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Dear Ocean Shore Families, Happy Friday! I hope you are able to attend the PEFathon this weekend! These are wonderful community events for your family. I am hopeful Ocean Shore will have a strong turnout! By participating, you are supporting the PEF programs that make our school so special! Reflections From My Office: It was fun this week to see so many families join us for the “Wild Night of Reading” where our teachers hosted an event to celebrate reading in light of our Readathon. This event was new this year. It was my first opportunity to see how cherished traditions like Oceans Week and the Winter Bazaar go from an idea to an event. A few weeks back, teachers were swapping ideas about the upcoming Readathon event. Being that this is our 10th year of Readathon, the teachers felt this year deserved a special celebration. This is the part where the real Ocean Shore magic began. Everyone jumped in to help to make this dream of an idea become reality. Teachers shared insight about similar events from their past experiences with other schools or districts. As a staff, we talked about how the make the evening meaningful for both parents and students. Therefore, teachers volunteered to host workshops for parents on reading development for different levels of readers. Other teachers volunteered to lead “Adventure” activities in each classroom with a reading theme. Other teachers who could not attend the evening helped in other ways to organize the event. An Ocean Shore parent volunteered to lead an assembly for the students. It was remarkable how quickly this came together. It speaks to the very “Ocean Shore” nature of our school. I love that “Ocean Shore” has become my new favorite adjective to describe our school community. It is very “Ocean Shore” to see the way in which so many dedicated teachers, staff and parents join in to make things happen. The “Ocean Shore” adjective is synonymous with industrious, creative, innovative and dependable. Our teachers stayed on their own time to facilitate the event because they recognized the value of the evening. Parents took time out of busy schedules to attend the event, and become learners themselves. The students had fun seeing that reading is an adventure and is not limited to something only done in school. I hope to host more evenings such as these in the future! Here are a few pictures from the night! Staff Makin’ Waves: Our kindergarten teacher, Lily, was the mastermind behind our Wild About Reading Event. She organized many different details and sought ways to make the event fun and raise money for our PTO. After busy days of teaching, like so many others, Lily facilitated planning meanings and coordinated the logistics to make the night the success that it was! We are grateful for her contribution to our school! Parents Makin’ Waves (Shared From a Parent to All Parents!): Ocean Shore parent, John Edwards, is a valuable volunteer. As a father and published author, he has served our school in many ways. At the “Wild About Reading” event, he graciously led the students in a fun evening of reading one his books to him. He shared his firsthand personal experience with the kids about what it means to write and publish books. We are grateful for all that he does to share his expertise with our students as valuable learning opportunities! School Safety Update: This month our classes have been learning about digital citizenship. Common Sense Media is a great resource for educators and parents. I encourage your to take a peak at this website. In light of the “Fortnite frenzy” that many students are excited about, I thought I would share this helpful perspective giving you tools about how to navigate this popular video game. Parents’’ Ultimate Guide to Fortnite There will be another School Emergency Preparedness Info Night on Monday, October 29th! Click here for the details! From the Front Office: Seeking Outdoor Patio Furniture: We have invited our 8th graders to eat outside during lunch as a special “treat” being the oldest students on campus! We are looking for donations on nice patio furniture. These would be things such as simple chairs, tables, and picnic tables (nothing that requires cushions or umbrellas). Please contact the office if you have a donation. We can give you our tax id number for your records. A reminder about extended school absences of 5 days or more: If your family is going to be away from school for 5 days or more. Please remember to notify the teacher AND the office and ask your teacher for an Independent Study contract. When you take advantage of the Independent Study contract your child will avoid missing important schoolwork and helps prevent the school from losing out on allocated money from the State. Every day a student is absent due to travel, illness, excused or unexcused we lose approximately $30 per student per day. However, when your child agrees to do an Independent Study contract or allocation with remain as though the student is at school. From PEF Corner: SUPPORT PEF! The Pacifica Education Foundation (PEF) is taking education to new heights. They completely fund educational programs which exceed California’s core school standards; which our district budget cannot accommodate. Simply, PEF funds, advances, and protects a higher quality education for OUR students. Learn more, here. PEF SPONSORED PROGRAMS: - Elementary School Music Program - Middle School Band Program (Music Matters in Pacifica - MMIP) - Middle School Computer Science Program - Elementary School Slam Poetry Program (SPARC - Stage Performance + Rhythmic Culture - Poetry) - Professional Science Curriculum Development & Training For Teachers (Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)) Learn more, here. GIVE BACK! PEF gives our children an enriched educational experience. Give back to PEF and don’t forget your employer-sponsored donation matching too! Give back or donate here. UPCOMING PEF EVENTS: - PEFATHON: Mark Your Calendars - Oct. 28th - Run & Walk to support our school! Races for all ages, Fitness Fair, Awards, Prizes and much more! See the attachment on this newsletter; or click here. -http://www.pacificaef.org/givingNEW MEMBERSHIP PLANS: Membership provides you tickets and/or discounted access to fun annual family events, supporter decals, and much more. Learn more, here. - LISTEN & LEARN: PEF Ambassadors will be onsite at PTO events. You can volunteer to help us here. HOW CAN I HELP? - Volunteers needed, here. - Like & Follow PEF on Facebook, here. - Reach Out to our PEF Ambassadors, below:
