Friday, September 24, 2021 Quote of the Week: "Nothing is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood." --Freeman Teague, Jr. Dear Ocean Shore Families, I've been thinking a lot about communication this week. No, I'm not talking about the latest OSS virtual meeting issue, and I apologize to anyone who had to wait until we figured out how to fix the problem! Let's face it, after 18 months in COVID times, our social skills are rusty. We see it every day at school, whether it's kindergarteners arguing over a toy, fourth graders disputing kickball rules or eighth graders disputing who said what about whom. I see it in meetings (virtual and IRL), at Safeway, and while driving. It doesn't help that we are all still under more stress than normal, and that COVID protocols change frequently and are different depending on where you are and who you are with. Luckily, Ocean Shore has a fantastic staff, and we are utilizing restorative practices and conflict management strategies through class meetings, small group discussions and one-to-one conversations with our new counselors. We are practicing mindfulness at staff meetings and in classrooms. Students are reading stories, discussing characters' feelings, and being encouraged to empathize. If there has been a conflict, students are guided through discussions that focus on how to make better choices, how to repair harm, and how to look at the incident from multiple points of view (students, teachers, office staff, custodians, kitchen staff, parents). Learning to communicate effectively, empathize with others, and resolve conflicts are lifelong learning goals, and we all have room for growth. Especially me. Take a deep breath and take care, Jeanne School Business: Staffing update: I'm thrilled to announce that we have a new counselor, Gitima Sharma. She will be with us on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I'm also happy to announce that Ayesha Siddiq, one of our parents, is transferring to Ocean Shore from Sunset Ridge and will be assisting with supervision on the playground and working with students in the classroom. Barbara Bualat is resigning from her dual positions of Library Technician and Office Assistant/Yard duty supervisor. As much as we hate to see her go, I'm excited to see her advance in her career. She will be replacing Kelly Alves as the executive assistant to the superintendent. Congratulations, Barbara! You will be missed. PTO General Meeting: The PTO General meeting wasn't recorded on September 23, but slides from the meeting will be posted soon on the PTO website. Picture Day: Picture Day will be Friday, October 1st. Classes will come to the library one at a time. Students will be masked until they sit down to have their photos taken. Read-a-thon: Read-a-thon will be virtual and will take place during the entire month of October. Information will be coming from your student's classroom teacher or ombud. This year's theme is the Olympics and we will all be reading for the gold (and for the cash)! In 2020, Read-a-thon raised over $30,000 for our school. Scoliosis Screening: 5th-8th grade students will be screened for scoliosis on October 5, 6 & 7. No clothing is removed during these screenings aside from bulky jackets. There is a flier below with more information. The opt-out letter is also below. Water Protector Video Contest: Earthcapades, run by Ocean Shore alumni parents, Hearty and Lissen, is sponsoring a water conservation video contest for kids of all ages. See this link for details and for more information: Earthcapades Water Conservation Video Contest Fliers: Arbor Day tree art contest, scoliosis information, scoliosis opt-out letter.
Friday, September 17, 2021 Quote of the Week: “Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Dear Ocean Shore Families, I love this quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. because I think we need to be reminded that we all have something to contribute to our community. You don't have to teach an Art class, go on an overnight field trip with 50 seventh graders, or create a Bridges Math center. You don't even need to volunteer during school hours. You could make copies, cut out letters for bulletin boards, or weed in the garden on the weekends. Believe me when I say we have something for everyone. Please reach out to Virginia Clement @ [email protected] to obtain a volunteer application. Parents who have completed the process can volunteer as of this week. I'm hoping that field trips will happen come spring, as well as fundraisers, Oceans Week, and our famous end of the year picnic. This has been a rough week for me, personally, and I'm sure I'm not alone. However, things are better than they were at this point last year, and we have a lot to look forward to in the coming months. I plan to roll up my sleeves and serve this community as best I can. Take care, Jeanne Staffing update: We are still waiting for confirmation regarding our potential school counselor. More information to follow when I have it. Our Daly City YSB counselors started this week. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you feel that your child could benefit from counseling. School Business: The PTO General meeting is Thursday Sept 23, 7-9 PM via Zoom. We are excited to see everyone's faces! An adult from each family is strongly encouraged to attend, and you will receive double volunteer hours for attendance. This is the first of three PTO general meetings. Among other things, you will: Meet the PTO Executive Board, including grade level parent reps. Hear updates from the principal. Engage in PTO plans for the whole school year. Learn about school-based organizations such as EAT, DLG and as the district wide PEF. Review the PTO budget. Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81496217943?pwd=SE1wOEpHazdzV3dWcEsraE45dC9IUT09 Meeting ID: 814 9621 7943Passcode: OceanShoreOne tap mobile +16699006833, 81496217943#,,,,*8492775715# US (San Jose) Interested in joining a book club? Want to talk about race and identity with other people that care about these issues? Come to a 30 minute information session for the Diversity Learning Group (DLG) Book Club this Monday, 9/20 from 7-7:30. Zoom link here: https://fhda-edu.zoom.us/j/6489556005 Principal's plug: I made the time to do this last year, and I can't wait to continue exploring the issues of race, identity and culture with this thoughtful group. Picture Day: Picture Day will be Friday, October 1st. More information to follow. COVID-19 update: COVID-19 PCR pool testing went well again this week, again, with a few hiccups. About 65% of our students were tested. If any of the classroom "pools" show a positive test result, we will conduct rapid response testing for that classroom. You can still sign your child up for weekly testing. Here is the link for the consent form: https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent/. You will also need this code: PACIFICA-OCEAN. School is back and it is time to start Flocking!! Support our 7/8 graders at Ocean Shore School Want to order a Flock of Pink Flamingos to gather upon a friend’s property to roost? What better way to celebrate a birthday? Pay us to place these pink darlings in someone’s yard! Anyone in Pacifica can be Flocked and anyone can order a Flocking. Please email [email protected] for more information. Order form : Here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1230grpgRL9vNLRHdvLO4U4XyZuD74isqXBXdB6jpwKc/edit Additional fliers: Smile California-dental services, Virtual Sharktoberfest, San Mateo County Health and Vaccination Clinics (English and Spanish), 4H Open House
Friday, September 10, 2021 "I love the energy of children. It makes me feel young." Dolly Parton, singer Dear Ocean Shore Families, I'm feeling very nostalgic for the days before COVID-19. It seems like most of my time is spent dealing with planning, testing, and trouble-shooting. It can be exhausting. However, whenever I get out of my office, I see that teaching and learning are going strong here at Ocean Shore, and it gives me energy. I showed off our school to Nidhi Patel, our newest School Board Trustee, this morning. Natasha's first graders were creating a 3-dimensional balloon art project that tied into a book they had just read and asked them to think about the unique contributions they can make to the community. The 7th and 8th graders were working on their Seven Wonders of the World projects for Social Studies, and Stephanie's 3rd grade class was enjoying Music with Mark. I pop in and out of classrooms frequently, but I rarely spend a solid hour walking around the school. I was so proud of our teachers and all of our kids. Everyone was friendly, welcoming, and willing to discuss their work. It gave me such a boost going into the weekend and helped me remember why I love this job. Thank you for the gift of your children! Take care, Jeanne Staffing update: We will have a Daly City Youth Bureau Counselor and intern starting at school next week. We are so happy to welcome Tiffany Frazier (working 2 days a week) and Jessica Nasrah (working one day) to Ocean Shore for the year. Next week, I hope to be announcing that we have hired a 6th-8th grade PE teacher and a counselor. We are also interviewing for paraprofessionals who can assist our yard duty staff and better engage our students during recess. School Business: COVID-19 testing update: Covid-19 PCR pool testing went well on Wednesday. There were a few hiccups, like the fact that the test results were delayed, and a few students were not tested that should have been. These issues will be worked out by next week. If any of the classroom "pools" show a positive test result, we will conduct rapid response testing for that classroom. I will share the results of the testing as soon as I have them. About 40% of our students were tested, and I'm hoping we can get that percentage up to 75% or 80%. Here is the link for the consent form: https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent/. You will also need this code: PACIFICA-OCEAN. School is back and it is time to start Flocking!! Support our 7/8 graders at Ocean Shore School Want to order a Flock of Pink Flamingos to gather upon a friend’s property to roost? What better way to celebrate a birthday? Pay us to place these pink darlings in someone’s yard! Anyone in Pacifica can be Flocked and anyone can order a Flocking. Please email [email protected] for more information. Order form : Here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1230grpgRL9vNLRHdvLO4U4XyZuD74isqXBXdB6jpwKc/edit Picture Day: Picture Day will be Friday, October 1st. More information to follow. School Lunches: I ask for your patience. With the high demand caused by lunches being free this year, sometimes the items listed on the school menu are not available. We have to sometimes make last minute changes in order to serve everyone. For next week, the Tuesday and Thursday lunches will be switched which means Tuesday: Turkey & Cheese Sub or Cheese French Bread Pizza. Thursday: Beef Hot Dog or Macaroni & Cheese. Additional fliers: 4-H Open house, COVID-19 testing information in English and Spanish, September lunch menu.
Friday, September 3, 2021 Quote of the Week: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again." Proverb Dear Ocean Shore Families, This will be short and sweet. I am so sorry for the technical difficulties last night! I was unaware that Google Meet maxed out at 100 participants. I know that many of you were able to get on the Zoom link that I created on the fly, but I'm sure that some were not able to connect, and I apologize for that. All teachers will send out either a slideshow or a recording of their meetings. I've attached my slides to this email as a link and as a PDF. I do not have a recording of my presentation. In any event, the show must go on, as Patty McNally used to say. The PTO general meeting will be on Thursday, September 23 @ 7:00 pm and we will be using Zoom. Take care and enjoy the long weekend! Jeanne School Business: Link to my Back to School Slides: Back to School Night 9-2-21 (Principal). I've also attached this as a PDF. COVID-19 Testing: Dr. Olsen sent out an email with a link to the online consent form for COVID-19 testing. Here it is: https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent. You will also need an access code: PACIFICA-OCEAN. Additional flyers attached: Text alert information, RealNine Football, Cub Scouts Pack 256, September lunch menu (lunch is free for all students).
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Jeanne BellingerPrincipal of Ocean Shore. Check back here for weekly updates and messages from the principal. Archives
June 2022
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Location |
Ocean Shore School
411 Oceana Blvd Pacifica, CA 94044 Main office: 650-738-6650 |
For enrollment questions, please contact our front office. Our PTO does not have control over cumulative records.
School secretary - Patricia Buddington |