A Message from the Principal

by Lucia Sullivan on 11/14/2018

Hi Folks,

The air quality forecasts continue to be in the “unhealthy” range (red) for the next few days. Kids will be kept inside for recess and PE. Kids had an active day today with Capoeira, art and music. Esperanza led a dance party during assembly. I am noticing that people (kids, adults, parents) seem a little out of it, vaguely distracted, and a little sad about current conditions. Many people have friends and loved ones being displaced by the fires. I would suggest everyone just do their best to take care of themselves and each other. Drink a lot of fluids. Rest. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Tomorrow we have Opera a la Carte! Students in 678 need to arrive by 8:15 for their run through. The performance is at 9:30 and all of you are welcome to attend! Friday the 345 class has their field trip to Peralta Hacienda. Thanksgiving week there is no school all week. Hopefully when we all return the fires will have been contained and the air quality will have dramatically improved.

Contact Esperanza if you want a table at the art faire.

Board meeting recap:
The Board met last night and Cassie and Esperanza were in attendance. As you know, Esperanza Surls and Peggy Lynch will be assuming new Board posts at the December meeting. There were recognitions for the walkathon ($28,000!!! Wow! Almost all the kids participated and they fundraised their hearts out!); the Halloween Carnival (amazing, best ever!), Ian for his service to the Board, Aaron Webster for his volunteering with the tech and of course Gloria for her amazing tenure at the helm.

The two main discussion items at the meeting focused around facilities and fundraising. The board will be taking on a greater role in managing facilities. Kaya Westling will be heading up the facilities committee. My hope is that the group will be able to assess the capital improvement and maintenance needs so that we can forecast cots several years out.

We also discussed fundraising within the Canyon community beyond current school parents. The school building belongs to the community and functions as a community center. The whole of Canyon should be invited to take an active part in its upkeep.

Centennial:
Cassie also reminded me at the board meeting that we had discussed a Centennial Party for the kids at the CATSS meeting. The staff discussed this today and we will hold a Centennial Party for the students on the 100th day of school, February 12th. Activities will include but not be limited to:
A time capsule with 100 wishes for Canyon school written by kids, parents and community members/alumnae
Math activities related to 100
Misty’s famous carrot cake

I would like to gather anecdotes for a compendium of Canyon stories. Please let me know if you would like to help with this!

CATSS:
CATSS met last Thursday morning before the 345 field trip. There was a review of the super successful walkathon. Cassie also did a recap with the kids. Everyone agrees that incentivizing the kids to get ten sponsors with an ice cream certificate was wildly successful. All but 6 children attended and/or fundraised! Cassie realized that 30 laps (about 10 miles) was a big threshold and identified the 16 or so kids who met or surpassed that. All those children were recognized at the assembly last week. In total the kids walked over 1300 laps!

Top fundraisers received Fandango gift cards. The top fundraisers in each grade were:
K- Daphne
1-Levi
2-Teddy
3-Jasper
4-Asher
5-Jasia
6- Orion
7-Sebastian
8-Miles

K12 class raised- 9k
345 class raised- 16k
678 class raised – 3 k
(these are rough estimates from my notes:)

The group at the CATSS meeting (Maggie, Cambria, Kelley, Maybelle, Cassie, Melanie, Lisa, Jocelyn, Greg, I know I am forgetting people!) also discussed fundraising with an event. Ideas that were floated (with much enthusiasm!) included a Luau in the grove and a raffle with amazing prizes (like plane tickets for 4 to Hawaii!). Maybelle even discussed the possibility of hosting a fundraising calligraphy workshop.

CEF update:
Currently 58% of families have returned their pledge forms. They have pledged to give $42,330 of the $75,000 target. Please return your pledge forms so CEF knows what they can expect and how much they need to fundraise. Whatever you plan to give (or not give) is helpful for them to know and will avoid having someone call you and ask.