From the Environmental Action Committee: Hi all, there will be a garden day on the first Sunday of every month, which is next on November 4th, from 10-1pm. Looking forward to getting my hands in the dirt and do some winter clean up! Other project will be finishing the fence boards to keep the mulch in and routing an additional hose caddy to the north side of the garden. If your class needs work attending to the beds, please let me know and we can plan for that! EAT (Environmental Action Committee) will meet every first Monday of the month from 6-8pm in the library. Items on the agenda are
NEXT WEEK HAPPENINGS! Monday, October 29th: Assembly on Bully Prevention Our middle school peer mediators and I will be facilitating student assemblies for each grade level. The focus of our assembly is on the importance of empowering kids to stand up for others. HALLOWEEN PARADE and POD DAY: 8:30 K-1st Parade: Starting in the Kinder hall, the students will snake through the hall, pick up the first graders, will go through the rest of the halls, so that the other classes can come out and see them. Then they will go outside and do one lap and take photos, etc. 10:30 – 11:30 Fall POD Activities: If you wish to volunteer, we can always use the help! Contact your child’s teacher for details. 11:35-12:30 LUNCH and Costume Change. Lunch will be eaten in the classrooms with time to change into costumes. 11:35 K-2 11:45 3-5 11:55 6-8 12:30 2-8th Grade Parade Outside. B wing will lead, followed by C, then D, then E. Circle yard twice, then pictures, etc. Minimum Day dismissal!!! Outdoor Classroom Day – November 1st On Wednesday, we are hosting our first school-wide Outdoor Classroom Day! Being that this is a minimum day following many festive fall celebrations on 10/31, we felt this would be a great day to get our students outside. Students will rotate in groups to various stations for their subject areas. Our core academics all have connections beyond our classroom walls. This day will be a celebration of our emphasis on how we connect learning the to the outside. This is a very “Ocean Shore” event! DLG Meeting on November 1st at 6 pm in the Library: Parents and caregivers, join the Diversity Leadership Group for a discussion of school culture next Thursday evening (1 November, 6 PM, Library). Bring your questions, concerns, and ideas for DLG events such as Ability Awareness Week, Celebrate Diversity Day, and Family Movie Night. Childcare is available upon request ([email protected]). If you’re unable to attend the meeting, feel free to leave comments in the DLG parent folder. REMINDER: MINIMUM DAYS October 31 AND November 1st. UPCOMING EVENTS: THE FALL BOOK FAIR IS COMING! SUPPORT YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARY AND GET YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING DONE EARLY! Dates open: Thursday, November 8th – Thursday, November 15th PURCHASE BOOKS and support our Library. Our Library gets a percentage of the book fair sales. Every dollar spent is important as it goes directly to the purchase of library materials! Teachers will also have book wish lists if you would like to gift a book to a classroom. HELP RUN THE BOOK FAIR - Volunteers Needed! We need help with: Set up - Wed. November 7th from 8:00 a.m.- to completion 2-hour shifts: 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. all days (Thurs. 11/8 through until break down) Break down - Thursday, November 15th from 3:00-5:00 p.m. If you are able to help, please sign up on the sign-up sheet in the Parent Hallway. Thank you very much for your support in building great readers!! WAYS TO HELP OUR SCHOOL AND GAIN VOLUNTEER HOURS Middle School Elective Coordinator We are looking for a parent volunteer to coordinate the middle school elective assignments. If you enjoy puzzles, this is a job that can be done at home. Each trimester the 7th and 8th grade students get to rank choice electives. It is a puzzle to assign each student to various elective slots throughout the week. This trimester ends Nov 16th and the middle school teachers need assistance to get the students organized into their various electives before the next trimester begins. If you are interested in earning hours at home, this may be for you. Please contact [email protected] to apply or ask questions. GARDEN HELP NEEDED! Can You Help Us With Our Electives in the Morning? We are looking for a parent to manage a small group of 7th and 8th graders with a teacher support during a garden elective on Tuesday and Wednesday? One or both days. 8:22-9:05. Please let the office or our 7th/8th grade teachers know if you are available. Looking for Extra Hours on the Weekend? WE are looking for some simple construction work to help build a cart on wheels for our psychomotor class mats. Cost of materials will be provided. Anyone interested should see Patricia in the office. Weekly Flyers: Dear Ocean Shore Families, Happy Friday! I hope you have a great weekend. This week, our 6th graders enjoyed an overnight field trip to Calistoga! I shared some highlights below. We were excited to welcome them home. Next week, I hope to see you on Wednesday evening for a family night of celebrating reading. The details are posted