Dear Parents,
This week’s class tour took me into the world of literature. Students had created book trailers to introduce books to be read during literature circle. They used their research skills introduced by the teacher to create their book trailers. Of course no one put in the ending of the stories. There were no spoilers. As they viewed the book trailers they created, they rated the books to help them select their literature circle reading. Using their skills to summarize, analysis and create were evident. Ask your child(ren) what they did today in reading, math, science, social studies, art, music and PE.
Powerschool: If you haven’t logged into PowerSchool please be sure to do so. Here is the information that was sent out earlier this year. Click here. If you have any problems please contact the office.
We have been spending time updating PowerSchool so that you are able to monitor mastery towards standards. Next week on November 10th at 8:45 am at the principal coffee, I will have a cart of computers available for you to log into your child’s account. I will talk through the shifts in reporting - what used to be a collection of assignments and tests to a report on standards based progress. You will see a sample report card and there will be plenty of time to ask questions.
Reading Corner: We have a Parent Library in our office. You may check out the books with Diana Rudolph for no more than a month. What kinds of books will you find there?
Click any of the books to find out more.
Math Corner: Just a Reminder
AMC Math Competition Opportunity
The AMC 8 is a 25-question, 40-minute, multiple choice competition exam for middle school math students, done without calculators. The competition is run by the Mathematical Association of America who score the test. The MAA AMC office will begin emailing official scores and reports in early to mid-December following the AMC 8 in late November. The email reports go out roughly in the order in which they receive them from schools. Processing and reporting from start to finish takes about 3 to 4 weeks.Here’s a link to a sample question. Website: AMC 8 Sign Up
We will be offering to proctor the assessment above on Tuesday, November 15 at 3:00. If you and your child would like to sign up, please click here.
Mindfulness Corner:
Click on Heart Mind activities for the family. My son taught me to slow up and notice my surrounds. He saw a picture of a dragon painted on the wall in Japantown that I had not noticed the past 10 tens… I was too busy… Now I try to be present and enjoy what is happening around me.
Buzzz… Did you know that I love to paddleboard. My first trip on a paddleboard was eight years ago and I haven’t stopped paddling. In fact, my son was nine months old when took his first ride with me.
Lynn Boskie, Principal
Aloha Parents,
As I walked through the classrooms this week. Evidence of fall was everywhere. Students writing about the fall season, buddy classes were working together, students were learning to identify their numbers and students were sharing their optional math projects. Students and teachers were busily working. This is a busy time of year. The beginning of the first holiday. Energy is high and the rush is here.
Although the rush is here, we need to savor each moment and create new ones with our children, family and friends. As we end this month and move into November.. I would like us to focus on the Springer Thing… Positive: I am upbeat. Take a look at this video with your child. Motivational Video
Reading Corner: Check out these read-aloud favorites
Memoirs of a Goldfish
A goldfish’s life isn’t very exciting—or is it? In this story, a fish describes its days swimming
around in circles, meeting new neighbors, moving to a different bowl, and eventually making friends. An unusual “memoir” by Devin Scillian.
You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You
John Ciardi’s volume of poetry is designed to be passed back and forth between parent and child. The 35 poems alternate between harder and easier so that you and your youngster can take turns reading them aloud to each other. Enjoy silly verses about the dreams of Arvin Marvin Lillisbee Fitch, the dangers of looking closely at shark teeth, and more.
Math Corner:
Check out Figure This Out!
It is a website helping familiies enjoy mathematics outside of school. Have a blast.
Mindfulness Corner:
Be mindful of time.
PUT YOUR CHILD ON A ‘MEDIA DIET,’ SAYS EXPERT PEDIATRIC PANEL
There has been extensive coverage of the topic on NPR and other news outlets in the past few days. I like the Newsweek article linked above - it gives a great summary and age-based recommendations, and also links to resources to develop a ‘personalized family plan for reasonable, healthy usage. They assert that children’s internet use is something that should be closely monitored and caution “...this is not an area for ‘free range’ parenting.”