Community notes:
Erika McDaniel could use help with dog sitting for adorable Idgie over winter break. If anyone is interested in hosting a 6 lb dog for the break, please contact Erika! She was at the walkathon; she’s fun, easy, great with kids and adorable!

Calendar:
11/15 Opera a la Carte 9:30 performance
11/16 Field Trip 345 Peralta Hacienda
11/19-23 NO School Thanksgiving week
11/29 Field Trip 345 Del Valle Geologic Park
12/02 Art Faire
12/06 Field Trip 678 Bay Model Sausalito
12/11 Board meeting 7 pm
12/20 Winter Performance
12/21 minimum day
12/24-1/04 No School Winter Break
1/07 Back to school!
1/08 Board meeting 7 pm
1/10 CATSS meeting 7 pm
1/17 Field Trip 678 Exploratorium
1/21 No School MLK day
1/25 Last day of the marking period
1/28 No School Staff Development
1/31 Field Trip K12 Field Trip
2/12 100th day of school, Centennial party!
Board meeting @ 7 pm
2/14 CATSS meeting 8 am
2/18 President’s Day no school

A Message from the Principal

by Lucia Sullivan on 11/06/2018

Happy election day; I hope everyone voted!

How was the late start last Thursday morning? I am interested in any feedback on that to inform future planning. Should we do this again sometime?

It is not too late to sign Gloria’s card (Ramona has it in the office).

It sounds like conferences have been going really well. It is so important to have that home-school communication pipeline. Some common themes that have come up in several recap discussions are: parental frustration with their kids’ at home behaviors, concerns about inattention or lack of focus and concern about social relationships.

While I can not offer solutions to all parenting challenges, let me share a few thoughts. There are various forms of neurodiversity that have an impact on impulse control and executive function, some are related to attentional issues. Many parents have strong feelings about ADHD and medication, and those are medical diagnoses that we at school do not make. The articles in this ADD resource are insightful and offer many holistic approaches that have been successful in helping families manage tantrums, executive functioning issues, organizational issues and impulsivity. I am a fan of whatever works to help the child feel more in control and successful. So here is a link to one article (or two!), and you can easily go down the rabbit hole of clicking on related articles from here. I am NOT saying your kid has ADD, I am just saying these articles may be interesting and offer information that feels helpful to some of you struggling with these types of issues.

https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/?fbclid=IwAR0W_rhwllQbaZ1r_IshrfEOsUvu6_xtgHWv8dCotRyq5gQk5Z4YgQZ6lL4

https://www.additudemag.com/positive-parenting-challenging-kids-adhd-nurtured-heart/

Calendar:
11/08 CATSS meeting 8 am* Thank Cassie for time correction!
11/08 Field trip 345 Black Hawk museum
11/12 Veteran’s day no school
11/13 Board meeting 7 pm
11/15 Opera a la Carte 9:30 performance
11/16 Field Trip 345 Peralta Hacienda
11/19-23 NO School Thanksgiving week
11/29 Field Trip 345 Del Valle Geologic Park
12/02 Art Faire
12/06 Field Trip 678 Bay Model Sausalito
12/11 Board meeting 7 pm
12/20 Winter Performance
12/21 minimum day
12/24-1/04 No School Winter Break
1/07 Back to school!
1/08 Board meeting 7 pm
1/17 Field Trip 678 Exploratorium
1/21 No School MLK day
1/25 Last day of the marking period
1/28 No School Staff Development
1/31 Field Trip K12 Field Trip

Warmly,
Lucia

A Message from the Principal

by Lucia Sullivan on 10/31/2018

Thank you to all the incredible volunteers who put on such a delightful and robust Halloween carnival. It was such a treat to see, not just the current students having so much fun, but also to returning students and families reconnecting with old friends. This is such a special community. A reminder that when we as a staff find random items like tupperware (or Halloween music CDs), we just leave them by the mailboxes for you to rediscover and take home. Please check that area out as there is a lot to claim!

