Red Ribbon Week. The Home & School Club extends great thanks to Amy for compiling all of the Red Ribbon Week tips to help us "Bee Brave, Bee Healthy, Bee YOU!" and for decorating our campus and delivering flowers to our wonderful staff to celebrate Red Ribbon Week. Great job!
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Superheroes Appreciation Update
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Fall Conference Week is here and the Home & School Club “Bee-lieve Brigade” has continued our long-standing tradition of hosting daily lunches for our “Superhero” staff during conference week. This has been a great opportunity to show gratitude and support to all members of the Blossom Hill Staff. As with everything, Conference Week Lunches were hosted a little differently this year. Fully catered box lunches and treats have been delivered throughout the week. Food has been catered by Zanotto’s Willow Glen, Una Mas Los Gatos, Chick-fil-A, Krispy Kreme, Bertucelli’s La Villa Deli and Firenze Pizza. Instead of decorating the Staff Lounge, staff and teachers received a box with desk decorations. More surprises and tokens of appreciation will be given to the staff as the week continues.
None of our efforts are possible without the help and support of families in our community. Many, many thanks to the following families for donating money to support this week’s event: Amanda Caruso, Amy Gregor, Angela Ritz, Brenda Chiu, Caroline Zamansky, Carrie Endweiss, Christi Zenteno, Cristina Fador, Davina Sambath, Eduardo Tejada, Elke Billingsley, Ellen Feichtmeir, Emilie Le Du, Eva Dounias, Francine Shore, Georgette Harrell, Grace Oh, Gul Durukan, Hamsa Subramanian, Heather Bartow, Ilse Fletcher, Irene Wong, Irina Uralskaya, Ivern Family, Jane Fainer, Jean Choi, Jennifer Shapiro, Jenny Meeske, Jia Li, Julia Wong, Julie Bonomi, Julie Reynolds, Jung Sik Kim, Ken Swartz, Kristen Willerer, Larry Ping, Laura Montalvo Stults, Libby Trevathan, Lisa Cross, Malea Mordaunt, Mary Cassidy, Meghan Bakota, Michael Nyland, Michele Stefan, Nicole Duke, Nidhi Vashisht, Nuria Garcia, Pari Ardakani, Rachel Parrinello, Sandy Fu, Shadi Allen, Sheila Humphries, Shreeya Brahmankar, Smita Kanungo, Sonya Murrett, Stephanie Chen, Suejin Kim, Susan Carter Anderson, Susie Sommerstad, Suzanne Errecart, Szilvia Decoin, Takako and Chris Thrailkill, Tara Moseley, Thanh Tran, The Iwanaga Family, The Winoto Family, Ting Engelman, Tova Davis, Traci D Horwitz, Xinghua Zollinger, Yelena Drabkin, and Ying Liang.
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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
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*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.
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Submissions can be made to The Beehive editor, Jennifer Shapiro,
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