Here - Kitayama Elementary - New Haven Unified School District

Tom Kitayama Elementary School
November 2009
New Haven Unified School District http://www.nhusd.k12.ca.us
Lisa Metzinger
Principal
Kitayama Elementary
1959 Sunsprite Drive
Union City, CA. 94587
Office 510.475-3982
Facsimile 510.475.3988
What’s Happening
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November
11 – VETERANS
DAY HOLIDAY
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12 – GRADING
DAY-NO SCHOOL
FOR STUDENTS
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17 – LIFETOUCH
PICTURE MAKE-UP
DAY
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18 AND 19
PARENT
CONFERENCE DAYS
AND MODIFIED
DAYS
School hours on
modified days for
ALL GRADES on
11-18 and 11-19 are
8:00-12:05.
rd
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23 – 27
THANKSGIVING
BREAK
December
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16 – ELAC 5pm,
SSC 5:30pm,
PTA 7pm
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21 -1 Winter Break
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January 1 HAPPY
NEW YEAR!
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4 School resumes
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13 ELAC 5pm,
SSC 5:30pm,
PTA 7pm
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14 – 28
PTA Sponsored
Math-a-Thon
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18 – Martin Luther
King Observance
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28 – MODIFIED DAY
8am-12:05pm
School Office Hours
7:30 – 3:30
~ PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE ~
Dear Kitayama Families,
As the weather changes, it is more important than ever that we keep our children safe and
healthy. It is particularly important when the rainy days arrive that we are extra careful when we
drop off and pick up the children. Umbrellas and hoods make it harder for everyone to see.
Please read more about parking lot safety below. Thanks you in advance for following these
guidelines.
In addition to remaining safe in the parking lots and drop off and pick up areas, we also need to
be extra vigilant about the H1N1 virus. We are monitoring attendance, looking for unusual
patterns of absence, and we will keep you informed as needed. Please read more about keeping
everyone safe from H1N1 in this newsletter.
This month we celebrate Thanksgiving, a time for giving thanks for the many blessings we have. Although
all of us have been impacted by the downturn in the economy in one way or another, we still have much to
be thankful for. Most of all, we are thankful for our amazing children. Let’s do our best to show our
thanks for them by keeping them safe and healthy.
Sincerely,
Lisa Metzinger
~ LITERACY ~
Writing Workshop
As we ended the month of October, there were lots
of publishing celebrations at Kitayama! I visited
many classrooms and saw writers celebrating and
sharing their published pieces. It was a joy to
behold.
In November, students will continue writing small
moments in K-1. In second grade, they will be
working on the craft of revision, while third grade
will continue with personal narratives. Students in
grades four and five will work on personal essays.
There are lots of books available on these writing
genres that you can read with your children. If you
go to http://www.noycefdn.org/ecrwresourcescc.php
you can find titles for each grade. Just click on
Children’s Literature for the grade you need.
~ THANK YOU ~
Thanks to PTA for sponsoring Art at Lunch in
October. Students loved the chance to paint and
draw during their lunch recess. Everyone had a
great time, including the parents.
Thank you to Eagle Scout candidate Eric Brown.
He recently completed his Eagle Scout project on
cleaning and beautifying our garden. When you
have a moment, look at how beautiful the garden
has become. Thanks to Eric, Mrs. Banks and all
the volunteers who worked on our garden!
~ PARENT INVOLVEMENT ~
School Site Council (SSC) and ELAC
At our first ELAC and SSC meetings in October
we talked about the budget for English Learners
and Title 1. We later approved the budget for this
year. Our next meetings are on November 18, with
ELAC starting at 5:00 and SSC starting at 5:30.
We meet in the Media Center, and all parents are
welcome to join us.
PTA
The PTA is the parent group that helps to organize
the many fun events that happen at our site. If you
are interested in being involved the next meeting is on
November 18 at 7 p.m. All parents are encouraged
and welcome to attend.
~ ATTENDANCE~
Regular attendance is a key to student success.