The 678 kids have set up the Ofrenda in the foyer. Please feel free to contribute a picture of a loved one if you’d like to participate. It is not too late. It is lovely to see the faces of everyone’s loved ones.

It sounds as if parent conferences have been going well. The teachers love getting to have a dedicated time to really connect with parents to meet the needs of our students. Remember, tomorrow, Thursday November 1st is a late start to accommodate morning conferences (and tired kids!). School will begin at 11. You are welcome to drop kids any time after 8:30 for “before care” which Camille has generously offered gratis on this day only since we are piloting the idea for the first time.

The CEF update is that we have 44% participation and 46% of our goal has been promised (largely due to matching of funds). Please turn in your pledge form. Our target was for 100% return of pledge forms. Please return the form. If you know that you can’t give, returning the form will ensure that people do not call you. I understand that times are tight for many people. Please consider giving something, even if it is less than the ask, if everyone participates it creates a feeling that the whole community is supporting the school program. If you have access to corporate matching, please utilize it; It is a powerful tool!

As you all know by now, Gloria Faircloth retired today after 24 years of service to Canyon School. She will be sorely missed! The kids serenaded her at lunch and made her cards during art. It is not too late for YOU to sign a card, share a memory for the memory book and/or contribute to her retirement gift. Check in with Ramona. She can help you with this. Monica Santiago has been our new Chief Business Official since July 1st. Pop by and say hi if you have not already done so.

Every year 6 Flags does a reading incentive program whereby kids read and get a free pass to 6 Flags. Some people love this and some people hate it. I have no opinion– but 6 Flags is expensive and if you want a free ticket why not make your kid read 6 hours? Disclaimer: You still need to pay for the adult/s and that is not nothing! I am attaching the parent letter and the reading log. If you do it, just drop the log in my mailbox by the first week of January.

There is no minimum day the Friday before Thanksgiving break.

11/04 Daylight Savings ends
11/06 Vote!
11/06 K12 field trip
11/08 CATSS meeting 9 am
11/08 Field trip 345 Black Hawk museum
11/12 Veteran’s day no school
11/13 Board meeting 7 pm
11/15 Opera a la Carte 9:30 performance
11/16 Field Trip 345 Peralta Hacienda
11/19-23 NO School Thanksgiving week
11/29 Field Trip 345 Del Valle Geologic Park
12/02 Art Faire
12/06 Field Trip 678 Bay Model Sausalito
12/11 Board meeting 7 pm
12/20 Winter Performance
12/21 minimum day
12/24-1/04 No School Winter Break
1/07 Back to school!
1/08 Board meeting 7 pm
1/17 Field Trip 678 Exploratorium
1/21 No School MLK day
1/25 Last day of the marking period
1/28 No School Staff Development
1/31 Field Trip K12 Field Trip

A Message from the Principal

by Lucia Sullivan on 10/18/2018

Dear Canyon Community,

First of all a huge thank you to Cassie and Kelley and all the parents who helped make the walkathon such a wonderful success. It is always such a wonderful fun day. It is such a treat to get to walk around the beautiful campus and chat with children and parents in a relaxed atmosphere. I am already excited for next year’s walkathon!

Reminder: it can be much colder, darker and damper in Canyon than it is elsewhere. Remember to dress your kids in layers. Unless it is pouring rain kids will be outside for parts of the day (recess, PE, etc). It is helpful to always have a cozy fleece or sweatshirt in the backpack.

We are piloting a mindfulness curriculum called Inner Explorer. Judy has already started with great impact and the other classes will start soon.

