2/12 newsletter final - Main Street Elementary School

2011 - 2012 SCHOOL YEAR FEBRUARY ISSUE
MAIN STREET
MESSENGER
3400 NORTH MAIN ST., SOQUEL, CA 95073 | 831-464-5650 | ATTENDANCE LINE 464-5650
Principal’s Message
2012 your child may be enrolled in a program called Transitional
Kindergarten (TK).
If you are interested in your child attending TK, you should call
Janet Lindenbaum (464 5639) at the District Office, and ask to be
placed on the interest list for the TK program. You need to wait
until 3/1/12 to call Ms. Lindenbaum.
By the time you are reading this, the 100 th day of this school year
will have passed. Lower grade teachers often recognize this
milestone in order to give our younger students a concrete
experience of what one hundred actually is. It also serves as a
reminder of how quickly the days, weeks and months pass by, and
this school year is no exception. With this in mind, I’d like to let
you know that registration for the 2012/2013 school year will
begin on March 1 st (not February 14 th as previously stated). If you
have a kindergarten student (or any other grade student) who will
be entering Main Street School for the 2012-2013 school year, the
following items are required in order to complete the registration
process:
• Proof of immunization
• A certified birth certificate
• Two original Proofs of residence
• Proof of a Health Exam (required prior to 1st Grade
and requested at Kindergarten registration)
There has been a change to the age requirement for kindergarten
students beginning school in August 2012. In order to be admitted
for Kindergarten in August 2012, students must be five years of
age on or before November 1, 2012.
If your child turns five between November 2 and December 2,
The creation of a TK program will be decided when there is
clarification regarding Governor Brown’s budget proposal. There
is a possibility that the TK program may be suspended due to the
financial crisis at our state level.
With regard to new students and families who may be curious
about Main Street School, parents are welcome to tour the school
on Tuesday, February 21st, or Tuesday, March 13 th , from 8:30 –
9:30 AM. These tours are for parents only, please make childcare
arrangements for your incoming student if you plan to sign up for
one of the tours. To sign up for a tour, please come to the office in
advance, or call 464-5650 to register.
The Matsiko World Orphans Choir is coming back to perform at
Main Street! They are scheduled to perform on Tuesday, February
14 th , from 10:45 – 11:30 AM. This will be an outdoor
performance on the playground (at this time the forecast is sunny
weather!). They will also be performing at New Brighton Middle
School on Thursday, February 16 th , at 7:00 PM. Host families are
needed for the choir during their stay in our area. Host families
will generally have 2-4 children and a chaperone. If you are
interested in hosting members of the choir, please contact Cory
Montanez at New Brighton Middle School, 464-5660 or via email
CMontanez@suesd.org. There is a Host Family Application that
needs to be completed by February 10th.
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MAIN STREET AUCTION
Save The Date MAIN STREET ELEMENTARY'S ANNUAL SCHOOL AUCTION Saturday March 10th,
2012 6:00pm Michael's On Main Tickets on Sale Soon! Donations, Volunteering and Information,
please contact: Sarah Johnson 831.331.9547 or sarahdjohnson77@gmail.com
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Friends of Main Street News
From Laura Blackmun and Kris Holden, FOMS Co-Chairs
Did you know that by being a parent at Main Street you are already a member of the
Home & School Club, known as FOMS, Friends of Main Street?
FOMS is responsible for putting on all the school fundraisers that fund our childrenʼs Art,
Music and Library programs, and more...Thatʼs why we need your help.
Check out the next FOMS meeting, ask questions and give your suggestions.
Thursday, Feb., 9th at 8:30am in Room #32 (Art Room).
Interested in being on the Auction Chair (held by 1 or 2 people)
• Art Docent Coordinator (held by 1 or 2 people)
• Coordinates and oversees art docent program
FOMS Board or being a Committee Chair?
FOMS is currently seeking volunteers for the following positions for the 2012-2013 school
year.