This year, we are also focusing on getting students
to school on time. Each month at the Spirit
Assembly, we will honor students who have no
tardies for that month. Please do your part to get
students to school on time.
~~~ SCHOOL SAFETY ~~~~~
~~~ SCHOOL CLIMATE ~~~~~
H1N1 Flu Update
We want to keep the school open to students and functioning in a
normal manner during this flu season. But, we need your help to
do this. Here are a few things you can do:
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Tell your children to wash their hands frequently with
soap and water, both at home and during the school day.
Consider purchasing a small container of hand sanitizer
for your child to use at school, and/or donating a
container to your child’s classroom.
Remind your children to cover their nose and mouth,
preferably with a tissue, when they cough or sneeze, and
to dispose of the tissue in a waste basket or trash can.
Make sure they know to use the elbow, arm or sleeve
instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.
Urge your children not to share personal items, such as
food, drink or unwashed utensils.
Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of
the flu include fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit, 37.8
degrees Celsius or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or
stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired.
Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
If a child is exhibiting flu like symptoms, or is otherwise
ill, please do not send him/her to school, nor should
sick children be sent to daycare. Any children who are
determined to be sick while at school will be sent
home.
Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no
longer have fever or do not have signs of fever, without using
fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever at home will
reduce the number of people who may get infected. If the flu
becomes more severe, we may take additional steps to prevent
the spread such as:
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Conducting active fever and flu symptom screening of
students and staff as they arrive at school,
Making changes to increase the space between people,
such as moving desks farther apart, postponing class
trips, etc.
Dismissing students from school for at least 7 days if
they become sick.
For more information, visit www.flu.gov. Your may also call 1800-CDC-INFO for the most current information about the flu.
We will notify you of any additional changes to our school’s
strategy to prevent the spread of flu.
School Safety Drills
To ensure proper conduct and procedures in emergency situations,
school safety drills will be administered once a month.
Parking Safety
In order to keep our students safe as they arrive and depart
school, please follow these guidelines:
• Please do not park in any red zones especially by the gate
to the Kindergarten play area because it impedes the
entrance/exit of safety vehicles.
• The Pick Up & Drop Off area on Winchester Street is one
of the most dangerous areas we have for pedestrians and
students. There is no parking in that area. The signs are
clear that it is for picking up and dropping off students
ONLY.
• Calling to your child to cross the street alone could have
tragic consequences. Please park and walk across the street
with them.
• The entrance to the front of our school on Sunsprite Drive
is an area that often gets congested. Please use the
crosswalk in this area and make sure to allow pedestrians to
cross. They have the right of way.
• The entrance, driveway and parking area by Kidango room
5 and behind rooms 6 through11 have NO PARKING
zones marked in red.
• Please do not block or park in any driveways if you do not
live there! We are receiving more and more concerned
calls from homeowners that live within our neighborhood
asking for traffic control.
• If we obey traffic laws, we can help ensure the safety of our
children.
~~~~~ DISTRICT NEWS ~~~~~
Free and Reduced Lunch Information:
NHUSD offers free or reduced price breakfast and lunch to students
who qualify. Families must complete an application for free or
reduced lunch every year. Students who received free or reduced
price lunch at the end of last school year will automatically be on the
program until October 12th. To able to continue in the program,
you must complete an application before October 9th.
Lunch Payments
To alleviate your child carrying cash to school, families can prepay
lunch meals for their child. Parents may pay on-line or in the
cafeteria. If you’re paying in the cafeteria, we ask that you wait
until after breakfast is served to make your payment. Once the
children are in their classrooms, we can devote all our energy to you.
Checks or cash are acceptable. To pay on-line, go to the district web
site at www.nhusd.k12.ca.us. Go to the “For our Parents” heading.
Then select “Food and Nutrition.” From there, select
“MyNutriKids” and follow the instructions. Whether paying in
person or on-line, it is important to keep the balance in the positive
to avoid negative charges