Important- Please read: The schedule on 10/31 has been confusing and reported in different ways. HERE IS THE ACTUAL AND FINAL SCHEDULE FOR HALLOWEEN-
8:45-9:15 HALLOWEEN PARADE
9:15-10:15 ROTATION 1
10:15-10:30 SNACK
10:30-11:30 ROTATION 2
11:30-12:30 ROTATION 3
12:30-1:00 LUNCH
1-1:35 RECESS

EQUALLY IMPORTANT:
November 1st is a reverse minimum day! School will begin at 11:00 am. Camille has offered (FOR THIS ONE TIME), to make beforecare free to anyone who participates. So you are welcome to drop your kids off at 8:35. Please drop them at the red field and sign them in to beforecare any time between 8:35-11. Do not go to classrooms as teachers will be holding conferences. Regular aftercare will also be available on this day.

Community notes—————————-
Revi wanted to let you all know:
I have space for one more kid for violin lessons this fall at my home in Oakland. I am about 20 minutes from Canyon. I have room for one more weekly half hour lesson on Wednesday evening either at 7 or 7:30.
The cost is $35 per half hour.
I have been teaching for 25 years, mostly beginners but also those more advanced. I teach by ear and reading music, all styles. I myself have played since I was 4, and was trained classically, but since have played styles from English/Irish dance music through Eastern European and klesmer into Americana (my current band!) and jazz. I love improvising and teaching how to improvise!
Take care!
Revi
————————————————–

​As always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, please let me know!
Warmly,
Lucia​

A Message from the Principal

by Lucia Sullivan on 09/26/2018

Dear Canyon Community,

https://moment.com/schools/classroom-matters?keywords=canyon

After school Spanish is taking sign ups now! Many parents have expressed a strong desire for their children to receive language instruction after school. Last year our program was successful and well received. The same provider, Classroom Matters, will be offering spanish instruction again this year. We need at least 6 children registered in each class to run the program. Right now we have one or two signed up. The course description is as follows:

The CM Language Enrichment Program – Spanish, is a learning journey for kids and customized to fit the needs of the students and parents. It’s an opportunity to engage kids in learning about the Spanish language, including the cultures of the countries where Spanish is spoken. Using best practices from a variety of second-language teaching strategies, we provide a foundation of basic Spanish phrases and vocabulary. Through movement, Total Physical Response, song, music, art, and reading and listening activities, our students learn to speak, read, write, and love the Spanish language. The biggest goal of our program is to expose our students to the language in an engaging, play- and project-based environment. Our teachers are native or near-native speakers, or have minors or majors in Spanish – and they are all passionate about the language. They all have previous teaching experience and receive ongoing training in classroom management and effective teaching strategies.

Our pricing includes:
-Supplies and materials (workbooks, art supplies, technology, paper, snacks, etc)
-A monthly music workshop with a band whose music is from Veracruz, Mexico
-3 cultural experiences throughout the year (sculpture, cooking and yoga, all in Spanish)

Price: $1200 for the whole year; installment payments possible, refunds available in full minus 10 percent.
Levels: Beginner and Advanced, 2 hours of instruction per week, per level.

-Tues and Thurs 3-5, Starting October 2 and 4.
Tues beginning
Thurs advanced

REGISTER HERE- Don’t forget to read the entire class description for installment options!
https://moment.com/schools/classroom-matters?keywords=canyon

– Beginning class is for kids with no Spanish exposure. Advanced class is for those with some.

– minimum of 6 kids needed per class, but if one class has more the other could have less. So 12 total needed between the two classes.

November first is a REVERSE MINIMUM DAY. Please read these details carefully. We have never done this before. The last week of October is parent conferences. All days are minimum days except Wednesday which follows regular 1:35 dismissal. Parents have reported that the morning after Halloween is a rough one and had suggested having it be a holiday. Perhaps we will try that in 2019… On November 1st, school will operate from 11-3. Parent conferences will be offered in the morning. Aftercare as “beforecare” will be available from 8:35-11. Regular fees apply. You can drop your kid at the regular time and pay for beforecare, drop your kid at 11 or anything in between.

Opera a la Carte will be November 15th. The dress rehearsal will be at 8:15. Students in 678 must arrive early to rehearse. The performance will be at 9:30 that morning. Parents are welcome to attend. These shows are a special treat and all are welcome!

