posted Feb 25, 2012 3:48 PM by Anna Saunders
Dear Walnut
Acres Parents,
During
this month of hearts and flowers, it may seem incongruous to select as a
discussion topic something as serious as child abuse safety, but then again,
what could be more appropriate than talking about protecting our beloved
children? Last month I shared with you that child safety would be the topic of
many informal conversations and formal meeting agendas in January. These
conversations have reinforced for me that there are two crucial activities we
need to promote as we continue to protect our students:
I. The
consistent use of safety procedures and practices that we have in place at
Walnut Acres.
I've
reviewed our current procedures and practices with many different groups and
individuals this month, and the Safety Committee has developed a list of
essential practices to support student safety. Staff procedures include ID
badge wearing at all times and use of buddy system around campus when
appropriate. I am listing the daily parent practices for you below. I ask you
to review them carefully and contact me if you have questions about any of
them. They are simple, but they are only as effective as our routine and
continuous use of each rule!
1.
Parents sign in to office and wear volunteer badges at all times on campus.
2.
Parents (and younger children) use office bathroom.
3.
Parents drop off students at or after 7:45 AM or take to Day Care anytime after
7 AM.
4.
Parents pick up students by 3 PM.
5. Any
student not picked up by 3 PM goes to the office to call parents.
6.
Parents supervise children on playground after dismissal.
7.
Parents tell children to go to someone trusted at school if they feel unsafe.
8.
Parents inform principal if something seems peculiar.
We will
have an additional support system to use in the protection of our students,
when the district completes the installation of security cameras at our
site. All MDUSD sites are being provided with this protection system and
I am told Walnut Acres' installation date is spring, 2012.
II. The
empowerment of our students so that they know what to do if confronted with a
difficult situation.
Our
school counselor, Mrs. Spring, provided a wonderful presentation to interested
parents about communicating with children to protect them from abuse. The
Safety Committee, in a public meeting, suggested that we augment this
presentation with direct training for students. We are researching the
costs and timeframes for providing safety empowerment training to Walnut Acres
students and I will share more with you as further decisions are made. If
we proceed with that plan, there will be an opportunity for parents to
participate in a workshop to become informed about the details of the student
program.
Of
course, having our children safely ensconced at school is crucial, but just the
beginning of our efforts to help our children achieve their potential. There
are 2 different groups currently seeking your perspective as they work to guide
and support student learning. Please lend your valuable input to their efforts!
1. The PFC has a survey out now and they are asking you to
share your thoughts on funding choices, volunteerism, and communication.
Please go to the website or click here to offer your perspective as PFC
leadership plans for the 2012-13 school year.
2. The MDUSD
Board of
Education has revamped the Strategic Plan and is seeking your input on the
current draft of the plan. You can access the MDUSD Strategic Plan on the
district website (click here). You may notice that
references to school autonomy are gone, but 21st Century Learning is still in
place. You are invited to share your opinion of the plan at a special
2/22 Board meeting at the District Board Room beginning at 6 PM.
There
are also 2 groups who would like to share with you their activities related to
serving our students.
1. You
are invited to chat with Superintendent Lawrence regarding the current state budget
situation and its impact on education for the 2012-13 school year. Dr. Lawrence
will be at the Northgate PFC meeting on 3/22 (tentative date) at 6 PM in the
Lecture Hall to talk to parents in the Northgate feeder pattern about the MDUSD
district budget. I'll let you know when I have date confirmation.
2. The
draft for the Master Plan for Services to English
Learners is also
on the district website and you are welcome to view it (click here). Committee meetings to
revise the draft plan are 3/23 and 4/15 from 4-7:30 PM at WCC. You are
invited to watch the committee in process. Call Carmen at 682-8000 X 4003
and she'll have dinner ready for you!
Finally,
Student services would like you to note that the intradistrict transfer lottery
will take place on Wednesday, 2/15 from 11-2:30 PM at the Dent Center.
I wish
you all a lovely Valentine's Day with a reminder that true love is shown in the
daily tasks that we all perform for each other, not just the gifts that are
exchanged on this special day. Here's to loving our children every day,
with every dinner made, discipline carried out, chauffeuring completed, skill
taught, and hug provided!
Respectfully,
Colleen
Dowd, Principal
|
posted Jan 5, 2012 10:38 AM by Anna Saunders
Dear Walnut Acres Parents,
We welcome students back to school with enthusiasm and
renewed energy after our holiday! The upcoming cold months are crucial focused
learning times and we will make the most of them. We will use formative
data to inform instruction and embrace our growth in 21st Century Learning. To
that end, our writer's workshop training and classroom work, as well as our
technology exploration, continues. We have purchased 15 new laptops to replace
nonfunctioning laptops in the lab and work toward our goal of providing 5
laptops in each 4th and 5th grade classroom. We will shift the 4th grade
desktop computers to replace nonfunctioning desktops in the resource
room/learning center and lower grade classrooms . Most exciting to me, is our
purchase of 10 Ipads to explore the value of this new technology to
support student learning. Our exploration efforts will be enhanced
by training opportunities that include an all-day training on use of Ipads in
special education and time with an Apple representative to help our staff to
play with the tools during a professional development afternoon. Our
generous PFC is the benefactor for the majority of our purchases through the
allocation of Strategic Planning monies. These same funds are also being
used to contract with our counselor, Alma Spring, to continue with us 2
afternoons a week through the end of the school year. On behalf of our staff, I
thank parents for their investment in the growth of our teaching/learning
community.
