Bobcat Strong Tracker

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Dear Santa Rita Families,

Happy Veterans Day!

Last Friday, we held a PTA/Principal coffee and were lucky to have Alison Gentile, an LASD Instructional Support Teacher who is specializing in math, come and talk with some of our families about the new SFUSD math curriculum. I am sharing her slides here with you if you would like to look at the presentation. There is a great video she showed also about why we teach students so many strategies for answers to problems and not just the algorithm that we all learned as kids. Many parents that attended asked that we share the link to the video to show their spouses :)

TK-5 Math in LASD

As holidays approach, I know that many families plan to take trips to see loved ones that they have not seen for so long because of the pandemic. As. you plan these trips and time away from school, please be sure to fill out a short term independent study plan.

Short Term Independent Study TK-6 Non-COVID-Related

Regular attendance at school is critical for both academic gains and social development. However, we do know there may be a time when a student has a prolonged absence. If your child will have a prolonged absence anytime over the course of the school year and you would like them to participate in Short Term Independent Study and be assigned school work from your child’s teacher(s), here are some important details for you to understand:

• Families can choose to participate in Short Term Independent Study during a necessary family trip or prolonged absence from school. Short term independent study is available for students who are absent for a minimum of 5 consecutive school days and no more than 15 school days. The maximum participation throughout a single school year is 15 school days.

• Families must give notice to the school office of at least 5 school days to ensure that teacher(s) have adequate time to prepare work. Independent study work is to be supervised by a family member. The principal has the right to deny a new short term independent study agreement when the student has a history of not completing work assignments.

• Please note that Independent Study work will only be assigned for Reading, Writing, and Math. It is not possible to replicate everything that happens in a classroom while a student is gone, so the work generally includes minimal independent practice to keep up good habits and skills in those critical areas.

• The student must complete all assignments by the due date on the agreement and before the date they return to classroom instruction. If the student is ill or absent from school on the due date, all assignments still need to be delivered to the assigned teacher by the due date specified in the agreement.

• Should students miss the bulk of a unit due to a prolonged absence, the teacher may not have enough data to provide a mastery score on the report card. A missing score may remain on the report card for the year - teachers are not expected to reteach and assess due to short term independent study. A report card note may be included.

Stay Bobcat Strong!

Kelly Rafferty

COVID-19 Vaccination Shots Now Available for Youth Ages 5-11

The County of Santa Clara is now providing free COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5-11 following the November 2 approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The County has been prepared to administer vaccinations as soon as the federal government provided authorizations this week. The first vaccinations in the county for the 5-11 age group began taking place on Wednesday, November 3.

Currently, the Pfizer vaccine is the only option for this newly approved age group. All youth 5-11 who sign up for an appointment are eligible.

Parents can contact their child’s healthcare provider for an appointment and vaccine availability. Additionally, parents and caregivers can visit www.sccfreevax.org to sign up for an appointment or to find a convenient walk-in location. Many of the initial available appointments have been reserved, but the County expects an increased vaccination supply in the coming weeks and additional slots should open soon. Additionally, there are still plenty of vaccinations available for children aged 12 or older.

LASD encourages all eligible individuals to become fully vaccinated as soon as possible to prevent the spread of illness in our community and our schools. For more information, please visit the Santa Clara County Public Health Department website.

Many of our students have already become fully vaccinated, while our youngest students are just receiving their first dose. LASD strongly recommends all students age 5 or older receive the vaccine. Find appointments and walk-in vaccine availability here.

Many families have asked questions about the mild, post-vaccine symptoms some children are experiencing, and if or how they should report these symptoms on our school’s daily symptom tracker.

• Students who are experiencing symptoms post vaccine do not need to report symptoms on the daily tracker unless the symptoms persist 48 hours after the vaccine.

• Students with post-vaccine symptoms should stay home, but can return to school if the symptoms resolve within 48 hours post-vaccine.

• If symptoms are still present 48 hours after the vaccine, students should stay home and contact their medical provider. In this case, please contact your school secretary before sending your child back to school.

If you have any additional questions, please contact Anna Mollerstedt at 650-559-1600

BOBCAT SPOTLIGHT: 2ND GRADE

WELCOME BOBCATS to our Grade Level Spotlight. Each month a different grade will have their time to be a star. November's Spotlight is 2nd Grade. Get to know our 2nd grade teachers and see what our superstar second graders have been up to!

2nd Grade Spotlight - November

What we are doing: Our Superstar Second Graders have been hard at work since school started. We are working on publishing hardcover nonfiction writing books. We have been learning about how to use two texts to become experts when reading nonfiction books. We had a wonderful time at the 29th annual 2nd grade Campout in October: putting up tents, making stew, and getting a visit from Smokey the Bear!

Meet the Teachers:

Ms. Won - Ms. Won is celebrating 30 years of teaching! She is passionate about the enthusiasm of every child and value building a family of learners. Ms. Won enjoys the mountains, ocean sports and traveling - especially to tropical locations!

Mrs. Ho - Mrs. Ho has been teaching for 20 years and love being a part of the learning experience each and every year. She has two children at Santa Rita and loves to spend time with her family and travel!

Miss Lassalle - Miss Lassalle is in her 3rd year of teaching and has wanted to be a teacher since she was a little girl. She loves to spend time with family, try new restaurants and be out in nature.