The CATSS calendar seems to have some errors for October. The staff development day at Canyon is Oct 15 (NOT 10/08 as listed in the calendar). It appears that there is no 10/22 on the calendar… so use October with caution.

CAASPP scores from last spring are in mailboxes today. As you know the state mandates that we administer these tests each spring for students in grades 3-8. California uses the Smarter Balance assessment. More information about the test is available here: http://www.smarterbalanced.org/parents/ We use this data as one measure of your child’s overall progress. If you have concerns about your child please contact your child’s teacher. If you have any questions about this data, please ask me!

Please welcome our new middle school student, Phillip Barr, who started today. His parents are Cassie and David Barr. If you see some new faces, introduce yourself! I have been emailing people from the archival waitlists and contacting area private schools and making posts on social media to let people know that we have openings in our middle school. We are in the process of developing an updated recruitment flyer. Once we have the flyers, please help us distribute them widely. I am still hopeful that we will be able to gain 5 more students (ideally 7th graders!).

Jasia shared this poem that she had written at assembly last week.

Kindness Spreads
It’s like a ripple in the water
It flows out in a circle
Like little waves
From fish to fish it spreads
Like geese flying overhead
It spreads to all of them
& they’ll fly and spread it on to more geese
Like people on a road trip
Taking it to another place
Kindness goes in lines wherever it has passed
So there should be lines all over the country
So I will be kind
And make one more new line

Calendar:
10/1 Buffalo presentation
10/09 Board meeting @ 7 pm
10/11 vision screening
10/11 CATSS meeting @ 7 pm
10/12 Walk Through History (9-11:30 is 345 class, 12:30-3 is 678 class)
10/15 NO School Staff Development
10/27 Halloween Ball
10/29-11/2 Parent Conferences– sign up!
11/01 REVERSE minimum day, school starts @ 11 (Aftercare will be available 8:30-11)
11/08 CATSS meeting @ 8 am
11/12 Veteran’s Day No School
11/13 Board meeting @ 7 pm
11/15 Opera a la Carte @ 9:30
11/19-23 Thanksgiving Break, no school
11/29 345 Field Trip
12/01 Art Faire

A Message from the Principal

by Lucia Sullivan on 09/18/2018

Thanks to all who attended Back to School Night last Thursday. We tried to be efficient and include as much information and as many staff members as possible. If you have any feedback to improve Back to School Night for future years, please let me know! One idea I had was to have some sort of easy fundraiser dinner on the nights we have events so people can get their kids and a burrito or slice of pizza and support the school… Thoughts?

We are ready to offer after school Spanish as soon as you sign up for it!!
LANGUAGE ENRICHMENT | SPANISH
GRADES K TO 5TH
The Classroom Matters Language Enrichment Program – Spanish, is a learning journey for kids and customized to fit the needs of the students and parents. It’s an opportunity to engage kids in learning about the Spanish language, including the cultures of the countries where Spanish is spoken. Using best practices from a variety of second-language teaching strategies, we provide a foundation of basic Spanish phrases and vocabulary. Through movement, Total Physical Response, song, music, art, and reading and listening activities, our students learn to speak, read, write, and love the Spanish language. The biggest goal of our program is to expose our students to the language in an engaging, play- and project-based environment. Our teachers are native or near-native speakers, or have minors or majors in Spanish – and they are all passionate about the language. They all have previous teaching experience and receive ongoing training in classroom management and effective teaching strategies.

