Friday, November 20, 2020

Quote of the week: "The only way forward is with a broken heart." --Alice Walker

Dear Ocean Shore Families, 

Gemma Cobb is leaving Ocean Shore, after being an essential part of our school as an Office Assistant for 15 years.  She will be moving on to IBL on November 30th.  This position is a promotion, and she will be working with students full time, which has always been her strength.  We will miss her, but Gemma will always be a part of our Ocean Shore Pod!

Ocean Shore School has no official plans yet to celebrate the life of Patty McNally. We need to give her family time to process this sudden, devastating, loss.   The staff will meet,  and in conjunction with the PTO,  discuss ways Ocean Shore can honor Patty's memory. I am relieved to announce that Marguerite Rodigou and Sandy Mills will be co-teaching Patty's 4/5 class for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.  Marguerite has been a rock star this week, conducting conferences and providing a sustaining presence for the class.  Sandy has graciously offered to step up and team teach with Marguerite.  They have already started planning and are determined to do what they can to help our children heal. 

Alice Walker's quote reminds me that to love anyone or anything means that our hearts will eventually be broken.  One of the best things we can do for ourselves, our families, our friends, and our children is to model resilience. We ask for help when we need it, turn to each other for support, and get to work. We bend down, lovingly pick up the pieces of our broken hearts, and move forward.  

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am profoundly grateful that I had the chance to work side by side with Patty, first as a teacher and then as a principal.  I am grateful for our extraordinary staff, our amazing PTO, and for all of you.  I'm grateful to have the opportunity to channel my inner Patty McNally and jump into this holiday season full of energy, optimism, and love for one and all. 

Have a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving!

Jeanne

School Business: 
Thanksgiving break is 11/23/20-11/27/20.  School will resume on Monday, 11/30/20. 

Holiday Shopping: Book fair has started and will continue through 11/26/20.  Time for some early holiday shopping!  https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/homepage.do?method=homepage&url=oceanshoreschool1                                            See's Candies and Simple Pleasures Coffee make wonderful gifts as well. https://www.osspto.org/campaigns.html

Our Winter Bazaar Week of Giving:  Please take a look at this heartfelt video that Natalie Abinante put together to kick off the Winter Bazaar.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JTONpfyfBM&feature=youtu.be

Return to School Task Force Update:  The task force met this week and discussed our plans going forward in light of the fact that San Mateo county is back in the red tier, and Covid numbers are continuing to rise.  Our plans to return in January will need to be pushed back.   Our Ocean Shore team made a good deal of progress on logistics and will continue to plan for our eventual return. 

Pacifica Schools' District Wide Move-a-Thon: The district PTOs put together a community event to promote movement for students and families during the weeks between the Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks. When: November 30 - December 18. Cost: FREE! How to participate: Complete activity BINGO boards each week and submit to be entered for prizes.  Registration and Further Details: Pacifica Move-a-Thon. Questions: [email protected]. 
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Makeup Picture Day:  Our makeup picture day will be Wednesday, December 16th, from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.  There will not be a schedule.  Families can come at any time between those hours. Here is link to Lifetouch for online ordering: https://my.lifetouch.com/mylifetouch/#/ Our picture day id number is: EVTVBR6T4.  

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Dear Ocean Shore Families, 
There is no principal's letter this week.  Next week (11/16/20-11/20/20)  is parent/teacher conferences.  Please reach out to your child's teacher if you have questions or want to schedule a conference.  Report cards for students in kindergarten through fifth grade do not need to be completed until December 5th. Some teachers may complete them sooner, and all teachers have information to share with you about your child's progress so far this year. Grades for students in sixth through eighth grade will be finalized in Jupiter Grades by the end of the day on 11/16/20.  Hard copies of the report cards will not be going home until December, but you can see their first semester grades on Jupiter.  Please contact your child's teacher if you have problems getting into Jupiter Grades. 

Book fair has started and will continue through 11/26/20.  Time for some early holiday shopping! 
https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/homepage.do?method=homepage&url=oceanshoreschool1

 Sees Candies and Simple Pleasures Coffee make wonderful gifts as well.  https://www.osspto.org/campaigns.html

Speaking of giving, the flier for Our Winter Bazaar Week of Giving is below. 
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Don't forget that we are off the entire week of Thanksgiving (11/23/20-11/27/20).  
Take care and enjoy your weekend!


Jeanne

Friday, November 6, 2020
Quote of the week: "Come on inner peace, I don't have all day!" --posted by the Fight Like a Girl Club @ fightlikeagirlclub.com

I'm tired of being patient.  It's 4:00 pm on Friday and I want to know who the president is, when in-person school will start, and when we'll have a vaccine.  I want to know when I will get to see my parents in Cleveland, and when I can finally eat inside a restaurant. I have been working on my mindfulness practice, which seems counterintuitive. Why should we have to work on our breathing? Why should we have to remind ourselves to live in the moment? Why is sitting still for five minutes so difficult? As educators and parents, we are action-oriented problem solvers.  We feel responsible for our students and our children, and we want to help them gain the skills they need to be successful in an ever-changing world. That is our job.  However, it is also our job to model patience and to show our children that it's okay not to know what's going to happen and when.   It's important to show them how to live with uncertainty, how to be flexible, how to be patient, how to wait.  Those skills are vital as well, and working on them is a lifelong process.  Take a deep breath, and have a beautiful weekend!    

Take care, 
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Jeanne

School Business:

No school this Wednesday, 11/11/20: We will celebrate Veteran's Day with a school holiday on Wednesday, 11/11/20.  My thoughts and my gratitude go out to all of our veterans and those currently serving in our military.  

Wellness Town Hall Meeting on 11/12/19: Please see the attached flier for information. This Zoom meeting will focus on how to communicate more effectively with your children and how to find resources to help them if they are struggling. 

Ocean Shore Fundraising for November:  Tonight, Friday, 11/6, is Round Table Pizza night.  Just mention that you are from Ocean Shore and they will donate 15% of your sale to our PTO.  Sees Candy sales have started as have Simple Pleasures Coffee Subscriptions.    Here is the link to the OSS PTO's fundraising campaign page which has all the details. https://www.osspto.org/campaigns.html

Pacifica Education Foundation and the Pacifica Historical Society Fundraising event this Sunday:  These two non-profits have partnered for a fun way to learn about Pacifica and raise money as you drive around town.  Please see the attached flyer for more information. 
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Return to School Task Force:  Our district-wide task force met again on 11/4/20. San Mateo County COVID numbers continue to maintain or slightly decline from last meeting. Currently we are in the moderate or orange level with a positivity rate of 1.6%.  The school board has approved hiring 7 temporary custodians and has contracted with Curative, a company that will coordinate the regular (biweekly or weekly) COVID testing of PSD staff.  We broke into three groups to discuss health and safety issues, Hybrid plan issues/questions, and communication with families.  We'll meet next on 11/17/20, most likely in our site-level groups to start discussing specifics about what Ocean Shore needs in order to safely begin the process of returning to school. 

Ocean Shore Book Fair:  The book fair will run from 11/13 through 11/26. It's entirely online.   Here is the link to our Scholastic page: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/homepage.do?method=homepage&url=oceanshoreschool1

Makeup Picture Day:  Our makeup picture day will be Wednesday, December 16th.  The time will most likely be from 8:30-12:00.  There will not be a schedule.  Families can come at any time that morning. Here is link to Lifetouch for online ordering: https://my.lifetouch.com/mylifetouch/#/ Our picture day id number is: EVTVBR6T4.  

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