One of the goals of a 21st Century Learning community is to
create opportunities for students to practice student-owned, creative learning
opportunities. Our student newsletter team, with the guidance of Mrs. Villers,
is modeling this activity through the development of our school newsmagazine. You can review their efforts on
our website. Further novel creative learning is occurring in our 5th
grade design lab (our Walnut Acres Design Lab - WADL Room). Our 5th
graders are using homeroom time to develop and implement projects that solve a
problem or create something new under the direction of their teachers.
Students are working individually or in teams to complete self-appointed tasks,
including the design of the perfect golf course, development of a TV show, and
the creation a new video game. One of our 5th graders, Jessica Biddle, is
designing an electronics and small appliance recycling program for
schools. She is giving our community the opportunity to recycle
end-of-life electronics. Check out her letter explaining her plan on our website and please
support her if you have an appliance to recycle.
Enthusiasm for the new year is tarnished by the distressing
news of the arrest of our substitute custodian, John Astor. Allegations
of inappropriate contact with a minor are extremely disturbing. According
to the Walnut Creek police there has been no indication that any of Mr. Astor's
alleged illegal behavior took place at our school or any school in this
district; however, if you have any information that will aid the police in
their case, you are asked to contact the police at 943-5844. Mt. Diablo Unified
School District officials are taking all appropriate personnel actions under
the direction of Greg Rolen, district legal counsel. If you have
questions relative to our district's work with the police in supporting the
investigation, Mr. Rolen requests that you contact him at 682-8000 extension
4001.
I am convening our safety committee to review our current
procedures in order to insure that we are doing everything we can at school to
keep students safe. All of our employees and volunteers are
fingerprinted, but the committee will consider ongoing routines that will
support continued student safety. If you have ideas for the committee to
consider or if you would like to join us on Thursday, January 12, at 3:00 p.m.
in A-1, you are welcome. Please RSVP to the office so that we know
how many guests to expect at our meeting.
Meanwhile, in order to keep your children safe, maintain an
open door of communication with them, listen well, and talk to them about
difficult topics at a relaxed time and in a comfortable place. Let your
children know that you want them to come to you if someone is making them
uncomfortable. Speak to them directly and simply. If you are
concerned about your child's safety, ask if anyone is talking to them or
touching them in a way that makes them uncomfortable. Let them know that
they are not in trouble with whatever they tell you. Tell your children that
it's OK to say "no" to touches that make them uncomfortable and let
them know that some body parts are private. They should also know that they
need to tell an adult immediately if someone wants to touch or show private
body parts. Your children are safest when they know they can tell you anything.
I realize these conversations can be difficult, so if you
would like support with this process, please join Alma Spring, our
counselor, on Tuesday, January 10th at 10:00 a.m. in A-1. This is
an opportunity to process through your feelings about this incident and gather
ideas from Mrs. Spring about how to discuss child abuse prevention with your
children.
As a community we will continue to work collaboratively to
do all we can to keep our children safe. Remember that if you would like to get
input on talking to your children about safety, join Alma on 1/10 at 10:00 a.m.
and if you have suggestions as we pursue the safest possible environment, please
pass them to me or join us on 1/12/12 at 3:00 p.m. to discuss safety
challenges. Here's to a safe and rich learning environment in 2012!
Respectfully, Colleen
Dowd
Principal |
posted Dec 5, 2011 6:40 PM by Anna Saunders
Happy December, Walnut
Acres Parents!
I hope you enjoyed the
Thanksgiving break and plan to join us at the PFC Holiday Party on December 6
at 6:30 p.m. at the Ledesma/Sendaydiego home. All parents welcome.
We have completed our
first trimester of school and that means it is conferences time. I hope that
all parents are taking advantage of this opportunity to meet with your child’s
teacher and learn about your child’s progress during these first 13 weeks of
school. Please note that we have early dismissal for the next two weeks so that
teachers have adequate time to conference. The early dismissal schedule is in
place from December 5-16 at the following times:
Kindergarten (late slip)
12:38 p.m. Every day (Early Slip starts
at 8:15 a.m.)
1st – 3rd
grade 12:59 p.m. Except Wednesdays
(Pick-up is 12:29 p.m.)
4th – 5th
grade
1:06 p.m. Except
Wednesdays (Pick-up is 12:33 p.m.)
Arrange for your child to
be picked up after school in a timely fashion, please.
In order to make the most
of your conference time, I highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with
the Report of Student Progress that teachers will be using to document your
child’s status toward standard mastery. An overview of that new progress
report, as well as an annotated report template, and common Q& A related to
the new report, are all available on the district website. Link here
if you would like to study those documents now. If you are familiar with the report
template and the rubrics used for noting standard status, then you and your child’s
teacher will be able to spend less time discussing the components of the new
card and more time in dialogue about your child’s progress.