Our pricing includes:
-Supplies and materials (workbooks, art supplies, technology, paper, snacks, etc)
-A monthly music workshop with a band whose music is from Veracruz, Mexico
-3 cultural experiences throughout the year (sculpture, cooking and yoga, all in Spanish)

Price: $1200 for the whole year; installment payments possible, refunds available in full minus 10 percent.
Levels: Beginner and Advanced, 2 hours of instruction per week, per level.
-Tues and Thurs 3-5 beginning Sept 25th, which day beginning vs. advanced TBA very soon!
– Beginning class is for kids with no Spanish exposure. Advanced class is for those with some.
– minimum of 6 kids needed per class, but if one class has more the other could have less. So 12 total needed between the 2 classes.
REGISTER HERE-

The Board met on September 11, 2018. Among the items discussed were the need to be really careful with the plumbing in the kitchen. We need to make sure that anyone who uses the sink or dishwasher is well trained and understands all their vulnerabilities so we can preserve our fragile infrastructure. Also, as you may know, Gloria will be retiring from her role as Superintendent/CBO at the end of October. Monica Santiago was hired by the Board last spring to be the new Chief Business Official (CBO). Last night the board voted to change my position to Principal/Superintendent as of November 1st.

All parents are encouraged to attend CATSS meetings in order hear about what is happening at school and participate in community activities and fundraising events. In order to accommodate a variety of schedules, CATTS meetings this year are alternating between mornings and evenings.
CATSS meetings:
Oct 11 @ 7 PM
Nov 8 @ 8 AM
Jan 10 @ 7 PM
Feb 14 @ 8 AM
Mar 14 @ 7 PM
Apr 11 @ 8 AM
May 9 @ 7 PM
June 13 @ 8 AM

Volunteer opportunities:
We still need a few parents to volunteer to be on School Site Council. It is fun, informative and not too demanding. School Site council convenes at a mutually convenient time to review the Local Control Accountability Plan, develop and analyze a schoolwide survey and make recommendations for school improvement. Please let me know if you are interested.

Molly Heylin offered to chair a Middle School Recruitment committee. Thank you Molly! Anyone interested in supporting recruitment efforts should contact Molly.

Calendar of upcoming events:
9/19-21 678 camping
9/26-28 345 camping
10/1 Buffalo presentation
10/09 Board meeting @ 7 pm
10/11 vision screening
10/11 CATSS meeting @ 7 pm
10/12 Walk Through History (am is 345 class, pm is 678 class)
10/15 NO School Staff Development
10/27 Halloween Ball
10/29-11/2 Parent Conferences– sign up!
11/01 REVERSE minimum day, school starts @ 11 (Aftercare will be available 8:30-11)
11/08 CATSS meeting @ 8 am
11/12 Veteran’s Day No School
11/13 Board meeting @ 7 pm
11/19-23 Thanksgiving Break, no school
11/29 345 Field Trip

Community notes:
From Erika McDaniel: I have a set of bunk beds (black metal frame) and at least one mattress (maybe two) free to anyone who is able to come disassemble and transport them away? They will need to be picked up by the end of September, the earlier the better.

Do you have something to share in community notes? Let me know and I will include it in the next newsletter!

A Message from the Principal 9/5/18

by Lucia Sullivan on 09/11/2018

Back to school night is September 13th. We will begin at 6:30 PM. The schedule will be as follows:
6:30-7 K12 in Judy’s room
6:30-7 Costa Rica info meeting for 8th grade parents in multipurpose room
7-7:15 General Welcome, announcements
7:15-7:40 345 in Kirsten’s room
7:40-8 678 in Mr. Day’s room
7:15-8 Support staff will be in multipurpose room to share about their programs and answer questions

Please be careful in the parking lot. Do not park where there are red curbs; even if it seems okay to you, it blocks the ability of others to safely see the road traffic.

Volunteer Opportunities:
We really need volunteers to help with lunch recess duty, Wednesdays most of all but any day is helpful!

Many people have asked if you can help recruit middle school students. Yes! Please post that we are accepting Middle School Inter-district transfers on your social media sites. You can offer our phone number and website. Please encourage interested families to call the school. Ideally we would gain at least 6 middle school students by the end of September. Sixth and Seventh graders would be best. Spread the news!

