The Springer Buzz

September 4,  2015

In This Issue:

• Principal’s Message

• News and Announcements

• Parent Education Opportunities

Quick Dates for your Calendar:

• Wednesday, Sept. 2, 8:30am: PTA Meeting in Springer Staff Room

• Thursday, Sept. 3 Back-to-School Night.  

• September 4, Friday: Minimum Day, dismissal 12:15pm

• September 7, Monday: Labor Day Holiday, no school

• September 8, Tuesday: First day hot lunch is served

• September 14, Monday: First day of extended day for TK and Kinder

• September 18, Friday, 8:30am: Principal Coffee

• September 24, Thursday: Photo day

Principal’s Message

The Shift to Standards Based Reporting

If you weren’t able to attend one of my presentations on Back to School Night regarding standards based reporting, I’ve provided a “cliff notes” version below of my main talking points:

• Traditional grading (A’s, B’s, C’s, etc.) is based on points earned on assignments, tests, and quizzes.  Traditional grades are a measurement of what a student earns but doesn’t necessarily tell us what a student learns.  Most often, students are earning those points based on CONTENT (information taught and, hopefully, learned)

• Standards based reporting allows measurement of how a student is doing on a specific learning standard.  Learning standards are much more SKILL based (what a student should be able to do with content).  Since a student can become better at a skill, a standards based reporting system is fluid- a student can improve upon a learning skill over the course of time.  

• Standards based reporting removes the traditional points and percentages (and grades) out of the reporting process.  Instead, teachers score students at each standard on a 4 point rubric.  A 4 indicates that a student is “secure” in that skill- that the student can apply the skill in different applications, with independence, and with little or no errors. A 3 indicates that a student is “approaching” mastery in that skill.  A 2 indicates that the skill is “developing” and a 1 means that the student is just “beginning” to show mastery at the skill.  

• This new grading paradigm is causing teachers to re-examine their instructional practices in order to give each student what they need to proceed through the standards.  This is very heady work to be taken on by our teachers this school year and your patience during this transition is much appreciated.  

• While the work on this transition is difficult, ultimately it will yield much more meaningful learning for our students.  Feedback to students will be more actionable and help them understand where they need to go with their learning.   It will better prepare our students for career and college readiness.

The slides that were used in last night’s presentation are linked here.  If you were not able to attend the presentation, I will be giving another one at the first Coffee with the Principal on Friday, September 18th at 8:45am.  Los Altos School District is also hosting EdTalks on the same subject on September 11th and 17th.  Scroll down below to find out more information.  

Hoping you have a great, long weekend.  See you Tuesday, September 8th!

Wade Spenader- Principal

Reminders

The “Nag List”

Some friendly reminders for our parents:

• Unless meeting with a teacher or involved in an after school program, all students should be off campus at 3:00pm.  There is a bell that rings at precisely 3:00 to signal when to leave.  If your child remains at school after dismissal, then a responsible adult should be directly supervising your child.  

• While we love our furry friends, dogs are not allowed on campus at any time.  

• For safety, we require all visitors, even parents, to sign-in at the office when they come on campus during the school day.

• When entering or exiting gates on campus, please be sure to close them behind you.

Thank you for keeping Springer a welcoming and safe campus!

LASD Ed Talk

Haiku Learning and Standards Based Grading

Join us to hear from Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, Sandra McGonagle as she highlights LASD’s new Learning Management System, Haiku Learning.  In addition to the features of Haiku, Sandra will discuss the district shift to standards-based grading and reporting.

Two dates are available:

Friday, September 11

9:00-10:30am

Covington School Multi

To RSVP click here

or

Thursday, September 17th

4-5:30pm

Covington School Multi

To RSVP click here

Back-To-School Order Form

The BTS Order Form is a quick, easy, online tool that allows you to make donations, sign up for PTA memberships, specify your child's T-shirt size, and purchase Auction tickets, Spirit Wear and Yearbooks.  This is a convenient way to make a single payment for your donations and orders!  We recommend reviewing the 2015-2016 Spirit Wear selection with your child before opening the form.

For this school year, the Springer PTA has again purchased a complete set of school supplies for every student in every classroom (including Transitional and regular Kindergarten). PTA is providing this service as a time (and money) saver for parents and to ensure that all our students have all the necessary supplies right from the beginning of the school year.  PTA will only be able to continue this program in the future if we receive sufficient reimbursement for our expenses (over $30,000 in total). We are asking each family to please donate $55 per student to reimburse the PTA for your child’s/children's school supplies.

Please consider making your BTS payment via e-check.  We prefer electronic payments because they allow us to more quickly and easily process the BTS orders.  (Last year, a parent volunteer made weekly trips to the bank to deposit over 1400 handwritten checks for the Springer PTA!)  Furthermore, payment by e-check is less expensive for us.  (Intuit charges the PTA a flat fee of $0.50 for every e-check.  PayPal charges the PTA 3-5% of each payment.)  The Los Altos Educational Foundation (LAEF) accepts (and prefers) payments by e-check as well.  If you receive an error while attempting to pay by e-check as a guest user, it could be because you have previously registered your bank account with Intuit.   If you have already registered your bank account, then you must login.

The link to the form is: Springer 2015 BTS Order Form

The password is: "stingers" (all lower case)

Thank you for your support of the Springer PTA!

