Duveneck Connections

Cell Phones/Smart Phones (IPhones, Droids, etc.) & Smart Watches

A Policy that is also used in PAUSD Middle Schools

• Students are not allowed to use their personal phones during the school day. Students' personal technologies (such as phones, iPods, iPads, & smart watches) must be turned off and secured in their backpacks from the beginning to the end of the school day.
• There is a phone in the main office that students can use to call home in case of an emergency.
• Inappropriate or illegal use of a personal device at school may lead to confiscation and/or disciplinary action. School staff may require a parent/guardian to come to the school to pick up the confiscated devices.
• The school is not liable for loss or damage. Students or parents should alert the main office of any device/phone theft or damage and then promptly inform the Palo Alto Police Department.

Highlights of the program include:

Engaging, Skills-Building Content

Build Knowledge, vocabulary and perspectives over time

Our structured literacy programs are standards-aligned and informed by the latest research into the science of reading. They feature vertically aligned units that empower students to engage deeply with a topic to build skills within and across grades. Topics are knowledge-based, expanding both general and academic vocabulary in support of reading, writing, and constructive conversation.

Access and Equity

Reach the needs of each learner and ensure cultural inclusivity

Programs feature culturally responsive instruction and equitable resources, engendering a sense of community through reflective dialogue as they expand knowledge. Diverse authors and illustrators share authentic stories that reflect students’ own experiences and broaden their perspectives. Accessibility tools, multi-modal learning opportunities, embedded differentiation, and targeted intervention scaffold instruction.

I held my first Evening with the Principal in mid September focused on this new ELA curriculum. If you were unable to attend the event, here is a link to the presentation:

An Evening with the Principal, September 21, 2022: Benchmark Advance/Adelante

i-Ready is a set of Common Core State Standards-based diagnostic and instructional tools for reading. Upon starting the program, students take an adaptive placement test. i-Ready then uses this data to create individualized instructional pathways for each student. Teachers can let i-Ready personalize instruction on its own, or they can customize the experience for individual students, groups of students, or even an entire class. Teachers can expect to have fine-grain control over the lessons taught and the overall scope and sequence for their students. Additionally, i-Ready offers teachers a range of diagnostic reports. Data is provided on growth, performance, instructional progress, and more. i-Ready will provide suggested live instruction activities, groups, and lessons. Teachers will closely monitor student work on i-Ready to make sure its algorithms respond appropriately to students' needs.

The program includes a simplified dashboard where students can pick a theme and a coach and even have learning material read to them. Each lesson includes a diverse cast of animated characters that walk students through every task. Lessons start with an overview of the learning objectives, followed by a guided learning experience. Kids can review lessons at any point but won't be able to skip ahead. In the reading program, students will read with the aid of a notepad, a dictionary, and some annotation tools.

Your child was assessed with i-Ready in early September and will be re-assessed in January and at the end of the school year. i-Ready looks at 6 domains of Reading: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, High Frequency Words, Vocabulary, Comprehension: Literature and Comprehension: Non Fiction. Currently, the live personalized activities, groups and reading lessons have been carefully designed using the data collected at the beginning of the school year for all of our students.

As a staff, we are very excited to have this new assessment tool to support the individual reading needs for all students. Feel free to contact your child's teacher to learn more about i-Ready and how you can support your child's reading at home. For your convenience, here is a useful pamphlet to use at home i-Ready Fridge Tips.

The 5th graders are putting on the annual Haunted House! This year it will be in the Library again. It will be open on Friday 10/21 for all the classrooms to come through (if they dare…muhahhahahah!) and then at the Harvest Carnival from 12:00-2:30. The entrance will be the first set of doors to the library and the exit will go behind the 3rd grade classrooms. You can’t miss it.