School Site Council is a parental advisory group. The role includes a few meetings a year, the development of an annual parent survey and an opportunity to review survey data and help formulate future goals for school improvement plans and the LCAP document. Ideally we would have 2-3 parents serve on the School Site Council.

Community notes:
Rise for Climate, Jobs & Justice March
This Saturday, 9/8 at 10am thousands will march in San Francisco for the largest climate march the West Coast has ever seen. If you and/or your family would like to carpool to BART from Canyon or link up with other Canyon families at the march, please contact Rena at 925.323.7928 or rena.meyersd@gmail.com. Additionally, here is a calendar of other related activities taking place during the week.

If YOU have something to share in community notes, please send it to me and I will include in future newsletters.

A Message from the Principal

by Lucia Sullivan on 08/31/2018

Dear Families,

Thank you all for such a great start to the school year. I wish you all a wonderful long weekend.

As you may be aware, we are eager to find additional students for the 678 class. Right now we have 18 kids in that class. There are 7 sixth graders, 4 seventh graders, and 7 eighth graders. Currently we have three girls in sixth grade and one girl in eighth grade. If you know of anyone who would be interested in joining our middle school program, please have them contact the school immediately. The enrollment in the first week of October is used to determine our funding for the year. It would be of significant financial benefit to the school to have 6 more kids in there in the next few weeks. It goes without saying that it would also be a social benefit to the children to have additional classmates.

The CATSS Board met this morning. The walkathon scheduled for Saturday, October 13 has been moved to Sunday, October 14th to maximize participation. It was felt that many kids have sports events on Saturday that could be a conflict. If you would like to help out with the walk-a-thon or Halloween Carnival, please let us know! Do you have access to any sort of free donations of craft materials or food? The Halloween Carnival is a community event more than a fundraiser and we would like to make the event as wonderful and inexpensive as possible.

This year, in order to accommodate a variety of schedules the CATTS meetings will rotate between day and evening meeting times. We will retain the second Thursday where possible. Please mark your calendars for the following dates:

Oct 11 @ 7 PM
Nov 8 @ 8 AM
Jan 10 @ 7 PM
Feb 14 @ 8 AM
Mar 14 @ 7 PM
Apr 11 @ 8 AM
May 9 @ 7 PM
June 13 @ 8 AM

See you Tuesday!
Lucia

A Message from the Principal

by Lucia Sullivan on 06/06/2018

Dear Families,

The end of the year is upon us. Please read this whole document. There is a lot of important dates and information. You should all know that here in the office we are busy preparing end of the year events and preparing for next year. Community members have busily been making the repairs to the Apse and I am happy to report it is in perfect shape now! Last week we welcomed in-coming kindergarteners for a visiting day and orientation. This is a unique year as all new Kindergarten students are either Canyon residents or siblings of current students. Current second and fifth graders also had the opportunity to visit their classroom for next year and get a preview of what to expect next year!

CATSS met last night and voted in a new board. It will be:
Maggie Harper (Delilah, Sam, Hank & Grant’s mom) & Cambria Shaw (Gus, Bowden & Clementine’s mom), Co-Presidents
Greg Stukuls, Treasurer (Ligaya & Gunnar’s dad)
Rodrigo Gonzalez, Secretary (Roka’s dad)

The Board will meet next Tuesday night to discuss the budget and LCAP. That night’s agenda is just hearing as the actual vote will occur on June 26th special meeting. The LCAP draft is attached to this email. Please let me know if there is anything you would like to add to the LCAP.