HERE. Join for a fun night of reading activities and workshops for parents for our annual READATHON. This event is hosted and facilitated by our fantastic Ocean Shore faculty. This is a great way to share the excitement of reading with our kids and learn about how you can encourage your child to read or gain deeper levels of understanding. I hope to see you there! Reflections From My Office: As you know, this week we participated in a safety drill as part of the Great California Shakeout. I can’t tell you how impressed I was with our students and staff who responded so promptly and took great care to follow the “Drop, Cover and Hold On” protocol. It was apparent to all of the staff how our students took the occasion to handle the drill with great intention. The school was evacuated quickly and we assembled in an orderly fashion. I was very proud of our school! We were fortunate to have some visitors with us for the drill, which included our Superintendent Dr. Olsen and Pacifica Police Department Officer MacDonald. These drills always bring to mind the matter of student safety. I don’t know about you, but it seems like there seems to be a lot of scary things happening in our world today. From natural disasters like earthquakes and wildfires to school shootings, our school community faces important questions about how to best prepare for the unthinkable events. As a staff, we have talked about how we can direct their conversations in appropriate ways to make children feel comfortable in the midst of uncertainty. We will continue to practice different drills throughout the year, and look for ways to share this training with parents. I was reminded of a time from my childhood when I witnessed my first natural disaster. Last fall, I had the opportunity to visit my parents back in Wisconsin to do one of our favorite things together – watch a football game together! We went to see the University of Wisconsin Badgers play against Northwestern. My dad has been a season ticket holder since he graduated from UW-Madison in the 1960s. He has been attending every game since, and I have been going with him from the time I could first walk. Driving to game, we passed the small town of Baraboo, Wisconsin. In 1984, the town suffered terrible damage from an F5 tornado. My family had recently moved to Madison and we had planned a camping trip in the area the day after the tornado struck. My parents were faced with the decision to avoid the area and topic, or drive through the town and embrace the natural disaster. They chose the latter. I still remember the flattened buildings and the absence of trees. Though I am sure it was hard for my parents to explain, they gave my brother and I a chance to explore our emotions related to this scary event. Letting us feel stressed allowed us to work through feelings with them in a safe environment was exactly the learning opportunity we needed. We did not stop talking about the event after we drove away. For days after, we talked about the heroic events that occurred and how the community came together to help one another. It was an incredibly valuable experience. Last year driving by the Baraboo exit, I reflected on how my parents handled the scary situation. I thanked them for giving us that opportunity to experience the trauma with their guidance, as it helped me years down the road. In light of our recent drill, I asked all of our students to go home to discuss your family’s disaster plan. I would like to share with you a few resources that you might find useful to help adults guide children to better understand trauma. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/aftermath.aspx http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/talking-to-children.aspx https://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/KEN01-0093R/KEN01-0093R.pdf Here are some pictures from our emergency drill:   Staff Makin’ Waves: We are fortunate to have such a strong team of educators and support staff on our special education and mental health team. One staff member, Lucy, has been invaluable to our students. She works with many different students on individual assignments and projects, applying different levels of support for each child. She is able to be supportive, flexible with changing schedules and keeps a positive attitude. Juli Chang, our 2nd grade Ocean Shore teacher, just returned from the weekend conference to CUE (Computer Using Educators). Juli is our district innovation and technology lead for our school, and we are grateful for her insight. At CUE, she created a Sketch Note and posted in on Twitter. The lead presenter was math mindset researcher and author, Dr. Jo Boaler from Stanford. She retweeted Juli’s image on her Twitter post, and I thought I would share this with you. Pretty cool to see our teachers get the recognition they deserve from some of the education field’s leading experts! Here is a picture from Jo Boaler's feed (I recommend following her on Twitter!):  Parents Makin’ Waves (Shared From a Parent to All Parents!): We are grateful for the dedication from one of our grandparent volunteers. Renee started running the library since her grandson was in kindergarten (he's 8th grade now). She volunteers full-time and has done a patient and great job in training our current librarian aide since January 2016. She is a pleasure to work with, is dependable and hardworking. We don't know what we would do without her. Student Safety Updates: New Curbs Painted! We are excited to see some of our curbs around our campus get the attention it needs! With the encouragement of a dedicated Ocean Shore parent Jordan Steele Be-Dell, an engineer from the city of Pacifica visited the streets around our school and made some recommendations for new signage and painting. The curbs have been painted to improve driving patterns, making our routes to school safer! Help Your Child Arrive Safely To School! Unfortunately, one of the safety hazards around schools are the drop-off line. All to often, some parents exhibit poor driving behaviors that breaks traffic laws and compromises student safety. These behaviors usually occur in the final few minutes before the bell rings to start school. Many times, schools have more of “get to school with a few extra minutes” need rather than an improved traffic flow need. I wish to illustrate a few Do’s and Dont’s as it relates to dropping off your child for school. In the Circle Drop-Off Area! DO:
From the Front Office: Arrive to school on Time! School starts at 8:22. If your child arrives late, please remember to have them sign in at the office even if they think their teacher has not taken attendance yet. Be mindful of how a student arriving late disrupts the classroom routine. It is important that they have a tardy pass, as this helps us accurately record attendance and prevent the automatic call going home. Reflections from the 6th Grade Field Trip: I received a great recap of the 6th grade trip from one of our teachers, Katy. I wish to share some highlights with you! Here was an excerpt from Katy’s update: Our first stop was the Solar Living Center in Hopland. This place is undergoing major changes in its goals and purpose. We were very lucky to be given our tour by the owner of the property. (This was the first time I have met him since I started bringing kids here over 15 years ago.) He has been the owner since the land was a state facilities dump 40 years ago. Now it is an award-winning model of sustainable living and alternative energy. We saw a small house being built of mushrooms, another made of hemp cement, an astronomical calendar, and a 35000 strong beehive. The kids climbed through a metal tube, saw trees growing from cars, created electricity from stationary bikes, and fed the fish. Then we were off to the Petrified Forest where our very knowledgeable guides talked to us about volcanoes, fossilization, trees and other plants, mineralization, lava, birds, and the history of this privately owned facility, which includes Robert Louis Stevenson. We also discovered that Calistoga is undergoing extended blackouts (no power) because of the high fire danger. Unfortunately this means we cannot make a campfire. The kids did a great job setting up the tents and campsite. The cooks made a very tasty spaghetti dinner. Then we listened to five of the kids group reports on alternative energies. I am with a really great bunch of kids and wonderful parents. After a noisy and excited settling into the tents and all is now calm. From the PTO Corner: Check Out the Different Fundraisers! Click here to see the ways you can support our school with fundraising opportunities! READATHON! Welcome to Ocean Shore School's 10th Annual Readathon! Theme: Wild About Reading! Let your imagination run WILD! When: October 1st thru October 31st Why: To raise money for field trips while building literacy skills How:
From PEF Corner: SUPPORT PEF! The Pacifica Education Foundation (PEF) is taking education to new heights. They completely fund educational programs which exceed California’s core school standards; which our district budget cannot accommodate. Simply, PEF funds, advances, and protects a higher quality education for OUR students. Learn more, here. PEF SPONSORED PROGRAMS: - Elementary School Music Program - Middle School Band Program (Music Matters in Pacifica - MMIP) - Middle School Computer Science Program - Elementary School Slam Poetry Program (SPARC - Stage Performance + Rhythmic Culture - Poetry) - Professional Science Curriculum Development & Training For Teachers (Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)) Learn more, here. GIVE BACK! PEF gives our children an enriched educational experience. Give back to PEF and don’t forget your employer-sponsored donation matching too! Give back or donate here. UPCOMING PEF EVENTS: - PEFATHON: Mark Your Calendars - Oct. 28th - Run & Walk to support our school! Races for all ages, Fitness Fair, Awards, Prizes and much more! See the attachment on this newsletter; or click here. -http://www.pacificaef.org/givingNEW MEMBERSHIP PLANS: Membership provides you tickets and/or discounted access to fun annual family events, supporter decals, and much more. Learn more, here. - LISTEN & LEARN: PEF Ambassadors will be onsite at PTO events. You can volunteer to help us here. HOW CAN I HELP? - Volunteers needed, here. - Like & Follow PEF on Facebook, here. - Reach Out to our PEF Ambassadors, below:
NEXT WEEK HAPPENINGS! October 24th from 5:30-7:30 pm: Wild Night of Reading for All Ocean Shore Families! In the spirit of Readathon, Ocean Shore families are invited to come for an evening of celebrating literacy! See the Flyer HERE: Wild Night of Reading Details! October 28th: PEFathon! See the flyer below to register today! Yearbooks are on Sale! Our middle school staff will be working hard to preserve your memories. Don't let these memories pass you by, order yours today online visit: www.treering.com/validate (private OSS passcode: 1014115995473789. If you have any questions contact [email protected] UPCOMING EVENTS: HALLOWEEN FALL PARADE and POD DAY: 8:30 K-1st Parade: Starting in the Kinder hall, the students will snake through the hall, pick up the first graders, will go through the rest of the halls, so that the other classes can come out and see them. Then they will go outside and do one lap and take photos, etc. 10:30 – 11:30 Fall POD Activities: If you wish to volunteer, we can always use the help! Contact your child’s teacher for details. 11:35-12:30 LUNCH and Costume Change. Lunch will be eaten in the classrooms with time to change into costumes. 