AMC Math Competition Opportunity
The AMC 8 is a 25-question, 40-minute, multiple choice competition exam for middle school math students, done without calculators. Although the AMC 8 is geared toward middle school, a student at any age that they and their parent/teacher/mentor believes them to be ready respectively can participate in the AMC 8. Students as young as 8 have participated in the AMC contests, but this competition is entirely optional. In the past as the 6th grade math teacher at Loyola I have administered the test to 4-6th grade students. The competition is run by the Mathematical Association of America who score the test. The MAA AMC office will begin emailing official scores and reports in early to mid-December following the AMC 8 in late November. The email reports go out roughly in the order in which they receive them from schools. Processing and reporting from start to finish takes about 3 to 4 weeks.
Here’s a link to a sample question.
Website:
AMC 8 Sign Up
We will be offering to proctor the assessment above on Tuesday, November 15 at 3:00. If you and your child would like to sign up, please click here.
Buzzz… Did you know Mrs. Boskie has been in education for 28 years…
Lynn Boskie, Principal
Dear Parents,
The walkathon is tomorrow and I can’t wait to experience the event for the first time. Mr. Monopoly, originally known as Rich Uncle Pennybags came to kick off the walk-a-thon. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone out there walking and just having fun. Be sure to have your children layer and bring a rain jacket just in case. Remind your children to drink lots of water, bring sunscreen but please no umbrellas.
What’s Happening in our Community
Last weekend was The Half Moon Bay pumpkin weigh off. ABC 7 News was there and a family from our school was interviewed and their pumpkins were shown at the end of the clip--take a look: http://abc7news.com/1548102/
For those of you who are wondering who won, it was a woman from Washington. Her pumpkin weighed in at 1,900 plus!
Reading Buzzz…. Just read an article about how to nurture the motivation to read and thought I would share the article. Please click here to read the article.
Math Buzzz… Check out these websites:
Number Cruncher -- Fast facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. There are three different skill levels which make this site appropriate for grades 1 - 6. Select from the following four sites, and then select a level:
Addition - http://www.edbydesign.com/maths/number_cruncher_add.html;
Subtraction - http://www.edbydesign.com/maths/number_cruncher_subtract.html ;
Multiplication - http://www.edbydesign.com/maths/number_cruncher_multiply.html ;
Division - http://www.edbydesign.com/maths/number_cruncher_divide.html ; and
Challenger (all four operations in one) - http://www.edbydesign.com/maths/number_cruncher_challenger.html
Mindset...Carol Dweck, "Developing a Growth Mindset" to view the youtube about developing growth mindset click on the above title.
Buzz… Did you know that Mrs. Boskie has lived in the bay area for over 30 years.
Lynn Boskie, Principal
Dear Parents,
Early this week one of our teachers came into the office and reminded me that we have only been in school for three weeks. I couldn’t believe it.
Our new furniture has arrived in the library, and our book room is stocked with new nonfiction material thanks to our PTA. Eagle Scouts have built planter boxes into our kindergarten areas, and are getting ready to build a sandbox in the garden area.
Teachers have been busy building positive classroom cultures throughout their classrooms by reading books about the first day of school and having classroom meetings. In addition, they have been working on administering our new district wide assessment in grades K-6 using iReady in reading and mathematics. These diagnostic assessments are only ONE measure we will be using to inform our understanding of a student’s current strengths and areas of growth.
Earlier this week as I made my rounds into classrooms, I read Nate the Great in a second grade class and observed the students expanding their understanding of the story by capturing a scene from the story in a drawing and later writing about that event. Later in the week I taught a lesson on hominids and had a blast discussing the evolution of man in a sixth year class. I learned a lot.
Ask your children about their day and/or week:
“What’s the coolest thing that happened? What wasn’t so cool?”
“Pretend you’re the teacher. How would you describe the day?”
“What made you laugh?”
“What was the most creative thing you did?”
“How were you kind or helpful today? Was anyone kind or helpful to you?”
Lynn Boskie
Principal
Buzzzz…. Did you know that I was born in Del Ridder, Louisiana near Fort Polk. My father was stationed there.
Dear Families of Springer,
Welcome back--the 2016- 2017 school year has begun! There was a buzz of energy in the air the first day that never dimmed. Our hope is that your children had an incredible first week of school. As I greeted them in the morning when they arrived and visited them in their classrooms their faces showed the excitement as they absorbed the newness of the school year.