There’s a lot happening:
June 7, @ 7 spring performances
June 11, @ 7 planning meeting for 100 year celebration (July 29)
June 12 Picnic & swimming @ Cull Canyon (no glass containers!). There is no Aftercare on this day!
June 12 Board meeting @ 7
June 13th @1, Music recital David Von Holder’s students
June 14 graduation @ 7
June 15, 9-9:45 second grade fly away home in grove, 9:45 fifth grade promotion on deck, make your own sundaes for lunch @ 12– then go home! Is there a parent who would stay with any kids who do not get picked by 12:30 so Ramona can go to the end of year luncheon?
Work days Saturday, June 30; Sunday, July 22
July 10 Brown Act Training for School Board (time tbd), public welcome!
July 29 Hundred Year Celebration Party
Aug 26 welcome back breakfast (Sunday)
August 29, first day of school!

There will be three potential openings for School Board in the next election cycle. Canyon residents who are interested in running for School Board should make sure they make filing deadlines at the Courthouse in Martinez:
https://www.cocovote.us/wp-content/uploads/2018_CandidateGuide.pdf If you would like to be on the School Board, please consider attending the Brown Act training. Contact Ramona for details.

Summer Reading:
Here are some great suggestions for new books from Commonsense Media–
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/great-books-for-summer-travel?utm_source=060518+Edu&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly

Community Notes:
Our very own Kate Wees has opened up a Wellness center in Lafayette. Come support your Canyon community! https://radiancefamilywellness.com
Do you have something to share in Community notes? Let me know!

A Message from the Principal

by Lucia Sullivan on 05/30/2018

Dear Families,

This is a busy time of year! I had the incredible opportunity to escort the 8th graders on their annual Outward Bound Trip. I had been hearing about it for years and was excited to see what it was all about. It was such a privilege to bear witness to these kids’ experience. It is truly a transformative experience and I am profoundly grateful to have had the opportunity to attend. The kids are so lucky to have this trip as their culminating experience.

I heard Open House was phenomenal. I am glad so many people were able to attend.

The next few weeks are busy ones.
Tomorrow, May 31, Kindergarten Orientation Day
Thursday, June 7, Spring Performances dress rehearsal starts at 8:45 (families welcome to attend!) evening show @ 7 pm
Tuesday, June 12, All School Picnic @ 10 am Cull Canyon (no glassware allowed! If you bring food to share DO NOT USE GLASS)
Thursday, June 14, Graduation @ 7 pm
Friday, June 15, Last day, minimum day (Is there a parent who wants to volunteer to stay with any unclaimed children after lunch so staff can attend end of year luncheon?)

Gloria and I are working on planning a Brown Act Training for the School Board and any interested members of the public. We hope to have this training on July 10th, but that is not confirmed. Please stay tuned for more information.

Attached please find a draft copy of the 2018 LCAP document. Feel free to provide any feedback. The June 12th meeting is a scheduled hearing for the budget and the LCAP and voting occurs June 26th.

Community notes:
Leslie Nuccio is a Board Member for Camp it Up, a Queer Family camp, asked me to pass along this information for any interested parties– http://www.campitup.org

I heard from Ken Pitts and he can do Wednesday, October 24, 2018 for the rescheduled Batizado 9-12. Canyon alums Eric Argent, Sophia Argent, Gabe Saffier-Ewing are planning to attend. And Ken is trying to recruit Eli Klein from Hawaii. He is working on getting Sam and Jessie Ewing as well.

Judy sent out Summer Reading information, and I will pass along for parents in grades 3-8. No matter what you have planned, reading should be part of everyone’s summer:
Contra Costa Libraries are having a Summer Reading Program June 4–Aug 4
http://guides.ccclib.org/srf/SRF
Print out the reading passport or track your progress online.

Alameda County Library Summer Reading Game June 1–Aug 31.
http://www.aclibrary.org/blog/get-ready-play-summer-reading-game
https://aclibrary.beanstack.org/reader365
Register online or pick up game boards at selected libraries.

Oakland Public Library’s summer reading rewards June 9–Aug 4
https://oakland.beanstack.org/reader365
Sign up online.

Barnes & Noble’s summer reading program May 15–Sep 3
https://specialists.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading?summer-reading-lists-for-kids
Download the reading journal.

Pura Vida,
Lucia