11:35 K-2 11:45 3-5 11:55 6-8 12:30 2-8th Grade Parade Outside. B wing will lead, followed by C, then D, then E. Circle yard twice, then pictures, etc. Minimum Day dismissal!!! THE FALL BOOK FAIR IS COMING! SUPPORT YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARY AND GET YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING DONE EARLY! Dates open: Thursday, November 8th – Thursday, November 15th PURCHASE BOOKS and support our Library. Our Library gets a percentage of the book fair sales. Every dollar spent is important as it goes directly to the purchase of library materials! Teachers will also have book wish lists if you would like to gift a book to a classroom. HELP RUN THE BOOK FAIR - Volunteers Needed! We need help with: Set up - Wed. November 7th from 8:00 a.m.- to completion 2-hour shifts: 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. all days (Thurs. 11/8 through until break down) Break down - Thursday, November 15th from 3:00-5:00 p.m. If you are able to help, please sign up on the sign-up sheet in the Parent Hallway. Thank you very much for your support in building great readers!! Weekly Flyers: Dear Ocean Shore Families, Happy Friday! I hope your family is off to enjoy the lovely weather this weekend! This weekend is the Sharp Park Cleanup. See below for more details! This is a great opportunity to get outside with your family and help the community. Today our students enjoyed an assembly in celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Our friend Eddie visited students to share stories and dances with the students. It was fantastic, and I encourage you to ask your child about their takeaways from the event. Reflections From My Office: This week I had the opportunity to visit our 8th graders at Yosemite for their weeklong field trip. I was able to share some highlights from my trip with the 8th grade families, and wish to share this with you. What an experience for our kids! I am grateful for the hard work that went into preparing for the trip from fundraising, organizing details and last minute arrangements. I look forward to welcoming them back any minute soon! Here is a recap of my message to our 8th grade families: I arrived on Tuesday to greet the students as they returned from their hike. They were eager to tell me about how they were able to hike off the trail, navigating all by themselves with the help of the GPS (and their naturalist and chaperones patiently following their lead). The lesson they learned is that when you follow only the GPS without considering the terrain in front of you, the hike ends up doing a great deal of downhill to uphill hiking (hence – the importance of switchbacks!) They were fairly proud of themselves and I enjoyed seeing them so excited! As each hiking group returned, they eagerly shared their stories of their first few days on the trip. The teachers played their guitars and sang songs while the kids played ball, gathered sticks and built forts, or wove bracelets at the picnic tables. The entire experience was truly idyllic, with the gorgeous backdrop behind them of pines, meadows and rocks. The rest of the trip was just as lovely as the start. It was so wonderful to see the kids interact with one another, laughing and encouraging others – even peers beyond their close circle of friends. This was especially apparent yesterday on the trail. When a few kids needed encouragement or help on navigating a rocky trail, it was the other 8th graders who stepped in to lend a hand to their peer. The naturalist wisely knew how to let them help each other, as this was far more meaningful than having an adult step in to do it for them. A highlight of the trip for me was when our hiking group stood in a circle to share gratitude at the end of our hike. I beamed when I heard the students who needed some encouragement share gratitude for the other students who stepped in to lend a hand and kept them going on the hike. That is the grand lesson from the whole experience. At breakfast yesterday morning, a naturalist shared some advice with the students. She told them to remember that being a part of a community is all about putting into the group what you wish to receive from it. The 8th graders demonstrated this very concept on the trail yesterday. I was so glad to witness this and celebrate their success together! Here were a few other highlights from my experience:
As I told them before I departed, I will reflect on my time with them at Yosemite long after the trips ends. I will smile and think back to this week when I see them in the lunchroom or in their classrooms. The experience will inevitably bring them together, promote their individual growth and independence and bond them as a group as they continue in the months ahead!         Staff Makin’ Waves: On Monday our staff participated in our school district professional development day. Staff selected from a variety of workshops presented by other teachers, district specialists and other presenters. One of our teachers, Jennifer Mitchell, led a dynamic workshop for teachers on integrating social and emotional learning into the K-2 classrooms. She led us through activities and strategies that were practical ways to help students develop such things as deepening their emotional language, becoming active listeners, promoting positive communication and using social stories to promote emotion and social awareness. It was inspiring to see how teachers like Jennifer share their passion from their own professional learning with their colleagues. This is what our teaching community is all about! Parents Makin’ Waves (Shared From a Parent to All Parents!): The trip to Yosemite would not be complete without the efforts from parent chaperones that accompanied the students this whole week during the trip! It takes a great deal to arrange busy home and work schedules while they were away supporting our kids. Thank you to our Ocean Shore 8th grade parents Barbara Bruxvoort, Jonathan Harris, Monica Nolan, Andy Schine, and Michelle Zuromski for accompanying our students! Student Safety Updates: We have a SAFETY