• Co-Chair
• FOMS Board Member
• Oversees all fundraising committees
• Treasurer
• FOMS Board Member
• Strong accounting skills preferable
Secretary (held by 1 or 2 people)
• FOMS Board Member
• Takes minutes at each FOMS meeting
• Scrip Coordinator (held by 1 or 2 people)
• FOMS Board Member
• Volunteer Coordinator (held by 1 or 2 people)
• FOMS Board Member
• Compiles school packets and volunteer forms in the Fall
WHAMS Coordinator (held by 1 or 2 people)
• Emails school updates for “Whatʼs Happening At Main Street”
• Website Coordinator
• Update and maintain FOMS website
• Website Designer
Contact FOMS Co-Chair, Kris Holden, with questions or for more information about the above
positions. seacliff98@gmail.com, 408-391-9291
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KEY DATES
FEBRUARY
13 Lincoln’s Birthday
16 Site Council
20 President’s Birthday
MARCH
7, 8 Minimum Days
Conferences
19 & 26 Furlough Days
No School
APRIL
2 – 6 Spring Break
9 Furlough Day
No School
17 – May 10
STAR Testing Window
Principal’s Message
Congratulations to all students who took part in our recent school spelling bee, (Jake Graessle, Trina Daing,
Kainoa Fouts, Rose Wickman, Nancy Gomez, Raylene Allen, Elena Curtin, Aaron Fernandes, Rina Rossi,
Madison Holden, Julianna Margulies,Emma Eiseman and Sebastian Stubblefield). From this group of
classroom representatives, Elena Curtin and Kainoa Fouts will represent our school at the County Spelling
Bee, which will be held at UCSC on February 25 th . Thanks to all who participated, and parents who helped
to proctor the bee, good luck to Elena and Kainoa.
The Fundraising Raffle that was held recently was a great success, and I’d like to thank Lindsey Johnson
for spearheading this effort. Thanks to ALL the students who participated in the raffle, every ticket counts,
and more than $10,000 was raised for our art & music programs. Thanks also to Maggie Banks, Michelle
Buell, Lisa Gray, Carmen Irving, Debby Henn, Tamara Higgins, Carol Owyang, Joan Norvelle, Kate Salter,
Tessa Tuttman & Laura Wickman (plus all the ice cream scoopers). And an extra special thanks to Mary
Margulies!
Many students are enjoying playing on the playground at the end of the school day, which brings up a
couple of issues that are associated with this. Specifically, I would like to remind our parents that students
should not be playing unsupervised at this time. During break and lunch, our yard duty personnel supervise
students playing in these areas, and ensure that they are following the safety rules e.g. using the equipment in
the proper manner. Another concern is that the noise generated can affect the learning environment in the
classrooms where students are still in session. Your help in these areas will be greatly appreciated.
The window for California Standardized Testing in language arts, math and science (science in 5 th grade
only) is Tuesday, April 17 th through Wednesday, May 10 th . Students in second through fifth grade
participate in this state testing program (often referred to as STAR testing), and the classroom teachers
administer the test. Each student has two language arts tests, and two math tests. Students in fifth grade also
have two sections of science. It is important that students participate in the testing program, please make
sure that your child is present during the testing window. Last year our overall school score went from 830
to 847, and teachers and students are working hard to improve again this year.
Please mark your calendars for the annual Main Street School Auction, which will be held at Michael’s on
Main, on Saturday, 10 th of March. You won’t want to miss this great evening of food, fun and fundraising!
If you are able to donate items or services for the silent auction please contact Sarah Johnson at:
sarahdjohnson77@gmail.com
In closing, if during the school day you need to get a note to a teacher please give it to our school secretary
Cindy Boram. She will make sure the teacher gets it, or she will put it in the teacher’s box. Parents should
not put notes in boxes, because at times the boxes contain confidential student information. Thank you for
your assistance in this matter.
Sincerely,
Craig Broadhurst
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eScrip News
Using your registered eScrip cards this Valentine's Day makes it extra special when you dine It's free to you and your Valentine. Main
Street receives a 5% donation. eScrip's quick and easy self registration. The program provides for our Arts and Music programs .
Go to www.escrip.com. Select "Sign up" to sign on. Some participating merchants: Wharf House Restaurant, Stockton Bridge,
Cafe Rio, Severino's, El Jardin, Fine Mexican and Taqueria Agave . Go to http://escrip.rewardsnetwork.com/ (for dining locations) .
