ALMOND THURSDAY WORD
January 19, 2017

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

• Wednesday, 1/25
  • Walk or Wheel to School Day
  • PTA General Meeting (Multi, 8:30am)
• Friday, 1/27 - Stuffed Animal Spirit Day
• Tuesday, 1/31 - Final Submission for Bookwave
• Wednesday, 2/8 - SSC Meeting (Library, 3pm)
• Thursday, 2/9 - School Coffee (Library, 8:35am)
• Wednesday, 3/1 - Family Science Night (Multi, 6:30-8pm)
• Thursday, 3/16 - Bookwave Blast (Multi, 6-8pm)
• Monday, 4/3 - STEM Expo School Day Showcase
• Tuesday, 4/4 - STEM Expo Community Night (Multi, 4:30pm - 6:00pm)

SCHOOL MESSAGE

...from Mrs. Benadom

On Tuesday, we gathered as a district to grow our repertoire of strategies to support diverse learners, specifically students working to master [the English] language.  If you remove the words in brackets in the preceding sentence, that lens expands to encompass ALL.  

Why is this significant?  

What we learned applies to ALL because ALL of our students are learning language.  For some English is their native tongue, yet for others it is their second or third.  Languages, and the application of language (listening, speaking, reading, writing), are full of complex structures that can take a lifetime to master.  

One of the most dynamic components of language is the art of conversation and dialogue.  It’s a variable construct, not fixed.  It is dependent on input and its permutations can be infinite.  In order to attain proficiency in this skill, students need abundant opportunities for practice.  We include collaborative interactions in our classrooms to allow students to connect around content knowledge and application.  Students are guided through listening techniques, restating, paraphrasing, clarifying, and summarizing.  This takes different forms depending on the grade level.

In education we emphasize academic discourse to prepare students in becoming active and effective contributors to our world.

PTA & SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS - NEW

STUDENT COUNCIL

• Let’s kick off 2017 with a spirit day! The first spirit day of 2017 will be on January, 27th. Yay! It’s stuffed animal day! Please make sure your children do not bring stuffed animals bigger 10 inches and do not bring any other things such as PJ’s, eye masks, etc.
• The next upcoming spirit day after that is crazy hair day! This is where your kids can have the opportunity to do whatever they want to their hair: make an afro, color it, add everyday objects to it, and much much more. Make sure they get as creative as possible. This spirit day will take place later on in the month of February.
• Almond has decided to fight homelessness this year. Ilanit, Nisha, and Shannon (6th graders) are helping the student council fight this cause.  These amazing young ladies persuaded us to fight this cause based on a 5th and 6th grade reading assignment. This year’s goal is to raise $2,750! Money can be donated by check, bill, and/or coins. The student council has done lots of research to conclude that we will be working with (CHP) Community Housing Partnership. The money that we will be raising will go to supporting a new resident in their first year of tenancy, a year of after-school programming for one youth, employment counseling for 3-6 weeks for one trainee, civic engagement training for one resident, and materials for CHP's Learning Academy. More information about how and where to donate will be coming shortly. Keep an eye out for informational posters around our campus.

WALK OR WHEEL

• Please join us for Almond's second WoW! (Walk-or-Wheel-to-school) next week on Wednesday, 1/25. Please make a special effort to walk, bike, or scooter to school on this day. Promote less car traffic near our school, better health for our kids and the environment, and community spirit!
• Participating children can pick up another colorful foot charm to add to the chains they have on their backpacks from November. (We will have some chains as well, for kids who couldn't participate in November.)
• In addition, participating children should fill out tickets before school with their first names and class room number and put them in cans that I labeled with their teachers' names. I count the tickets to determine which class has the highest percentage of participants, and that class will get the Golden Shoe Award for the next two months. Turn them in, or your class won't get credit!
• Also, the tickets are for a raffle; our local businesses donated prizes which we will give out at Friday assembly next week.
• ** Kids who bike will get tickets as they leave the bike racks. Kids who walk will get tickets and charms in the rotunda and at the back bike rack. Kids can fill out tickets and turn them in by the front entrance to the playground (by the tree mural) or by the back bike rack. This should help reduce congestion at the front of the school. Come early so kids aren't late to class! **
• Thanks for supporting your kids and our community!  Cheryl Branson, Almond PTA Working with Green Town Los Altos

LASD/LAEF JUNIOR HIGH STEM DAYS

• LASD & LAEF are excited to kick off the first ever STEM Days at both Egan and Blach schools this spring. STEM pervades every part of life. STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy, and enables the next generation of innovators. Exposing our students to different aspects of careers in the STEM fields could inspire and spark a passion in learning.
• We are looking for parents, grandparents or anyone in our community who would like to share their knowledge. If you are interested, please contact Anjana Butaney at: anjana.nagarajan1@gmail.com or Karen Wilson at: kwilson@lasdschools.org