A few things:
- admission is included in your Harvest Carnival ticket/wristband purchase
- it will be spooky and have a few jump scares, but nothing bloody or violent
- if your kiddo becomes too frightened, there is always an exit strategy out to the real world
- on the Friday tour, there will be a spot for kids not wanting to go in (I’ll be there to keep them entertained!)
Looking forward to meet potential new Booveneck victims….errrr….students!

Duveneck School will be celebrating Halloween on Monday, October 31, 2022. Our plan for the day is as follows:

• Students will bring their Halloween costumes in a bag/backpack to school. Students are not to come dressed in costume when they arrive to school on the morning of October 31st.

• When the last lunch period is over (12:25 PM), students will dress up in their costumes. The dress up time will take place from 12:30-12:55 PM. Parents, please keep in mind that we will be unable to personally assist every student who needs help getting into their costumes so we request that you send your student to school with a costume that is easy to wear. We greatly appreciate your help in this area.

• Students may not wear masks or bring weapons to school.

• Our Costume Parade will run from 1:00 - 1:40 PM out on the blacktop. Parents are welcome to be on campus to watch our parade!!

• After the parade, students will end their day doing Halloween activities in their classrooms.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. One way we celebrate this month is through

UNITY DAY, which we will celebrate on October 20. The purpose of Unity Day is to demonstrate that we all stand united for kindness, acceptance, anti-bullying and inclusion of all students at Duveneck. We will have activities for our students during lunchtime that will be organized by students in the Child Development Pathway at Palo Alto High School, led by their teacher, Hilary McDaniel (who's also a Duveneck mom). Please see the fliers for Unity Day info

here.
Please have your student wear the color ORANGE on Unity Day, let them know that there will be lunchtime activities, and sign up to help the students run the activities by clicking here or emailing Linda Henigin at Linda@Brail.org. We need 5-10 parents to volunteer between 11:20 AM and 12:30 PM. Thank you for supporting this very important cause!

There are lots of ways to be a part of the magic of Harvest Carnival, which this year takes place on October 22nd from 12-2:30 pm, and create memories that will last for years. This event truly takes a village, so please see below for ways you can get involved, whether it’s setting up, taking a shift or two for your class game, donating prizes, or just coming to be part of the splendor, we need your support!

Wristbands
Game and lunch wristbands can be purchased in advance until Wednesday, Oct 19th. Families will receive wristbands purchased in advance in their student’s Friday Folders (10/14 or 10/21, depending on when you purchase). Any wristbands purchased online after the 19th will need to be picked up at Will Call at Harvest Carnival on Oct. 22nd. Wristbands can also be bought at Harvest Carnival, but we recommend buying in advance so you can skip the line!

Volunteers
Our amazing Duveneck community is truly what makes Harvest Carnival special, so come be part of the excitement and help us make sure it’s a success. We especially need help with setup and cleanup. Please see our general volunteer sheet here and sign up for a time that works best for your family.

And don’t forget to make sure your classroom’s assigned game has volunteers ready to hand out those coveted prize tickets! View the games sign up sheet here.

Prizes
The Duveneck prize donation continues! The prize table is always a fan-favorite, so please help us make it dazzle! Please keep the donations coming and bring your gently-used, complete, and clean toy donations to the bins outside the school office.

Tuesday, November 1

6:30pm - 7:30pm

PAUSD District Offices

25 Churchill, Palo Alto

Board Room (SDC)

PAUSD’s Chief Business Officer, Carolyn Chow, will explain how the PAUSD budget works and demystify the madness of California school funding. Find out how PiE and PTA fit into the funding structure and what it truly means to be a “basic aid” district. We will be meeting in the Board Room at the District Offices. Please enter on the right-hand side of the building, about 2/3 of the way up the driveway.

At Duveneck, we work together as an inclusive community to inspire a passion for learning. We commit to the academic success of each student and to the emotional well-being of all our students, families and staff.

Email: lcrane@pausd.org
Website: https://duveneck.pausd.org/
Location: 705 Alester Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, USA
Phone: (650) 322-5946