Classroom Yahoo Groups

Each class at Springer has a Yahoo Group, used for communications from the PTA, the room parents and/or teacher, and for discussions between the parents.   It is very important that at least one parent from each family join the Class Group, as otherwise you will miss communications about activities in your classroom, special events at Springer, etc.

All parents listed in the Springer Directory have been sent an invitation to join your Class Group(s).   If you haven’t already joined your Class Group, please click here for instructions on how to join.

Questions?  Contact: SpringerClassLists[at]gmail[dot]com.

Hot Lunch Volunteers Needed

Many thanks to those of you who have reached out to help with hot lunch. We still need helpers for Monday (at least twice a month, but every week would be fantastic!) and Wednesdays

If you have 11:15 - 12:15 to spare on Mondays or Wednesdays, it would be greatly appreciated. Plus, when you volunteer you earn a credit with our vendor, Choice Lunch. One credit, equals a hot lunch.

Please email, Rachel Michelson: michelson<dot>rachel<at>gmail<dot>com for more information and to sign up.

For information on ordering hot lunch, click here.

LAEF News

LAEF funds more PE & Computer Science in 2015-16

In our recent survey, parents shared they want to maintain LAEF-funded enrichment programs and smaller class sizes in K-3 and 7-8, but also want more PE and computer science. That’s why LAEF has pledged to fund two additional teachers this year: a certified PE teacher and a teacher to extend computer science into Junior High.

The suggested annual donation is $1,000 per student. 100% participation is our goal and every gift in any amount is appreciated. Learn More & Make Your Tax-Deductible Donation Today at www.laefonline.org

Whole Foods donates $7,049 to LAEF!

Thank you to our LAEF shoppers who popped by Whole Foods or ordered groceries online on Wednesday, August 26.  We are pleased to share with you that LAEF will receive more than $7,000 or 5% of the daily sales from Whole Foods Los Altos!

Safe Routes To School

Let’s Walk/Bike to School!

Walking or biking to school is a great way to get kids active and get kids outdoors. It also has the added bonus of reducing traffic congestion and helping out the environment. Not to mention, a fabulous way to get in shape to zoom through laps for the Springer Walk-a-thon.

If you are already walking/biking to school, that’s awesome! For those of you that don’t today because either the route seems too far or it doesn’t seem safe, we are here to help!

Keeping it simple! No more zapping this year, no more counting. Let’s focus on the essentials: walking and biking to school together and teaching our kids good road safety practices.

Suggested Routes

Safe Routes have been identified in association with the safe Moves association: https://goo.gl/maps/V4kaX

Building Neighborhood Walk to School Groups

Coordinate and bike/walk to school together with your neighbors. We’ve provided route maps and timetables that can help you. Each flag on the route is a suggested meeting intersection where nearby families can join your route to Springer and the timetable will guide you in coordinating meeting times.

Bike Repair Station and Try Run for Walk/ Bike to School

You are invited to join us for a bike and walk to school practice Saturday September 12.

Coordinate with your neighbors to meet at the routes start (green stars on the map) at 9:00 am. Meet at Springer to practice safe biking at our bike rodeo and have your bike checked at our Bike Repair Station and enjoy some light refreshments.

Looking for bike experts for our Bike Repair Station

Do you know how to fix a bike? Would you like to show the kids how to check brakes, tires… please sign in to help at our bike repair station on Saturday September 12. http://tinyurl.com/ox686ne

Ongoing Communication

Check out the Springer Walk/Bike webpage for further information and stay tuned for opportunities to test your child’s road safety knowledge through weekly questions to be posted to the Springer FaceBook page.

Join us in our effort to build a safer and more dynamic Springer community.

The Springer Walk/Bike Board

Project Cornerstone

Project Cornerstone, a YMCA Initiative, teaches “Developmental Assets”, which  are positive values, skills, relationships and experiences that help young people grow up to be healthy, caring and responsible.  The goal of this program is to increase the number of developmental assets in all children and adults.

Each month a pre-selected book will be read by a parent volunteer to all students in each classroom.  A lesson and activity will be used to reinforce the “developmental assets” presented in the book.  Because this program is school-wide, we increase the number of caring adults that students interact with.  We also create a “common language and vocabulary” while increasing student life skills.

At Springer, we believe that the program is most effective if ALL adults on campus model and reinforce the same skills and tools the students are learning in the program.  Please read the monthly letters from your classroom Project Cornerstone readers, reinforce the skills at home with your child, and practice the skills at school, in the community or whenever the opportunity arises.

Become a LIVING CLASSROOM docent... share your love of nature with kids!

It's time to harvest seeds from heirloom tomatoes, plant our winter wheat and veggies, search the schoolyard for animal homes, and learning about Native California Indian uses of plants!  If you like all those things and more, please consider becoming a Living Classroom docent!  Living Classroom is looking for docents to help deliver hands-on garden-based lessons to the students of the Los Altos School District.  No experience necessary as we provide all the training needed!  Our Fall Docent Training will take place Monday mornings from 9 - Noon on Aug. 31st – Oct. 12th (no training on Labor Day 9/7).  Apprentice-style training also available for those who can’t make it to trainings on Monday mornings.  Want to learn more about our program?  Please consider attending one of our upcoming Informational Meetings from 10-11am on Monday 8/24 or Thursday 8/27 at Los Altos School District Conference Room #2, 201 Covington Road, Los Altos.  Please click HERE to view our Fall training flyer.

Questions? Email us at livingclassroom@lasdschools.org or call (650) 947-1103.  For more information about Living Classroom, please visit our website at www.living-classroom.org.