LAEF’s Billboard Updated to the $3M Mark!
Did you notice the growing arrow on the LAEF sign in front of our school? The 21 parent volunteers on our Board of Directors are pleased to announce that LAEF just reached the $3,000,000 mark! 100 families contributed in December, with donations ranging from $20 to $5,000. Thank you! With $700,000 to go to meet our $3.7M goal, every dollar counts. That’s why we’re counting on another 400 families to participate this school year. To donate or learn more about the many ways to give, please go to www.LAEFonline.org.

PTA & SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS - REPEATED

BOOKWAVE

• Don't forget to encourage your children to work on their Bookwave books!!  The deadline for final submission is Tuesday, January 31st.  You will have  MLK weekend to work on them but please start early so the children are not rushed.  If you need any extra pages or have questions, please contact Marissa Song at marissasong@gmail.com.
• Save the Date:  Bookwave Blast will be Thursday, March 16th 6-8pm at the MPR.  This is the event where all the children's books will be displayed . We hope to line up a guest author to make the event extra special.
• For parents who did not order Bookwave packages for their kids or would like to order packages for siblings, there is still time!  The program gives every child the chance to become a published author! Students from grades K-6 can experience the joy and satisfaction of creating their very own book and then seeing it printed and bound into a keepsake they’ll treasure forever. In the spring, after the books are printed, we’ll celebrate by displaying everyone’s work at a big party, complete with refreshments and prizes a. If you would like your child to participate, please provide a check for $10 made out to Almond PTA with your child's name, grade and teacher.  There will be a bin in the office for Bookwave checks.  Learn more about the program here.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Almond 8U MVLAGS Softball Team Sign-Up
If your daughter is 7 or 8 years old (or in second/third grade), consider signing her up for Girls' Softball. It is a wonderful way to stay active and learn a fun team sport with friends. The short spring season is purely recreational with an "everyone plays" philosophy, so no experience is required. 8U teams are school based, and there are still 3-4 spots left on the Almond team. If you are interested, go to http://www.mvlags.org/signup to register your daughter or email Coach Mona (elnaggarmona@yahoo.com) for further information. Let's play ball!

Sixth District Parent Education Conference—FREE
On Saturday, January 21 @ Peterson Middle School (1380 Rosalia Ave, Sunnyvale).  Session 1: 9:30 - 11am.  Session 2:  11:20 - 12:50pm.  Register here.  Conference is open to ALL PARENTS AND STAFF. Each workshop presented will be offered twice during the conference. Workshops to be presented are:

• Becoming an Effective Participant in Site Planning and LCAP - Mary Perry, Educational Consultant
• Working with Principals and Superintendents - Will Ector, Berryessa School District Superintendent
• Social Media, Digital Issues - Angela Alvarado, Santa Clara County District Attorney
• Supporting Schools and Communities by Expanding Quality Early Learning - Matt Tinsley, Director-Strong Start, Santa Clara County Office of Education
• Mastering Emotionally-Intense Conversations- Eran Magen, Ph.D, is the founder and scientific director of the Center for Supportive Relationships
• Post-Election Workshop - The Power of Parent Impact and Social Change in the Era of Common Core State Standards- Chris Norwood is currently a Milpitas Unified School District Board Trustee

S​creenagers Film Showing:Growing Up in the Digital Ag​e

• Through surprising insights from authors and brain scientists, solutions emerge as to how we can empower kids to best navigate the digital world.
• Tuesday, January 31, 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm showings at MV​HS
• ​Registration    https://screenagersfilm.eventbrite.com​

Reset Your Child's Brain: Reversing the Effects of Electronic Scree​n T​i​me

• Victoria Dunckley​, MD, ​Speak​ing​ ​as a follow up to Screenagers, will discuss how regular screen time impacts our brain functions and how addressing screen-related side effects can provide dramatic improvements in emotional regulation, academic performance, and social interactions​.
• ​Tuesday February 7th,​ ​7:00 pm , MVH​S, Registration    https://vdunckley.eventbrite.com​
• ​Due to the generosity of our sponsors, admission is free to ​​MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series ​eve​nts.

WANT TO SUBMIT SOMETHING TO THE THURSDAY WORD?

Send announcements to us at AlmondThursdayWord@lasdschools.org by 12:00pm Monday, for that week's Word. Keep your announcements brief and, if applicable, send a PDF version of any flyer or additional information to be posted on the website.

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