If you have input about the
new progress report, you are welcome to share it with me or a teacher and we
will be happy to pass it along to the district. The large committee of teachers
who developed the report template will be reviewing their work this spring once
they have seen it implemented over a period of time.
Last year, I wrote about
ways to prepare for and participate in your child’s conference and I’ll
reiterate those strategies briefly:
- Begin by talking to your child
about their challenges and successes at school.
- Get their perspective on their
daily life at Walnut Acres.
- Write down questions and
concerns…and appreciations…so that you remember to share your thoughts and
questions in the midst of your busy teacher/parent conversation.
- Take notes during your meeting
if you are getting a lot of novel information
- Ask what you can do to support
your child’s learning at home
- Remember that teachers have a
limited amount of time for each conference. Ask for an opportunity to
continue your conversation on another date if necessary.
I hope your conferences
are valuable to support you in supporting your child!
As the new year begins, the
district’s budget needs will be reassessed given the status of our state’s
finances. If you are interested in updated data on this topic or the effect of
the CVHS charter petition, you may link here
to the video of the 11/12/11 meeting and accompanying PowerPoint. The charter
petition has now been appealed to the Contra Costa County Office of Education.
The County Board has scheduled a public hearing regarding the charter petition
on December 7 at 5:30 pm at Pleasant Hill Elementary School.
Although 2012 may seem
far away, it is right around the corner and I want to pass along information
about three parent workshop series that are being offered through Adult
Education. “Loving Solutions: Parent Project Junior” and “How to Talk So Kids
Will Listen”, as well as “Anger Management”, begin with the start of the new year.
Check out these workshops on the district website (link here)
to see if any of these offerings might meet your current family needs.
Before we all move busily
on to 2012, allow me take a moment to wish you lots of wonderful family time
during this upcoming special holiday. Enjoy your beautiful child and remember
that while in tough economic times you may not be able to offer your child the
latest gizmo, it’s your precious time, your shared laughter, and your loving
energy that your child needs. Pick up any psychologist’s article and you will
be bombarded about the pivotal role you play in developing your child’s self-confidence,
ability to take risks, and attitude about facing the big world independently. So
take advantage of this wonderful time together - cuddle up on a cold, blustery
day, listen to your child share secrets and dreams, as well as fears or
anxieties. Relish your moments together, and whisper Shel Silverstein’s words
in that oh so attentive ear, “Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts.
Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never
haves, then listen close to me…Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
Here’s to happy memory-making
and dream-building,
Colleen Dowd
|
posted Nov 13, 2011 1:49 PM by Anna Saunders
[
updated Nov 13, 2011 1:58 PM
]
Dear
Parents,
It
is fitting during this season of thanks giving, that our PFC Strategic Planning
Committee has recently completed an updated wish list to serve our students. Hours
of discussion by Strategic Planning committee members, teachers, and staff led
to the creation and prioritization of the wish list. My thanks to all parties
for their thoughtful deliberation - with special thanks to Erin Jordahl and Katherine Stahl for their consistent leadership. The
major facets of the wish list request are maintenance and development of
technology, extension of counseling services through the end of the school
year, and 21st Century coaching support, including writer’s workshop
substitutes. You may check out the current wish list
requests on the PFC website. Priority request recommendations for funding are
being presented for approval at the Tuesday, 11/15/11 (tomorrow), 7:00 p.m. PFC
meeting, along with my presentation of “PFC Dollars in the Classroom”. Click here for the meeting
Agenda.
Specifically,
teacher poll results strongly distinguished maintenance of current technology
as the highest priority for fund expenditure. Printers break, LCDs need
expensive $400 lightbulb replacements, and older computers have difficulty
handling new online material. It’s not very exciting, but replacement of
appropriate hardware is pivotal to support student learning. Adding to our
technology support is the second highest priority for financial assistance from
strategic planning monies. We want to expand our student computer access, and explore
new technologies, such as iPad, online programs, and applications to discover
if these tools could be valuable to support 21st Century learning.
Our
third request for strategic planning funds is to maintain our counselor in
place through the entire school year in order to provide lunch bunch services,
crisis support, referrals, and guidance to teachers, parents and students who
seek assistance. Our fourth priority is funding for 21st Century
presentation/coaching support, including substitutes to support our ongoing
writer’s workshop coaching. Our goal is to deepen our understanding and our
ability to provide deep, rich, meaningful learning to students in order to
prepare them for their future.
While
we work at Walnut Acres to provide a deep learning experience for our students
through the development of 21st Century strategies and practices,
the district is also moving forward to provide targeted service to students.