DRILL NEXT WEEK! Our school will be participating in the Great California Shakeout on October 18th. Click here for more information on the Great Shake Out: This will be our “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” drill in conjunction with the Big 5 Safety Protocols. Teachers and staff will lead students through this drill to for earthquake preparedness. In addition, we will be testing our emergency notification system for parents on the day of our drill. You will be receiving a notification to test our emergency contact system. This will occur after our drill on October 18th by the end of the school day. From the Front Office: THANK YOU! A big thank you to the Oca, Mejia and Macdougall Families for purchasing some great books for our library. Your generosity is very much appreciated. From, Barbara & Renee (AND students of OSS!) THANK YOU! Staff have been able to park in their designated staff parking spots thanks to our parents and visitors for respecting these spaces as parking for staff only. Thank you for your continued adherence to this matter! Please Remind Your Child to Keep Electronic Toys at Home: Electronic toys should be kept at home as this can be distracting for students. Recess and lunchtime are screen-free (unless under the supervision of staff members for unusual occasions). Help us encourage our students to enjoy playtime outdoors! From the PTO Corner: Check Out the Different Fundraisers! Click here to see the ways you can support our school with fundraising opportunities! FUNDRAISING NEWS! -We have a winner for the silent auction Golden Ticket Parking Spot..Malcolm Katz for the months of November, December and January! -GOOD EGGS This week, if 5 new families join the Ocean Shore School fundraiser, Good Eggs will host brunch for our teachers! -Portraits with Art Klozet Photography Studio. READATHON! Welcome to Ocean Shore School's 10th Annual Readathon! Click here for the flyer! Theme: Wild About Reading! Let your imagination run WILD! When: October 1st thru October 31st Why: To raise money for field trips while building literacy skills How:
From PEF Corner: SUPPORT PEF! The Pacifica Education Foundation (PEF) is taking education to new heights. They completely fund educational programs which exceed California’s core school standards; which our district budget cannot accommodate. Simply, PEF funds, advances, and protects a higher quality education for OUR students. Learn more, here. PEF SPONSORED PROGRAMS: - Elementary School Music Program - Middle School Band Program (Music Matters in Pacifica - MMIP) - Middle School Computer Science Program - Elementary School Slam Poetry Program (SPARC - Stage Performance + Rhythmic Culture - Poetry) - Professional Science Curriculum Development & Training For Teachers (Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)) Learn more, here. GIVE BACK! PEF gives our children an enriched educational experience. Give back to PEF and don’t forget your employer-sponsored donation matching too! Give back or donate here. UPCOMING PEF EVENTS: - PEFATHON: Mark Your Calendars - Oct. 28th - Run & Walk to support our school! Races for all ages, Fitness Fair, Awards, Prizes and much more! See the attachment on this newsletter; or click here. -http://www.pacificaef.org/givingNEW MEMBERSHIP PLANS: Membership provides you tickets and/or discounted access to fun annual family events, supporter decals, and much more. Learn more, here. - LISTEN & LEARN: PEF Ambassadors will be onsite at PTO events. You can volunteer to help us here. HOW CAN I HELP? - Volunteers needed, here. - Like & Follow PEF on Facebook, here. - Reach Out to our PEF Ambassadors, below:
NEXT WEEK HAPPENINGS! Sharp Park Cleanup This Saturday 10/13! Click below for more details: https://www.pacificabeachcoalition.org/take-action/monthly-adopt-a-beach-cleanups/sharp-park-beach-cleanup/ https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_eTJct2EjR5-_1cLLV3jFgeFRVi0Ac27Z2_R7JZijnaIg7w/viewform Kindergarteners extend their day starting next week! Our kindergarteners will be joining the “big kids” with a longer day and eating lunch at school. We practiced last week and are ready to have them join us for a little longer day! Thursday, October 18th: Great California Shake Out Drill at Ocean Shore Students will participate in the drop, cover, and hold on drill after recess! Thursday, October 18th: Superintendent Dr. Heather Olsen visits Ocean Shore! I look forward to having Dr. Olsen visit our campus on Thursday morning to tour classrooms and visit students, staff and teachers. UPCOMING EVENTS! Ocean Shore is Participating in Trick or Treat for UNICEF! Click here for more information about how school hopes to help children in need who were devastated by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi. Click here for more information October 24th from 5:30-7:30 pm: Wild Night of Reading for All Ocean Shore Families! In the spirit of Readathon, Ocean Shore families are invited to come for an evening of celebrating literacy! Click here to see the Flyer October 28th: PEFathon! See the flyer below to register today! Yearbooks are on Sale! Our middle school staff will be working hard to preserve your memories. Don't let these memories pass you by, order yours today online visit: www.treering.com/validate (private OSS passcode: 1014115995473789. If you have any questions contact [email protected] EASY WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY AND GAIN VOLUNTEER HOURS: NEED HOURS OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL HOURS? OUR ROBOTICS TEAM NEEDS YOUR HELP! OSS is fortunate to have a volunteer coach our Robotics team, which meets on Friday after school. Due to popular student demand, we are in need of additional help from volunteers to help supervise. Could you help? If so, contact David Bradley at [email protected] . Any and all help is appreciated! Weekly Flyers:  Dear