ALMOND THURSDAY WORD
October 20, 2016

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

• Wednesday, 10/26 - PTA General Meeting (Multi, 8:30am)
• Friday, 10/28 - Halloween Carnival (Blacktop, 3:30pm)
• Tuesday, 11/1- School Site Council, SSC (Library, 3:05pm)
• Thursday, 11/3 - Principal Coffee (Library, 8:35am)
• Friday, 11/11 - Holiday (NO SCHOOL)
• 11/14 thru 11/18 - Sixth Grade Science Camp
• 11/21 & 11/22 - Parent Conferences
• 11/23 thru 11/25 - Thanksgiving Vacation
• Thursday, 12/1 - Kindergarten & New Family Information Night
• Tuesday, 12/6 - Almond Singers Winter Concert (Multi, 6:30pm)
• Wednesday, 12/7 - PTA General Meeting (Multi, 8:30am)
• Friday, 12/9 - TK/K Holiday Concert (Multi, 1pm)
• Monday, 12/12 - Gr. 4-6 Holiday Concert (Multi, 1pm)
• Tuesday, 12/13 - Gr. 1-3 Holiday Concert (Multi, 1pm)
• Wednesday, 12/14 - School Site Council, SSC (Library, 3:05pm)
• Thursday, 12/15 - Principal Coffee (Library, 8:35am)
• 12/19 thru 1/2 - December Vacation
• Tuesday, 1/3/17 - School Resumes

PRINCIPAL MESSAGE

Greetings Almond Community,

For the past three years I have been Almond’s principal.  During that time I have had the privilege of getting to know many amazing children and their families.  I have also worked with an incredible staff.  As we have spent time together, we have built relationships.  I have authored approximately 125 weekly messages and participated in countless meetings with individuals, small groups, and larger audiences.  It has come to my attention that some of my written messages and verbal communications have been considered condescending in tone.  Because I take feedback seriously, I have not dismissed these remarks and have instead lent them much thought.  

Please accept my apology for any message that I have delivered which resulted in a sentiment of judgement or lack of openness and transparency on my part.  That was never my intent.

Through reflection it has become clear to me that on some occasions I have allowed relationships to establish a casual style of communication into which I injected humor, sarcasm, or emotion at a time or in a setting that was not appropriate.  I am sorry for permitting a sense of familiarity to lead to a tenor of disrespect.  

Education is a very different profession than any other because it involves your children.  This demands a level of formality and objectivity of which I lost sight.  I will be certain to be more mindful of this in all my future communications.

With great respect and humility,

Erika Benadom - Almond Principal

PTA & SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS - NEW

Boo!  Come one, come all to the Almond PTA Halloween Carnival on Friday, October 28, from 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm!
We’ll have all the favorites: Games, decorations, music, food, pumpkin-carving contest and the ever-popular Cupcake Walk.  The kids love it, and the proceeds benefit our school.  The carnival is run by student and parent volunteers, so please sign up to volunteerhere.  Put it on your calendar now...and we’ll see you there. Parent costumes are optional, but always add to the fun!  For questions about the Halloween Carnival, please contact Amy Heath, Halloween Carnival Lead, at amy.heath@yahoo.com.

The Halloween Carnival Needs YOU
Almond's Annual Halloween Carnival is Friday, October 28, from 3:30pm - 5:30pm and we need your help. There are many opportunities to help out, so please sign up here (first tab on the left). If you have children who are Almond alums, they can help too (sign-up sheet is the second tab from the left). The Halloween Carnival is run by student and parent volunteers, and all proceeds go to our school. Thanks in advance for your support.

SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL (SSC), Tuesday, 11/1, Library, 3:05pm
This council is a group of parents and school staff who meet together to provide input and review goals.  This year, the Almond SSC will focus on next steps for bringing alive the mission and vision, while also focusing on school climate and how to create an environment that is inclusive of all types of learners.  We will also generate a survey that seeks input from the community on a variety of school matters.  If you are interested in participating, please join us at the date/time above.  It will be a structured meeting where input will be gathered in an interactive way.  It is not a sit and get, but a roll up your sleeves type of setting.  Hope to see you there.  Here is a draft agenda.

PRINCIPAL COFFEE, Thursday, 11/3, Library, 8:35am
The Almond staff is eager to ensure our families are aware of their children’s academic progress.  We have been spending time updating PowerSchool so that you are able to monitor mastery towards standards.  At this principal coffee, I will have a cart of computers available for you to log into your child’s account.  I will talk through the shift in paradigm from 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.  I hope to see you there. - Mrs. Benadom

PARENT CONFERENCES, a note from Mrs. Benadom

The goal of parent conferences is to set aside time on 11/21 & 11/22 for a face to face conversations with families about learning.  Of course we hope that many families will be able to partake in this experience on these two days.  Please know that it is not mandatory.