During your parent conference next month your child’s teacher will give you the
new MDUSD Report of Student Progress. This report is designed to provide
consistent communication about student progress that is based on multiple
sources collected over time with emphasis on most recent evidence of student
progress toward standard mastery. You will receive a letter from your child’s
teacher introducing
the new Report of Student Progress as well as an annotated
progress report template, a Question
and Answer information sheet, and a blank template of the report card for
your child’s grade level. You may also click to the links above for the
introduction, annotated report and Q & A. By reviewing these forms you will
familiarize yourself with the new Report of Student Progress so that your
conference time may be focused on your child’s progress this trimester rather
than an explanation of the new report format and structure. You are welcome to
contact me if you have further questions about the structure of the new
Progress Report and join us at the PFC meeting when I will briefly review the
new Report of Student Progress.
I
wish you and your family a lovely Thanksgiving season. Enjoy one another and
the many blessings in your life, especially the beautiful children that you
share with us every day. As I give thanks this season I will honor the parents
who work so hard in so many ways to support our children, the teachers who are
willing to take a plunge in new directions to support student success, and our
wonderful kids, including the exuberant second grader who came bouncing over to
me on the playground before school recently, threw his arms open wide, and broadly
smiled as he announced, “I love school!” Amen!
Happy
Thanksgiving, Walnut Acres families!
Warmly, Colleen
Dowd
Principal
|
posted Oct 2, 2011 4:12 PM by Anna Saunders
[
updated Oct 2, 2011 4:16 PM
]
Dear
Walnut Acres Parents,
Let me first thank
you for your recent Gift Wrap purchases.
Payment and vouchers should be
turned in THIS Tues. and Wed. before and after school at the picnic tables.
With
school opening activities now behind us, including our Back to School Nights
and our wonderful ice cream social, we have created fledgling class learning
families, collected baseline data that should inform our instruction, and
established routines and procedures.
As
collaborators with us in educating our children, I’d like to remind you of a
few of these policies and procedures:
- Our Homework
Policy, on our school website, explicitly defines the amount of time
that students should spend on homework each weekday evening and supports
the infusion of 21st Century Learning skill practice. If your
child is spending more time than indicated on homework routinely, please
contact your child’s teacher so that accommodations may be made.
- Attendance
procedures are on our website. Please use them to report an absence. Independent
Study procedures will soon be on the website, as well.
- The MDUSD
Board of Education has a very recently updated Strategic
Plan Policy draft on the district website for review. Note the focus
on 21st Century Learning. Share your thoughts with board
members about this policy as you choose.
Because
you are collaborators with us regarding your child’s education, I want to
recommend an article to you entitled, “The
Role of Mistakes in the Classroom” by Alina Tigund. She states that,
“…we’re raising a generation of children—primarily in affluent, high-achieving
districts- who are terrified of blundering. Of failing. Of even sitting with
the discomfort of not knowing something for a few minutes.” This is an issue
that I have observed frequently among gifted students. They become
perfectionistic and choose not to try anything at which they may not excel. I’ve
even counseled parents to encourage and celebrate children’s errors to get past
this restrictive thinking. We need to help all our children to understand that
failure is a part of the learning process. In fact, we sometimes learn the most
from our failures! As we promote the 21st Century Learning component of
creativity, I hope we will all help our children to view failure as exactly what
it is…a step toward success as long as they don’t give up. As Thomas Edison
responded when asked by a reporter about his many failed attempts to create a
light bulb, “I haven’t failed; I’ve just found 10,000 ways it won’t work.
Negative results are just what I want. They’re just as valuable to me as positive
results.”
Here’s
to learning, growing and failing together along the way as we continue to help
our children become all they can be. Special thanks to those who helped to get
our school year off to a great start, including our dedicated PFC executive
committee and our tenacious fundraising chairs! Thanks as well to the chairs
who prepare our just-for-fun community events, such as the Social and our
upcoming Carnival. Accolades to those who recently volunteered independently,
including the entire Rigau family who pruned foliage, and Tammy Roake, who
coordinated the first annual Walnut Creek Community Service day at our site.
She was assisted by wonderful community volunteers, including Walnut Acres
parents, and our own scout troop!
Our
WAEF participation rate may not yet reflect the dynamic community that thrives
here at Walnut Acres, but I have high hopes that it will. I encourage you to
contribute at a level that is comfortable for you if you have not already done
so. I thank you for the unending and awesome work you do as parents to model
community spirit and the value of education, and I wish you a happy autumn as
we continue to help our children grow.
I’ll
close with another insight from Edison, “If we all did the things we are
capable of, we would astound ourselves.” Here’s to our collaborative efforts to
help our children astound themselves! Sincerely, Colleen Dowd, Principal
|
posted Aug 25, 2011 10:29 AM by Anna Saunders
[
updated Sep 5, 2011 4:31 PM
]
Welcome to the new school
year, Walnut Acres Parents!
It was an absolute
pleasure to welcome your children to 2011-12! I have had a chance to visit
every classroom and I am delighted to renew my practice of connecting with
students in the MUR at lunch each day. I am energized by their earnest and eager
spirits. You have my word that we will all do our very best to provide our
children with the quality of education that they deserve. During my brief
introduction at Back to School Nights I will share with you our commitment to
learning through our continued focus on becoming a 21st Century learning
community.
I want to remind you of a
few ways that you can support your child’s learning at Walnut Acres:
1. Have your child at
school every day on time.