Ocean Shore Families, Hello! What a beautiful day. I hope your family is about to enjoy a lovely weekend. This weekend will be busy for our 8th graders and their families, as the students depart for their weeklong field trip to Yosemite on Sunday. How exciting! I personally look forward to having an opportunity to visit them next week. Expect to hear some highlights from me in my next blog! I wish to remind you that students do not have school on Monday, October 8th. Teachers and staff will be working at IBL all day in workshops for professional development. Reflections From My Office: October is bully-prevention month. This topic brings to light many emotions, questions and experiences that we can all relate to on some level. When I did my initial research about Ocean Shore School prior to joining this team, I was impressed with the extensive commitment to cultivate a positive school climate and culture. Various programs, committees and practices have been instilled from teachers, parents, staff, district and the Pacifica community to align and prioritize resources to serve the social and emotional needs of students. You do not find this everywhere, despite how important it is for students to thrive. This is increasingly important as students navigate the demands and pressures of what it means to be a child growing up in 2018. Collectively, Ocean Shore has taken a stand to be a refuge for students by working to provide a school that is a safe and happy place to learn and grow. This includes nurturing all of their needs from academic support, socialization and wellness integration. There are several elements about our school that reflect this commitment that I wish highlight, especially in light of how schools across the country are using this month to bring awareness to this very important topic. I was eager to learn that several of our teachers were trained on how to facilitate restorative practice circles. This is a format that engages the whole class in problem-solving discussions in attempt to resolve conflict peacefully. At any given time, you may walk by one of our classrooms and observe the teacher engaged in a classroom meeting. Students are gathered in a circle, and they take time to thoroughly discuss relevant topics to them. What I admire about this practice is that it does not see the students as the source of the “problem”. Instead, it engages students as the solution to the problem. For instance, our 7th and 8th graders have had several restorative circles where they discuss topics such as maintaining healthy relationships and the power of respectful language. Today, they are having a seminar about the power of bystander impact and the umbrella of harassment. Students are learning how significant their voice can be when they stand up to others and speak for those who have been mistreated. While we may not be able to control outrageous acts from individuals, we can work hard to empower the majority of our students who have the empathy and confidence to use their voice loudly and proudly for others when needed. Here is a link to a great article I read this week about this topic. I was beaming with pride for Ocean Shore knowing that this practice was put in place years ago, and will continue to thrive and be relied upon to enrich the compassion that exists on our campus: https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/44628/how-to-develop-a-school-culture-that-helps-curb-bullying  Another example of our school’s commitment to the social and emotional well being of our school culture is the existence of our Diversity Leadership Group. This is pretty awesome to see how committed our parents and teachers are to support initiatives aimed to educate and celebrate our differences. I was inspired to hear from a parent this morning about the origins of this group that has been around for many years. It started with a need to support one Ocean Shore family. Others stood up as bystander to advocate on their behalf. As a result, we have a committee that has been a vibrant part of our school community that helps promote awareness, tolerance and compassion. Teachers have also helped lead this charge with advocacy within the classroom through natural alignments to class discussions and topics. Next week, we will have an assembly in observance of Indigenous Peoples Day. Look for other ways our group of committed stakeholders of the DLG will be working with our students in our Abilities Awareness Week and other cherished Ocean Shore traditions. In light of the negative rhetoric and divisive tone that permeates the events happening in our world today, the importance of civility, respect and tolerance has been lost on many. They have forgotten that our children are watching what they say and do. I am encouraged to see that our students are engaged in conflict resolution strategies that seek to bring about solutions peacefully and respectfully. My wish is that it brings you the same hope that it brings me. While our work at Ocean Shore is never done on this topic, we are working to better our world one class discussion at a time. I welcome your feedback, suggestions and ways we can continue to better our school culture and climate! Staff Makin’ Waves: It takes a lot to put together a field trip with so much planning and prep work hours before the event takes place! Imagine taking a family vacation with 32 children and other adults! As I mentioned, our 8th graders are about to embark on a weeklong trip to Yosemite. I wish to acknowledge the efforts of our teacher Jason who is leading this event for our kids. He has leant his personal expertise to guide our kids to be prepared and excited about the trip, which including coordinating slightly less than a million details. While the experience will undoubtedly be rewarding for the teachers, it also means they have to make their own arrangements to be gone away from