A challenge exists in our current construct for parent conferences.  The days reside during Thanksgiving week when many of our families plan vacations and travel.  This reality presents a challenge for our teaching staff.  The two days that our district has set aside for conversations about learning are underutilized and teachers must then offer conferences outside of these two days in order to maintain a close connection with parents.  

In grades TK-4, conferences will remain at the homeroom level.  Any conference requests from parents outside of 11/21 & 11/22 will be based on the teacher’s availability.  Grades 5/6 are more complex due to regrouping and rotations.  A teacher potentially sees 120+ students.  If a family requests conferences outside of the designated days (11/21 & 11/22), we will collect this request and get back to you with an alternate day.  Almond will provide an additional sub day to teachers in grade 5/6 for conferences that were not able to be held in November.

POWERSCHOOL AND STUDENT PROGRESS, a note from Mrs. Benadom

We have been hearing from parents that the information in PowerSchool is not up to date and not scored.  We finally got to the bottom of it yesterday at our staff meeting.  Please see THIS link.  While it appears that there is no “score,” there in fact is but you have to click the blue rectangular icon to expand the standards associated with the entry.  I will speak more about this at the upcoming coffee.

LAEF:  Two weeks and $17,350 to go! Help LAEF meet our $100K Challenge Match by 10/31.
The LAEF Phonathon was a big success with 119 parents, LASD staff, and community volunteers calling 1,000 families. Thank you! In the past two weeks, 202 families have pledged or donated a total of $284,858 (and counting!). The exciting news is that we have already reached $82,650 in new and increased donations towards our $100,000 Challenge Match deadline on 10/31. It’s not too late to double your gift. To learn more about LAEF, pledge or donate, go to LAEFonline.org.

DELAC
The district will hold the first DELAC (District English Learner Advisory Committee) meeting on Friday, October 21, 2016 at 8:45am.  The meeting will be held in the iLearn Studio adjacent to the district office at 201 Covington Road, Los Altos.  All are welcome to attend.  Call Nancy McSweeney at 650-947-1155 with any questions.

PTA & SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS - REPEATED

PUMPKIN DECORATING CONTEST
Carve out some family fun and submit your best decorated pumpkin for the Almond Halloween Carnival Pumpkin Decorating contest.  Drop off your entry at the Rotunda during Drop Off on Friday, October 28.  They will be on display all day.  Ribbons and Prizes (provided by SUGAR BABY SWEET SHOPPE in Downtown Los Altos) will be awarded for "Scariest", "Funniest" and " Most Creative" in two age groups (3rd Grade and Below and 4th Grade and Above).  Winners will be posted after school on the same day and prizes can be picked up during the Halloween Carnival.  Pumpkins should be picked up and taken with you on your way home from the carnival.  For more information contact:  Lesley Sehnert at SehnertX4@gmail.com

Community Service Event - Food Pantry Volunteer Event (back by popular demand)!
Thank you to everyone who joined us last week at the food pantry - it was great to see our families hard at work helping others on a Thursday afternoon!  Since we had families on the waitlist, we’re adding another event!  Please join us to help fill emergency food boxes, sort cans, and stock shelves in the food pantry at the Ecumenical Hunger Program (EHP). EHP is an independent, non-profit organization that provides food, clothing, household essentials, support and advocacy to the needy in their local community.  Limited spots available - first come, first served. 
When:                       Thursday, November 3rd, 3:30-4:30pm 
Where:                      Ecumenical Hunger Program, 2411 Pulgas Avenue, East Palo Alto
RSVP:                       Email Polly (polly@beau-coup.com) with # of people attending 
Deadline to RSVP:    Tuesday, October 25
NOTE:                       Adult Supervision required - this is NOT a drop-off event.

DIGITAL SAFETY PRESENTATION AT LOYOLA ELEMENTARY
The Project Cornerstone program at Loyola is hosting Officer Ryan Langone for a digital safety presentation on Wednesday, November 9th at 7 p.m. and has invited parents from across the district to attend. HERE is the flyer is and HERE is the link for registering.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

SELPA 1 CAC Coffee Talk - Special Education 101

• Spanish Language Session, Tuesday Oct. 18, 7 PM - 9 PM, Castro Elementary 505 Escuela Avenue, Mountain View, Multipurpose Room
• English Language Session, Wednesday Oct. 19, 7 PM - 9 PM, Santa Rita Elementary, 700 Los Altos Avenue, Los Altos, Multipurpose Room
• No matter what type of disability your child may have, this training will offer a brief overview of the educational rights of parents when a child has a disability. Understanding your rights will help you participate and improve your child's education. Topics will include general education supports, student study team meetings, Section 504, special education referral and assessment timeline, eligibility, and important key rights held by the parent and child.
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