·
Most of our students are
on time every day because you know that coming late to school puts your learner
at a real disadvantage. Late students are often afraid to ask questions because
they assume what they don’t understand has already been covered in class. If
your child has unnecessary tardies or absences, please reassess your schedule
and let me know if I can support your efforts.
·
If your child is ill,
please call 925 682-8000 ext. 7242 or report the absence online at www.mdusd.k12.ca.us/walnutacres/absence.htm
Please do NOT report absences or give attendance notes to busy teachers.
·
Independent Study
contracts are available if your student will be out of school for 5 days or
more. Please allow teachers one week to create the work required. See Nora in the office for further
information.
2. Attend school
functions.
·
Back to School Nights are
crucial to learn about your child’s classroom from your child’s teacher. We
hold separate Back to School times
for each grade level to enhance your ability to focus on each of your children.
I will offer a 15-minute presentation in the MUR prior to each Back-to School
grade level meeting with the exception of the 9/6 5th grade event.
·
Please remember that 4th
and 5th grade Back to School nights were switched:
5th grade Back to School
Night 5:45-7:00
p.m.
Outdoor Education
Orientation 7:00-8:00 p.m.
4th grade Back to School Night 5:45-7:00 p.m.
This shift allows parents
of Foothill students to participate in the outdoor education program without
missing Foothill’s Back to School event.
·
There are many
opportunities to interact and have a voice at Walnut Acres. You are welcome to
ALL meetings whether or not you are a member of a particular committee. Our
School Site Council (SSC) meets every first Thursday of the month in A-1 and
everyone is welcome. Agendas and minutes are posted at the front of the school
and on the school website. 3. Connect with your
child’s teacher and staff.
·
Back to School Night is
one formal opportunity to meet teachers. Regularly scheduled parent conferences
are another. Remember that you and your child’s teacher may also set a parent
conference anytime that it would be helpful.
·
Let
your teacher inform you of the most effective way to connect with him or her,
understanding that there are times when teachers need to focus on their
students and cannot have a parent conversation. Our teachers want to work with
you because they understand the strength of parent-teacher teamwork.
·
Despite
cuts to their hours, Denise and Nora are in the school office with a smile and
a ‘can-do’ approach to serve you and your children. They are approachable,
extremely competent, and they want to be helpful answering your questions.
·
My door is always open
and input is confidential if you choose.
4. Stay informed. Go to http://www.walnutacrespfc.org/news
for links to many of the following:
·
The district website has
valuable information for you including Board agendas and documents. Here are
some recent highlights:
o letter from Mark Peterson, Contra Costa
County district attorney, regarding attendance
o letter from Dr. Lawrence regarding a district-approved
medical and dental insurance program
o Bi-monthly MDUSD Updates regarding district
activities, which includes API results
and solar information.
·
The school website offers school
updates, SSC meeting agendas and minutes, principal’s newsletters and
this year, my monthly newsletters to
students.
·
The
PFC website is a tremendous source of
information. Track this parent-run website created to serve you!
·
Walnut Acres e-news that
you receive twice monthly is filled with the latest PFC and school news and
also includes larger community announcements.
·
A principal e-newsletter
such as this one will be sent to you monthly with a perspective and school
news.
·
Teacher newsletters will
be sent home at least once a month. Classroom news will be the topic of each
newsletter. 5. Contribute time,
talent, resources – no contribution is too small.
·
When you volunteer you
send a message to your child that education is a priority in your life. Your
child will note the message loud and clear!
·
WAEF (Walnut Acres
Education Fund) is now spending $455 per child to support current programs,
personnel and materials at our site. Your donations (including employer
matching funds) go directly to classroom assistants, science aides, vocal
music, and enhanced technology resources, including our technology assistant.
Please support WAEF at whatever level is appropriate for your family. The PFC
hopes to gather 100% participation in WAEF, with the understanding that no
contribution is too small.
·
Families generally cannot
support WAEF at the level needed to maintain current programs and personnel, so
fundraising is key to maintaining current educational opportunities.
Participation in fundraisers is community-building, lots of fun, and raises
crucial funds to support student learning. Select an activity or two that works
for your family and thank you!
Thank you for sharing your precious
children with us. Together we will provide them with an opportunity to develop
their confidence, enhance their skills, and realize their own unique potential!
Meanwhile, of course, we will no doubt learn
from them everyday. I’ll close with an anonymous quote that is true, but often
forgotten… “While we try to teach our children about life, our children teach
us what life is all about.”
Here’s to 2011-12 and here’s to our
beautiful children!
Yours in a great learning year, Colleen Dowd, Walnut Acres Principal |
posted Jun 5, 2011 1:54 PM by Anna Saunders
[
updated Jun 5, 2011 2:00 PM
]
Dear Walnut Acres Parents,
As the rain pelts the office roof I write to you my final
newsletter of the 2010-11 school year, with thanks for your consistent,
proactive support and your amazing dedication to all our children. Perhaps the
flexibility that this unusual weather requires of us is a good analogy for the
flexibility that we must practice with the nebulous state budget and all of the
unknowns that flow from it. For information about the latest proposed state
budget and its impact on MDUSD, please visit the MDUSD website.