their families for the week. He has been a true teammate to his colleagues and great leader to his students! We wish them a great week ahead! Parents Makin’ Waves (Shared From a Parent to All Parents!): Patricia Garcia has served an invaluable role as our PTO treasurer for many years! She works to align our precious resources to serve the needs of the students of Ocean Shore. Her work is tedious but her efforts are invaluable to our school. Teachers and parents alike appreciate her for her continued service at OSS! Student Safety Updates: Please remember to continue to familiarize yourself with the Big 5 Safety Protocol. I have posted the flyer here for your reference: Safety Protocol From the Front Office: It Is National Walk to School Day Next Week! National Walk to School Day is coming! It is Wednesday, October 10th. Students do not need to walk to school, as we are looking for the least amount of personal cars as possible. Carpooling, taking the bus, biking, skateboarding, walking, etc. all count! There will be a table outside in the morning with pencils and stickers for kids to celebrate the day. Parents Remember a Snack for Your Child at Recess! Please remember to supply a snack for your child every day for the morning break. For families with financial hardships or an emergency, we have extra snacks in the office for these occasions. Amazon Wish List for Books for our Library! A new wish list for books for the Ocean Shore library has been added. These are books we would love to add to our collection. Parents can search for "Ocean Shore School Library" from their Amazon account. When they have located us, the list "OSS Library Wish List" will be accessible. Thank you for helping us keep current and interesting books in the hands of our students! From the PTO Corner: Check Out the Different Fundraisers! Click here to see the ways you can support our school with fundraising opportunities! READATHON! Welcome to Ocean Shore School's 10th Annual Readathon! Theme: Wild About Reading! Let your imagination run WILD! When: October 1st thru October 31st Why: To raise money for field trips while building literacy skills How:
From PEF Corner: SUPPORT PEF! The Pacifica Education Foundation (PEF) is taking education to new heights. They completely fund educational programs which exceed California’s core school standards; which our district budget cannot accommodate. Simply, PEF funds, advances, and protects a higher quality education for OUR students. Learn more, here. PEF SPONSORED PROGRAMS: - Elementary School Music Program - Middle School Band Program (Music Matters in Pacifica - MMIP) - Middle School Computer Science Program - Elementary School Slam Poetry Program (SPARC - Stage Performance + Rhythmic Culture - Poetry) - Professional Science Curriculum Development & Training For Teachers (Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)) Learn more, here. GIVE BACK! PEF gives our children an enriched educational experience. Give back to PEF and don’t forget your employer-sponsored donation matching too! Give back or donate here. UPCOMING PEF EVENTS: - PEFATHON: Mark Your Calendars - Oct. 28th - Run & Walk to support our school! Races for all ages, Fitness Fair, Awards, Prizes and much more! See the attachment on this newsletter; or click here. -http://www.pacificaef.org/givingNEW MEMBERSHIP PLANS: Membership provides you tickets and/or discounted access to fun annual family events, supporter decals, and much more. Learn more, here. - LISTEN & LEARN: PEF Ambassadors will be onsite at PTO events. You can volunteer to help us here. HOW CAN I HELP? - Volunteers needed, here. - Like & Follow PEF on Facebook, here. - Reach Out to our PEF Ambassadors, below:
NEXT WEEK HAPPENINGS! NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY October 8th for Students! EAT Meeting this Monday, October 8th from 6 – 8 pm in the Library: Join the E.A.T committee for their monthly meeting on garden and campus beautification! All are invited to participate in brainstorming ideas to make the school greener and more environmentally conscious, and to further eco literacy in our students. Sub committees will include but are not limited to: greening the school, kindergarten yard and school entry space, art installations such as tile etc., developing curriculum based on gardening and agriculture, food waster, food justice, and of course, the compost :) Tuesday, October 9th: PTO Executive Board Meeting at OSS from 7-9 pm Please see attached agenda here: Meeting Agenda Wednesday, October 10th: National Walk to School Day! Friday, October 12th: Indigenous People’s Day Celebration Assembly for all Grades UPCOMING EVENTS! SAVE THE DATE for October 24th from 6-7:30 pm: Family Reading Night at Ocean Shore! In the spirit of Readathon, Ocean Shore families are invited to come for an evening of celebrating literacy! Details to follow! October 28th: PEFathon! See the flyer below to register today! Yearbooks are on Sale! Our middle school staff will be working hard to preserve your memories. Don't let these memories pass you by, order yours today online visit: www.treering.com/validate (private OSS passcode: 1014115995473789. If you have any questions contact [email protected] EASY WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY AND GAIN VOLUNTEER HOURS: NEED HOURS OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL HOURS? OUR ROBOTICS TEAM NEEDS YOUR HELP! OSS is fortunate to have a volunteer coach our Robotics team, which meets on Friday after school. Due to popular student demand, we are in need of additional help from volunteers to help supervise. Could you help? If so, contact David Bradley at [email protected] . Any and all help is appreciated! Weekly Flyers: |
Jeanne BellingerPrincipal of Ocean Shore. Check back here for weekly updates and messages from the principal. Archives
June 2022
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