”Ohana” is our theme for the Year: Ohana is an understanding that aloha (love and caring) is an essential commitment to do everything we can to support each other, our students and our families.
The word comes from oha, which is the highly revered taro plant, and it signifies that all ohana come from the same root. No matter how distantly ancient Hawaiians were related, they recognized that they all came from the same root and thus were all part of the same family. Ohana is more generally used to describe any group of people with a common bond.
This year we will be emphasizing “Ohana”. Ohana is an understanding that aloha (love, caring) is an essential commitment to do everything we can to support each other. At Springer we want all our students to show responsibility, teamwork, a helping hand, perseverance, empathy, and (mindset) a can do attitude. Through the Ohana at school we will work to ensure students are successful!
Wednesday Assembly: Every day we will continue to honor the school flag and morning greeting tradition. On Wednesdays we will celebrate together by sharing important information and celebrate our growth both academically and socially. Every Friday will be Aloha Friday, a school spirit day celebrating “Ohana”. Show your spirit by wearing Aloha wear or your Springer wear!
Thank you: Thank you parents who have donated to the PTA! This summer our teachers had professional learning opportunities in reading, responsive classroom and in collaboration because of your contributions. All of our students will directly be affected by the new strategies learned during the summer professional learning. In addition our library has taken on a new look with brand new furniture because of your generosity.
I would like to personally thank all of you for your support as the new principal at Springer. Go Springer Stingers!
Sincerely,
Lynn Boskie
Principal, Springer Elementary School
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
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Witness to Greatness I was never much of a basketball fan until last year. Watching the Warriors win a NBA Championship was the catalyst for me to really get into basketball. The Warrior’s historic season this year has been nothing short of...well, historical. The effect on the Bay Area by this great team has been impressive. It seems everyone is a Warriors fan. I have certainly seen the student interest in basketball increase significantly out on our playground the last year. One cannot help but appreciate how the Warriors play as a team. You don’t need to be well-versed in the nuances of basketball to see this; you just get a sense of the unselfishness of each player and the chemistry the team thrives off of. You can tell that the players love playing together and are willing to do whatever part, large or small, in order to accomplish the ultimate team goal. It’s fun to watch- and educational. Of course, they do have a certain player that helps make them so good. Stephen Curry is an amazingly skilled, yet unselfish player. True greatness of an athlete (or anyone) is their ability to make others around them better. Curry is that athlete. For this reason, and for his prolific scoring ability, he was awarded his second consecutive MVP of the league. This year, he accomplished that honor by being the only MVP in the history of the league to win the award unanimously. At his MVP press conference this week, Curry was asked to what he attributes his success. He cited hard work and the support of his teammates. But, he also gave this advice: whatever you’re passionate about- go out and do it! Whether it’s basketball or medicine or teaching, his message was clear. Find your passion, work hard at it, and you can accomplish great things. What I find really special about Curry is that he is an authentic athlete that understands the bigger picture. I think we are very fortunate to have such a quality superstar athlete in our area- one that is a great model for our students. Enjoy the weekend, Wade Spenader- Principal |
Appreciation!
“I appreciate you”. We say it but what does it mean? I like this definition: appreciation is the act of estimating the qualities of things and giving them their proper value. This week was staff appreciation at Springer so we all had the chance to estimate the quality of staff and give them their proper value. Parents and students did this in various forms, with flowers, notes, and lots of treats (I think I gained 5 lbs this week!).
Because I work with staff daily, I am reminded constantly of their proper value. I fully comprehend the value of a dedicated teacher and the effect he or she has on student learning. I understand the immense value of a talented office staff (thank you Linda and Diana) and see how they support students, teachers, and parents. The value of a always friendly, hard working custodian (Geb) can never be underestimated. The list of people who have tremendous value on this staff would fill this entire column. Forgive me if you’ve heard it before, but there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t feel blessed to be working with this staff.
At the risk of turning this into a “love fest”, I also want to recognize the value of our Springer families. Staff was blown away at all the gifts and acknowledgments that came their way this week. Staff members who are new to Springer this year were awe struck at the way our families showed appreciation. Throughout the week, I kept finding myself thinking how lucky we all are to have an entire community that recognizes the value of EACH OTHER. This very fact is a major reason why Springer is such a great place for our students. Students know that we are all pulling on the same oar to give them the very best educational experience we can. So, thank you- all of you.