We will continue to move forward with the pivotal support of the
PFC whose leaders and members (all of you) provide such a wonderful umbrella
for us to continue our growth as unscathed as possible by budget storms. Thank
you so much for all you have accomplished this year to keep Walnut Acres
students thriving! I want to especially thank the PFC Executive Committee that
represents you all with passion, dedication and great creativity. Their
leadership is inspiring and their effectiveness is an incredible gift to our
community.
We do have a few solid updates for the 2011-12 school year that
I can share with you in regard to personnel, programs and our facility:
Personnel
Mrs. Scudero will start the year with us in 2nd
grade, go out on leave in October (or whenever her first born makes an
appearance) and work closely with her substitute after that point. Meanwhile,
you all know that Mrs. Roy is retiring. (All are welcome to join us at her
party today after school at 2:45 p.m. in K-2.)
Ms. Ireland will become the new third member of our loving K team and
she will be replaced in 3rd grade by Ms. Hubauer, who will become
Mrs. Bellendir this summer. Due to declining enrollment (unrelated to any
budget issues) we will have 3 4th grade classes rather than 4, so
Ms. Hubauer’s position as 4th grade teacher will not be filled.
Program
While our 4th grade team is diminished in size, they
intend to maximize their strength by taking on focus teaching areas for math,
writing and reading in order to enhance differentiation. Flexible math groupings
will continue with Mrs. Otsuka as teacher, while flexible groups for writing
(taught by Mrs. Bangs) and reading (taught by Mrs. Aguilar) will be created. If
you have an incoming 4th grader, please join the team at their Back
to School Night so you can hear all about their plans to support your child’s
success in learning.
Our 21st Century Learning journey will continue with
gusto in 2011-12. I hope many of you had an opportunity to review the why, the what
and the how of 21st Century Learning with a stroll through A-1 at
our delightful Open House. (Thank you, coordinators, for creating a great
evening of celebration for our community!) A-1 will remain open if anyone would
like to tour the room with me this week.
Facility
With B-5 available due to our reduction in 4th grade
classrooms, we are considering the development of a Walnut Acres design lab in
which students would practice 21st Century skills of collaborative
problem solving. We are playing with this concept over the summer and I will
have more to share with you in the fall.
Our solar panels will be placed on our site between 9/11 and
1/12. I am hoping that the loudest work will start during summer vacation and
be completed before students arrive. All work areas will be cordoned off and
all workers will wear appropriate identity badges. For detailed information
about the solar program, click here.
I will look forward to seeing you and your children back at
Walnut Acres on August 22nd for Kick Off Day and then on August 30th
for the first day of school. Meanwhile, enjoy lovely family time this
summer, remember to READ at home for FUN with your children EVERY DAY and
review learning in entertaining ways, through board games, journal writing,
family field trips etc. Click here for reading tips and
remember that your children can use their user name and password to access Mathletics
and Ed1stop on home computers.
I wish you happy memory-making, parents. Here’s a little poem by
R. Peifer that I tweaked to start your summer adventures,
My dishes went unwashed today, I didn’t make the bed.
I took their hands and followed where their eager footsteps led.
Oh, yes we went adventuring my beautiful children and I, exploring all the great outdoors beneath the summer sky.
We waded in a crystal stream, we wandered through the wood, work from the office wasn’t completed today, but life was very
good.
We watched a robin feed her young, We climbed a sunlit hill, saw cloud-shaped sheep scamper through the sky, and plucked a
daffodil.
That my housework was neglected, that my ‘work completed’ box
was bare, in twenty years, no one on earth will know, or even care.
But that I’ve helped my children to successful adulthood grow, in twenty years, the whole wide world may look and see and know.
Best wishes for a lovely summer,
Colleen Dowd Principal
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posted May 9, 2011 8:27 AM by Katherine Stahl
[
updated May 18, 2011 10:32 PM by Anna Saunders
]
Dear Parents,
As you shuffle deadlines, meetings, chauffeur duties, and summer preparation plans, I must heighten your stress just a little by reminding you that our district is seeking your valuable input on two fronts:
First, what do you think of the idea of more autonomy for high-performing schools? How about a focus on 21st Century learning by the district? Those are just 2 ideas in the newly crafted draft for an MDUSD Strategic Plan. Consider attending one meeting to hear the plan explained and provide your accolades, concerns, and suggestions as the board prepares to refine the plan. Click here for meetings times and locations and a draft of the Strategic Plan.
Second, budget meetings presented by Dr. Lawrence, are continuing, but the 3rd meeting in the series is postponed until the state 5/13 or 5/16 May revise. The session will provide a review of the Governor’s May revise information and a summary of community input (from the 2nd meeting) for both cutting the budget and enhancing revenue. Click here for meeting times and location.
Now that I’ve added to your calendar, let me take a moment to share two other messages that may help you ease your stress, and dare I say it…relax?