Questions? Contact Desiree Carter at 831.345.6422 or Christy Hadland at Christyshorterhadland@yahoo.com .
desiree
DID YOU KNOW THAT FOMS HAS A WEBSITE? WWW.FRIENDSOFMAINSTREET.COM
*Shop online and earn money for the school*
Go to www.friendsofmainstreet.com and click on eScrip Online Mall.
By using the Online Mall, we earn up to 16% of your purchases from over 1,000 name brand merchants, Amazon, Gap, Macy's to name a
few. You shop from the same websites you know and trust and pay exactly the same price The specific items you buy are not recorded
in any way, just the total you spent from each merchant so you can earn contributions Be sure to visit the Online Mall first whenever you
shop so we can earn every time.
CALLING ALL 5TH GRADERS...
We want your beautiful artwork in the yearbook and the very best will be used to decorate the cover. Please use an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper
and your imagination to create something spectacular for the cover of the yearbook. We encourage all 5th graders to participate. Artwork
that is not used on the cover will decorate the inside of the yearbook if it is appropriate. What's appropriate? Please be sure to use full color
over the entire page, no words of any kind but you may have your name on the artwork. Please include the students name and teacher on the
back of the artwork. These must be turned into the office by February 29th. Thank you!
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MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
HENRY J. CASTANIADA
Meeting our Community
During the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to meet with most of our parent groups (School Site Councils, Home and School Clubs and
Foundations) at each of our schools. I do appreciate the tremendous volunteerism that exists at each of our schools. Our district’s strong reputation
for a quality education has been created by the joint effort of parent involvement and staff commitment. Our strong parent involvement has enabled
us to create new programs and learning opportunities for our children. I have been extremely impressed with the financial support that has been
demonstrated at each of our school sites. Our future is bright and I am convinced that we will create a wonderful 21 st Century educational
environment for all students. In the very near future we will be able to explore the expansion of higher level thinking skills through the creation (or
expansion) of new computer labs at each of our school sites. The new computer labs will hopefully come online by February 6.
Health Living Lifestyle
I am pleased to announce that we have launched a healthy living lifestyle campaign at New Brighton Middle School. We are scheduled to launch the
healthy living lifestyle campaign at our elementary sites during the month of March. I would like for you to take a few minutes to explore the
following link regarding the healthy living lifestyle: http://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php?sid=1711090011155483. Our
Child Nutrition Supervisor, Cathy Giannini, has created this link as we explore a healthy living campaign. The healthy living link contains numerous
resources and opportunities for you and your children in activities regarding discussion topics for a healthy living lifestyle. A special thank you goes
out to Second Harvest for their tremendous support of our efforts to embrace a healthy eating lifestyle: http://www.2-harvest.org.
Our State Budget
During the next few months you will be receiving budgetary updates regarding our Governor’s budget proposal. Unfortunately our Governor has
chosen to base our district’s budget allocation on a November 5 th election initiative. What this means to all school districts in California is that we
will create two budgets and be required to implement a budget that parallels a reduction of $800,000 for our school district. Our Assistant
Superintendent of Business, Harley Robertson, will be providing updates during the next few months regarding our Governor’s present proposals.
Your site principals will include budgetary updates in their school newsletters.
2012-13 Student Registration
We will begin to distribute registration packets for next year (2012-13) beginning on March 1. In order for our district to balance class loads and
staffing needs, we are requesting that you complete the necessary paperwork in your registration packet as soon as possible.
Our Wonderful Children
I have the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time at each of our school sites and I am delighted with the positive student interaction that is
occurring on a daily basis. Our children are absolutely wonderful. They are polite, interactive and very nurturing. Having the opportunity to visit
with our children throughout the district is a constant reminder to the wonderful learning environment that exists at each of our schools. Our
principals, Rob Martin and Randall Simms (NBMS), Molly Whiteley (Santa Cruz Gardens), Cata Fitzgerald (Soquel Elementary) and Craig
Broadhurst (Main Street), along with their staff members, deserve a tremendous amount of credit. Their joint efforts have truly helped create an
environment where our children are safe and can flourish as individuals.
If you have any questions or suggestions on ways to improve our district, my door is always open. You can reach me at the District Office at 464-
5639.
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