Kindergarten and New Families Information Nights!

Do you have an incoming Kindergarten, Transitional Kindergarten or upper grade student? Are your friends or neighbors looking for more information about our schools?

If so, please join us and pass on the invitation to all who would like to attend our Kindergarten and New Family Information Nights!

Santa Rita Elementary In-Person Parent Info Night

Where: Santa Rita, Multi

When: Thursday, December 2, 7:00pm

What: Meet our principal, parents, teachers and students and hear more about our excellent academic programs and amazing school community.

Los Altos School District Virtual Info Night

Where: Zoom, Register Here

When: Wednesday, December 15, 7pm

What: If you’re unable to attend the in-person Info Night at your neighborhood school, Superintendent Jeffrey Baier will host a district wide event to share information about our schools, excellent educational model and academic programs.

Los Altos School District Preschool Parent Info Night

Where: Zoom, Register Here

When: November 16, 2021, 7:00pm

What: A short presentation for current preschool parents, with Superintendent Baier and Assistant Superintendent Sandra McGonagle answering your questions about our neighborhood public schools, Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten.

In the meantime, visit our website and our media gallery for more information about our schools, as well as our Transitional Kindergarten webpage for more details on the program.

SPECIAL EDUCATION CONNECTION

THINK ABOUT IT: HELPING YOUR CHILD MANAGE ANXIETY

WEBINAR EVENT: Saturday, November 13, 9:30am - 10:30am

Presented by Palo Alto CAC. Helping your Child Manage Anxiety: Visit to register in advance as required for a live Q&A session.

A BROADER LOOK: Supporting Protective Factors Against Childhood Depression

WEBINAR EVENT: Tuesday, November 16, 7pm

Many of us have been impacted by the pandemic and mental health challenges. We take a deeper dive into depression and the local mental health landscape. Stanford psychiatrist Dr. Shashank Joshi will be in conversation with PAMF pediatrician Dr. Amy Heneghan. Dr. Joshi offers expert advice on what depression looks like in children at different developmental stages, and what interventions are appropriate – both immediate and long term. Dr. Joshi shares tangible resources to use at home and at school to buoy students' protective factors against depression, and highlights changes during COVID to make mental health resources available to all. Register in advance here.

FAN4 MATH COMPETITION

* FUN questions

* 4 students from the same school work as a team, schools can register multiple teams

* Competition window: November 11- 18

* Free: No registration fee

Fan4 Registration

For more info, visit ckmathletes.com Fan4 M Flyer.pdf

MVLA PARENT EDUCATION SPEAKER SERIES

Join us for an evening with author, and Founder and CEO of thinkLaw, Colin Seale

_______________________

The Question Is The Answer: Practical Strategies To Unleash Critical Thinking At Home

Tuesday, November 16, 2021 - 7:00 - 9:00pm | Live Online

Families are inherently qualified to unleash and nurture critical thinking in their children. This is not a skill that families often recognize or think about intentionally, and it is a skill families have regardless of their education level or home language.

In this presentation, Colin Seale, Founder and CEO of thinkLaw and author of Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework to Teach Critical Thinking to All Students, will share powerful, but practical tips to support families - our children’s first and most important teachers - in their crucial role in equipping our young people to lead, innovate, and break the things that must be broken through critical thinking activities and practices they can seamlessly integrate into their home life.

About the Speaker

Colin Seale was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, where struggles in his upbringing gave birth to his passion for education equity. Tracked early into gifted and talented programs, Colin was afforded opportunities his neighborhood peers were not. Using lessons from his experience as a math teacher, later as an attorney, and now as a keynote speaker, contributor to Forbes, The 74, and Education Post and author of Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework for Teaching Critical Thinking to All Students (Prufrock Press, 2020), Colin founded thinkLaw, a multi-award-winning organization to help educators leverage inquiry-based instructional strategies to close the critical thinking gap and ensure they teach and REACH all students, regardless of race, zip code or what side of the poverty line they are born into. When he’s not serving as the world’s most fervent critical thinking advocate, Colin proudly serves as the world’s greatest entertainer to his two young children.

Audience: Parents of elementary, middle school and high school students

Register: Register for this free event

Books: Purchase online at Books, Inc.

Previous Event Recordings

• 10/21/2021 - Dr. Michael Bradley - Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy! Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind

Michael Bradley Handouts:

• Seven C’s for Parents - English

• Ten Tenets for K - 12 - English

• Seven C’s for Parents - Spanish

• MTen Tenets for K - 12 - Spanish

• 09/30/2021 - Ron Lieber – The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous and Smart About Money

• 09/28/2021 - Ron Lieber – The Price You Pay For College: An Entirely New Roadmap

Thank you to those who have already given this year! Your support is making a big difference for our students every day. With almost $800K left to go, we are still welcoming gifts of any amount. If you have yet to give, Donate or Pledge to LAEF today! Let’s fully fund teachers for STEM, computer science, physical education (PE), art, music, library, junior high electives, and mental health counseling services this school year. Learn more.

Email: krafferty@lasdschools.org
Website: https://www.santaritaschool.org
Location: 700 Los Altos Avenue, Los Altos, CA, USA
Phone: (650)559-1600
Facebook: santaritaPTA
Twitter: @BobcatsSR