First, we have an opportunity to celebrate student learning on May 26th with our Open House Festival from 5:30-8:00 p.m. The family-focused event will feature a 21st Century Learning center (so that parents can learn about our 21st Century exploration), an Art Gallery, our specialty rooms and our classrooms. Please join us for this delightful annual event designed to show off student learning and provide a good time for all!
Second, I am including a copy of the verbal presentation to parents that I offered at the volunteer party in April. The text below was written by DJ Cronin and adapted, with much respect and appreciation, by me - to you. It is particularly appropriate as we celebrate the mothers in our community who dedicate their time to our children…
You Make a Difference in the Dash
Life is short. Our planet has been here for millions of years - our universe billions, but we are here individually for only a little while.
On our headstones will be etched the date we were born and the date we died. And in between those two dates there will be a simple dash.
Yet what matters are not those beginning and end dates. It is the dash in between the dates that’s crucial. That little dash. That's our life. That represents the short time we have, here, to make a difference, or not.
Now, making a difference means many different things to different people. To some it means making a large pot of money, to others it is about gaining power, to still others it might mean earning fame or notoriety.
But for you, the volunteer, what you do during that dash is most significant.
As a volunteer you give time. Time. The most precious resource in our lives.
Look at the dash. How many hours are in there? It's not billions. It's not infinite. The hours we are given cannot be printed, like money, they cannot be created or duplicated or cloned.
Once you give an hour of your time it is gone forever. You can’t get it back. That hour you just gave volunteering you will never have again.
We can put a value on things that you give, but we can never put a value on the time that you give. How can you put a value on something that is priceless?
As a volunteer you bring energy, and support, and hope to our school community. You bring your skills, creativity, experience, vision, leadership, and inspiration every day and I am so grateful. But you leave with your skills and your talents intact, maybe even honed by your Walnut Acres experiences.
Your time, on the other hand, you simply give away to us everyday. You choose to donate this most precious, finite commodity in the known universe. Your gift of time is simply and utterly magnificent.
So today, I take a little time out to thank you for the amazing "time in" that you so generously give for our children. In the name of all our kids, thanks for your time!
Respectfully,
Colleen Dowd, Principal |
posted Apr 3, 2011 1:49 PM by Anna Saunders
Dear
Walnut Acres Parents,
What
a treat for me to listen to our students sing and share their video at the
Sing-out last Friday! Our dynamic music teacher, Mrs. Ryken, does an awesome
job of preparing our students for their shared performance and watching our
students’ citizenship video was heartwarming.
I am so proud of their modeling, acting, directing and script writing
prowess! Some of our older students independently created their own video
vignettes that highlighted internet and global citizenship, while the younger
students, with the help of our talented director/cameraman (and site tech),
Patty Galindo, modeled citizenship in the classroom, in the MUR and on the playground.
It
should be noted that our students don’t just talk about citizenship, they own
it! Did you see the Walnut Acres newsletter that interested 4th and
5th grade students developed? They hope to create two more before the end of
the school year with the help of their supportive coach (and instructional
assistant), Sandy Villers. Meanwhile, our student council (again enabled by
Sandy) is holding a fundraiser for the people of Japan this week in conjunction
with some of our scout troops. We also have a group of students piloting design
thinking with innovative facilitator (and parent), Chris Walsh. The design
thinking group selected a real-world problem and they are working
collaboratively to create and implement a solution for it. Right now they are
taking on the student-selected challenge of enhancing school lunches. I will
pass along their results...better yet, they’ll do it!
Good
citizenship is alive and well at Walnut Acres!
I
wish I could tell you that the some sort of ownership, problem solving and
collaboration that makes for a good citizen is being modeled in Sacramento, but
as you know the educational budget situation continues to worsen. The district must
now develop the annual May budget revision with the realization that there will
not be a June vote on tax extensions. MDUSD will prepare to add another potential
reduction of $400 per child to the $350 cut per child that we just completed. That means that we need to plan for the possible
loss of another $21 million in the next budget revision. Library and music
teachers will remain for the 2011-12 school year because the deadline has
passed for laying off certificated personnel. A variety of previously
considered budget reductions will need to be reconsidered and new ideas may be
added. Please see the district website for a list
of potential budget cuts previously discussed by the board and the District Newsroom
for updated information about district activities. (As of this writing the
latest monthly update is not yet posted, but that will happen soon.) I also recommend the monthly
PAC meetings (Parent Advisory Committee) for an opportunity to meet with
district leaders, ask questions and make suggestions.
As
Walnut Acres braces for the next wave of cuts, I am once again reminded that we
are a very lucky community to have our active parent group dedicated to shoring
up our educational program despite drastic district financial losses. The work
that you do raising funds, donating to WAEF, and volunteering at our school, directly
enhances our ability to provide daily support for student learning. Most
recently, the auction committee once again provided our community with a model
of a fun and very financially successful party! The larger community, too,
through PEAK, has recently provided a donation to support our 21st
Century work.
While
nominations are now being solicited for crucial positions that will continue
the valuable work of the PFC, I encourage you to consider taking a leadership
role. You will be supporting labors of love that lead to funding for our site
technology expert, our music teacher, our reading intervention teacher, our
science lab assistants, instructional assistants, as well as materials and
supplies!