A word about next year’s classes:
Teachers have begun the work of building next year’s classes. Grade level teams spend countless hours, weighing a multitude of factors, in building balanced classes for the next school year. With the exception of our incoming Kinder classes, this work often goes deep into the summer (which is why we publish class lists in August).
If you have concerns about your child’s class placement for next year, please share them with your current teacher. Communicate your concerns in a way that talks about the student’s strengths and challenges that you would like considered when the teacher is making a placement. Please do not ask for a specific teacher. Doing so puts teachers in a difficult spot for a number of reasons. I am, of course, happy to meet with any parents that wish to discuss class placement for next year.
Have a fantastic weekend!
Junior Olympics is tomorrow!
Like many things we do in LASD, the Junior Olympics is an event that you have to experience to understand the incredible value for our children and the greater community. You may have heard about it, but to actually be there and FEEL the sense of unity and support from all of our schools is really a tremendous experience. To watch our Springer students strive for their personal best is also a treat.
I want to thank our Junior Olympics committee and all of our parent coaches who have worked so hard to this point to make tomorrow a success. This year, more than any other, I have seen our students practicing their events in preparation. They will be READY!!
Junior Olympics is held at Mountain View High School at the football stadium. The Opening Ceremony (my favorite part) begins at 9am. Parking around the high school can be difficult so I encourage you to carpool or bicycle to the event. Mountain View HS does not allow dogs on campus so our furry family members will need to stay home. The events begin quickly after the Opening Ceremony concludes. Events go on throughout the day, wrapping up with the exciting relay races at the end. Tomorrow’s forecast call for warm, sunny weather so bring sunscreen, water, and your Springer hats.
Hope to see you all out there!
Wade Spenader- Principal
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It’s funny how life can come full circle at times. I distinctly remembering being in 8th grade at St. William’s School in Los Altos (now Rosita Park). As student body president, it was my job to go into classrooms and report to the students about the great things student council was doing for them. My favorite classroom to go into and report was a 5th grade room. The teacher in that room was a fun and vivacious woman who always made me feel special- even though I wasn’t her student. That teacher was young Kathy Panec. When I became principal 7 years ago, I was excited to join Kathy on the staff. We had worked together for a semester at Blach as she filled in for an English teacher who was on leave. Even her short time at Blach endeared her to that faculty and student population. Before that, I had reacquainted with Kathy as a parent since both of her daughters came through my history classroom as Blach students. Now the circle is almost complete as I announce Kathy Panec’s retirement at the end of this school year. Kathy has been a teacher for 35 years! She started at that small private school in Los Altos (St. Williams) back in 1981. She has been at Springer since 1986. During her time at LASD, she has mentored almost 20 new teachers and has taught hundreds and hundreds of students. Those students were treated to a classroom of love and support that Kathy provides as an exemplary teacher. I felt it as a 13 year old delivering student council news back in 1984 and I still feel it today in Room 11 at Springer. As a Springer graduate herself, I know that Kathy views the Springer community as her extended family. Please join me in congratulating Mrs. Panec on her retirement and thanking her for her marvelous years of service to Springer students! Have a great weekend, Wade Spenader-Principal |
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As expected, the turnout for Tuesday’s STEM Expo was huge. The Springer community has a long history of enthusiasm for science fairs; there has always been a high participation rate. Starting with the inclusion of the STEM program 3 years ago, the interest in science has expanded into the realm of technology, engineering, and math. Incorporating these other important, connected, subjects into the traditional science fair allows students to expand their thought processes and innovations in a multitude of ways. There were experiments that tested hypothesis but we also saw Rube Goldberg projects and new designs for age-old inventions. I was impressed at one exhibit that explored the idea of time travel using one of Einstein’s theories. And, I absolutely loved the 6th graders who invented the adaptable shoe (it adjusts size and width as your foot grows). It is so nice to see the innovative thinking of our students. I want to extend a huge THANK YOU to Ms. Craddock for making the Springer STEM Expo one of the best! Kudos also go to Ms. Kirsten Davis for her behind the scenes work. Please remember that without Los Altos Education Foundation’s support vital programs, like STEM, would not exist. Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend! Wade Spenader- Principal |