All
parent volunteers who work on site and/or behind the scenes raising funds for
our children’s programs are invited to attend the PFC meeting on April 19th
at 7:00 p.m. in the library. We will have a relaxing Volunteer Appreciation
Party to share some tasty treats and I will have the opportunity to thank you
all formally for the commitment of time, energy and love that you bring to our
learning community.
There
is no silver cloud on the horizon for education yet; it will come someday, but
at Walnut Acres we are continuing to evolve as a dynamic learning community.
That is only feasible because of our hard-working staff and because you give
your heart everyday to this school. I know you do it because our wonderful children
deserve no less!
Come by on 4/19 so I can thank you for your
invincible spirit of giving. You quietly and tenaciously keep us moving
forward…or as one of my favorite authors so eloquently stated…“Unless someone like you cares a whole,
awful lot. Things aren't going to get better, they're NOT!” -Dr. Suess, The Lorax
Respectfully,
Colleen
Dowd
Principal
|
posted Mar 4, 2011 3:47 PM by Anna Saunders
[
updated Mar 4, 2011 3:50 PM
]
Hello Walnut Acres parents!
Our lifeskill this month is citizenship and students are beginning to have discussions about what it means to be a good citizen. (Come join us for our Citizenship Sing-out on April 1st. Click here for lyrics.) I am very grateful that your children can look to you as models of citizenship. In fact, let me give you one example of how your children are watching and learning from you. Last Thursday, during Dining with Dr. Dowd, I asked students one of my favorite questions, “What do you think we should do to make our school a better place to learn?” While I often get responses related to the return of chocolate milk and the need for more recesses, it was ironic that the students at my table began energetically talking about fundraisers and project ideas to raise funds for school supplies. The conversation among the students sounded for all the world like a PFC meeting! I chuckled to myself as I verbally reinforced the students for being excellent school citizens and quietly gave thanks to all of you wonderful parents who are creating future entrepenuers and humanitarians.
Thank you to all who work on our school fundraisers, including our upcoming annual auction, those who volunteer time on projects or in the classroom, and those who serve on our PFC board. Your energy and effort are crucial to our school community success! I salute you all for the innumerable benefits you provide to all our students and the values you are teaching to your children.
Next month I will share what I know about budgeting for 2011-12. Right now I will direct you to the clear and direct communication from Superintendent Lawrence presented in his newsletter. He presented an informative power point presentation to PAC (Parent Advisory Committee) which holds open meetings (ALL parents welcome) monthly, and that will also soon be posted.
This month I want to tell you about our hot-off-the-press Walnut Acres Homework Plan that was developed by a homework committee comprised of parents, teachers and myself. The plan is based on the district homework model (user name: public; password: mdusd) created last year. A draft of our plan was presented at two PFC meetings, to grade level teams and to the whole staff for input. The Walnut Acres Homework Plan was approved by the School Site Council on 3/3/11 and is now on the Walnut Acres website for you to review.
It was decided that the grade-based time limits for nightly homework in the district plan would be applied to the site plan and that the district plan’s brief statements regarding academic standards (cf.6011) (user name: public; password: mdusd) would be emphasized with a focus on homework components of purpose, choice, and student ownership to support 21st Century Learning. Our goal is implement a homework plan that manifests in purposeful homework within reasonable time limits that serves to reinforce content, encourage critical and creative thinking, and/or enhance student empowerment within the learning process.
It is important that our plan is implemented across and within grade levels consistently. We are currently discussing how to clarify time spent on homework in each class so that teachers can modify their homework assignments if necessary to match the plan timeframes. We also want to ensure an effective and ongoing parent-teacher communication plan so that there is a well-understood and effective practice for meeting the homework needs of individual students.
The final component of our plan is balance. The time limits for nightly homework four nights per week should allow for family time, other activities, and open-ended playtime. Well-Balanced Wednesdays are also part of our plan to remind us all of the importance of a well-balanced family life.
I know that some parents are concerned about the balance of school and homework as discussed in the movie “Race to Nowhere”. For those of you interested in participating in a discussion of the Race to Nowhere movie, please note that there will be a free Parent Education Night open to the community in the Northgate Teacher’s Lounge on March 9th from 7-9:00 p.m. The discussion will be facilitated by Northgate counselors, Michelle Dooner and Jill Sabotka. It will focus on the pressures children face as well as what parents and community can do to help students succeed at being balanced and healthy – emotionally, socially, and academically. The conversation is open to all whether or not you have seen “Race to Nowhere”.
As we continue our partnership to create balanced learning opportunities for our children, let’s remember that our modeling each day is internalized by our children. The way we handle stress, the strategies we employ as we learn, (including our mistakes!) the way we interact with one another, and the choices we make become the hallmark of behavior for our children. To paraphrase author, David Bly, “Our children will become what we are, so let’s be what we want them to be.”
Here’s to all of us learning and growing right along with our children,
Colleen Dowd
Walnut Acres Principal |
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